Home / Art

Artist Spends Hundreds of Hours Creating Portraits Entirely Out of Hand-Written Text

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

The Joker

Sonora-based artist Phil Vance creates incredible typography portraits rendered entirely in hand-written text. Drawn to pattern, texture, and color, the artist describes his process as “cross hatching but with words.” From Einstein to Mark Twain, each portrait from the In Their Own Words series pays tribute to Vance’s favorite historical and artistic figures.

To form the contours, shadows, and details of each word portrait, Vance writes inspiring quotes from each subject thousands of times in different sizes and layers. Vance tells My Modern Met in an email, “I started to imagine painting portraits where you could look through the subjects skin to see inside of them and read their thoughts.” He continues, “I got really wild with the de Kooning, Picasso, and Escher portraits. They are some of my favorite artists so I wanted to pay tribute to them in my own way while exposing others to some of their wisdom.”

Feeling that using black pen can sometimes appear flat, Vance has recently started to explore the possibilities of using color. For one of his most recent portraits—of Batman’s The Joker—Vance spent more than 100 hours painting quotes from The Dark Knight. Similar to a pointillism painting, from afar the hand-written typography blends together to create the image. Close up, the viewer can notice countless words and sentences in differing shades. Vance reveals, “I like to think of the color portraits as a sort of mashup between my word rendering and Chuck Close's optical mixing.”

Find more of Vance’s work on his website, where his growing portfolio includes abstract cities and landscapes, illustration, and digital art.

The In Their Own Words series by Phil Vance features incredible typography portraits rendered entirely in hand-written text.

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

The Joker

Close up, the viewer can notice countless words and sentences in differing shades.

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

The Joker

Similar to a pointillism painting, from afar the hand-written typography blends together to create the image.

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Audrey Hepburn

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Johnny Cash

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Pablo Picasso

To form the contours, shadows, and details of each word portrait, Vance writes quotes from each subject thousands of times in different sizes and layers.

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Mark Twain

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Einstein

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Charlie Chaplin

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Edward Abbey

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Bob Dylan

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Hauna

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Mitch Hedberg

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Nikola Tesla

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Nina Donovan

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

Willem de Kooning

Typography Portraits by Phil Vance

MC Esher

Phil Vance: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Phil Vance.

Related Articles:

10 Incredible Typography Artists You Should Know

How the Pioneers of Pointillism Continue to Influence Artists Today

8 Artists Who Harness the Power of Words in Art

Amazing Typography Portraits Created with Song Lyrics

Interview: How One Artist Draws Millions of Dots to Create Amazingly Realistic Portraits

Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content