The Akua Studies emerge through an iterative, hands-on process of visual exploration. Working across mediums—graphite, woodcut printing, paint, and mixed materials—I engage each study as a site of experimentation and refinement. These sketches are not preliminary in the conventional sense; rather, they function as visual thinking—where ideas are formed, tested, and transformed through making. Each study builds upon the last, with one gesture informing the next. As I work, I revisit earlier marks, adjust compositions, and allow new textures and patterns to surface. Through this evolving process, I explore how line, shape, and repetition might embody Indigenous knowledge—carrying the pulse of akua, the imprint of place, and the rhythm of cultural memory. The materials themselves become collaborators in this process. Graphite allows for nuance and control, while woodcut carving introduces resistance and tactility. Layering paint and printed form adds depth and resonance, revealing hidden relationships between surface and meaning. Ultimately, the process of making becomes a method of translation—an Indigenous visual language taking shape, one mark at a time.