Part 1: drawing textures
The first part of the task was to select a range of objects with interesting surface textures, and to draw the textures in an experimental way, using pencil or pen, in a series of 5 cm squares in the sketchbook. Then as a second part, we were to experiment with the technique of frottage.
Page 1: creating textures using line – dip pen and ink
I chose an A3 white paper sketchbook and dip pen with black ink for this task. Overall, I found it very laborious and had many difficulties with the dip pen: the nib was very scratchy, I had problems taking up the right amount of ink, and difficulties to find a fixed position for the nib where it wouldn’t waggle. Not sure if these were beginner’s problems or whether dip pen isn’t the best tool for the task.
I tried to select objects with a rough texture, with not only visible texture but one that would also be rough to touch. I chose some made and some natural objects. Both presented their unique challenges.
Made objects
– a bamboo basket: very difficult to depict the structure using line. I wasn’t able to focus my eyes on details and struggled to depict the apparently simple pattern. It would have been much easier to draw the basic lines with pencil first and then the pattern of directional, interrupted visible lines in ink. Alternatively, I would have preferred to use a tonal medium like charcoal to set the base tone and then work out light areas and dark lines.
– various textiles. I found the textile surfaces less difficult overall, maybe because the textures were less rigidly structured and allowed for a more impressionistic style. My approach was to try and draw short, whiggly or curvy lines that corresponded to the character of the cloth.
– rough sandpaper versus towel: I think these look too similar, or the towel would appear to be very rough indeed! The sand paper lines were very edgy with many little spikes, and I wasn’t able to control my hand’s movement well enough to make distinctly softer curls for the towel. Maybe I moved the hand too fast, or it may have been an error in my visual analysis of the texture
– a braided table mat: I found this quite successful, because it depicts the basic structure with very few lines.
Natural objects
– two stones. I placed the light source from right above, which helped to bring out the structure by casting dark shades. I discovered that I could create lighter and darker areas by making the texture more or less dense. I had known this theoretically, but here it developed quite naturally out of the task itself.
– a natural sponge. I found this very difficult, because the lines were so delicate and low in contrasts that they could hardly be seen. Again, I had difficulties with eyesight. It might get better if I use reading glasses (need to buy some, shouldn’t defer this any longer).
– shell and starfish: very difficult too. I find my lines not delicate enough to capture the fine texture of both objects. Again I had the feeling of not using the best medium for the task.
– a cork top and a very old lemon: Here the fine lines worked quite well. I managed to not make the lemon too dark, and made only few marks which I found characteristic. Not sure whether the cork is recognizable, though.
For the future I see two areas where I need more practice: Firstly, more work with dip pen and ink to develop my abilities, and secondly, trying to depict structures with a different medium – one that permits shadings.
I’m not sure whether the focus of this exercise was on depicting textures using line, or whether the idea was to depict them using whatever experimental techniques gives interesting results. I wasn’t overly comfortable with the idea of experimenting with ink blots and smudging, as suggested by the instructions, but maybe this is the way to go here.
Due to the many technical problems I had with the dip pen, especially the waggling and scratching nib, I did some research on the internet. I have now understood my error. I did not know that the nib must not be between the metal nibs at the inside of the holder, instead it is supposed to fit between the metal nibs and the rim of the holder. I tried it the correct way and it fitted perfectly! Looking forward to no more waggling nib.
Page 2: creating textures – experimenting with ink
I liked the first page I created, but felt that I hadn’t been very experimental, and that there would be an interest in exploring more unusual ways of mark making with ink. I decided to make another series of squares on the same textured objects, but with different instruments. I remembered the early mark making exercise where I explored a variety of unusual tools and wanted to build on experiences I made there.
I chose wooden stick, toothstick and matchsticks as tools and also set aside a white household tea candle. I had the idea of using the water-repellent effects of wax to create new textures. I worked on one object after the other and tried to depict the texture in a more improvisational style. The mark-making was less controlled than with the fine nib of the dip pen. I used the wooden instruments in various ways, for example I applied the fine tip for fine lines and dots, or the side of the tip for broader marks. I also fringed a tip and created irregularly shaped marks, then smudged the ink with wax, tissue or another wooden stick.
For some of the made objects, I did a pencil construction of structural lines which was very helpful. Especially the texture of the bamboo basket which I found totally unsuccessful on the first page was much better now. There was a difference in approach between the first page and this one. On the first page, I had tried to recreate the texture I saw with lines that had similar characteristics. On the second page, I was more concerned with the overall impression of the texture and how I could mimick this in a more global, impressionist way which was not restricted to line. I also created dots and stains, smudges and also used some white gouache to bring out structures. Working with wax resulted in tonal shadings and other unexpected effects.
I enjoyed both approaches. The first was a good learning experience because the restriction to a single technique helped to develop its variety, for example by changing the nature of one’s movements or the proportion of darker versus lighter areas. The second approach was liberating. I think the resulting textures are more varied overall as a result of the greater variation in media. I imagine that a drawing using the first approach would appear more coherent and consistent in style, while the second would appear much more expressive and uncontrolled.
Part 2: Experimenting with frottage
I was glad that there were so few directions other than “Experiment !” and a basic explanation of the frottage technique: Place paper on a texture and rub with crayon or pencil to create an impression of the texture.
I had some prior experience with frottage from a beginner’s drawing course which is offered online at Tate Gallery, London. I was sensitized to the importance of paper thickness and the relative softness of the drawing instrument, although I had not yet developed firm knowledge of what works best for what type of object. But my earlier tries had taught me that too heavy paper would not let through fine textures, so the first choice was to select rather light paper –lighter than the sketching paper I have available.
I chose a simple office notepad with white paper of 60 or 70g, and also dressmaker’s tissue paper which is semi-transparent and extremely light. I wanted to try frottage on a series of objects with different papers and drawing instruments. Since I did not like cut edges, I did not cut but tore the paper sheets into rectangles of about 10×10 cm.
Overall I did 32 frottages on a selection of the objects I had already used for part 1. Afterwards I glued them onto 3 pages in my A3 sketchbook. For the first frottage series I chose
– the tatami pillow, made of woven marsh grass
– the braided table mat
– the sisal scratch board for cats
– the woven table cloth
With these, I tried out both paper types and used 3B pencil, 2B graphite stick and black conté crayon stick. Conté frottages were much darker than their pencil and graphite counterparts. I had expected that the tissue paper would have given a clearer impression of the textures, but actually it was difficult to see any systematic differences between the two paper types, they worked equally well.
Then I wanted to do some more frottages with the other objects of part 1. Since I saw not much difference between paper types, I decided to focus on the light office paper as it was easier to handle (did not roll up after frottage). For this series, I concentrated on 3B pencil as it appeared dark enough for interesting contrasts and it didn’t smudge as easily as conté. The remaining objects were two stones, a coral, very rough sandpaper, a shell, a starfish, and a bamboo leaf, among others.
The difference between the two paper types became relevant again, because the tissue paper permitted wrapping around an object more easily, for example with the shell or the starfish. On the other hand, with some textures it was difficult not to make holes with the pencil accidentally, for example with the bamboo basket or the cork top, even with the more resistant office paper.
Some reflections on frottage
What I liked a lot about this technique was the ease with which it permitted to create a naturally asymmetric and authentic texture which was very close to the visual impression of the object’s surface. A limitation is that it needs a physical roughness of the surface – it doesn’t work on smooth textures like wood grain. Another limitation is that it requires the drawing material to be placed on top of the surface, so the technique doesn’t lend itself for use with drawings in a sketchbook. It would also be difficult to apply to the texture of a crocodile or other reptile…
My main objection against the technique is that it will not work very well with typical quality drawing paper which I’d choose for final works (as opposed to studies). But I nevertheless find frottage very helpful and inspiring as a technique to increase sensitivity for the specific texture of objects. One task in the Tate Gallery drawing course had been to use frottage as a basis and then try to draw the frottage structure using traditional (or more experimental) drawing techniques. This is something I can imagine to explore further in the future. A nice variation of the technique might be to use dark paper with white pencil, or variations in colour.
References
Tate Gallery Drawing Course: Introduction to drawing techniques
http://www3.tate.org.uk/learnonline/onlinecourses/