The visual appearance and surface texture of materials according to the old masters

Primary components in the colour reproduction of textured materials are firstly, the accurate rendering of the appearance of texture, and secondly the ability to print a surface topology that moves towards 2.5D printing. However, in order to render surfaces that contain no discernable pattern structure, unlimited variations in pattern can result in enormous file sizes. The paper explores how painters from the 15th to 21st century were absorbed in creating convincing representations of the attributes of materials. However, on close inspection, these paintings demonstrate a gestural, almost abstracted approach to capturing the appearance of the material, surface and object. The evolving question is: what are the key elements in paintings produced by artists that through the application of coloured brush marks, are able to create a verisimilitude of the material qualities of wood, metal, glass and fabric? The paper suggests that in order to create both a convincing visual appearance, a high level of detail is not necessary, and, that too much information possibly hinders the final appearance. It suggests that by using a more gestural approach, whereby the relationship of mark and colour, and by modulating the fluid dynamics of a mark through a textured surface, a more convincing rendering of texture can be achieved. Finally, by exploring analogue approaches to image making, and by addressing the complex way digital images are constructed, new methods could assist in reducing huge memory and image processing requirements. © 2014 SPIE-IS & T