How Can I Make Painted Letters Look Three Dimensional?
- 1). Paint a thick border of a different color or a slightly lighter or darker tint or shade on the sides of each letter in one direction. For example, if you want the letter to look as if it is protruding from above and to the left of the viewer, paint a thick border on the bottom and right edges. Use a darker shade if the light source is opposite the border or a lighter tint if the light is coming from the same side as the border.
- 2). Paint a highlight on top of the center of each letter, then paint a darker tint or a mixture of the letter color and its complementary color on the edges furthest from your light source. This creates the appearance of extruded and rounded letters.
- 3). Paint a drop shadow opposite the light source. Use a mixture of the background color and its complementary color for the shadow. Paint a wider shadow for a more dramatic lighting angle effect and make the shadow completely separated from the letter to make them appear further from the background.
