Frottage Painting Techniques
French for "rubbing," frottage painting is a technique used by fine artists and illustrators to create textures by placing their work surface over an object with a desired texture and literally rubbing the texture on. This technique was developed by surrealist Max Ernst in 1925 and can be found prominently throughout his body of work.
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Uses
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The majority of artists who employ this technique use it as a background for their artwork. They simply prep their work surface using the frottage technique, then paint the subject over it. This technique can also be left unaltered to create a complete, abstract piece of art. Graphic designers can also use the frottage technique to create textures that they can scan into a computer and use as a texture for various elements of their work.
Material
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The surface used for the frottage technique is possibly the most important consideration you must make before beginning to use this technique. It will have to be something soft, like a paper or thin canvas, so that it will tuck and bulge with the grooves of the textured surface you wish to recreate. If you are dead set on using something thicker like illustration board, you have the option of creating your frottage on a separate piece of paper, then transferring the image to your board by placing it face down on your work surface, then rubbing the back firmly.
The tool you use to do the actual rubbing should be a piece of charcoal or very soft pencil. If you are using paint, thin it down enough to follow the contours of the surface you are rubbing.
The surface that you are rubbing off of is also important. Make sure it is slightly more textured than what you want to create.
The Technique
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Once you've decided what surface you'd like to recreate, simply place your paper or canvas over it, making sure there are no warps or bends in the paper. You may want to use some masking tape to secure your paper so that it doesn't move around under rigorous rubbing. Using the broadest area of your charcoal or pencil, begin rubbing over your surface. The harder and more pressure you apply while rubbing, the more dark spots will appear in your final piece.
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