Rubbing is a reproduction of the texture of a surface with something to deposit marks, most often created with Charcoal, Wax, Crayons, Chalk, or various forms of Blotted and Rolled Ink. Blotting can be produced with many other substances too.
Rubbing is generally physical activity of brushing two substances against each other.
Common uses for this technique include: Massages, wiping, and also clearing off.
It may be used to produce static electricity.

• Brass rubbing
  Brass rubbing
  Brass rubbing was originally a largely British enthusiasm for reproducing onto paper monumental brasses – commemorative brass plaques found in churches, usually originally on the floor, from between the 13th and 16th centuries. The concept of recording textures of things is more generally called...
  
  , to make copies of monumental brass
  Monumental brass
  Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
  
  es, which involves getting a special type of paper, available at many stores, and something to rub with.

• Forensic uses including finding out what was written on a sheet of paper removed from a pad by rubbing the impressions left on subsequent sheets or other backing materials. Formal Rubbing is when a sheet of Paper is placed on top of Carbon Paper, this can then be rubbing onto another sheet to re-create the document. Commonly used in banking and accountancy, this technique is very effective.

• It is also a technique used in frottage
  Frottage (art)
  In art, frottage is a surrealist and "automatic" method of creative production developed by Max Ernst.In frottage the artist takes a pencil or other drawing tool and makes a rubbing over a textured surface. The drawing can be left as is or used as the basis for further refinement...
  
  , a form of surrealist art.

• Grave Rubbing, is when someone uses materials similar to those used in brass rubbing (see above) to copy the inscription on a grave.