Froissage Lesson Plan: Chance and Observation in Art Class

This froissage lesson plan is designed for art teachers who want a practical, low-cost lesson on chance, observation and twentieth-century art. Students make their own froissage, a crumpled-paper ground washed with ink, and develop an image from its creases. Along the way they meet the Surrealist idea of automatism and the Czech artist Ladislav Novák.

It works for ages 9 to 16 and can be adapted for younger children using our froissage for kids guide.

Lesson overview

Age range	9-16 (adaptable)
Duration	60-90 minutes, or two 45-minute sessions
Key technique	Froissage, with optional frottage comparison
Art history	Surrealism, Max Ernst, Ladislav Novák, Jiří Kolář
Outcome	A finished froissage drawing with a title

Learning objectives

By the end of the lesson students will be able to:

1. Explain what froissage is and where the word comes from.
2. Describe how chance can be used as a starting point in art.
3. Produce a froissage ground and develop an image from it.
4. Compare froissage with at least one other chance technique.

Key vocabulary

• Froissage: from the French froisser, to crumple; drawing from the creases of crumpled paper.
• Frottage: from frotter, to rub; taking a rubbing from a textured surface.
• Automatism: making art without conscious control, prized by the Surrealists.
• Surrealism: an art and literary movement founded in Paris in 1924 that explored dreams and the unconscious.
• Pareidolia: seeing meaningful images, such as faces, in random patterns.
• Wash: a thin, watery layer of ink or paint.

Materials (per student)

• 2 sheets of 100-120 gsm drawing paper (plus spares)
• Diluted ink or liquid watercolour in a small pot
• Wide soft brush and fine brush
• Fine black pen, optional white gel pen
• Wax crayon and a textured object for the frottage starter (coins, leaves, mesh)
• Table covers, paper towels, water pots

Full guidance on paper and paint is in froissage materials.

Lesson sequence

Starter (5-10 minutes): what do you see?

Project a large photo of a crumpled sheet of paper. Ask students to find and point out shapes: faces, animals, landscapes. Introduce the word pareidolia. Ask: if you can see things in random patterns, could an artist use this on purpose?

Context (10 minutes)

Explain briefly:

• Surrealists in 1920s Paris wanted to make art that came from the unconscious. Tate’s definition of automatism is useful here.
• In 1925 Max Ernst laid paper on an old wooden floor and rubbed it with pencil, finding forests and creatures in the grain: this is frottage.
• Around 1964 the Czech poet and teacher Ladislav Novák developed froissage: crumpling paper and drawing the images he found in its creases.

Students may enjoy knowing that Novák was himself a secondary school teacher, in the town of Třebíč. More background: history of froissage.

Making the ground (10-15 minutes)

Demonstrate, then let students work:

1. Crumple the sheet tightly, two or three times.
2. Open slowly from the centre and flatten with palms.
3. Brush on one or two pale washes, covering the whole sheet quickly.
4. Put the sheet to dry.

The step-by-step froissage guide has more detail if you want to print it as a handout.

Frottage comparison (10 minutes, while drying)

Students make a quick wax crayon rubbing of a textured object on a second sheet. Discuss:

• Where does the texture come from in each technique?
• Which texture is more predictable?
• Which one suggests more images?

Our froissage vs frottage page summarises the answers.

Developing the image (20-30 minutes)

Once sheets are dry, students:

1. Rotate the sheet through four orientations and lightly mark any images they see in pencil.
2. Choose one idea and develop it with fine pen, following the creases.
3. Leave most creases untouched; add only what is needed.
4. Add highlights with white pen or local colour if wanted.

Plenary (5-10 minutes)

Students give their work a title and explain to a partner which parts came from chance and which from choice. Display a few pieces and discuss the range of images found.

Differentiation

• Support: Pre-crumpled and washed sheets; teacher models the shape hunt; limit to one colour and black pen.
• Stretch: Use printed paper such as maps or book pages; combine with collage; research Jiří Kolář’s rollage or chiasmage and create a mini version (see Jiří Kolář’s collage techniques).
• SEND: Crumpling is a strong sensory activity; offer larger brushes, thicker paper that tears less, and verbal rather than written plenary responses.

Assessment questions

1. What does the word froissage mean, and which language is it from?
2. How is froissage different from frottage?
3. Why did Surrealist artists value chance?
4. What image did you find in your creases, and how did you develop it?
5. What would you change if you made another froissage?

Extension and homework

• Research one artist from our froissage artists page and write a short paragraph about them.
• Try a series of three froissages using different papers.
• Explore other chance methods such as decalcomania from our surrealist art techniques hub.
• Start the next lesson with a round of the exquisite corpse drawing game, then compare chance from other players with chance from creases.

Follow-up lessons

A single froissage lesson works well on its own, but the technique opens a whole unit on texture and chance. Possible follow-ups, each about one hour:

1. Chance collage. Pupils drop torn paper squares onto a sheet and glue them where they land, then compare their results with Hans Arp’s chance collages. Background for the teacher: chance in art.
2. Acrylic froissage. Older pupils repeat the lesson with acrylic glazes and wipe-back, which gives sharper crease lines and allows layering. See froissage with acrylic paint.
3. Marbling. A calm, slow session floating ink on water (suminagashi). See paper marbling technique.
4. From 2D to 3D. Pupils turn their favourite crease shape into a small sculpture from taped, crumpled newspaper. See crumpled paper sculpture.

For nursery and reception classes, use the simpler activities in crumpled paper art for preschoolers. At the end of the unit, ask pupils to photograph their best textures with side lighting (see crumpled paper texture photography) and build a class texture library.

Health and safety

Use child-safe, washable paints. Avoid fumage (candle smoke) and any solvent-based or chemical techniques; Novák’s alchemage used chemicals and is not suitable for the classroom.