Today I'm going to take you through the process of creating this cool type based artwork that
combines wavy distortions with 3D text effects.
I'm using a generic A4 layout, but in the RGB colour mode.
Use the empty space around the egde of the artboard to lay out your type with the text
tool.
I'm using one of my favourite fonts named Bebas Kai, which you can find via the link
in the description.
Give the text a white fill, which is why we're working on the empty grey space so you can
still see it. Then adjust the text into a simple layout with central alignment and tight
leading.
Illustrator's Envelope Distort feature actually has a couple of preset Warps under Wave and
Flag that distort the object from side to side, but these effects don't allow you to
customise the appearance much.
Instead, go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh. Set the number of columns to 1,
but generate 6 or so rows. The more rows you add, then more waves you can apply to the
text.
Activate the Direct Selection Tool, then hold Shift and select each alternating line of
points by dragging around them.
Hold the Shift key to increase the nudge distance, then press the left or right keyboard cursor
keys to offset these points, creating the wavy effect.
This adjustment alone creates a pretty cool photocopy distortion effect, but let's add
some 3D to further enhance it.
Go to Effect > 3D > Extrude and Bevel.
Rotate the cube interface widget to find an interesting angle, then click the More Options
button at the bottom of the window.
Here you can adjust the shading settings. Setting the Ambient Light to zero can often
help to increase the contrast.
Move the sphere around to alter the direction of the light.
We'll come back to the other settings in a moment, but one more adjustment you might
want to make is to increase the Blend Steps figure to eliminate any banding.
To finish off the artwork, let's add some texture. I'm using one of the broken photocopier
textures from my Copy Shop Photocopy Effects Kit, but I also have plenty of free textures
available on Spoon Graphics too.
Often the best texturing results are achieved in Photoshop, but Illustrator can actually
produce some nice texturing and blending effects natively without having to switch apps.
Drag a texture into Illustrator and scale it to fit the artboard. It can help to use
Smart Guides from under the View menu to snap the texture to the document edges.
Move the text effect into place on the artboard. You'll notice it is placed behind the texture,
so right click and choose Arrange > Bring to Front.
In the Transparency panel, chance the blendin mode to Color Dodge, which will allow the
text to interact with the texture image.
To adjust the teturing effect, bring back the 3D extrude and bevel options by clicking
it in the Appearance panel.
I keep my Appearance panel in the bottom right, but yours may be elsewhere. Make sure it's
visible from the Window menu.
Now you can play around with the settings again, including those other lighting options
such as Light Intensity to find a balance between crisp text and grainy texture.
The final result is a combination interesting text effects and texturing to create a cool
piece of digital type art.