One of the challenges of design is finding that subjective sweet spot where word and image converge without one overwhelming the other. And when looking for inspiration for this perfect balance, it pays to give the industry magazines and museums a miss and go to that true world market of imagination: Etsy.
Under the Etsy shop name LineByLinePosters, LA artist Mike Matola sells reproductions of 18” x 24” detailed scenes and portraits crafted entirely from words relevant to the piece. A scene from “Pulp Fiction,” for example, is made up of all the words from the movie’s first act. One of Jack Nicholson from “The Shining” emerges from the repeated phrase “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” (The former took more than 40 hours, the latter nearly 30.)
And for those Beatles fans out there, you can have the likeness of John, Paul, George or Ringo, each of which took more than 80 hours to make. Why? Because each is comprised of the complete lyrics from seven Beatles albums!
Though the originals are created with black ink on newsprint, the reproductions, which sell for $30-$40, are produced on 80 lb. Matte paper.
