Principles of Design

1)Composition : unity of all colours or splash of different colours
2) Balance : asymmetrical
3) Harmony : gives a feeling that all the images jive together perfectly. Different feelings are seen, relaxed, anger, happy or energetic.
4) Contrast : makes the picture stand out by using contrasting colours.
5)Repitition : uses more of similar designs..ex :eyes as his main piece of work

Elements of Design

1)Lines :
-straight,curved, heavy or light depending on what he wants to paint
- gives movement or rhythm to the painting (3D effect)
-has textural and emotional effects

2)Shape :
-define by colour,texture and tone
-usually either SHARP& CLEAR or HAZY suggesting theres something hidden
-mostly 3D effects

3)Colour :
-uses mostly primary colours
- mixed of different colours creating a contrast
-gives a temperature(blue/green for cooling effect, red/yellow/orange for warm)
-different intensities
-has tints and shadings to create different tones and gradients

4)Tone :
-used to create rhythm and property of colour
-tone is light and dark as it gives solidity to the image.
-Lighter tones are used at the back and darker tones to concentrate on his image

5) Texture:
-rough, as he uses oil paints to feel the texture of what he is painting

6)Direction :
-symmetrical

Methods of Paintings

Original Method :

•         Since he is visually impaired, he stopped using charcoal and pencils  as  they  no longer worked for him. So he used a different method of painting which is oil paint and matte fabric paint, as these types of paints helped him feel the lines of his objects/subject drawn. Oil paint also dries faster.
•          Bramblitt uses a Paasche pen to create very thin lines that resemble topographic maps to the sighted because he doesn’t just draw the form of the subject that he is going to paint the way that a sighted artist would. He also indicate where areas of shading will go, where shadows will fall, where colors will blend, highlights and dark points, and anything else that he will need to know or help to orient his way around the canvas. 
•        The drawing serves as his map of the composition and it is from this that he know exactly where the paint needs to go.

Invisible Method:

·         Raised lines : solution was to do the raised line drawing on a separate piece of paper or canvas, then put whatever he wanted the painting to be on over the paper, but by pressing lightly down so that he could still feel the lines beneath the surface.

·         On surfaces that were too thick to be felt through, like wood or thick canvas, Bramblitt would make the drawing on a very light but durable piece of paper that could be laid over where the actual painting was going to be made. I can fold back the paper so that I can feel the lines and then make the additions to the painting.

Textural/Viscosity Method:

·         Original method that I developed to distinguish colors- allows for complete control for all hues, tones, and values. Due to the unique properties inherent in oil paint because it is made from different substances, each hue is formed from different materials they naturally have a different ‘feel’ to them.

·         This difference in texture and viscosity allows a particular color to be known by touch alone. For example:  Titanium White is thick with a texture resembling toothpaste. Ivory Black is much runnier and flows easily over the fingertips. Oil paints also have a variety of mediums and additives that can be added to the paints to accentuate the different properties of the paints. This is necessary when mixing paints that have a similar texture to them, so that one can be altered by thickening or thinning it.

John Bramlitt

The Blind Painter's Masterpiece!

Here's the link to his official website if any of you are interested to check his paintings out  http://bramblitt.net/

and this is a short video on him : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwPzBRRuq3g 

Painting in the Dark - John Bramblitt

          John Bramblitt, known as the 'sightless painter' has inspired millions of people with his work of art. He started having severe epileptic seizures that began taking a toll on his vision. He slowly began losing his sight from the age of 11 and finally became blind in his 20s. Due to his anger and depression, he began expressing his feeling and thoughts in the form of ART. In fact, he believes that taking up painting after losing his sight was mostly an act of defiance.  

          His 25 years of  visual experience provided his with mental images of what he wanted to paint but unfortunately he did not know how to convert them on to a canvas he couldn't see.  Finally, Bramlitt discovered "puffy paint",  which is used for fabric and leaves a thin raised line...a line Bramlitt can touch. He uses 'puffy paint' to produce an initial outline of the subject he wishes to draw on the canvas and feels his way across the raised lines with his left hand. Using a brush held in his right hand, he fills in the colours on to the canvas.

          For colour, Bramlitt uses oil paint. According to him, although oil paint is messier, more pungent and dries much slower compared to acrylics, it offers something no paint can. : idiosyncratic  viscosity.  He says,“White feels thicker on my fingers, almost like toothpaste, and black feels slicker and thinner. To mix a gray, I’ll try to get the paint to have a feel of medium viscosity”. In fact, he has learned to recognize and mix all the colors he uses by his sense of touch. And the colors are the first thing one notices about Bramblitt’s work.

        John Bramlitt has developed and progressed his touch skills in impressive ways. Research has shown that regardless of training in Braille, the blind have better have better touch skills than the sighted, especially when it comes to touching complex spatial patterns. This cross-modal plasticity is thought to be a result of the blind’s visual cortex being reassigned to other senses. Brain imaging shows that when touching complex patterns, the visual cortex of blind, but not sighted individuals is activated in systematic ways. 

"ART is one of the few ways that we humans can produce something that has a meaningful effect on another’s life. Art does not feed or clothe us, but it gives us a connection with our fellow man that we cannot live without. "

Dreams, Aspirations and Goals

Dreams : too many and uncountable for now, most of it are still hanging in La La Land *winks*

Aspirations : to help curb RACISM, the number ONE cause that disrupts peace and downgrades humans as one!

Goals : continue hosting the first international students' pageant in Malaysia, being a successful entrepreneur

***to be continued***

Phobias!

EVERYONE has em' like it or not..its NORMAL so stop giving those shocked expressions! For me, i H.A.T.E butterflies with a passion..don't ask me why though,haven't found the reason yet

A lil' sneak preview of myself

NOOB!

Finally after years of contemplation,I've created a blog that too due to my Designing course in Help.. Thanks HELP for HELPing me :P