Experimenting with texture
This was a fun exercise, trying to create different textures using many different mediums. I filled a page with 5cm squares and chose a texture for each one. I collected as many different items as I could find and tried to match the medium I thought most appropriate to each one. The textures included a wicker basket, grass, onion skin, dog fur, wood & bubble wrap.
I then went on to experiment by taking the paper and charcoal and soft pencils outside to the garden. Here, I took rubbings of stone flooring, tree bark and leaves. The textures that didn’t work that well were a woollen jumper, kitchen roll and stucco wall covering. I noticed that soft fabrics were not suitable for this kind of rubbing.
Below is an illustration I made using frottage as the background with a pen gecko filled with mark making ideas.
A drawing with textures
Below is my composition using textures. I chose my daughter’s flip-flops which had a smooth animal print contrasting with a shinier smooth golden surface. The background was a zebra print duvet cover. The pine cone provided scope for shadows and the coloured ribbons were made from a soft satiny material. I used pen and ink for this picture and experimented with wet on wet for the ribbons to give a softer feel. The background lacks detail and depth but it does provide a backdrop without overshadowing the detailed objects in the foreground.
Check and log
Have you discovered any new ways of using your drawing tools to depict surface and texture?
I wouldn’t have thought of using frottage to create detail and texture in drawings but I think this could be quite effective. I think experimenting with different mediums for each texture opens up the opportunity to create many more styles of mark making.
How successful were you at implying form with little or no tonal hatching?
I substituted hatching in the above picture with ink tones and tried to imply form with shading and tone.
What are your impressions of frottage as a drawing technique?
I love the idea of using frottage to create texture and depth in a drawing. It is idea for backgrounds and filling larger areas that don’t necessarily have strict boundaries. I shall definitely try to use it in further investigation work.
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