Week 9 was all about direction, mark making, and training my eye to think in a different language. Black surfaces changed everything. Instead of building value the way I normally do, I had to learn how to pull light out of darkness with intention.
This week included a few assignments that felt totally different from each other, but they all connected in one big way: I had to stop forcing “what I know” and start responding to what I actually see.
1. Directional Marks on Black Canvas Step 1: Underpainting
The underpainting stage was the foundation for everything that came after. The goal was to establish the big value map and start organizing the forms with directional strokes.
What surprised me is how much direction matters when the canvas is black. Every stroke shows. Every angle communicates something. When I was loose, it looked messy fast. When I was intentional, the structure started to lock in.
It felt like I was setting the track for a train. If the underpainting rails were even a little off, the later layers were going to fight me.
2. White China Marker on Black Paper
This was so much fun.
It was a fast assignment, and it felt playful in a way that painting sometimes does not. I loved how immediate it was. White on black is basically instant drama, instant contrast, instant clarity.
The coolest part was how easy it was for me to switch my brain into negative thinking. I was not trying to draw “the thing.” I was drawing the light. I was drawing what is revealed.
It is weird to say, but once I flipped that mental switch, it felt natural. I was not drawing what is not seen. I was drawing what is actually there, just in reverse.
I could do a hundred of these.
3. Directional Marks on Black Canvas Step 2: Optical Color Mixing
This part challenged me.
Optical color mixing sounds simple until you are doing it. Mixing on the canvas had me slightly mixed up, because my instincts kept trying to control the color the normal way. I wanted to pre mix, to perfect it on the palette, to “solve” it before it touched the surface.
But this assignment forced me to trust the layering and the placement. The color only works when it is built through relationships. Up close it can look chaotic, but from a distance it starts to click.
That was the struggle for me. I wanted it to make sense immediately, and it required patience and trust instead.
4. Directional Marks Painting on Black Canvas Step 3: Detail Marks
This is the stage I plan to come back to.
Detail marks were where I started to see the potential for this assignment to become something I really love. I am looking forward to revisiting it, especially with the goal of leaving brushstrokes instead of overworking.
That is a big theme for me right now. Letting the marks live. Letting the paint be paint. Letting the viewer see the hand.
I can feel that this assignment has more to teach me, and I like that.
5. John’s L Theory Doodles: Alice in Wonderland Edition
This one was just plain fun.
I was able to pull together a cohesive Alice in Wonderland theme, and it felt like a creative exhale after the precision and discipline of the painting exercises.
If you look closely, can you spot all the references?
I love these kinds of studies because they remind me that learning does not have to feel heavy to be real. Sometimes the best growth happens when I am relaxed, curious, and playing.
What I’m Taking With Me
This week gave me two gifts:
- Seeing in reverse, and realizing I can adapt faster than I thought.
- Permission to leave brushstrokes, and not treat every surface like it has to be polished into oblivion.
Week 9 stretched me, but it also excited me. And honestly, that is the best kind of week.
