Where to Find and How to Make Wood Texture Images

Wood texture images have so much potential to add depth to your digital art. Put a transparent overlay on your graphic design work to give it a rustic edge, or fill in elements of your digital illustrations for a richer look.

No matter why you’re hoping to add wood grain texture to your work, read on to learn how to use them and where to find free wood patterns to use.

How to Make a Wood Texture in Photoshop or Illustrator

Option 1: Import Wood Grain Texture Images

ron swanson poster — Skillshare student Rob Taylor creatively uses wood in his poster design.

This is the easiest way to add texture to your work. Simply use images of real wood (we’ve got some suggestions below)—or take your own photos! In your digital program of choice, you can play with transparency and blending modes to use the image as a textural overlay, use clipping masks to fill elements with the image, play with halftones to simplify the texture, or try anything else your creative mind can think of.

Pro tip: If you’re looking to fill a large area, use a seamless wood grain texture that you can tile to fill the whole space.

Option 2: Create Your Own Wood Pattern

wood texture in photoshop — Skillshare teacher Robert Marzullo demonstrates how to paint wood in Photoshop.

Of course, you’re welcome to draw or paint your texture from scratch. Note that this is the most time-consuming option, so many artists only tackle it when they can’t find the wood pattern they’re looking for. Learn more about how to paint wood in Photoshop or how to draw wood grain texture by hand and then scan and digitize it.