Core Techniques For Creating Textures

Granulating Pigments on Semi Dry Paper

Granulating paints (Ultramarine, Cobalt, Viridian, Raw Umber, Lunar Black, etc.) settle into the paper’s tooth when:

• The wash is partially dry
• You use a thick, pigment rich mix
• You drag the brush slowly across the surface

This creates:

• Broken lines
• Dusty, mineral textures
• Soft “mountain grain” effects like in the background

Palette note: Use Payne’s Gray + Thalo Green doubled up, adding Ultramarine + Raw Umber will give you those mountain textures instantly.

Controlled Backruns (Blooming on Purpose)

Those feathery, vein like textures often come from:

• Dropping clean water or diluted pigment into a damp wash
• Letting the water push pigment outward
• Repeating this in small, directional touches

This creates:

• Tree line textures
• Vegetation highlights
• Cloud like edges in mountains

Pro tip: Use a fine mist spray or a damp brush, not a wet one. You want gentle disruption, not chaos.

Salt + Rice + Coffee Grounds

Salt on semi dry washes creates:

• Starburst textures
• Crystalline breaks
• Organic foliage patterns

Rice creates:

• Softer, rounder lifting textures
• Patchy highlights in grassy areas

Coffee grounds create:

• Earthy speckling
• Warm micro textures in soil or stone

These are perfect for the foreground vegetation in the painting.

Dry Brush Over Granulated Washes

Those crisp, broken strokes on the buildings and hills come from:

• A nearly dry brush
• Thick pigment
• Rough paper (Arches Cold Press is perfect)

This gives:

• Wood grain
• Stone texture
• Roof tile edges
• Grass blades

Work fast! Dry brush rewards speed.

Masking Fluid + Scraping

Some of the sharp white lines (roof edges, bridge, highlights) likely come from:

• Masking fluid applied early
• Removing it once the wash is dry
• Scraping with a credit card or palette knife

This creates:

• Crisp architectural edges
• Sunlit highlights
• Water reflections

Heavy Pigment Sedimentation (The “Mountain Grain” Effect)

Mixing:

• Ultramarine + Burnt Umber
• Cobalt + Neutral Tint
• Indigo + Raw Sienna

…then laying it down thick on damp paper produces:

• Natural sediment lines
• Mineral streaks
• Layered mountain depth

Let gravity help:

• Tilt the board slightly
• Let pigment settle downward
• Don’t overwork it

Layered Gesture (J. Bruzdzinski Signature Style)

Layered gesture and deliberate mark making collide.

That’s exactly how the mid ground textures are built:

• Loose underwash
• Mid tone granulating strokes
• Dark accents added last
• Small gestural marks for detail

This creates the “alive” feeling in the village and hills.

Recommended Mixtures to Recreate These Textures:

Mountains

• Ultramarine + Raw Umber (granulating, earthy)
• Cobalt Blue + Neutral Tint (soft atmospheric grain)
• Indigo + Payne’s Gray (deep shadows)

Vegetation

• Sap Green + Ultramarine (granulating green)
• Thalo Green + Raw Sienna (your palette already uses Thalo)
• Olive Green + Burnt Umber (earthy, broken texture)

Buildings

• Burnt Sienna + Ultramarine (stone texture)
• Light Red + Raw Umber (roof tiles)
• Neutral Tint + dry brush (edges)