Collect a range of objects with different surface textures. In your sketchbook, experiment with depicting the textures. Try to describe what the texture feels and looks like. Be as free as you can and experiment with materials and tools to create interesting effects.
I had varying success creating different textures. I tried to create the smooth surface of a worn pebble and of burnished wood. The shiny surface of moulded plastic and the textured surface of snakeskin or fish scales. I found dipping crochet or fabric in paint and dabbing on the paper was effective and tried different tools and media for different effects.
Experiment with frottage. This involves placing paper over a rough surface (e.g. grained wood) and rubbing the back with a pencil to create an impression of the surface quality of the object. This can then be incorporated into your image to create an interesting effect
I found a number of surfaces for different textures. My first efforts were not so good as I used the paper in my sketch book which was too thick to disclose as much of the texture as I wanted. So I redid the exercise on thinner paper and stick it into my book. I like interesting textures like the seagrass and the lace. The finer textures might give a less distracting finish in a drawing depending on the effect required.
The Tate Website http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/f/frottage explains that: “The technique was developed by Max Ernst in drawings made from 1925. Frottage is the French word for rubbing. Ernst was inspired by an ancient wooden floor where the grain of the planks had been accentuated by many years of scrubbing. The patterns of the graining suggested strange images to him. From 1925 he captured these by laying sheets of paper on the floor and then rubbing over them with a soft pencil. The results suggest mysterious forests peopled with bird-like creatures and Ernst published a collection of these drawings in 1926 titled Histoire Naturelle (natural history).”
Tina’s Blog- OCA Drawing 1 