Texture is probably the easiest of the art elements to wrap your mind around. Smooth or rough? Shiny or dull? Crumpled (as in the photo)? Like sandpaper? What would the art object feel like if you touched it?
As with form, texture can be real or implied. In the photo above, the texture is implied because, although it looks rough, if you were to run your finger over it, it would feel smooth. Obviously, a piece of sculpture would have real texture, but sometimes you can find texture in paintings. In impasto style painting, the artist makes use of texture by applying the paint in thick layers, often with a palette knife.
However you use texture, it’s an important element in an artist’s tool box. Here are some websites and videos that will help you explain this in your homeschool art class:
Definition & Examples:
Nice summary with illustrations: https://www.smore.com/9xm5-elements-of-art-texture
Lesson Plans:
K-4: http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/education/teachers/lessons-activities/elements-of-art/texture.html
Tutorial for High Schoolers: https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/elements-of-art-texture
Video Summary:
The following short video provides a good summary of texture, both actual (as in sculpture) and implied (as in drawings):
