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Frottage
Project Concept
Frottage began with an interest in what everyday textures can become when they are treated as the
start of an image rather than just a surface pattern. I was especially drawn to how rubbings could
trigger recognition, imagination, and visual storytelling once they were looked at closely enough.
Process
I collected rubbings from things like sidewalks, bark, and shoe soles, then used pareidolia to pull
possible forms out of them. After identifying those shapes, I refined the compositions digitally in
Photoshop so the final pieces could hold together more clearly as finished images instead of raw
texture experiments.
Artworks
The pieces in the series each pushed the textures in a different emotional direction. Flight of the
Free suggests freedom through a butterfly form, Heavenly Ascent turns repeated textures into a
dreamlike staircase, and The Staring Shadows uses darkened surfaces and hidden eyes to create a more
uneasy atmosphere.
Reflection
This project showed me how much visual storytelling can come from observation and reinterpretation. I
liked that the source material stayed grounded in everyday surfaces while the final pieces moved
somewhere more imaginative. It also reinforced how digital editing can support mood without erasing
the original texture history of the work.
