Frottage: Exploring the world through texture
Ever feel like you want to make something, but the perfectionist in your head talks you out of it?
You're not alone. That’s exactly why I created a short, accessible video series all about frottage — a surprisingly playful, sensory-rich way to start making art at home using nothing more than paper, a pencil, and a curious mind. This blog explores my new videos series exploring Frottage technique.
Whether you’re a complete beginner or someone wanting more creativity in your life, this process is an invitation to notice textures, explore your space in new ways, and give yourself permission to create without pressure. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to begin.
Before we jump into the guided videos; a little bit about Frottage…
What is Frottage?
Frottage (from the French word frotter, meaning "to rub") is a creative technique that involves placing paper over a textured surface and rubbing over it with a drawing tool to reveal the pattern underneath. In art, it was popularized in the 1920s by surrealist artist Max Ernst. He began experimenting with rubbing graphite over textured wooden floors and other surfaces, letting the random patterns spark his imagination. Ernst saw frottage as a way to bypass rational thinking and tap into the subconscious — a kind of visual free association. The technique became a key part of the Surrealist movement, which emphasized chance, spontaneity, and dream-like imagery.
It’s a wonderfully accessible form of image making. There’s no “right” way to do it. It’s less about the final image and more about noticing — what’s under your feet, what’s in your kitchen drawer, what’s waiting to be discovered in a garden or park.
It turns you into a bit of a texture detective.
It’s not just for kids…
We should never stop learning about the world through our senses. Our connection our senses is so important as it connects us to our intuitive way of knowing in the world. I’ve shared this process with both children and adults in community workshops, often in lively public spaces like libraries. There’s something special about exploring frottage and collage in a group setting — the way curiosity catches on, and how textures from the environment spark unexpected discoveries. It’s playful, grounding, and accessible to everyone, regardless of age or experience. Here’s a photo of frottage artworks created in the monthly Get Crafty workshop I run through Georges River Libraries.
Why Frottage?
Touch is one of our earliest senses — before words, before sight, we begin connecting with the world through texture. Frottage taps into this primal curiosity in a gentle, surprising way.
It’s also…
Low-pressure & low-cost
Great for people with limited space or materials
A mindful break from screens and inquiry into the environment around you
A starting point for other creative projects
You might begin with a page of simple rubbings — and end up with a collage, a stitched artwork, or something entirely spontaneous. Possibilities are endless…
What You'll Need
Here’s a quick image-based list of what you might gather (and it’s okay if you don’t have everything — use what’s around you!):
📝 Paper; tracing paper, printer paper, kraft paper
✏️ Drawing tools; graphite pencil & coloured pencils
🪑 Textured items from around your house or outside
🧵 (Optional) Needle and thread, glue stick, scissors.
Allow yourself to be spontaneous! Gather items as you go, I’ll always let you know in the first minutes of the video what types of things to look for and gather.
What’s in the Video Series?
This playful video series is all about art-making from home — no fancy art supplies required. I’ll take through frottage basics, different themes of textures to explore and provide some BONUS videos with playful art activies to support the expansion of your creative practice.
Grab your supplies and join me exploring the world through texture. You can View them via YouTube — make sure you subscribe to my channel or
Check the full playlist below:
📺 Getting Set Up – Best paper types to use, mark-making tools, and how to start without overthinking.
📺 Frottage 101 – A short demo and intro to basic techniques.
📺 Frottage with words – poems, mantras and curious cluse
📺 Frottage with Nature items - Foraged leaves, bark, stones… and how to preserve their imprint.
📺 Frottage with Precious Objects – Explore textures with emotional meaning — jewellery, heirlooms, souvenirs.
📺 Frottage Collage: Cut, Tear, Arrange & Stick
📺Frottage: Collage & Stitching – Combining rubbings into compositions, layering, and sewing through paper.
📺Frottage: Negative Space Imagination - Letting frottage surprise you and becoming playful with the unknown.
Notice how you feel
There’s the deeper layer to this practice — the quiet magic that happens when we give ourselves permission to slow down and tune in. Frottage invites us to be present with our senses: the sound of pencil on paper, the feel of texture under our fingers, the visual surprise of marks revealed. It’s a simple but powerful way to shift gears, calm a busy mind, and reconnect with curiosity. You don’t need to analyse or interpret anything — just notice. It’s art as a gentle pause, a way to root yourself in the here and now. Frottage helps shift your focus from the pressure of making something good to the joy of simply creating. Through this process, people have told me they feel calmer, more present, more playful — less focused on getting it “right,” and more open to exploration. They also start to noticed their environment and their felt experience in their body.
Ready for some Bonus Art Process Videos?
Bonus: Stitching Frottage Scraps into Collage - Don't overthink it, spontaneous collage making!
Bonus: Negative Space & Spontaneous Marking Making
Want to Share What You Made?
I’d love that.
If you try any of the techniques from the videos, feel free to tag me on Instagram, Facebook or reply to the blog with a photo of your work. I also sometimes feature community work from my workshops — and it’s so wonderful to see the diversity of approaches, styles, and stories that frottage unlocks.
📩 You can also subscribe to the Youtube channel so you don’t miss upcoming video series.
Subscribe to my blog for behind-the-scenes workshop insights, and other low barrier art-making ideas.
Thanks for checking out this blog and the series. I hope this little window into frottage opens a doorway for your own creative curiosity.
It bears repeating; You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to begin.
About Me:
If we haven’t met, I’m Mary-Helen, a transpersonal art therapist and artist, passionate about equipping others with tools for authentic expression and re-discovering joy in their lives. Through my work, I aim to help people tap into their creative flow, break free from perfectionism, and embrace the process of making art as a way to reconnect with themselves. Most of my artistic journey has been self-taught, and in the last couple of years, I’ve further honed my skills with a Visual Arts Diploma at TAFE, where I spent many hours exploring and experimenting with different art materials — I loved it! I contiune to strengthen my practice through deeping my own creative practices and learning from other skilled practising artists.
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