Six small-scale studies executed in pencil and gouache on vellum reveal Francis Alÿs's intimate working process as he developed his animated video work *Song for Lupita*. The translucent vellum ground lends the delicate marks a luminous, layered quality, while the interplay of precise pencil drawing and opaque gouache captures the quiet, repetitive gesture of a figure pouring water from one vessel to another. These preparatory works reflect Alÿs's broader engagement with futility, endurance, and the poetic potential embedded in everyday ritual.