Materials by class
paper
Plant fibres felted into a sheet; how long the fibres are and how the sheet is pressed decide its tooth, its translucency and how it takes ink.
ledger paper png · kraft paper png · vellum png · mulberry paper png · parchment png · newsprint png · card stock png · tracing paper png · blueprint png · carbon copy png · marbled endpaper png
textile
Yarns interlaced or looped; the weave or knit, not only the fibre, sets how a cloth drapes, catches light and wears.
linen png · moquette png · bouclé png · brocade png · felt png · quilted satin png · gingham png · velvet png · ripstop png · tweed png · darned wool png · tapestry back png
stone
Minerals bound by heat, pressure or cement; the grain size and what fills the gaps between grains decide its pattern and polish.
marble png · terrazzo png · slate png · travertine png · granite png · rammed earth png · lime plaster png · board-formed concrete png · fossil limestone png · pumice png
wood
Cellulose fibres laid down in yearly rings; cutting across, along or around the rings shows end grain, straight grain or figure.
oak png · cork png · plywood edge png · walnut burl png · bamboo png · driftwood png
metal
Crystals of metal, worked by hammer, roller or brush; the surface keeps every tool's direction, and air adds its own colour as patina.
brushed steel png · patinated copper png · enamelware png · pewter png · galvanized sheet png · chrome png · pressed tin ceiling png · gold leaf png
glass
A cooled liquid with no crystal order; it bends light at every surface, so texture in glass is mostly what it does to what lies behind it.
rain on glass png · frosted glass png · stained glass png · bottle glass png · pressed glass png · sea glass png · dichroic glass png
ceramic
Clay fired until its grains fuse; a glaze is glass melted on top, and the crackle is the glaze and body shrinking by different amounts.
glazed tile png · terracotta png · porcelain png · zellige png · raku png · kintsugi png
pigment
Coloured particles carried in a binder or water; how the particles settle as the carrier leaves makes washes, blooms and granulation.
watercolour wash png · gouache png · ink bloom png · risograph ink png · chalk pastel png · lacquer png · suminagashi marbling png · verdigris paint png
polymer
Long chain molecules, moulded or cast; the mould's surface is copied exactly, so studs, grain and gloss are all made on purpose.
rubber stud flooring png · vinyl png · foam png · cast resin png · linoleum png · bakelite png · holographic foil png
organic
Material a living thing made: cells and fibres arranged for a job, which is why bark, crust and honeycomb pattern themselves.
pie crust png · flour on marble png · moss png · bark png · honeycomb png · orange peel png · mother of pearl png · moth wing scales png
phenomenon
Patterns no one made: water, salt, frost and oxidation arranging themselves as they move, dry or grow, each by a rule a student can name.
frost ferns png · salt bloom png · oil sheen on water png · rust bloom png · tide ripples in sand png · crazed mud png · soap film png · lichen map png