This mind map explores four subjects: White Buffalo, White Raven, Arctic Fox, and Bone. Each section identifies key visual traits — such as horn size, mouth shape, tail form, or skeletal structure — that can help define the subject through negative space. The notes focus on simplifying features while keeping each identity clear, guiding how form and absence can create visual meaning.

In this stage, I began by sketching the key features of each subject — horns, beak, face, or skull — to understand their shapes. I then created many small thumbnails using only negative space to test how clearly each subject could be shown without outlines. Through this process, I compared impact, balance, and clarity to select the strongest directions for refinement.

I focused on refining the selected ideas using strict figure-ground principles. I adjusted each composition to ensure the subject appears only through white negative space, shaped entirely by the surrounding black. Key edits involved simplifying outlines, balancing contrast, and improving how clearly the image reads without direct drawing — allowing the form to emerge naturally from the dark background.

I chose the theme Tree + Scare, based on my childhood fear of tall objects — trees, statues, buildings — linked to megalophobia. I explored how trees, seen from below, resemble looming monsters. My design uses black shapes to form a tree, but hidden within it are two white faces — one human in fear, one distorted and sinister. The goal was to express fear through contrast and visual tension.