[Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille Drawing cont'd...

[Nancy Yeager]

Thanks, Jewel.

I am very interested in drawing as a blind person but have never heard of
this book.  Will have to read it.

Nancy Yeager  

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jewel S.
Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 8:33 PM
To: nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Braille Drawing cont'd...

I know most of you have gone on from talking about Braille drawing, but it
is actually one of my favourite crafts, so I can't resist continuing the
talk about it with a book I found on Bookshare.org today.

Braillables: A Manual for Parents and Teachers - Techniques for Teaching
Drawing with Braille by Marie Porter

>From the book: Braillables are pictures that are brailled by people
who are able to braille them. They are outlines, sketches, sculptures,
drawings, artwork. They are a creative expression that uses a necessary
skill of blind people. They are fun to do, easily shared by sighted people,
and they give an added dimension of freedom in using what can be a very
rigid mode of communication. Blind people can draw in a medium over which
they have complete control. Drawing with braille builds skill in reading, in
interpreting charts, maps, diagrams, math and science figures. For those who
pursue it, drawing with braille encourages imagination, creativity, a
feeling for abstraction, perspective and proportion--all elements necessary
for good concepts of objects, spatial relationships, and, ultimately, skill
in orientation and mobility. Braille has an aura of mystery about it which
isolates the reader. It can be austere, unpenetrable, a symbol of struggle
and pain both for the blind person and for the family and friends. There is
a coming together, a sharing, a breaking down of barriers when two heads
bend over a picture of a dog and both the blind person and the sighted
person see it as a dog. That is the fun of it.

I started reading the book today, and have already drawn an apple, a boat
and a bus, and a very cute pot-bellied pig. Oh, and a Christmas tree, of
course.

The great thing about this book is that it not only gives directions for
increasingly more complex drawings, but it teaches the concepts behind
creating the drawings. For example, the first drawing is an apple. The main
concept is learning to make a rounded shape. With this concept, you could
then go on to create a baseball, a balloon, the Olympic rings, and much
more! The next picture is a boat, and it teaches about proportion and
placement, as it shows you how to add water under the boat. The bus teaches
further proportion and realism, as well as more basic things like how to
draw tires (they're easy!).
With this knowledge base, you could go on to make your own car, truck, ship,
or maybe even a plane! Since it's intended for children, the concepts are
simple and perfect for beginning artists.

I hope you will check this book out. It is wonderful, and the scan quality
is perfect as far as I can tell.


--
~Jewel
Check out my blog about accessibility for the blind!
Treasure Chest for the Blind: http://blindtreasurechest.blogspot.com

_______________________________________________
Nfb-krafters-korner mailing list
Nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
Nfb-krafters-korner:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-krafters-korner_nfbnet.org/nancyye
ager542%40verizon.net