How to draw psychedelic script lettering

What is Psychedelic Script?

So, what exactly is psychedelic script lettering, you ask? Well, it's a hand-drawn or digital lettering style that incorporates a range of visual effects and techniques to create a trippy, otherworldly or psychedelic look. Because apparently, regular old letters just aren't cutting it these days. This lettering style emerged during the 1960s and 1970s as part of the counterculture movement that challenged conventional norms and values.

Where can you find it?

Psychedelic script lettering can be found in various design contexts, including album covers, posters, and book covers. This style of lettering aims to capture the spirit of the counterculture movements of the 1960s, as well as modern designs that draw on the psychedelic aesthetic.

What is it best suitable for?

If you're looking to create a sense of otherworldliness, mystery, and intrigue in your designs, this lettering style is a perfect fit. It can be used to create designs that are bold, vibrant, and energetic, as well as designs that are more subdued and introspective. In addition, it is an excellent choice for designs that need to convey a sense of movement, fluidity, or dynamism.

Characteristical attributes

Psychedelic script lettering typically features a range of visual effects and techniques. It typically features wavy lines, overlapping shapes, and intricate patterns. The letters may be distorted, stretched, or warped, creating a sense of movement and fluidity.

How to make a psychedelic script design with LTTR/INK

There is no one right way how to create this specific lettering style. Some of you prefer sketching the rough idea on paper and digitalising it; others could jump right into drawing in Adobe Illustrator. The important thing while designing psychedelic lettering is to get wild, bold and have fun.

Following are just a few tips on how to make this process easier and quicker.

1. Start your design with a thin stroke and rough basic letter shapes.

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2. In this case, we started with default values like this:

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3. We recommend creating a stroke style with these values so you can quickly get back to it when needed.

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4. It’s always convenient to have as few stroke styles as possible. The position of vector points can be very useful in achieving that. Add the vector points where you want total control of the stroke. It doesn't necessarily have to be at the extremes of the shapes. This design aimed to add high contrast at the bottom of the letters and use the same parameters for all of them. The vector points at the bottom line have the same direction, so there would be a high possibility that one stroke style would be suitable for all of them.

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5. Now we can set the parameters for the thick style we would use in our design.

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6. Create a stroke style with those settings and apply it to the bottom points. Adjusting one ellipse would adjust the style, so each point with this style applied would change.

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7. Then we set two other styles for the “thick endings” and “middle” to add some extra contrast if needed.

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8. Now the fun part!  Start adjusting the skeleton to add some curves. The aim is to create a liquid, distorted, slightly confusing feeling.

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9. Add some swashes and lines, be free, experiment and embrace the wildness.

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10. Don’t forget to expand the stroke. You can adjust the lines of your final lettering to your complete satisfaction.

Feeling inspired? Download the latest version of LTTR/INK Adobe Illustrator plugin here and start drawing immediately.

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