The second colour changes everything.

A complete study begins with a small idea and ends when I can explain why I kept one sheet.

Leave the first shape alone

I cut a broad rectangle from scrap paper and placed it near the left edge of a larger sheet. My first instinct was to add something immediately. Instead I left it on the table while I made tea. Coming back to it helped me see the weight of the empty right-hand side. The next shape needed to answer that space, not simply fill it.

• PlaceA rectangle sets the weight of the page.
• OverlapA circle adds a second rhythm and a darker meeting point.
• RemoveA small cutout gives the dense corner somewhere to breathe.

A useful wrong turn

On the first trial the circle sat too high. It looked like a label attached to the rectangle rather than a shape with its own purpose. Dropping it lower made the overlap more generous and left a thin strip of cream paper beside the top edge. That small strip held the whole page together. I wrote its width on the back of the trial so I would not “improve” it away.

Choose the sheet, keep the lesson

I kept the version with the clearest relationship between the three colours. Another sheet had a lively edge but too little breathing room. Both went into the folder, with a short note about the difference. A portfolio shows a decision; the folder remembers how I reached it. You can see the finished arrangement on the selected work page or read about my small-table practice.