Finding texture everywhere

Continuing on my crusade to make backgrounds in a fun way!

I admit that I mostly used rubber stamps to make wax crayon resist when I first tried this, but now I’m making up for that because I don’t want anyone to have to go buy expensive big stamps to try this easy mark making technique! So let see what happens if we use….

Making a mark

Anything that is flat and textured can be used when you do wax crayon rubbings! My favorite pattern is mom’s ruler!

Wax rubbings part II
In her sewing pile we found this little piece of textured ribbon too and it was great for mark making! Next time I will dig through the entire stash of lace and cloth ribbons, but for now I just tried what was at hand upstairs in the house.

Though I went into my brothers room and found the book I gave him for his birthday recently;

Wax rubbings part II
The letters are embossed as is the fox, but it was not a perfect surface to use. I will look for other books to use and you should too! Many soft covers (though not very many Swedish books) have embossed covers that might be fun to use.

I went through a whole array of bowls, trays and plates but this was my favorite pattern:

Wax rubbings part II

Cool huh? Also check out the other GPP street team members as they are finding all kinds of awesome stuff to use in their art! I haven’t had time to paint on these so they are not yet “resists” but I think they can also be used as they are, right? Yummy yummy papers of mine. Have you made yours yet? You know you need them! Maybe I could try the keyboard on my laptop next? Or I might be on the lookout for texture on my next flea market excursion… hehe, it’s addictive to paint!

PS: I did try the wood railing outside with a brown crayon and it looks like a piece of wood with all its year rings and twig marks!

17 Responses

  1. Thanks for this creative (and inexpensive) idea! Now I know what to do with all those old crayons I found. I am just wondering if my pens will write over the wax, even with paint on top.

  2. Wow, you are reading Sapkowski! I loved his very early short stories, I read them ages ago (well, in fact about 15 years ago! *^v^*).
    In return I can say that I read something by a Swedish author recently, namely Marianne Fredriksson “Anna, Hanna and Johanna”, and I loved it!

  3. love your blog..like your wax rubbing on lace in particular will have to try that..i think it would look effective done in a light crayon with black paint over it..thanks for your great comments on my blog

  4. Marcia, I don’t think you will be able to write on the wax but you could paint over the rubbings on the area where you plan to write.

    Joanna, no I can’t way that I’ve read it. Like I wrote, I bought it for my brothers birthday and I’ve yet to read Sapkowski!

  5. Hanna – more terrific textures!!! I love that you have a new “eye” with which you look at everything. You’re right, these would be great “as is”. Try looking at the soles of your shoes! Book covers are a great idea too. Thanks for sharing all your tips AND enthusiasm.

  6. Hi Hanna I love your inspirational blog and your textures. I used colorpencils as an experiment and they work fine too. Also trie soft pastel.

  7. Wow Hanna, these are so great ! I love the bowl/plate design – and that orange is so vibrant ! I reminds me of your quilting fabrics ! Just beautiful and very inspiring to keep on rubbing !!!!
    Cheers,
    Kim

  8. Wow, thanks for the advice! I was scratching my head for ages over some journal pages, something was missing… so I did some rubbings from a wooden Indian carved round table top. First I used a single colour on white paper. It looked ok but a bit boring. So then I cut up part of a Starbucks bag I had saved and used 4 colours one on top of the other on the brown – pink, red, yellow and gold. It looked fantastic!

  9. Hi Hanna

    oooh the bowl-resist thing is WONDERFULL!! And the quilt rulers LOVE THEM! (Yakks, I don’t have a quilt ruler…. YET)
    The colors are so vibrant, thanks!!
    Hedwig

  10. Hanna,
    Fabulous textures and details. Perfect as a beginning or an end in and of themselves. I used an old gold embossed copy of a book that held Shakespeare’s poetry but now I must try some plate rubbings. You are obviously having fun!
    jodi

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