Frottage Apr 2026

The raised areas of the surface below will be transferred to the paper, mimicking the texture precisely. Common Textures to Explore Frottage - Baylor University - Martin Museum of Art

(French for "rubbing") is a captivating artistic technique where texture is transferred from a surface onto paper or canvas using a rubbing medium like pencil, charcoal, or crayon. It allows artists to "record" the textures of the world—like wood grain, leaves, or textured concrete—directly into their work. Origins: Max Ernst frottage

Rub gently but firmly over the paper using the side of a pencil, crayon, chalk, or graphite stick. The raised areas of the surface below will

Place a sheet of thin, flexible paper over a textured object or surface. Origins: Max Ernst Rub gently but firmly over

Frottage was pioneered by the Surrealist artist Max Ernst in 1925 . While in a hotel, Ernst was inspired by the worn-down grain of the wood floorboards, which suggested strange,, dreamlike imagery to him. He placed paper over the floor and rubbed with graphite to capture these textures, creating a series of works published as Histoire Naturelle (Natural History) in 1926. How to Do Frottage