01 / The focus
Look at the graphic and its surroundings together.
A mark does not arrive alone. It meets an outline, an edge, a material impression and a viewing context. Those relationships can change what the same drawing seems to do.
The notebook uses small studies to keep that change visible before a larger project takes shape.
02 / The method
Keep a comparison you can explain.
Choose a surface and name the effect you want to examine. A few versions with one stable element can make the next decision easier to discuss.
The drawings are working studies of scale, placement and repetition. Their purpose is to help read a composition, rather than stand in for a finished object.
03 / The proof
Use an actual-size sketch as a question.
A simple paper outline can reveal the space a graphic needs and the details that lose their role when the composition becomes smaller.
Keep the useful observation beside the study. It gives another version a clearer starting point than a large collection of unlabelled alternatives.
04 / The practice
Let the surface sharpen the idea.
Work with a familiar graphic and a format you can describe. Ask which part of the idea needs to remain recognisable and which part can change.
A small, well-read study is a useful result. It can show a direction to continue, a detail to simplify or a relationship worth trying again.