Description

In this project you will be showing off your typography skills as you use type to create a portrait.  You can choose an image of yourself or someone famous and create a portrait made up only of words. 

Decide who you want to use—yourself, a family member, a friend, a celebrity you admire, etc.  If it’s someone you know, ask them to fill out the typography interview form.  If it’s someone famous, fill it out based on what you know or feel about that person.  You need some words for your illustration and this is where those quotes and descriptive words comes from!

Typography Interview:

1.     Looking at the image you chose, describe it in ten words.  How would friends describe your character or personality?

2.     What do you like to do—hobbies, interests, movies, books, etc.?

3.     What quote is your motto?

4.     What is your favorite color?

( Instructions )

To begin, you need to import your image.  Find a digital image or scan a photograph and then choose File:  Place.  Next you will need to convert your image to black and white.  Edit:  Edit Colors.  Convert to Black and White.  (Or:  Object:  Rasterize (change setting to Grayscale).

Now you have a black and white image that you can easily see the values on.  This will be your base layer that you can use to guide your portrait.  Create a new layer to begin.  (You will hide the image layer later and be left with just your typographic portrait.)

To create your typographic portrait, you will create shapes using either the shape and transform tools, or create a closed shape using the pen tool.  You can also create lines and use the type on a path tool.  Then you will fill that shape in with text from your typographic interview.  For lighter values, choose thinner fonts.  For darker values, choose bold fonts.  Vary the size of your text, the typeface, the color.  Try sticking with blacks, whites, greys and save special areas of a hint of color.  Use your pen tool to create contours of type on a line.  Be creative.  Stare with the lighter values and work your way towards the darker ones.

Use type on a path lines to create accents and contours.  Repeat the words from your typographic interview in different typefaces, different weights, different values of black/grey/white.  The words become your shapes and colors for this portrait.  Don’t forget all that you learned with your type tools, like type on a path options, etc. 

Place the person’s quote in large bold text somewhere in the portrait so it’s easy to read and becomes a focal point.  Use color but save it to create a focal point.  Layer text on top of each other for more density or highlighting.  See the examples provided for inspiration.