Rubbing and Frottage. Nature Journaling. Introduction. Frottage:

Transcription

1 Nature Journaling Rubbing and Frottage Introduction Frottage: In the 1920s, Surrealist painter Max Ernst used a rubbing technique to transfer to paper the wood grain pattern of old planks on his floor. What he liked about the process was the somewhat random nature of the result. Some artists like the idea of random choices (or rolling the dice), of giving up a large degree of control in order to perhaps gain a more spontaneous and unpredictable result. The result of the rubbing was then a starting point for refinement by the human sensibility. Ernst like many surrealists, was influenced by the Da-Da movement in art, which elevated chance to a virtue and found traditional artistic standards too confining and outdated for a new postwar (World War I) consciousness. Frottage is French for "rubbing." Rubbing: There is a long tradition of reproducing carved or incised surfaces such as bronze memorials and headstones by rubbing a covering paper with wax blocks or crayons of several sorts, such as artist's pastels. The goal in this process is accurate reproduction. In a world before photography and scanners, rubbings were one of the few ways to transfer some kinds of art and craft work from one medium to another. For a few hundred years rubbing has also been a way to transfer nature patterns to paper and cloth. Gently rubbing a soft pencil over a paper pad to reveal what had been written on the sheet above it has become a standard detective novel process, a method many children are familiar with. Either direction, frottage-style rubbing or reproduction-based rubbing, can yield excellent results. Unpredictable results, as in frottage, are often exciting in art-making; they can suggest new directions. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (1 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

2 Lady Margaret Peyton, d.1484, medieval brass rubbing Lord and Lady Cerne medieval brass memorial rubbing medieval lapdog brass with collar of bells winged face on top of old gravestone, rubbing Lord Smoking Shell, Maya temple rubbing from a stele file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (2 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

3 capital of gravestone from the puritan period of colonial New England Materials Note Paper is most commonly used for rubbings. Most kinds can be used. Rag and rice papers yield good results, although for school use any paper can do. Drawing paper is a good bet. Thick papers don't work well. In some Chinese rubbing traditions damp rice paper is used,and tamped down gently with a bristle brush before inking or coloring. Paper rubbings should be stored flat or rolled in tubes when they are complete. Interfacing is a fabric for rubbing that has advantages over papers, if your goal is accurate reproduction more than it is discovery. Ancestry Graphics and Printing offers this advice on headstone rubbing: Use non-fusible medium weight interfacing. Interfacing is white fabric available for about $1.00 per yard at your local fabric store. Make sure that you purchase the non-fusible variety if you plan on ironing your headstone rubbing later on to set the wax. If you purchase the fusible variety, the fabric will fuse to what ever it touches during the ironing process... Light weight interfacing is too thin and will likely rip or tear when you begin your headstone rubbing. Heavy weight interfacing can be too thick to pick up the fine detail on some headstones. The brand we purchased was made by Pellon. Paper can easily get creases and folds that won't come out. Interfacing can be folded or rolled up without leaving any type of lasting creases or fold marks. Photos from Ancestry Graphics and Printing suggest advantages of flexibility and impressive results. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (3 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

4 The rubbings above were made with rubbing wax "cupcakes," available from art suppliers such as Daniel Smith. Rubbings can also be made with soft pencils, gently, kids' crayons peeled, used the long way, arist's pastel crayons, the long way. For very small rubbings, such as coins or small engravings, experiment. Surfaces in Nature for Rubbings file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (4 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

5 bark of hickory tree bark of beech tree inner and outer bark of birch both have intersting patterns birchbark close up file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (5 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

6 grain whorls in weathered redwood bark of ponderosa pine root of ancient pinon pine coyote carved by beetle larvae on fallen wood file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (6 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

7 sometimes trees are expressive Trees heal injuries with smooth bark that shows wrinkles like our skin oaks heal branch scars in circle patterns aspens and cottonwoods heal branch scars in mandala shapes file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (7 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

8 knots in weathered wood produce eyes to rub--driftwood works well With care, tight pinecones can be rubbed rock with fossil markings interesting textures appear on many weathered rock surfaces file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (8 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

9 ancient sealife fossils in limestone Some seashells such as scallops make fine rubbings insect carving beneath bark of standing snag insect squiggles on standing snag file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (9 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

10 toothmarks of beaver on fresh-cut oak Larva trails on the inside of dead tree bark mirror the patterns on the trunk wood sutures in a deer skull weathered deer bone file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (10 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

11 Lilypad leaves are strongly veined, but like all aquatic leaves, fragile. Dry in newspapers, many layers, with moderate weights on top. Try just a quarter section of huge leaves. Rub on the ribbed side. Arrowhead leaves, if carefully dried flat, rub well on the reverse side. lilypad leaves are adapted to survive the wind with ribbed veins. Flattened, dried maple leaf fern spore capsules on the back of fern fronds are excellent for rubbing, with care file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (11 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

12 A note on preparing leaves: Rub leaves face down, veins up. Freshly picked leaves can be rubbed as is. To keep a leaf fresh, seal it in a plastic bag with a spritz of water; store in refrigerator. To dry a leaf for later use, place in an old phone book, mark page with Post-It, stack a few books on top. To rub a curled leaf, seal with moisture in plastic bag overnight in refrigerator; gently test it; repeat if not flexible. A few hours in a phone book before rubbing will help, but don't let it dry out completely, or it will curl again. Painter and Sculptor Charla Puryear offers a step by step demonstration of frottage applied to tree bark. Charla's paintings often originate from frottage, especially on rocks. Beltane file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (12 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

13 Night Sky The Spot Charla's Demonstration of Frottage file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (13 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

14 1) Gather Supplies: drawing paper, pastels, paper towels or soft cloths, pushpins or duct tape, spray fixative, brush for surface 2) Select your surface.choose surfaces with distinct, intact patterns. I have rubbed the surface of many different types of trees, tree roots and rocks. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (14 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

15 3. Visualize Your Composition and Secure Your Paper. Look at the surface texture. Is there a composition that strikes you? Is there a feature of the texture, such as a swirl pattern or a crack or fossil, that you would like to capture? Position your paper and secure it in place with pushpins or duct tape. 4. Choose Your Colors: There are many reasons for choosing colors. I can be influenced by the color of the rock or tree itself, or a color close by. Sometimes I am drawn to a color based on what s going on inside of me emotionally, or it can be an intentional selection based on a feeling or idea I d like to express. 5. Performing The Rubbing: Hold your pastel so that the long, flat side of the chalk is against the paper. Lightly drag the pastel over the surface so that the raised areas of the texture become marked. You can continue to rub over the entire sheet or, based on the underlying composition, you can select just a portion of the paper to rub. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (15 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

16 6. Softening: If you want to soften lines, you can do so with a dry paper towel, tissue or soft rag. 7. Add More Colors: When you add more colors, you can either add to the raised areas or to the recessed areas. Then blend according to your inspiration. Here I am adding orange to a section of raised texture. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (16 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

17 7. (cont.)here I am adding white to sections where the texture is recessed. As you work on your piece, stand back occasionally and look at the whole composition. See what images, if any, appear. You may, or may not, want to bring those images forward, but it is interesting to see what shows up! 8. Finishing: When you feel satisfied with your rubbing, spray it with an acrylic fixative (otherwise, the pastels will rub off.) The finished rubbing may or may not be the finished piece. Usually the rubbing is just the foundation or sketch for me. I take the rubbing to my studio, study for imagery and composition and complete the piece over time. 9. Here s the finished piece I created from the rubbing. I titled it, Things of Which We Do Not Know. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (17 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM

18 Charla's Tips and Ideas Write about your experience. Why did you choose the object you chose? How did you select your colors? What kind of relationship developed between you and the rock or tree? What images were revealed in your rubbing? What associations can you make from the elements that came through the work? How does the piece make you feel? What title did you give your final piece and why? As you can probably imagine, every rubbing you do will be different, especially if you use different textures. Go with the flow. Some of my most successful work has come when I pushed past my mistakes. Experiment! See what a rock or tree reveals to you through rubbings. Morning Earth's Suggestions for the classroom CAUTION: Some rubbings (pastels, cray pas, need to be protected or "fixed" as artists say. These days, that is done with an aerosol spray, either a matte fixative or a clear acrylic spray. We live in a society with increasing numbers of kids--and adults--with respiratory problems. Be cautious about any spraying in the classroom. Read labels carefully. Spray in a spray booth with exhaust fan if possible. If not, the teacher should spray out of doors, with a mask made for the purpose--a dust mask will not protect you. We suggest that instead you use kid-safe materials, such as pencil, wax crayons, and rubbing wax. With primary grades make small rubbings only; start with coins and leaves. With elementary grades, we suggest that you stick with 8.5 x 11 papers to minimize frustrations. file:///sites/morning_earth/ce6109/earthjournal/rubbing.htm (18 of 18)9/14/07 11:11 AM