How to Create a Dripping Blood Text Effect in Adobe Illustrator

Final product image — What You'll Be Creating

In the following tutorial, you will learn how to create a blood text effect using a blood text font along with the Appearance panel.

If you don't have the time to make your own blood text from scratch, then Envato Elements is the solution. This subscription-based marketplace has over 2,000 Illustrator add-ons you can download without restrictions! You can get dripping illustrations, blood text effects, blood text fonts, and a lot more. This blood text font is just one of the many examples.

Interested in a video tutorial instead? You'll enjoy this new video from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel. Learn how to make an amazing text effect and blood drips drawing by following this video:

What You'll Learn in This Illustrator Tutorial

How to use and expand a blood text font
How to create a blood text effect
How to create a dripping blood graphic style
How to add several blood drips

What You'll Need

You will need the following resources in order to complete this blood text effect:

Bloody Camp Font
16 Grunge Textures

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 850 px and the Height to 750 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. Now that you're set, let's start the work on the blood text effect.

2. How to Create the Blood Text

Step 1

Pick the Type Tool (L) from your toolbar and then focus on the control panel or the Character panel (Window > Type > Character).

Select the Bloody Camp font and increase the font size to 130 px, and then click on your artboard to type in the text. Set the color to R=125 G=0 B=0.

Step 2

Make sure that your text is still selected and go to Type > Create Outlines (Shift-Control-O) to turn it into vector shapes. Press Shift-Control-G to quickly Ungroup the resulting group of shapes.

Switch to the Selection Tool (V), select each row of text and press Control-8 (Object > Compound Path > Make) to turn the selected shapes into a single compound path.

3. How to Create the Blood Text Effect

Step 1

Select one of your compound paths and open the Appearance panel (Window > Appearance).

Select the existing fill and go to Effect > Stylize > Drop Shadow. Enter the settings shown in the top-left window, click OK, and then apply the other three Drop Shadow effects shown below. Make sure that the fill from the Appearance panel stays selected because you need to apply the effects to that particular fill.

Step 2

Make sure that your compound path is still selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel. Keep the existing fill selected and apply the three Drop Shadow effects shown below.

Step 3

Make sure that your compound path stays selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel.

Select the existing stroke and set the color to R=175 G=0 B=0, lower its Opacity to 7%, and then open that Stroke fly-out panel. Increase the Weight to 5 px and don't forget to align the stroke to Outside.

Step 4

Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, make sure that the existing stroke is still selected, and duplicate it using the Duplicate Selected Item button.

Select the new stroke, increase its Opacity to 10%, and decrease the Weight to 3 px. Again, duplicate this stroke, select the copy, increase its Opacity to 20%, and decrease the Weight to 1 px.

Step 5

Keep focusing on the Appearance panel and add a new fill using the Add New Fill button. Drag this new fill above the strokes, select it, set the color to R=220 G=134 B=123, and lower its Opacity to 50%.

Step 6

Use the Add New Fill button again to add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and set the color to white (R=255 G=255 B=255), lower its Opacity to 50%, change the Blending Mode to Overlay, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Lower the Offset to -1 px, set the Joins to Round, and then click OK to apply the effect.

Step 7

Make sure that the white fill is still selected and duplicate it using that same Duplicate Selected Item button.

Focus on the new fill and just click the Offset Path effect that's already applied. Lower the Offset to -2 px and click OK to update the applied effect.

Step 8

Add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and apply the linear gradient shown below (Window > Gradient), lower its Opacity to 50%, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path.

Set the Offset to -2 px, click OK, and go to Effect > Distort & Transform > Transform. Drag the Move-Horizontal slider to -1 px and the Vertical one to 1 px, click OK to apply this second effect, and then go to Effect > Blur > Gaussian Blur. Set the Radius to 1 px and click OK.

Step 9

Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, make sure that your compound path is still selected, and add a new fill on top of the existing ones.

Select it and set the color to R=125 G=0 B=0, lower its Opacity to 50%, change the Blending Mode to Overlay, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Set the Offset to -2 px and click OK, and then go to Effect > Sketch > Plaster. Set the settings as shown below, and then click OK to apply this effect.

Step 10

Again, add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and set the color to R=125 G=0 B=0, lower its Opacity to 50%, change the Blending Mode to Overlay, and then go to Effect > Stylize > Inner Glow. Enter the settings shown below and click OK.

Step 11

Add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and apply the linear gradient shown below, lower its Opacity to 75%, and change the Blending Mode to Overlay. Don't forget to select that right gradient slider and lower its Opacity to 0%.

Step 12

Add one last fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and apply the linear gradient shown below, lower its Opacity to 30%, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light, and then go to Effect > Path > Offset Path. Lower the Offset to -8 px and set the Joins to Round, and then click OK to apply the effect. Again, remember to select that left gradient slider and lower its Opacity to 0%.

4. How to Apply the Blood Text Effect

Step 1

Now that you've got this blood text effect, let's save it as a graphic style, which will make it easier when you need to apply the same Appearance settings on other design elements.

Make sure that your compound path is selected, open the Graphic Styles panel (Window > Graphic Styles) and click the New Graphic Style button.

Step 2

Now use the Selection Tool (V) to select your other two compound paths and simply click the newly saved graphic style.

5. How to Create the Blood Drips

Step 1

Drawing the blood drips might take you some time, but thanks to this Bloody Camp font we can make things faster.

Reselect the Type Tool (T), keep that Envato Elements font, and just type in a point (.). Set the color to R=125 G=0 B=0 and then go to Type > Create Outlines (Shift-Control-O).

Duplicate (Control-C > Control-V) the resulting shape several times, and spread your copies as shown in the following image.

Step 2

Select some of your blood drip shapes to rotate them, and then select all the shapes to apply your graphic style.

Step 3

To add a bit of randomness to these blood drips, select them one by one and apply the Warp effects (Effect > Warp) shown below.

6. How to Create the Background

Step 1

Finally, let's add a background for this blood text effect. Pick the Rectangle Tool (M) to create an 860 x 760 px shape, fill it with R=236 G=222 B=207 and make sure that it covers your entire artboard, and then press Shift-Control-[ to send it behind your blood text effect.

Step 2

Make sure that the background shape remains selected and keep focusing on the Appearance panel.

Add a second fill, select it and change the Blending Mode to Color Burn, and then apply the radial gradient shown below. Remember to select the left gradient slider and lower its Opacity to 0%, and use the Gradient Tool (G) to stretch your gradient as shown in the following image.

Step 3

Keep focusing on the Appearance panel, make sure that the top fill is still selected, and duplicate it. Select the new fill, change the Blending Mode to Overlay, and adjust the colors of the existing radial gradient as shown below. You can press the Reverse Gradient button to quickly swap the existing gradient sliders.

Step 4

Add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it and set the color to black (R=0 G=0 B=0), lower its Opacity to 15%, change the Blending Mode to Multiply, and then go to Effect > Sketch > Note Paper. Set the settings as shown below and click OK.

Step 5

Add a new fill on top of the existing ones. Select it, and you'll need a built-in pattern for this fill. Open the fly-out menu from the Swatches panel (Window > Swatches) and go to Open Swatch Library > Pattern > Basic Graphics > Basic Graphics_Textures. Select the Diamond texture to apply it to your selected fill and return to the Appearance panel.

Lower the Opacity to 10% and change the Blending Mode to Multiply, and then go to Effect > Artistic > Film Grain. Set the settings as shown below and click OK.

7. How to Apply a Darker Overlay to Your Dripping Illustration

Step 1

Reselect the background rectangle and press Control-C > Shift-Control-V to add a copy in the same place on top of the existing shapes.

Keep this copy selected and focus on the Appearance panel. Keep the second fill (counting from bottom to top) and remove the rest of the fills using the Delete Selected Item button.

Select the remaining fill, change the Blending Mode to Soft Light and replace the gradient colors as shown in the following image.

Step 2

Keep your front rectangle selected, and duplicate the existing fill. Select the new fill, lower its Opacity to 50%, and replace the gradient settings as shown below.

Step 3

Finally, let's add a subtle texture to this dripping illustration. We'll use Texture #15 from this Envato Elements set: 16 Grunge Textures.

Add it to your design and adjust the height to 750 px. Set the color to black, and then focus on the Appearance panel one last time. Change the Blending Mode to Soft Light, lower the Opacity to 25%, and with these final touches, your blood text effect is complete.

Congratulations! You're Done!

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

Feel free to adjust this blood text effect and make it your own. You can find some great sources of inspiration at Envato Elements, with interesting solutions to create dripping blood.

Popular Dripping Blood Illustrations From Envato Elements

Envato Elements is an excellent resource for dripping blood illustrations. Here's a short list of some of the most popular assets that you can find.

Chill Blood Text Font (OTF, TTF, WOFF)

Here's another blood text font that you can use to help you create your blood text effect.

Blood Text Effect (AI, EPS)

Here's just one of the many blood text effects that you can find. This one is fully editable. Simply double-click the text and add your own blood text.

Blood Drips and Drops (EPS, AI, PNG)

Drawing blood drips can be a bit time-consuming. You can save this time by using one of these blood drips drawings.

Skull Blood Drip Vector (EPS)

You can further decorate your blood text effect using this skull with dripping blood. You just need to adjust the colors to make sure that it complements your blood text effect.