WHAT IS A RUBBING
Taking a rubbing of something is a way to capture its surface texture. Surface texture is the way things feel - ex. bumpy, smooth, rough, sandy. Each texture will make a different pattern. Seeing these patterns on paper gives us another way to understand an object, and what texture is. It might also inspire some creative ideas since pattern and texture is an important element of art!
SOME OBJECTS TO TRY!
Cement, tree bark, leaves from trees and plants (could be dried on the ground!), tiles, gutters, a bundle of twigs, stone, mesh, fabric, wood, telephone pole, letters on a fire hydrant.
WHAT'S IN YOUR KIT
1 - 11x17 Rubbing worksheet
Plain paper
3 Crayons
WHAT YOU MIGHT NEED AT HOME
Textured objects - try to find as many different textures as you can. Use your fingers to help search for the textures!
POSSIBLE POST RUBBING PROJECT MATERIALS:
Glue, scissors, drawing materials, more paper
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
- Unwrap your crayon! Take all the paper off
- Find an object with a texture you’d like to capture
- Place your paper over your object
- Put your crayon flat on your paper
- Hold your paper with one hand and the crayon with the other (this might be easier and more fun in a pair so you can help each other for this step)
- Push it forward and pull it backwards over the object
POST RUBBING PROJECT IDEAS!!!
Once you’ve tried making a rubbing of a number of things what can you do with them!?
Try some of these ideas:
- Overlapping different textures or colors
- Repeat the same texture to make a pattern
- Draw your favorite texture or favorite part of a texture
- Draw a picture on top of the rubbings you made
- Cut up your textures and paste them back together to make a collage
- Add watercolor over your crayon rubbings to make an abstract painting
