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I’ve read the Bible on and off my whole life, but sometimes it can be difficult for me want to read it. You gotta admit, it can be weird and there are some really boring parts. (If anyone ever tells you they find Leviticus “exciting” and “engaging,” never trust another word out of their mouth.)
I lack self-discipline
In the past, I’ve tried an approach like, “starting today, I’m going to read my Bible for 20 minutes every day.” While I may stick with it for a week or a month (sometimes even longer), inevitably I stop because I have no self-discipline for that sort of thing. I knew I didn’t want to try that approach again so I tried to come up with a new strategy that would work for me.
I began by thinking of things that I really like and want to do. One thing that kept coming up was design. So I decided to try and combine my love of design with my desire to read the Bible more. The result is a series called Word.
What is Word?
Basically, Word was a series where I created original designs for each book of the Bible. Before each design, I spent time researching the book, finding out the themes, historical context, weirdest stories, etc. I also scanned through parts of the book looking for a passage or story that could translate into a cool design. Each design isn’t meant to completely represent the book, rather it is merely based on a passage from the book.
From January 2010 to November 2011 I posted a total of 91 Word Designs.
I Like to Write about Bears Mauling Teenagers
So that’s the origin of Word. I went through the books in order, posting one new design a week, from Genesis to Revelation. (Some books ended up having several designs.) In addition to the design, I posted some of the thought process behind each design, as well as some reflections on the book. Don’t worry, it’s not too preachy. It’s much more fun for me to design and write about things like bears mauling teenagers and piles of human bones that regrow flesh (seriously, that’s in there). In fact, some designs and write ups ended up being pretty crude or violent. But hey, so is the Bible, right?
Other Word Stuff
I’ve received many questions about the designs, like: Can I use your images in a blog post about your project? Can use I the designs as sermon art? Are prints available? (Yes, they are.) Can I purchase the designs as digital files? (Yes, they are.) For answers to those questions and more, check the Word FAQ.
You can also get updates on Word and free print giveaways, by subscribing to my site RSS or following me on Facebook or Twitter.
Interviews & Features
A few folks have been kind enough to publish posts on my work. If you would like to do an interview or a blog post, let’s talk.
May 5, 2010: Interview – Jim LePage, INSPIKS
June 24, 2010: Word Designs, Collide Magazine
August 4, 2010: Word: Original Design Project for Each Book of the Bible, ChurchCreate
August 13, 2010: Expository Sermon Series Graphics, Church Relevance
October 1, 2010: Interview – Jim LePage, Strong Odors
December 8, 2010: Original Artwork for the Entire Old Testament, ChurchCreate
July 14, 2011: The Artistic Imagination and the Word: Reflections from Jim LePage, Pangea Blog
July 20, 2011: Bible Inspired Poster Designs by Jim LePage, Abduzeedo
September 4, 2011: Jim LePage – Bridging the Gap Between the Imagination and the Word, yesHEis blog
November 14, 2011: Godly Graphics (Interview) CONVERGE Magazine
November 15, 2011: Original Artwork for the Entire New Testament, ChurchCreate
November 23, 2011: The “Word” series by Jim LePage (Interview) Go Media
Jim,
I came across your site by seeing your Matthew: John the Baptist illustration on dribbble.com.
I just want to say, as an illustrator/designer who has grown up with a strong Christian faith and a strong disappointment in Christianity in the Arts..that your stuff is absolutely inspiring.
As soon as i saw your collection of work i just wanted to send a word of encouragement, artist to artist.
Cheers,
Michael Morris
Thanks, Michael! My goal is to show that there is more to Christian art than Thomas Kincade, so your comment is very appreciated :)
I really love the work on your site too. The illustration stuff is fantastic. Very cool to see art based on works of Lewis other than Narnia.
Thanks again for the feedback!
Hello, just want to encourage you because I felt that you have been given a fresh new inspiration from the Holy Spirit. He wants us to have all the spiritual gifts! by the way, I have envisioned the teens/bear scene many time too! God bless, admiration from a tiny town in texas from one who loves the Lord too.
Thanks, Lisa! I appreciate the encouragement!
[...] “Word” is a personal project by Graphic Artist Jim LePage, where he creates designs for each book of the Bible. Like most personal projects, there is a story behind it. Read that story. [...]
Your work is really amazing and a great way to combine what you read with your daily life. I completely relate to what you said about reading the Bible. It needs quite a bit of discipline.
Keep up the good work. Seeing those designs kinda blew me away with how crazy stuff He ctually does.
God bless!
Thanks, Terje! Yeah, there’s some crazy stuff in that book :)
Amazing, simply amazing =] do you plan on making wallpaper versions of these? I would definitely pay to have my MacBook desktop decked out in one of these fancy thangs!
Thanks, Daniel! I’ve made wallpaper versions of a couple of them (and may do a couple more down the road), but I won’t be doing wallpapers of all of them.
Currently, you can download wallpapers for Job and Revolting Beauty.
Very inspiring, great work. Love the jonah/whale poster :)
[...] result is his sometimes edgy, always awesome series Word. Here are a few examples of LePage’s [...]
[...] Here’s Jim’s description of the project… — In the past, I’ve tried an approach like, “starting today, I’m going to read my Bible for 20 minutes every day.” While I may stick with it for a week or a month (sometimes even longer), inevitably I stop because I have no self-discipline for that sort of thing. I knew I didn’t want to try that approach again so I tried to come up with a new strategy that would work for me. — I began by thinking of things that I really like and want to do. One thing that kept coming up was design. So I decided to try and combine my love of design with my desire to read the Bible more. The result is Word, a series where I create original designs for each book of the Bible. Before each design, I spend time researching the book, finding out the themes, historical context, weirdest stories, etc. I also scan through parts of the book looking for a passage or story that could translate into a cool design. Each design isn’t meant to completely represent the book, rather it’s merely based on a passage from the book. [...]
Finally! Some Christian design work that isn’t either total boredom or total wank.
Love it. Almost as much as I love procrastination.
Amen!
[...] designer Jim Lepage is doing a creative series of posters based on every book of Bible. It’s not a small undertaking to stay creative and illustrate a [...]
[...] by this dude Jim LePage, who has apparently been channeling Donald Knuth for almost two years! Why did he do it? In the past, I’ve tried an approach like, “starting today, I’m going to read my Bible for 20 [...]
Man, this stuff is inspired! I want to get it t-shirtified/postered around my house. Keep it going man, I’ve been trying to plow through the Bible for the past few months and it can be hardcore sometimes. I’ll be praying for you as you go through, I think when you commit to stuff like this God always meets you even (and maybe especially) if you have to break down some barriers before he does, I guarantee you will reap.
Thanks, James! I actually just finished the project and you can read the post about what I learned here:
http://jimlepage.com/blog/an-idiots-guide-to-reading-the-bible/
[...] pretty well. If you’re interested, I have spots on my site that go more in depth about the origin of the project and what I learned from [...]
[...] is the design manager for a church in Minnesota. A couple years back he started a project called Word, which he created original designs for each book of the Bible. There are so many great designs [...]
[...] is the design manager for a church in Minnesota. A couple years back he started a project called Word, which he created original designs for each book of the Bible. There are so many great designs [...]
[...] decided to combine his love of design with his desire to read God’s Word. The result is the Word Project. Every book of the Bible was turned into a poster (sometimes multiple) that is far from your usual [...]
[...] project I saw is called Word. Basically, LePage took each book of the Bible and created art for it. Typically, when I hear that [...]
[...] books. It is also weird to call the Bible one of my favorite books, I guess it is. Whatever. Anyway, Jim Lepage is drawing the Bible. I could say that better, he is offering a visual interpretation of the pages of Scripture. Or [...]