4.3.1 Making wax rubbings
My sketchbook is size A4. Papers and media are indicated on the images.
 | The upper rubbing was done directly in the sketchbook. Although the paper is a little too thick for rubbing, the edges of the lime are well visible and make a nice pattern. Most textiles were too soft to get a good rubbing. One exception was a woven table mat. Neocolor II was good to use with this finer texture, as it is less soft than the Jaxon oil pastels I used later on. |
 | A wickerwork try offered several opportunities. |
 | My favourite earthenware mug in two media. The graphite stick renders the details differently, with more shades than the Jaxon crayon. |
 | Done with Jaxon, the rubbing of the oven cloth was a smear. But with the graphite it is quite distinct. The two lower rubbings were taken from a paper made in Module 2. The graphite version renders the lines, the Jaxon version shows a combination of line and plane. |
 | Again a graphite and a Jaxon version. The woven basket has a very fine texture, so I preferred the graphite stick for the rubbing. |
 | The texture gets more dramatic with the 8B pencil. I wish I had more of this very thin tissue paper. It is ideal for fine details. |
 | Two more trials with textiles, done on the very thin paper, as well as the shell on the right. I wrapped the shell in the paper repeatedly to make the rubbing. |
 | For outside rubbings I raided my neighbour’s garden shed, as it had been raining for days and everything outside was soaking wet. These rubbings were all done with Jaxon wax pastels and sturdier tissue papers. |
 | I like the bark rubbing, the second down on the left, with the delicate traces tapering away from the strong marks. |
 | The feathers have such a delicate texture that it can hardly be seen, although I tried several times. Yet I like this page. |
Extra activity: adding colour washes and making a collage design
 | The papers were coloured with washes of acrylic ink. The image appears rather pale on this page, the original is a lot more colourful and shows more contrast. |
 | The snippets are arranged on a paper from Module 3, prints and colour washes on woodchip wallpaper with a texture of its own. |
4.3.2 Looking for texture
For many years I have collected photographs and filed them in theme folders like stones, trees, houses, sky and so on, but also colours, lines – and textures. It seems there remain a lot more texture images to be collected!
4.3.3 Drawing texture
Some of the textured objects I used for my drawings (except the white shirt):
The first page of the drawings was done on a sheet in my sketchbook which I had coated with gesso, so the surface is a bit grainy. Except for the oyster shell I used pencils, as indicated below the drawings.
 | Upper left: oyster shell I had experimented with Brusho and bleach and tried it again here. The bleached lines are almost, but not quite, definite, an effect which I think suggests the mother of pearl surface of the shell. Upper right: sunflower head The grainy paper was not the best surface for the fine details of this object. Yet I like the contrast between the regular pattern and the burst at the centre. |
| Lower left: The paper was not bad here, because it gave the lines a hint of movement. The H5 pencil was a good choice for the fine lines of the very light wood. | Lower right: This stone has no regularity and was difficult to draw. I went from dent to dent and made the graphite wash in the background to make the shape a little clearer. |
The next two images show half a sketchbook page each. | |
 | Sock: I hope it is evident that I knit the sock myself! Incredible to have done so much knitting and to still have to look very closely at how the stitches are connected. Sometimes I think I do not see an object properly unless I draw it. Snail’s shell: Something went wrong here. I was bored while drawing the shell, and the drawing is boring. |
 | Brush mat: I thought this is perhaps too simple and regular a motif, but I liked to explore the spaces between the bamboo sticks and the thread that holds them together. Wasp’s nest: Once I understand a pattern I tend to draw what I know instead of what I see. But the wasp’s nest has so many irregularities that I always had to look closely. I might have made the dark spots blacker. |
| I played a little with these images in Picasa. | |
Reversed colour: I especially like the effect in the sunflower and the wood. | HDR processing: The wasp’s nest raises from the page with the enhanced contrast. I might try to draw with a calligraphy pen or a felt tip to get a similar effect. Or an inktense pen with a wash for the darkest shades (the idea comes only just now during writing, too bad). |
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Finally: A little relaxation
The painter Mary Fedden (I cannot thank Viv enough for drawing my attention to her!) used to make little soft lions for the babies born to her family and friends. They are so lovely that I decided to try one for the new born daughter of a friend. It was so relaxing to sit back and stitch for a change! It was also a chance to finger much-loved old textiles again and turn them into something nice. This won’t be my last lion – my little grand niece will get one, too.
