The final image:
01_ Begin by selecting the typeface you want to use (in this case, Bello Pro), or open BELLO.outlines.ai on your cover disc. When selecting a font, think about the look you want to achieve: do you want to create an ornate piece, or something more functional? Once you know what you’re after, search through a font library and look for a typeface in a similar style, with areas – or ‘flaws’ – that you can personalise. When you’ve got your font, open Illustrator, and type out the word (or words) you want to illustrate. Select the word, and Ctrl/Right-click>Create Outlines. This allows you to modify the image. Now identify the flaws: I wanted my illustrated typeface to ‘flow’ a little more, so I highlighted the areas that could be adapted.
02_ When using an existing typeface, you’ll generally be working with the outlines of the letterforms. What you need is the exact opposite: you need to know how each part of the letter bends and overlaps other areas. To do so, remove the fill from your object, leaving only the strokes. Think about how each letter connects and flows into the next. Now select the Pen tool, and begin to re-trace them.
03_ As you trace the letters, bear in mind the flaws – or areas you wanted to work into – that you identified at the start, and accommodate these in your drawing.You’ll soon start to see a difference between the original typeface (light blue, in my case) and your modified version (pink). Remember to pay attention to issues such as spaces between letterforms, adjusting it so that it doesn’t look too cluttered or spaced out.
Respect the font
Since this is a script typeface,I tweaked several ligatures to help them flow better. Choosing where to make your changes will depends on the theme you’re aiming for, and on your personal taste of course. Since you’re using an existing font that’s already been carefully designed, I think it’s important not to misrepresent
it – be coherent and make subtle changes,leaving the magic to shades and highlights later in the process.
04_ Once you’ve traced everything out, double-check for any errors in format, spacing,consistency or flow that might have slipped in. Now is a good time to start thinking about your type as a 3D object, and consider where the shadows and highlights will sit. However,before you start working on this, first hit Ctrl/Cmnd+C and Ctrl/Cmnd+B, and make three copies of your work. Create three layers, and place each object on a different one, naming them ‘thin stroke’, ‘fill’, and ‘thick stroke’. Outline all three objects with a colour that’s clearly different to the one with which you’ll be filling your letterforms, so it’ll stand out.
05_ Select the middle layer, choose the Live Paint Bucket tool (this only works within closed paths), and click on the layer to make it a Live Paint object. This will allow you to manage the colouring process with more control. Now fill in the entire type formation with a gradient fill – this is the first step in making your letterforms 3D. Go to Window>Gradient, and click on the gradient that appears in the panel. Replace the colours on the slider as you like, and remove the stroke from the image.
06_ Always experiment when you’re illustrating with type – you never know what new effects you might produce. While playing around with different stroke weights here, I found a great way to make the type stand out more. Select the top layer, and set the Stroke Weight to 1px, then do the same thing to the bottom layer, but this time set the Weight to 5px. Notice that you have a thicker stroke on the borders of your type, with thinner strokes where the letters overlap, adding an extra level of detail to the letterforms.
07_ It’s now time to add shadows and highlights. First, select the Fill object, then Ctrl/Right-click>Ungroup.Go to Object>Expand, and click OK to make the gradient editable. Set the angle for it to be applied to 90 degrees, and lock all the layers. Under the top layer (thin stroke), create two more layers, and name them Highlights and Shades.Create a third layer under the thick strokes layer, and name it BG. Draw a rectangle in it, colour it as you wish, then lock it. The goal is to make your type stand out, rather than simply having it on a plain white background.
Tips and tricks
Setting the gradient angle to 90 degrees will position the lighter shade
on the upper part of your type, and the darker colour on the lower part. This will make
it easier to identify where you need to place your shadows and highlights.08_
physical object. Your light source should fall on the letterforms in the same way that it would fall on an object, with the highlights fading almost to a plain white at their brightest. For this project, I decided to place the light on top of the type, as if it’s shining on it from above.
Before you start adding highlights and shadows, take some time to observe how light behaves on a
09_ The Gradient tool’s Fade to Transparent function comes in handy for recreating the lightest part of a highlight. Create a linear gradient composed of white only, then go to the gradient slider, select one tip and lower its Opacity to 0%. Leave the other as it is.
Gradient angles
The optimum angle at which to apply your fade-to-transparent gradient depends on the typeface you’re using,and the lighting effect that you’re trying to simulate – a harsh, direct spotlight,for instance, will cast darker, sharper shadows compared to something softer, like dappled sunlight. Set your gradient angle to best simulate shadows according to the overlaps in your chosen typeface,and vary this if necessary. To make your outlines as accurate as possible, it can help to redraw the sections of the typefacethat you want to cast shadows.
10_ Repeat step nine along the whole word, adding more highlights where necessary.
Keep an eye on legibility
Before calling your work finished – or even before you start to add shades and highlights, as
in this process – make sure everything is intelligible, not just legible. It has to make sense. Imagine you’re
illustrating a typographical T-shirt for a client, saying their name or product, and they can’t read it – they
won’t be happy. Of course, if you’re going for a personal type piece, for which intelligibility isn’t important,
it’s much easier to make an exception.11_ Now move on to adding the shadows. To give it a crisp, bold outline, you want the border to be the
darkest part of your type – don’t reference your physical object here, as this is a more stylised touch. Repeat the process of making Fade to Transparent gradients, this time choosing a colour that’s slightly darker than your Fill colour, and make the first and the second set of shadows. Again, set one tip to 100% and the other to 0%.
12_ The greater number of shadow objects you use, the greater the sense of depth you’ll achieve,so make one more shadow object, with an even darker colour, to emphasise your shading. Be careful not to place shadows over highlights and visa versa because they’ll cancel each other out.
13_ Repeat this process along the full length of your word, until you’ve created a real sense of depth and
emboss. The idea is to trick your eyes into believing it looks like a 3D object using the light and shadows, paying particular attention to the overlapping areas to emphasise the twisting form.
14_ Remember to pay attention to even the tiniest details. Common mistakes include not following the original ascender and descender heights of your typeface (you can of course change these to better suit your needs, but do so carefully), and increasing or decreasing the leading too much when illustrating a phrase. When it comes to creating printed material – or even just for use online – you can’t let a mistake go unnoticed, so check your final piece thoroughly before finishing.
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