Create Bubble Text with Simple Illustration Techniques

CREATE THIS TEXT EFFECT IN ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR! | Learn to break down a typeface and add color and highlights to complete this effect.

In this Adobe Illustrator tutorial, we will take a look at adding rounded corners to a typeface to make some “soft” text and then we’ll build a fake 3D base for the text facade, add a gradient that spans multiple objects, and use the paths to create a retracted stroke that will become a dynamic highlight for the edges of the text.

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Site Exclusive Tutorial Recording Notes:

Disclaimer: these are the actual notes I used to record this video and are written in a language you may or may not understand. Hopefully, you find them useful or cool.

1. New doc 2560×1440
2. Add text, typeface: Dubtronic (Solid) @ 300pt with 225pt leading
3. Select text and convert to outlines
4. Go Effects>Stylize>Round Corners and round 15px
5. Copy and paste this text in front.
6. Shut off the copied layer
7. Select bottom layer and go Object>Expand Appearance
8. Turn on top layer and open Appearance panel and get rid of the Rounded Corners
9. Ungroup and delete all letters except the “R”
10. Ungroup the group with rounded corners and select both “R”’s and use Pathfinder to Divide them, Ungroup what you get, and get rid of the bits you don’t want
11. Select remaining bits and use Pathfinder to Merge them all together
12. Group all the text together
13. Duplicate and paste in front 2x (three copies of the text altogether)
14. Shut off top-most text group
15. Select both text groups visible and set fill to #00a5e0
16. Select bottom-most text group and nudge down and to the left Shift + 2x nudges
17. Go Object>Blend>Blend Options and choose specified steps and set that to 150
18. Select both purple text groups and go Object>Blend>Make
19. Turn on top-most text layer again
20. Set fill to a gradient and create gradient that goes:
21. #ff1c53 0%L > #ffe469 42%L > #8ce2ff 100%L
22. Use Gradient tool to drag gradient from top to bottom
23. Copy the gradient text and dump the fill and apply a 5px white stroke with rounded corners && caps
24. With stroke selected, go Object>Path>Offset Path and offset by -9px
25. Before deselecting, go Edit>Cut and then select the outer stroke that is left and delete it
26. Go Edit>Paste in Front to paste the offset path back in place
27. Use a combo of the Direct Selection tool and the Scissors tool (C) to nip and snip to create little highlights all around the top right edges on our letters
28. Use Magic Wand tool to select all white stroked paths and Group these x 3
29. Set the group’s blend mode to Overlay
30. Lock all bottom layers and use the Direct Selection tool to select just the top strokes and reduce opacity to around 65%
31. Open the blend that makes the base of the text and select the back-most piece of text and change the fill to #61fcff to complete the fade of color on the base of the text.
32. Group and align all text to the artboard