They say a picture's worth a thousand words, but these stunning artworks literally are thousands of words. An artist is creating posters of famous people that feature their own words written out in a range of characterful scripts, and they look lush.
From Audrey Hepburn and Johnny Cash to Winston Churchill and Albert Einstein, the series features a broad range of legends. And each piece features quotes from the subject, be it their lyrics, writings or dialogue from films (see our favourite poster designs for more inspiration).
The typographic portraits are the work of US artist Phil Vance (opens in new tab). Named "In Their Own Words," the series features Cash portrayed through the lyrics from his cover of God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Heath Ledger's The Joker in quotes from The Dark Knight and Winston Churchill in his WW2 speeches.
Vance describes his technique as a twist on cross-hatching, layering words to create depth and density. He recently began layering quotes in acrylic paint. There are more examples of his work and process on his Instagram account.
The pieces remind me a little of the work of the typewriter artist we featured a while ago. If you're experimenting with acrylics yourself, see our article on acrylic painting techniques. We also have a guide to the best acrylic paints.
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