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How to Make a Psychedelic Text Effect in Illustrator

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Andrei Marius
Read Time: 17 min
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What You'll Be Creating

In this tutorial, you'll learn how to make psychedelic text in Illustrator and how to create a poster with a psychedelic design.

What You'll Learn in This Psychedelic Text Effect Tutorial

  • How to create a guitar outline
  • How to build a psychedelic design using meshes
  • How to use psychedelic fonts
  • How to make psychedelic typography in Illustrator

What You Will Need

You will need the following resources to complete this psychedelic design:

Jump to content in this section

1. How to Create a New Document and Set Up a Grid

Hit Control-N to create a new document. Select Pixels from the Units drop-down menu, set the Width to 860 px and Height to 1200 px, and then click that Advanced Options button. Select RGB for the Color Mode and set the Raster Effects to Screen (72 ppi), and then click the Create button.

Enable the Grid (View > Show Grid or Control-") and Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid or Shift-Control-"). You will need a grid every 10 px, so simply go to Edit > Preferences > Guides & Grid, and enter 10 in the Gridline every box and 1 in the Subdivisions box. Try not to get discouraged by all that grid—it will make your work easier, and keep in mind that you can easily enable or disable it using the Control-" keyboard shortcut.

You should also open the Info panel (Window > Info) for a live preview with the size and position of your shapes. Don't forget to set the unit of measurement to pixels from Edit > Preferences > Units. All these options will significantly increase your work speed.

create new document and set up grid in Illustratorcreate new document and set up grid in Illustratorcreate new document and set up grid in Illustrator

2. How to Create a Vector Guitar

Step 1

Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) from your Toolbar and focus on the color settings. Select the stroke and remove the color, and then double-click the fill and replace the existing color with R=255 G=233 B=195.

Move to your artboard, and start by creating a 290 x 100 px shape—the grid and Snap to Grid should make it easier. Add a 390 x 170 px shape and move it 230 px below your first rectangle.

Use the Selection Tool (V) to select both of your shapes and click the Horizontal Align Center button from the control panel, which will perfectly align the centers of your rectangles. Now simply move your shapes a bit to make sure that they're perfectly aligned to the grid.

create rectangles in illustratorcreate rectangles in illustratorcreate rectangles in illustrator

Step 2

Select your top rectangle and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the top anchor points and use those corner widgets to maximize the roundness of the selected corners.

add rounded cornersadd rounded cornersadd rounded corners

Step 3

Select your other rectangle and make sure that the Direct Selection Tool (A) is still active. This time, select the bottom anchor points, and again, use those corner widgets to maximize the roundness.

set corners radius using corner widgetset corners radius using corner widgetset corners radius using corner widget

Step 4

Focus on the right side of your shapes, pick the Pen Tool (P), and use it to create a path as shown in the first image. Once you're done, switch to the Selection Tool (A) and select the entire path.

Hold down the Alt key, and then click and drag your path to duplicate it. Use the Reflect Tool (O) to flip the copy and place it as shown in the second image.

create path using pen toolcreate path using pen toolcreate path using pen tool

Step 5

Select both of your paths and press Control-J twice to join them. Use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to easily fill the new shape with the same color that you used for the other shapes.

join two paths in illustratorjoin two paths in illustratorjoin two paths in illustrator

Step 6

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 70 x 20 px shape and place it as shown below. The fill color is not important.

create ellipse using the ellipse toolcreate ellipse using the ellipse toolcreate ellipse using the ellipse tool

Step 7

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 70 x 450 px shape and place it as shown in the first image.

Focus on the top edge of this rectangle and switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the left anchor point and move it 10 px to the right, and then select the right anchor point and move it 10 px to the left.

create rectangle and move anchor pointscreate rectangle and move anchor pointscreate rectangle and move anchor points

Step 8

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 70 x 110 px shape and place it as shown in the first image.

This time, focus on the bottom side of this rectangle and switch to the Direct Selection Tool (A). Select the left anchor point and move it 10 px to the right, and then select the right anchor point and move it 10 px to the left.

Switch to the Ellipse Tool (L), use it to add a 70 x 20 px shape, place it as shown in the third image, and don't forget to fill it with the same colors that we use for the starting shapes. Don't forget that you can easily do this using the Eyedropper Tool (I).

create rectangle and ellipsecreate rectangle and ellipsecreate rectangle and ellipse

Step 9

Use the Selection Tool (V) to select all your shapes and merge them using the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel (Window > Pathfinder).

unite shapes using the pathfinder panelunite shapes using the pathfinder panelunite shapes using the pathfinder panel

Step 10

Make sure that your merged shape is selected and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Set the Offset to 10 px and click OK to add your new shape. Make it red just to make it more noticeable.

Continue with the Rectangle Tool (M), use it to create three 90 x 20 px shapes and place them as shown in the second image. Select these rectangles and turn them into a compound path (Object > Compound Path > Make or Control-8), and then select this compound path along with your red shape and click the Intersect button from the Pathfinder panel.

offset path and intersect pathfinderoffset path and intersect pathfinderoffset path and intersect pathfinder

Step 11

Make sure that the three shapes made in the previous step are still selected, and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A) so you can set the radius of the Corners to 5 px in the control panel.

corners radius direct selection toolcorners radius direct selection toolcorners radius direct selection tool

Step 12

Again, select all your shapes and merge them using the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel.

merge guitar shapesmerge guitar shapesmerge guitar shapes

Step 13

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), create a 90 px circle and place it as shown in the first image. Select it along with your guitar shape and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel.

add circle and create final guitar shapeadd circle and create final guitar shapeadd circle and create final guitar shape

3. How to Create a Psychedelic Design Using Distorted Meshes

Step 1

You can put your guitar design aside for a few moments. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 900 x 20 px shape, and align it with the bottom edge of your artboard as shown below. As long as you set the alignment to artboard, this can be easily done using the buttons from the control panel.

Fill this rectangle with a random color, keep it selected, and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Set the number of Copies to 6 and drag that Move-Vertical slider to -20 px, and then click OK.

create rectangle and multiply it using Transform effectcreate rectangle and multiply it using Transform effectcreate rectangle and multiply it using Transform effect

Step 2

Make sure that your rectangle is still selected, and go to Object > Expand Appearance. Press Shift-Control-G twice to quickly Ungroup the resulting group of shapes, and then select each rectangle to fill it with the colors indicated in the following image.

expand transform effect and color rectanglesexpand transform effect and color rectanglesexpand transform effect and color rectangles

Step 3

Once you're done coloring the rectangles, select all the shapes and go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Mesh (Alt-Control-M). Set the Rows to 2 and Columns to 6, and then click OK to turn your rectangles into a mesh.

Duplicate this mesh (Control-C > Control-V), select the copy, align it with the top edge of the artboard, and then flip it as shown below.

envelope distort make with meshenvelope distort make with meshenvelope distort make with mesh

Step 4

Select your bottom mesh and pick the Direct Selection Tool (A), which allows you to select mesh points. Feel free to wing it and distort the mesh roughly as shown below, or follow the exact numbers as follows.

We'll start with the leftmost column of mesh points. Select the top point and drag it 380 px up, continue with the middle one and move it 150 px up, and then select the bottom one and drag it 50 px down. Keep in mind that you can use the Info panel (Window > Info) to see how much you're moving each mesh point.

Continue with the next column of mesh points. Select the top one and move it 70 px up, and then select the bottom one and drag it 100 px down. Moving to the next column, you need to select the top point and drag it 100 px up, and then the middle one and move it 80 px up.

Skip the next column and move to the fifth one. Select the top and middle points and move them 40 px up, and then select all three mesh points and drag them 60 px to the right.

Again, skip the next column and move to the last one. Move the top one 170 px up, the middle one 60 px up, and the bottom one 50 px down.

distort mesh using direct selection tooldistort mesh using direct selection tooldistort mesh using direct selection tool

Step 5

Move to your top mesh, and keep the Direct Selection Tool (A) active as we're about to distort this mesh too.

Select the bottom mesh points from the first two columns (highlighted with black) and move them only 20 px down. Move to the third column, select the middle and bottom mesh points, and then drag them 100 px down.

Skip the fourth column of mesh points and move to the fifth one. First, select all three points and drag them 60 px to the right, and then select the middle and bottom points and move them 40 px down.

Moving to the final two columns, you need to select the top mesh points and drag them 100 px up, and then the bottom rightmost one and move it 180 px down.

distort meshdistort meshdistort mesh

Step 6

Using the Rectangle Tool (M), create a 900 x 1240 px shape and fill it with the yellow from your mesh. Don't forget that you can easily pick that color and add it to your selected shape using the Eyedropper Tool (I). Send it to the back (Shift-Control-[) and move it to the center of your artboard using the buttons from the control panel.

create background rectangle and center itcreate background rectangle and center itcreate background rectangle and center it

4. How to Create a Psychedelic Text Effect

Step 1

Bring back that guitar shape, select it, and focus on the control panel to increase the Height to 1200 px.

add guitar shape and scaleadd guitar shape and scaleadd guitar shape and scale

Step 2

Disable the Snap to Grid (View > Snap to Grid) for a few moments and enable the Smart Guides (View > Smart Guides) to easily align your guitar with the right edge of the artboard, as shown in the first image.

Duplicate your guitar shape (Control-C > Control-F), move the copy to the left edge of the artboard, and use the bounding box to rotate it 180 degrees as shown below. Once you're done, remember to disable the Smart Guides and turn back on Snap to Grid.

align guitar shapes using smart guidesalign guitar shapes using smart guidesalign guitar shapes using smart guides

Step 3

Select your distorted meshes and add copies in front (Control-C > Control-F). Expand these copies (Object > Expand) and merge the resulting groups of shapes using the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel. Fill the resulting shapes with blue (or any color that will make them stand out) and don't forget to bring them to the front (Shift-Control-[).

Select both guitar shapes and add copies in front (Control-C > Control-F). Feel free to fill these copies with that same blue.

expand mesh and duplicate guitar shapesexpand mesh and duplicate guitar shapesexpand mesh and duplicate guitar shapes

Step 4

Select that yellow background rectangle and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Merge your blue shapes using the Unite button from the Pathfinder panel.

Select the resulting shape along with the copy of that background shape, and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Ungroup (Shift-Control-G) the resulting group and remove all the shapes, except the larger one that covers the inside of your artboard. Make it white.

pathfinder minus front white shapepathfinder minus front white shapepathfinder minus front white shape

Step 5

Make sure that your white shape is selected, and go to Object > Path > Offset Path. Set the Offset to -20 px and click OK. Keep the new shape and delete the original one.

create new shape using offset pathcreate new shape using offset pathcreate new shape using offset path

Step 6

Before we move to the text part, let's quickly mask the guitar shapes.

Select your top mesh and add a copy in front (Control-C > Control-F). Expand this copy (Object > Expand), Unite the resulting group, and fill the new shape with black (R=0 G=0 B=0). Bring it to the front (Shift-Control-[), and then select it along with your left guitar shape.

Open the Transparency panel (Window > Transparency), click that Make Mask button, and uncheck the Clip box. This will nicely mask the part of your guitar that used to cover the mesh.

mask using opacity maskmask using opacity maskmask using opacity mask

Step 7

Let's repeat the same technique for the left guitar. Again, select the mesh and expand it (Object > Expand). Unite the group and fill the resulting shape with black, select it along with the guitar, and then click the Make Mask button from the Transparency panel. Don't forget to uncheck that Clip box.

mask guitar shape using opacity maskmask guitar shape using opacity maskmask guitar shape using opacity mask

5. How to Make Psychedelic Text in Illustrator

Step 1

Focus on your white shape and use the Pen Tool (P) or the Line Tool (\) to draw two lines, as shown in the following image. Add a 20 px stroke for both of these paths, using any color.

create lines using pen tool or line toolcreate lines using pen tool or line toolcreate lines using pen tool or line tool

Step 2

Select the two lines added in the previous step, and go to Object > Path > Outline Stroke to turn the strokes into vector shapes. Select both of these new shapes along with the white one, and click the Minus Front button from the Pathfinder panel. Press Shift-Control-G to Ungroup the newly created group.

expand stroke and create white shapesexpand stroke and create white shapesexpand stroke and create white shapes

Step 3

Now it's time for the psychedelic text. Pick the Type Tool (T) from your Toolbar and focus on the control panel or the Character panel (Window > Type > Character) to set the settings for the text that you're about to add.

You'll need the Viva Kaiva psychedelic font. Make it bold. The size is not very important as long as you're using a single line of text. If you choose to use more than one line of text, you might need to adjust and align your text to help it fit nicely into a shape. Click on your artboard to add the text shown below, or feel free to use your own, and use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to pick the colors from the meshes.

add text using psychedelic fontadd text using psychedelic fontadd text using psychedelic font

Step 4

Now, in order to create smooth psychedelic typography, you need to bring the white shapes on top of your text.

Once you're done, simply select the top white shape along with the text that lies in the back, go to Object > Envelope Distort > Make with Top Object (Alt-Control-C), and your text will get warped to fit that white shape.

warp text using make with top objectwarp text using make with top objectwarp text using make with top object

Step 5

Move to the rest of your text and repeat the technique to easily turn it into psychedelic text.

envelope distort make with top objectenvelope distort make with top objectenvelope distort make with top object

6. How to Create the Flowers

Step 1

Pick the Ellipse Tool (L), create an 80 x 60 px shape, and fill it R=77 G=142 B=165. We'll only use colors from the meshes for our flowers, so remember to use the Eyedropper Tool (I) to easily pick any color.

Focus on this tiny ellipse, grab the Anchor Point Tool (Shift-C), and click the bottom anchor point to turn it into a sharp point. Select it using the Direct Selection Tool (A) and move it 90 px down, and then focus on the left and right anchor points. Select them one by one and adjust the length of the bottom handles as shown in the fourth image.

ellipse anchor point tool moveellipse anchor point tool moveellipse anchor point tool move

Step 2

Add a copy of this shape and move it below the original one. Rotate the copy 180 degrees, as shown in the second image, and then select both shapes and Group them (Control-G).

duplicate rotate and group shapesduplicate rotate and group shapesduplicate rotate and group shapes

Step 3

Make sure that your group is selected, and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Set the number of Copies to 2 and the Angle to 60 degrees, and then click OK.

multiply objects using transform effectmultiply objects using transform effectmultiply objects using transform effect

Step 4

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), add a 60 px circle as shown below, and fill it with the orange from your mesh. Select this shape along with the petal group and Group them (Control-G). This will be your first flower design.

add circle and create flower design groupadd circle and create flower design groupadd circle and create flower design group

Step 5

Duplicate your flower design (Control-C > Control-V) and then use the Selection Tool (V) to place your flowers roughly as shown below.

add flowers to psychedelic designadd flowers to psychedelic designadd flowers to psychedelic design

Step 6

Pick the Ellipse Tool (L) and use it to create two 70 x 110 px shapes. Fill both of these ellipses with the yellow from your mesh, place them as shown below, Group them (Control-G), and then go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Again, set the number of Copies to 2 and the Angle to 60 degrees, and then click OK.

create yellow petalscreate yellow petalscreate yellow petals

Step 7

Using the Ellipse Tool (L), add a 60 px circle as shown below and fill it with the red from your mesh. Group it along with the petal group (Control-G), and this will be your second flower design.

create red circle and flower design groupcreate red circle and flower design groupcreate red circle and flower design group

Step 8

Duplicate this new flower design and then place these yellow flowers roughly as shown below.

add yellow flowers to psychedelic designadd yellow flowers to psychedelic designadd yellow flowers to psychedelic design

7. How to Add a Vintage Look to Your Psychedelic Design

Step 1

Download this Crumpled paper texture and add it to your design. Lower its Width to about 900 px and move it to the center of the artboard, and then lower its Opacity to 50% and change the Blending Mode to Multiply.

add a paper texture to the psychedelic designadd a paper texture to the psychedelic designadd a paper texture to the psychedelic design

Step 2

Finally, go to the Layers panel (Window > Layers) to select that yellow background rectangle. Press Control-C and then Shift-Control-V, which will add a copy in the same place, but on top of the rest of your design.

Fill this new shape with a black to white linear gradient and set the Angle to 45 degrees, and then lower its Opacity to 30% and change the Blending Mode to Overlay.

add linear gradient to psychedelic designadd linear gradient to psychedelic designadd linear gradient to psychedelic design

Congratulations! You're Done!

Here is how your psychedelic text effect should look. I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial and can apply these techniques in your future psychedelic design.

Feel free to adjust the final psychedelic text and make it your own. You can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to create psychedelic graphic design.

psychedelic designpsychedelic designpsychedelic design

Envato Elements is an excellent resource for psychedelic graphic design. Here's a short list of some of the most popular psychedelic fonts and psychedelic designs that you can find.

Mind Explorer Psychedelic Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)

Here's a perfect example of a psychedelic font inspired by the swirling patterns and colors commonly associated with psychedelic graphic design in the 1960s. It can be a good starting point whenever you plan to create psychedelic typography.

psychedelic fontpsychedelic fontpsychedelic font

Groovy Psychedelic Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)

Keep it smooth and simple with this groovy psychedelic font. This vibrant and playful typeface is the perfect solution for your next psychedelic design.

groovy psychedelic fontgroovy psychedelic fontgroovy psychedelic font

Psychedelic Text Effect (AI, EPS)

Here's another whimsical interpretation of a psychedelic text effect. This is a 100% scalable vector design, so feel free to adjust the text or any other attribute.

psychedelic text effectpsychedelic text effectpsychedelic text effect

Psychedelic Music Flyer (PSD)

If you're looking for something more complex, this psychedelic music flyer might be the perfect choice. Feel free to recolor it or use different fonts for the text.

psychedelic music flyerpsychedelic music flyerpsychedelic music flyer

Psychedelic Skull Design (AI, EPS, PNG)

Cut the hassle of creating intricate illustrations for your designs and use this psychedelic skull design instead. At Envato Elements, you will find plenty of similar designs that might save you some time as you put together a psychedelic design.

psychedelic skull designpsychedelic skull designpsychedelic skull design

Want to Learn More?

We have loads of tutorials on Envato Tuts+, from beginner to intermediate level. Take a look!

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Andrei Marius
Andrei Marius
I'm a self-taught graphic designer and a vector fanatic. I spend most of my time working on all sorts of designs in Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, Figma, or Sketch. Everything from illustrations to UI designs and interfaces, icons, charts, infographics and diagrams, logos and badges, patterns, a few character designs, and a lot of text effects. You can find my entire portfolio at andreimarius.com.
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