Lynda Barry “What it is?” Page 167

Texture, according to Graphic Design: The New Basics is the “tactile grain of surfaces and substances.”It allows for an image to come to life and be more than just two-dimensional images, it brightens the pages by adding details that are normally only seen somewhere else.

For example, on page 167 of Lynda Barry’s book What it is? she uses texture to tell a story of the different dogs she met in her life. When drawing each dog you can see the scribbled lines that are creating the texture of each of the dogs and the area surrounding them. This allows for each of the dogs to seem like they are coming to life by using the rough details of the sketch. In this example, Lynda Barry is using Surface Manipulation by manipulating her pen or pencil to draw thick lines that look almost messy.  Another type of texture that Lynda Barry uses is Physical and Virtual Texture, which is when she includes text in her drawings to make the text a part of the drawing. This is also seen on page 167 on the bottom of the page.

Not only does Lynda Barry use many different techniques to create the appearance of texture on this one page but she always uses these techniques throughout her book. I think she used these methods because they fit the personality and style in a way that would make the book boring without them present.

On every page of What it is? you can see words and images scattered all over the page causing you to put more thought into reading the book. When she uses Physical and Virtual Texture, you are able to look at the pictures and it is clear that the words have a purpose and that they are there to create a glossy or rough texture in the image. This is also seen with Surface Manipulation as the details of the image come off the page.