By Rae Wiltshire
Vibert Dummett is an artist who specialises in portrait drawings, paintings, and designs (fashion), with a penchant for using household bleach to create patterns on cloth. Black is his preferred colour.
Dummett said that black imparts a gold and orange design to his artwork. He said that when working with bleach, he dilutes it with either 30 or 50 percent water to achieve the desired value, which refers to the shading transition from light to dark. Dummett explained that these values are crucial because he aims for the designs to have a three-dimensional appearance, avoiding a flat look. He approaches the process of t-shirt designs as if he is drawing, starting from the lighter part of the image and moving towards the darker parts. There are YouTube tutorials in which stencils are used and Dummett considers stencil work easier and faster, but his goal is to ensure that his designs have texture, so he uses a paintbrush, despite the lengthier process.
When Dummett began posting designs of anime characters on social media, he caught the attention of local designer Neilson Nurse, who invited him to take part in a fashion show called Fashion in Paradise. There, he showcased his anime-inspired bleached t-shirts. Based on those designs, clients now approach him for his unique bleached t-shirts.
