What is Visual Wordsmithing?

I start with the words - what will I use? Project Gutenberg is a great resource for full texts of public domain classics. I also use sources such as the Department of Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

Using Adobe Photoshop, I then create the digital image prompted by the text.

For books and plays, the complete text is put through a text analyzer to determine the most frequently occurring words. The number of words used in an image may range from a few hundred to thousands.

The words are fitted into the image using a computer program. Colors, word size, spacing, font, text orientation, etc. are all adjusted. New fonts are obtained when appropriate, such as the author's handwriting for my Poe works.

Often the final image is composed of many smaller pieces put together. Banfire reflects the burning of the 10 most commonly banned books in America. Each "book" is a separate layer, with the text consistent with the style of the book.

Adjustments to the original image are made, as needed, moving back and forth between the two programs.

Once a draft whole image is compiled, additional edits are then performed, such as changing colors of some words, removing and adding words, and adjusting saturation and contrast. 

The final images are then professionally printed by on archival matte paper which is acid-free, bright white, and heavy weight.  Using archival inks give the prints their deep blacks and vibrant, long-lasting colors.