drawing letter a in 3d

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

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

And so fifty-fifty if you lot are a consummate beginner with no feel, y'all'll acquire how to depict basic 3D messages after post-obit this tutorial.

Earlier nosotros begin, here is a quick overview of this tutorial –

Tools needed to draw 3D letters
The basics of 3D. What are 3D letters?
How to draw 3D messages – A step by pace procedure
3D letters alphabet template + Costless printable 3D messages worksheet
Extra tips for 3D letters
Last words.

Without any further delays, let's get started.

If y'all prefer to sentry, I also fabricated a video tutorial –

Tools needed to draw 3D letters

For this tutorial, yous'll need just a few basic lettering tools.

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

A pencil
Paper
A ruler (I employ the rolling ruler – super helpful!)
An eraser

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

Markers
Colored pencils
Watercolors
Etc.

Ok, with that in mind, let's go on to the side by side section of this tutorial.

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

Instead of just giving you a premade template for y'all to copy from, I think it'south crucial to have a basic understanding of what 3D letters are.

I believe it volition provide you with a potent foundation, and all the practice you'll practise later on will be much more than constructive.

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

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

We are basically calculation an actress dimension to the flat 2nd letterforms we usually create.

IMPORTANT NOTE –

I often see that people refer to 3D as shadows or shading.

However, it's not the same matter. In brusk, shadows are a dark surface area or shape produced by a torso coming betwixt rays of lite and a surface.

I recall that these two terms get confused and used interchangeably because they seem similar at starting time.

Here is 1 good tip on how to recognize a 3D letter from a shaded letter.

We have a shaded alphabetic character and a 3D letter next to each other.

If yous look at information technology closely, you'll see that all the corners completely connect a 3D letter. On the other hand, the shaded letters are not connected and thus give the impression of them beingness cast behind the letter.

We can besides use various shading to our 3D messages to make them look even better.

Only more than on that later on in this tutorial.

Let's go on to the adjacent section.

How to draw 3D messages – A step past step process

I'one thousand not sure if this method has a particular name to it, merely I call it – the equal distance 3D method.

I phone call it this style because well, the 3D extends equally everywhere.

The equal distance method is fairly simple.

Earlier I starting time showing y'all how to employ this effect to letters and words, let's accept a footstep back and try with a simpler shape – a square.

You probably remember this from your geometry grade.

Draw a uncomplicated square on a piece of paper using a pencil (it tin also exist a rectangle, it doesn't affair).

One time you've done that, y'all need to make up one's mind the management of the 3D.

Where will it extend?

The choice is totally up to you.

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

I'll take my ruler, I'll place it on the corner and I'll draw my get-go line.

Every other corner should have a line extending in the aforementioned direction.

Experience free to make these lines a bit longer, and what doesn't get used will be erased afterwards.

Once y'all are done you lot should have something that looks like this –

Find that I didn't add together 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 lesser left side, and so I wouldn't have added a line on the top right corner.

Just remember that if a 3D line goes "through" the letter (or object) you can skip information technology.

The next stride is to decide how deep our 3D goes, and again, it'due south totally up to you lot.

The kickoff line that you draw volition determine the depth and it volition exist the aforementioned everywhere else.

You lot can commencement either at the bottom or at the side. I prefer doing it from the bottom.

And then I align my ruler with the bottom line of the square, 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 airtight the bottom line, all I have to do is flip the ruler vertically, and align to the side of the square.

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

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

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

And that's it!

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

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

Good, let's get started on our letters!

Important note – For beginners, it'due south all-time to start learning 3D on cake letters. Once you've understood how to apply it properly on cake letters, it volition be much easier to create different lettering styles with a 3D consequence.

Step 1 – draw the letter.

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

I'll draw it using the wooden board technique.

If y'all are not familiar with it, I talk more virtually information technology in my hand lettering tutorial for beginners.

In brusk, the wooden lath technique teaches you to divide and draw the letter into individual parts.

This method allows you to create ameliorate, more than consequent, and more balanced letterforms.

Step 2 – determine the direction of the 3D

As I mentioned earlier, the alphabetic character's 3D (or the depth) can extend in multiple directions.

About commonly, it is either bottom left or bottom correct.

You lot can exercise it top left and top right besides.

I would just avert doing the 3D completely vertical or horizontal because and so the effect isn't that noticeable.

This time I went for the bottom correct 3D.

Earlier yous draw your lines, try to identify all of your corners then as not to miss any.

I've done this so ofttimes that I know where to place my lines, simply if you lot are just getting started and feel overwhelmed, this will assistance yous out.

Notice once once more that I haven't marked the corners where the lines would motion "through" the letter.

I did the same thing with the foursquare example.

Step three – depict the lines.

Ok, and then I drew my outset line from this corner.

At present, every other corner should have a line that extends in the same direction.

Y'all can brand these lines a chip bigger, and what doesn't get used will be deleted later on.

Good, once you've drawn all the lines, it should look similar this –

As y'all tin see, we piece of work with a lot of parallel lines here, and information technology's precisely the reason I love using my rolling ruler for this.

Step 4 – Closing the shape.

We have our lines extended from each corner, and now we just demand to shut the shape to become our 3D letter.

With the first closing line, you make up one's mind the length (the depth) of the 3D.

This part is totally upwards to yous.

You can offset endmost your shape either from the bottom or from the side.

I prefer doing it from the bottom.

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

The next affair I accept to close is the start (inner) side of the alphabetic character.

I take hold of my ruler, marshal it to the side of the letter A and slide information technology to the corner I've created in the previous step.

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

In this style, I maintain an equal altitude of the 3D from every side.

Past closing this side I have yet another point that tells me where to shut the crossbar.

And then I align 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 have this little corner at the bottom that tells me how far I accept to go.

Once I'm washed with connecting all the lines, all I accept to exercise is erase all the extras that extend across our 3D.

And there you have it, friends.

You've successfully created your start 3D letter of the alphabet!

We can, of course, further mode our 3D alphabetic character, but I'll cover that in the "Extra Tips" department.

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

Equally always, it'southward best to move gradually from easier to more complex elements.

What about rounded 3D shapes and letters?

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

Don't worry. It's nothing likewise complicated, but it does take a bit of practice.

Let'southward see an example using the letter of the alphabet C.

Once you've drawn your alphabetic character C, decide the management of the 3D.

Here I'll go bottom left.

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

Now, I'll move down with my ruler to the furthest point of the letter C.

I'll do the same for the pinnacle side.

What matters the most here is that you locate that furthest edge of the rounded letter of the alphabet.

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

Now i merely need to determine how deep my 3D will extend, and and so simply close the lines.

I need to close the line by post-obit the exact shape of the letter of the alphabet.

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

You have to eyeball these closing shapes, and it's fine if information technology'south not 100% the same as the original line of the alphabetic character.

Here is how information technology should look like one time you're washed.

And that'due south pretty much it!

Now yous know how to create 3D messages using the equal altitude method.

3D letters alphabet template

Following this method, you lot can add a 3D outcome to the whole alphabet as I did here.

I as well made a divide timelapse video where I add a 3D effect to every alphabetic character of the alphabet.

You can watch it hither –

Although nosotros covered several examples in the step-past-footstep processes in a higher place, yous might get stuck on sure letters.

If that happens, just come to this section and expect at these references.

Afterwards doing the whole alphabet a couple of times, you'll already commencement to feel much more than confident in creating 3D messages.

Believe me,

It won't take much for you to offset drawing 3D letters without a reference.

3D messages alphabet template worksheets

To help you practice, I created 2 block letter alphabet templates where yous can exercise adding a 3D effect.

Page 1 – Is totally empty so y'all can showtime applying the 3D effect using a ruler
Page two – Has a barely visible 3D effect already applied to it so you tin merely trace it over.

You can download these gratis worksheets (forth with every other freebie) direct from the Lettering Crate.

To go instant access to the Lettering Crate, just drop your e-mail below and follow the instructions.

You lot'll receive a welcome email containing a link and a password.

Extra tips for 3D letters

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

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

The first thing we're starting with is shadows.

Calculation shadows to your 3D letters

Shading your 3D messages is probably one of the best and easiest ways you can manner your letters.

Information technology gives more depth to the letter, and it just looks and so much ameliorate with information technology.

To apply the shades, we only demand to make up one's mind our light source.

Shades are usually applied on the opposite side of the calorie-free source.

If you are just getting started, keep things simple and shade but the lower parts of the 3D.

With rounded letters, you can try to create more of a gradient expect.

As it goes from the bottom, it's darker, and as it moves towards the side, it gets brighter.

Once you become comfortable with a basic class of shading, you tin can start adding more detail to make it await even ameliorate.

Keep in mind that understanding shading takes quite some exercise.

Playing with the direction of the 3D

Another cool thing you can exercise when doing 3D letters is playing with the direction of it.

Let'south say that if you take two words, you can point their 3D'south in the opposite direction.

You lot could also incline your messages and shoot the 3D in the reverse direction.

At that place are a bunch of unlike combos you lot can play with.

Applying the 3D effect to unlike lettering styles

As mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial, information technology'due south best to first learning 3D on basic cake messages.

Obviously, doing only basic cake messages can speedily get slow.

One time you've learned how to utilise a 3D upshot to block messages correctly, you tin start experimenting with different lettering styles.

Here is an example of a 3D result practical on serif lettering –

Here yous can encounter another case of a 3D effect applied to script lettering.

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

Still, I'1000 sure that with a bit of do you'll be able to practice whatsoever mode you wish.

Learn how to create a 2 betoken perspective lettering slice.

You thought a i bespeak perspective lettering looked cool?

Well then, let me innovate yous to ii point perspective lettering!

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

Check it out here.

Terminal words

And there you accept it, my friends!

I hope this tutorial will help y'all start practicing 3D letters.

The more y'all do it, the better you will become at information technology.

Afterward a couple of times, you will understand how to draw a 3D upshot on any object, and yous won't have to utilise whatever references at all.

Take it slow, don't rush it, and equally I e'er say, move gradually from like shooting fish in a barrel to more challenging elements.

A firm is only as strong as its foundations.

What lettering effect or style would you like to learn next?

Let me know by dropping a comment below.

Also, feel free to drib a comment if you have any wishes or suggestions for future tutorials.

Give thanks you for reading and until the side by side one,

Stay AWESOME!

Pivot me!

About the author

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