At first glance, you might not realize just how Brazilian graphic designer lvaro Franca creates his stylized portraits. A closer look reveals that his subjects’ faces, hair, and clothing are all comprised of letterforms that are impressively produced on a vintage typewriter. Aptly titled Typewritten Portraits, text is grouped together and gives five of Franca’s favorite authors a sense of form and shading.
To craft these works, Franca created reference images on his computer. It gave him an idea of where the dark and light parts are on a face, and he used this as a guide when pecking away on his typewriter. Certain letterforms seem to be perfect for conveying a sense of realism in the portraits. The “m,” when placed together, creates a dense, shaded area, and we can see that the designer also layered text to further enhance this effect.
Franca’s authors include: Jose Saramago, Charles H. Bukowski, J.D. Salinger, Jack Kerouac, and Clarice Lispector. He considers these incredible and meticulous works an ongoing series and has plans for five other portraits to be finished this year.
