Fancy some frottage?

If you'd asked me what frottage was three years ago I might have thought it was just another sexual or not-for-the-tea-table thing that would have been shared by my teenage children over dinner - like keistering (don't ask if you don't know). It is. However, and thankfully, it is also simply art rubbing - a fabulous mark making technique which can be used alone or incorporated into many art styles. All you need is a pencil, charcoal or graphite stick and then look for interesting surfaces - I frottaged the whole of my garden bench yesterday afternoon. Add a bit of watercolour or watered down acrylic - frottage over or under and you have an interesting set of marks. You can frottage anywhere you find an interesting 3D object - kitchens are a great source if you can't leave the house - even radiators. So get out your graphite and get rubbing - and don't be tempted to hide it anywhere inappropriate.