Marks and the material used as the “canvas” are the foundation of all visual work. How these two elements are combined can define the effect of the final piece. Marks can be made with a pencil, brush, stitch, or any variety of tools. Marks include dots, dashes, lines, shapes and can even define volume. They can be random, geometric, or repeated in any variety of ways to create meaning and identify a personal style. Substrate material could be paper, cloth, metal, plastic, and two or three-dimensional.  Beginning with a variety of materials and means to develop marks, we will explore how similar marks will change depending on the base material and the tool used to make marks. We will explore how to develop meaningful marks that are uniquely your own and applied to the work you are interested in developing.