For this exercise I collected materials with different textures, divided the page into four and attempted to translate the surface textures on paper by experimenting with a range of materials.
To depict a silk texture I used oil pastels and scraped into and smeared the surface to get the smoothness and the effect of light on the material.
To recreate a pottery mould of coral, I started with a watery acrylic paint background and added dabs of ink to the still-wet paper. I then blotted this and repeated the same, all using a fine ink pen to add details.
For the woven fabric I used soft pastels and conte sticks. I applied the pastel, using the sides of the sticks, then used a corner to add the dashes. I brushed across the surface using a dry brush then added more dashes.
Finally, to recreate a lacquered wooden dish surface, I used oil pastels, thickly applied. Layering brown, ochre and burnt umber to achieve the right colour, I then used a pointed stick to drag ink across the surface and also scratched into the pastel with it. I used a dry brush to drag more ink across and finished with lots more scratching.
This part of the exercise involved finding different rough/interesting surfaces to take rubbings from with a view to possibly employ the textures in future artworks. I think need a bit of practice with frottage to get the best effect, but liked the idea of using the rich surface textures of objects around me.
Ruth Beech - Mindful Movement, Meditation and Art 