Blind Man Attempts To Draw Sketches

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Can blind people draw? Tommy Edison, who has been blind since birth, decided to put the question to rest by attempting to draw sketches of a few common things. As someone who had never experienced vision, even as a child, life to Edison is completely three-dimensional. His perception of physical objects is entirely rendered through touch, so the concept of drawing a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional piece of paper was completely foreign to him. In spite of this, he tried it anyways.

Using nothing but his mind's eye, a sharpie, and some paper, the first thing Edison attempted to draw was a cat. In the video, you can see the fascinating results that occur when Edison takes the marker to the paper. So... After all the anticipation... Can someone who's never experienced vision draw?

Um, well, no. At least, not Edison. Witnessing him struggle to draw the cat would feel mean-spirited if Edison didn't have such a great sense of humor about it. Without sight, Edison has no context for the image he's trying to draw. He also has no way of visualizing the lines he's already drawn, so many of the lines don't end up connecting.

After attempting to draw a cat, Edison tries his hand at sketching a car. Initially, his wheels look somewhat promising, but as he goes to work on drawing the doors, something gets lost in translation. 

Lastly, Edison attempts a self portrait. This drawing might be his strongest, in a sort of surrealist, avant-garde way. Even though Edison may not be able to draw particularly well, his efforts are commendable. 

It is also important to note that there are many blind artists who, in spite of their lack of sight, are capable of creating beautiful works. John Bramblitt, for instance, never painted until he went blind, and he is now an internationally renowned artist.

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