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How to Draw 3D Bubble Letters

fargasch by fargasch

It is Fun to Draw Bubble Letters!

Stencil fonts look great, but in my opinion nothing beats that "imperfect" look of hand drawn lettering. When letters are hand-drawn they don't always look the same, and the irregularity breaks the pattern, creating a pleasing appearance.

On this lens I'll show you how easy it is to draw your own 3D bubble letters for your scrapbooking or school projects. Get your pencils or markers and let's get started!

Contents at a Glance

  1. A
  2. B
  3. C
  1. D
  2. E
  3. F
More

A

Attention all! The A is fairly simple to draw, just make the top line wide enough to accommodate the bridge and the hole. Don't forget to draw the 3D effect as it can be seen through the hole.

B

Before you begin to draw the B, remember it has to be a "fat B", so it doesn't look funky once you add the see-thru holes for the bubble style. The 3D effect should be added to both holes.

C

C'mon, drawing the C is easy as pie! Start with a large outline to accommodate the thickness of the letter, and draw the 3D effect as if you were looking at the C from a slight top-right perspective.

D

Don't hurry, take your time. The D should be made with a large outline to accommodate the hole. Taper the outer line of the 3D effect as it goes down, and don't forget to add it as it's seen through the hole.

E

Easy, peasy! The E's straight lines make it very simple to draw, even if there are a lot of 3D effect lines to be added. Using grid paper makes the process even easier.

F

Figured it out? Yep, once you've drawn the E, the F becomes pretty easy. Are you having fun yet?

G

Get ready for a letter that's a bit tricky. The G can be a bit hard and you may want to use a pencil first, then trace over the lines with your marker. Keep in mind you're adding thickness to the letter, so start out with a large outline. Have an eraser available, you might need it! Now there are three places to add the 3D effect to, remember we want the letter to seem looked at from a slight top-right perspective.

Markers, a useful tool for drawing 3D bubble letters

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H

Here's another quite simple one. The H is easy to draw with its straight and parallel lines, and adding the 3D effect is also easy because there are no curves. If you use grid paper your end result should look better than mine (I didn't).

I

Is that all? Yes. The I is simply a vertical rectangle, the easiest 3D bubble letter to draw!

J

Just when you thought this was getting easy, here is the J and its curves... Remember to make the outer line wide enough to leave room for the thickness of the letter and the 3D effect.

K

Keep at it, you're almost done! The K can be tricky because the top arm is angled close to our 3D perspective lines. Making top and bottom symmetric helps in keeping it simple. (Imagine the top of the letter folding onto the bottom half).

L

Looking good! The L is a simple letter to draw. All straight lines and no holes, and the 3D effect is very easy to visualize.

M

May I suggest something? When drawing the M it helps to start from the smaller, inner side. It will look just like a regular M, and the outer lines can be easily traced around it. Don't forget to add the 3D effect to the left leg, under the bridge.

N

Now here's a tip: to draw the N it helps to draw the two side blocks, as if they were two Is. Then draw the middle diagonal block, and erase the lines that were closing the two initial blocks. Don't forget to add the 3D effect to the underside of the left leg as well.

Books on creative lettering

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O

Over here: that's how you draw the O. Start with the outer oval (or circle, if you prefer a round O), making sure it is big enough to accommodate the hole and still be the desired thickness. The trick now is to add the 3D effect, which goes on the inside and outside, but need to be tapered at both ends to product that circular look. Remember we're drawing these letters as they're seen from a slight top-right perspective.

P

Put your pencil down, look at the work you've already done! We're almost finished, so let's keep going. Drawing the P is similar to drawing a B. Make sure you have room for the hole, and don't forget to add the 3D effect inside. The top 3D line should be tapered following the curve of the P.

Q

Quick, go back and check how you drew the O. The Q adds a simple step: erase part of the outer line on the bottom right and add the "Q tip". Finish with the 3D effect like you did the O, but don't forget to add the effect to the tip as well.

R

Right now we're drawing the R. You can start with a P and erase the outer line where you will add the diagonal leg of the R, or you can start with the outer trace, making sure you leave enough room for the hole and the thickness of the two legs. Don't forget to add the 3D effect inside the hole, and on the right leg as well.

S

So... here's the trickiest letter. I like to start from the leftmost line, at the top. A big enough top curve to accommodate the thickness as well as the empty space, and the lower curve that's not only narrow, but doesn't go all the way to the right. (As it is the inside part of the lower curve). You may have to use your eraser here and try a few times until you're satisfied with how it looks. The 3D effect is added to three different spots, tapered at the curvy ends. Remember we're trying to make the letter look like it is seen from a slight top-right perspective.

T

The T is a simple letter to draw: you start with a vertical rectangle like you did the I, then add the shorter, top horizontal rectangle. Straight lines, easy to add the 3D effect here.

Turn your handwriting into a font!

There is a cool service online if you want to create your own, hand-drawn font: YourFonts allows you to turn your handwriting into a font you can download and then use on OpenOffice Writer or Microsoft Word. The process consists of scanning a template that you fill out with what you want each letter, number and symbol to look like. Check out some cool fonts created by other users!

U

Using your pencil or marker, start from the outer lines of the U. Make sure it is wide enough to accommodate both sides of the letter as well as the empty space in the middle. The 3D effect is added to each side, and should be tapered to follow the curve.

V

Very simple: to draw the V start with the inner lines, a small V. Then complete the outline with the desired thickness. Voila!

W

Want to draw a nice looking W? Start from the inner, top lines. Like the V, you start with a small W and add the desired thickness to it. Don't forget to add the 3D effect to the middle bump.

X

Xerox copy an upside down V underneath itself, will you? You can draw the X by making a small V, rotating the letter upside down and drawing another one. Only add the 3D effect once the X is complete.

Y

You're really almost done! The Y is drawn like the X, just erase the bottom right leg and then complete the outline and 3D effect.

Z

Zero effort here, as you've already drawn the Z. Just rotate the N clockwise by 90 degrees and there you have it! If you would like a "taller" Z than what you get by rotating the N, then draw the two horizontal rectangles at the desired distance from each other, then finish with the middle diagonal.

(Pardon the gunk that made its way onto the scanner glass, on the bottom right of the Z).

Get the .pdf to help you draw your own

The full set of 3D bubble letters

The 3D Bubble Letter Alphabet

3D Bubble Numbers

3D Bubble Numbers

The 3D Type Book

This book is a source of inspiration and the most comprehensive showcase available looking solely at three-dimensional, experimental letterforms. Featured projects cover a few classic/historical examples but mainly focus on recent and brand new typographic projects and experiments.
The 3D Type Book

The 3D Type Book

by: FL@33, Tomi Vollauschek, Agathe Jacquillat

Amazon Price: $16.04 (as of 06/01/2012)Buy Now

An amazing array of innovative, playful, and inspirational projects are being produced by emerging and established talents from around the world and The 3D Type Book documents the best of the best.

Stencil or hand-drawn?

What's cooler, stencil fonts or hand-drawn lettering?

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Hand-drawn, I like the "imperfect" look!

scarlettohairy says:

Stencils are great but so are these. They look really fun to draw!

thatgrrl says:

Hand drawn letters by FAR!

bossypants says:

I think it depends on the application, but for something personal, like a scrapbook or greetings to a friend, I pick hand drawn every time!

lionfruitluver21 says:

it's your opinion!

lionfruitluver21 says:

Hand-drawn looks more fun... kind of more spontaneous!

Stencils, they look more professional!

wormwood80 says:

I like the stencils!

Tolovaj says:

Free hand is cool to some extend, but if you want real deal...

 
view all 18 comments

But if you absolutely prefer...

Here are some stencils for you! :-)

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Your comments and suggestions are welcome!

  • rosie hagger May 16, 2012 @ 11:50 am | delete
    wow great tips fanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • piarejuden May 15, 2012 @ 4:15 pm | delete
    Whoa.. these need practice!! Thanks for the tips!!
  • rosie hagger May 16, 2012 @ 11:48 am | delete
    your baby cute !!!
  • JoyfulReviewer Apr 27, 2012 @ 12:13 pm | delete
    Thanks for this helpful illustrated tutorial on creating 3D bubble letters and numbers ... and for providing the PDFs. ~~Blessed~~
  • scarlettohairy Apr 19, 2012 @ 4:25 pm | delete
    Very cool. Love how you offer a PDF as well as the instructions.
  • thatgrrl Apr 12, 2012 @ 3:03 pm | delete
    I always like a craft post where the writer has actually done the work and created something themselves.
  • bossypants Apr 5, 2012 @ 12:30 pm | delete
    Wow, you put a lot of energy into this fun lens -- from drawing all the examples to your clever descriptions starting with the letter of note! Enjoyable!
  • wormwood80 Apr 5, 2012 @ 2:11 am | delete
    Fun page...reminds me of grade school when coolness depended on your ability to make neat letters.
  • Tugee Mar 24, 2012 @ 9:04 pm | delete
    Very fun page.
  • miaponzo Feb 23, 2012 @ 1:15 am | delete
    Cute!!!! Blessed!
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About Natalia

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This So Crafty page written by

fargasch

My name is Natalia and I live in SoCal. Bubble letters are fun to draw, and here are simple instructions to create your own projects using 3D bubble l... more »

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