A-Z summer project // Rubbings

Rubbings!

I started this during the final term, as a means of exploring and studying london to create pattern.
I remembered this and how quick, simple it is to yield really interesting results! I was fascinated by alot of the things i saw when abroad, particuly the calligraphy and these engraved character stones dotted around and i wanted to start a way of researching and collecting these. it started off intending to make a kind of quick collage but just blossomed into this mad collection and a study of chinese/korean calligraphy characters. it was good research being able to not just collect the parts but to be able to trace follow and touch the stroke of each character

this is really more a calligraphy study than a rubbings one. but well the end result is definately rubbings so comes under this title for me.

i began with this sheet, this is paper used for printing from wood blocks, i had it wrapped around a print i was given and thought to make good use of it!
-when i started i had a gel pen and a pencil on me. that was it,
the mechanical pencil is great for detail but for taking rubbings it just chewed up the paper
i tried takign out a piece of lead and using my fingers, but the results just wernt strong enough

but still was great for tiny engravings and expecially coins.
but that was it, there was so much more beutiful stuff to explore.

by pure luck, mere moments after giving up and deciding its never going to happen -i found an art shop!
i pointed at what i was trying to achieve and was sold a box of oil pastels.
they wer similar to crayon but better

later, i did try normal pastel, but was useless, it smudges like a bastid and multi coloured dust goes everywhere.

i even managed to find a paper shop later on and experiemtned with different paper stocks and colour

hh

These i used cheap calligraphy paper found just about everywhere, was a nice long shape of paper too and was easy to control thin enough to feel what your doing but still stout enough to not rip up

colour was something i never really intended to work with or explore with rubbings. it only came abotu as a necessity as my chosen pastel wore thin very quickly and as i had a box a various colours i thought to try make use of it, picking no more than 3 colours to work together.

i did bend that rule sometimes when i lost the odd pastel

i owe alot of thanks to lin for pretty much making this happen for me from the start.
at least for probably saving my life from being run over
it was great fun for me! and i got some amazing textures to play with! a well as some mad stuff for my walls at home
also used these to act as kind of postcards/gifts for one two particular lucky individuals who deserve .