how to draw 3d letters easily

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In this tutorial, I will teach you how to describe 3D letters step by footstep.

3D letters may seem complicated at first, but with a bit of theory and some practice, you'll learn information technology in no fourth dimension.

So even if you lot are a complete beginner with no experience, yous'll learn how to draw bones 3D letters after following this tutorial.

Before we begin, hither is a quick overview of this tutorial –

Tools needed to depict 3D letters
The basics of 3D. What are 3D messages?
How to describe 3D letters – A footstep by step procedure
3D letters alphabet template + Complimentary printable 3D letters worksheet
Extra tips for 3D letters
Terminal words.

Without any further delays, let's go started.

If you prefer to watch, I likewise made a video tutorial –

Tools needed to draw 3D messages

For this tutorial, y'all'll need just a few bones lettering tools.

These are the tools that I'm using (links to Amazon) –

A pencil
Newspaper
A ruler (I use the rolling ruler – super helpful!)
An eraser

If you wish to add colors to your 3D letters you lot tin also use these other tools –

Markers
Colored pencils
Watercolors
Etc.

Ok, with that in mind, let'south proceed to the next section of this tutorial.

The nuts of 3D. What are 3D letters?

Instead of but giving you a premade template for you lot to copy from, I think information technology's crucial to have a bones agreement of what 3D messages are.

I believe it will provide you with a potent foundation, and all the practice y'all'll practice afterwards on will be much more effective.

Without getting all scientific in this artsy lettering tutorial, here is a very basic and boiled downwardly definition of what 3D is –

3D is an object with height, width, and depth (or length).

We are basically adding an extra dimension to the flat 2D letterforms we commonly create.

Of import Notation –

I often run into that people refer to 3D equally shadows or shading.

However, it'southward not the aforementioned thing. In short, shadows are a night area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

I call back that these two terms get dislocated and used interchangeably because they seem like at outset.

Here is one expert tip on how to recognize a 3D letter of the alphabet from a shaded letter.

Nosotros accept a shaded letter of the alphabet and a 3D letter side by side to each other.

If you look at it closely, you'll see that all the corners completely connect a 3D letter. On the other mitt, the shaded letters are not connected and thus requite the impression of them being cast backside the alphabetic character.

Nosotros can besides utilise various shading to our 3D letters to make them look fifty-fifty better.

But more on that later on in this tutorial.

Allow's proceed to the next department.

How to draw 3D letters – A step by step procedure

I'm not sure if this method has a particular name to information technology, simply I call it – the equal distance 3D method.

I phone call it this way because well, the 3D extends every bit everywhere.

The equal distance method is fairly unproblematic.

Before I outset showing you how to apply this result to letters and words, let's take a footstep back and try with a simpler shape – a square.

You probably call up this from your geometry form.

Draw a simple square on a piece of paper using a pencil (information technology can likewise exist a rectangle, it doesn't affair).

Once you've done that, you lot need to determine the direction of the 3D.

Where will it extend?

The choice is totally up to yous.

It tin can come from any direction, and for this example, I'll extend it to the lesser right side.

I'll take my ruler, I'll place it on the corner and I'll describe my first line.

Every other corner should take a line extending in the same direction.

Feel free to brand these lines a bit longer, and what doesn't get used volition be erased afterwards.

One time yous are washed you should accept something that looks like this –

Notice that I didn't add a line on the top left corner.

That is because that line would go "through" the square.

If I decided to point the 3D in the bottom left side, then I wouldn't have added a line on the peak right corner.

Just recollect that if a 3D line goes "through" the letter (or object) yous can skip it.

The next footstep is to determine how deep our 3D goes, and over again, it's totally upward to you.

The get-go line that you draw will decide the depth and it will be the same everywhere else.

You tin start either at the bottom or at the side. I adopt doing it from the lesser.

So I align my ruler with the bottom line of the foursquare, and I slide it a flake lower like this.

The crucial step here is that the closing line of the 3D shape follows exactly the direction of the original shape.

Once I've closed the lesser line, all I take to do is flip the ruler vertically, and marshal to the side of the foursquare.

Now I slide the ruler to the corner created by the previous bottom line.

This way both my bottom and side have the same distance.

All that is left to do is deleting the lines that extend over our closed 3D shape.

And that'due south it!

Following this technique we simply saw on the simple square shape example, we can hands apply it to other objects (letters).

After all, what are messages if not more complex geometrical objects 😀

Adept, let'due south become started on our letters!

Important note – For beginners, it's best to start learning 3D on cake letters. In one case y'all've understood how to utilize it properly on block letters, information technology will exist much easier to create different lettering styles with a 3D issue.

Step ane – draw the letter.

For this instance, I'll go with a bones sans serif cake letter A.

I'll draw it using the wooden board technique.

If you are not familiar with information technology, I talk more than about it in my hand lettering tutorial for beginners.

In short, the wooden board technique teaches you to divide and draw the letter into private parts.

This method allows y'all to create better, more than consistent, and more counterbalanced letterforms.

Stride 2 – make up one's mind the direction of the 3D

Every bit I mentioned earlier, the letter of the alphabet's 3D (or the depth) can extend in multiple directions.

Most commonly, it is either bottom left or bottom right.

You can practice it top left and summit right every bit well.

I would but avert doing the 3D completely vertical or horizontal because then the consequence isn't that noticeable.

This time I went for the bottom correct 3D.

Before you lot draw your lines, endeavour to place all of your corners so equally not to miss whatever.

I've done this so often that I know where to place my lines, but if you are just getting started and feel overwhelmed, this volition assistance you out.

Notice once again that I oasis't marked the corners where the lines would move "through" the alphabetic character.

I did the same thing with the square example.

Step 3 – draw the lines.

Ok, so I drew my start line from this corner.

Now, every other corner should have a line that extends in the aforementioned direction.

You can brand these lines a bit bigger, and what doesn't become used will be deleted afterwards.

Good, once yous've drawn all the lines, it should look like this –

As you can see, we work with a lot of parallel lines here, and it's precisely the reason I dear using my rolling ruler for this.

Step 4 – Closing the shape.

Nosotros have our lines extended from each corner, and now nosotros simply need to close the shape to get our 3D letter.

With the get-go closing line, you lot determine the length (the depth) of the 3D.

This part is totally up to you.

You can start closing your shape either from the lesser or from the side.

I prefer doing it from the bottom.

I'll begin by closing upwardly the lowest points of the letter A which are these two lines hither.

The next thing I have to shut is the first (inner) side of the letter.

I grab my ruler, align it to the side of the letter A and slide it to the corner I've created in the previous stride.

This niggling corner tells me how far I have to become with my 3D.

In this way, I maintain an equal distance of the 3D from every side.

Past closing this side I take yet another indicate that tells me where to close the crossbar.

Then I marshal my ruler with the crossbar of the A, and I slide it to that corner and close the line.

Finally, I just need to connect the remaining side, and again, I accept this little corner at the lesser that tells me how far I have to go.

Once I'm done with connecting all the lines, all I take to practice is erase all the extras that extend beyond our 3D.

And there you take it, friends.

You've successfully created your first 3D alphabetic character!

We can, of course, further style our 3D alphabetic character, but I'll encompass that in the "Extra Tips" section.

Right now, we are just focusing on understanding the basics of 3D letters.

As e'er, it's best to move gradually from easier to more circuitous elements.

What most rounded 3D shapes and letters?

Applying a 3D effect to rounded shapes can exist a bit trickier than directly lines and edges.

Don't worry. Information technology'south null as well complicated, but it does take a scrap of practice.

Let's come across an example using the letter C.

Once you've drawn your letter of the alphabet C, make up one's mind the direction of the 3D.

Here I'll go bottom left.

I'll showtime with this line inside since it has a corner.

Now, I'll motion down with my ruler to the furthest point of the alphabetic character C.

I'll do the aforementioned for the height side.

What matters the nigh here is that yous locate that furthest edge of the rounded letter of the alphabet.

Once you have all the lines it should look like this –

Now i just demand to decide how deep my 3D will extend, then just close the lines.

I demand to close the line by following the exact shape of the letter.

This is the reason why these rounded messages are a bit more challenging.

You accept to eyeball these closing shapes, and it's fine if information technology's non 100% the same as the original line of the letter.

Here is how it should expect like once you're done.

And that's pretty much it!

Now yous know how to create 3D letters using the equal distance method.

3D letters alphabet template

Post-obit this method, you can add together a 3D effect to the whole alphabet as I did here.

I besides made a divide timelapse video where I add a 3D outcome to every letter.

Y'all can watch information technology here –

Although we covered several examples in the step-by-stride processes above, you might get stuck on certain letters.

If that happens, merely come to this section and look at these references.

After doing the whole alphabet a couple of times, you'll already beginning to feel much more confident in creating 3D letters.

Believe me,

Information technology won't take much for you to showtime drawing 3D letters without a reference.

3D messages alphabet template worksheets

To help y'all practice, I created two block alphabetic character alphabet templates where you lot can practice adding a 3D effect.

Page 1 – Is totally empty and so y'all tin can start applying the 3D result using a ruler
Page 2 – Has a barely visible 3D effect already applied to it and so yous can just trace it over.

You lot can download these costless worksheets (along with every other freebie) straight from the Lettering Crate.

To get instant admission to the Lettering Crate, just drop your electronic mail beneath and follow the instructions.

Yous'll receive a welcome e-mail containing a link and a password.

Extra tips for 3D letters

Ok, now that we have the nuts covered, nosotros tin can start looking at different means to style our 3D messages.

In this section, I'll mention a couple of different things y'all tin try out.

The first thing we're starting with is shadows.

Calculation shadows to your 3D letters

Shading your 3D letters is probably ane of the best and easiest ways you lot can style your letters.

It gives more depth to the letter, and it but looks so much meliorate with it.

To apply the shades, we just demand to decide our low-cal source.

Shades are usually practical on the opposite side of the light source.

If yous are merely getting started, keep things simple and shade merely the lower parts of the 3D.

With rounded letters, y'all tin try to create more of a gradient look.

As it goes from the bottom, it's darker, and every bit it moves towards the side, information technology gets brighter.

Once you get comfortable with a bones course of shading, yous can showtime adding more particular to brand information technology look even amend.

Keep in heed that understanding shading takes quite some practise.

Playing with the direction of the 3D

Another absurd matter you tin can do when doing 3D letters is playing with the management of it.

Let'due south say that if y'all have two words, yous can bespeak their 3D's in the contrary management.

You could also incline your letters and shoot the 3D in the contrary management.

In that location are a bunch of different combos you can play with.

Applying the 3D effect to unlike lettering styles

Every bit mentioned at the first of this tutorial, it'southward best to starting time learning 3D on basic block messages.

Obviously, doing merely basic cake letters tin quickly go boring.

Once you've learned how to apply a 3D outcome to cake messages correctly, yous can start experimenting with different lettering styles.

Here is an example of a 3D effect applied on serif lettering –

Here yous tin see another example of a 3D effect practical to script lettering.

Script lettering is maybe a scrap more challenging since most of the shapes are rounded.

Still, I'm sure that with a chip of practice you'll be able to practise any way you wish.

Learn how to create a 2 point perspective lettering piece.

Y'all idea a 1 signal perspective lettering looked cool?

Well then, let me innovate you lot to 2 bespeak perspective lettering!

My friend Selina wrote an in-depth, pace-by-step tutorial that volition teach you how to create exactly that!

Check it out here.

Final words

And in that location y'all have it, my friends!

I hope this tutorial volition aid you showtime practicing 3D messages.

The more you practice it, the better you lot volition become at it.

Afterward a couple of times, you lot will understand how to depict a 3D consequence on whatsoever object, and you won't have to use whatsoever references at all.

Accept it boring, don't rush information technology, and every bit I always say, move gradually from piece of cake to more challenging elements.

A house is only every bit strong as its foundations.

What lettering upshot or manner would you like to learn next?

Permit me know by dropping a comment below.

As well, feel free to drop a comment if y'all have whatever wishes or suggestions for future tutorials.

Thank you for reading and until the next one,

Stay AWESOME!

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