How do you make thought balloons?

[eltonpruitt]

Could any of you guys point me toward a tutorial on how to make thought balloons? I've looked over at balloontales.com and Ninja Lettering and on this forum but can't seem to find anything.

I appreciate your help!

thanks,
Elton

[Kel Nuttall]

Use the pen tool to draw a roughly round balloon the size you need, leave it kinda "chunky" looking and make the distance between your points irregular. Some longer some shorter, etc. Then go to FILTER/DISTORT/PUCKER & BLOAT and use Bloat to bubble it up. Then use the ellipse tool to make your trail of tiny bubbles to make a tail...personally I avoid overly round ones for the tail.

[Kel Nuttall]

I thought for sure that would be up at BalloonTales, it's in their book.

[Kep!]

Kel's is probably the best way...but I have another I've used for years.

1. Create a normal, well formed balloon the size you need.
2. create LOTS of tiny bubbles (elipse tool, round) and evenly space them around the balloon, overlapping by half.
3. Merge.
4. Create the tail with the same bubbles, largest towards to the baalloon, smallest towards the thinker.

This is a longish way to do it, but it yeilds neat results.

[L Jamal]

I use Kep's way.

[eltonpruitt]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the tips!

Kel, I was surprised they had nothing at Balloon Tales myself -- they have practically everything else a newbie like myself could want as far as the basics of getting started.

[Kel Nuttall]

Actually I do it the way Kep laid out (Honest! Go buy some of the books I've lettered! :D)...I just figured the other way might be easier. ;)

Yeah, I just tried it a second ago....I don't like the results as much as the more complicated way. Go with that. It's a pain but you can get it looking more like "old fashioned" thought balloons much easier.

[eltonpruitt]

Actually I do it the way Kep laid out (Honest! Go buy some of the books I've lettered! :D)...I just figured the other way might be easier. ;)

Yeah, I just tried it a second ago....I don't like the results as much as the more complicated way. Go with that. It's a pain but you can get it looking more like "old fashioned" thought balloons much easier.
You lettered the recent Trailer Park of Terror color special, right? So I actually did buy one of the books you lettered, although my friend has it at the moment so I can't consult it for reference.

I'm glad to hear you actually do it like Kep said, because I tried what you said and it was impossible to get it to look right. But the other way, with all the little circles and then merging, works like a charm. I actually made the two thought balloons I needed this afternoon and I think they look pretty good, for an amateur anyway.

Thanks for all your help.

[Kel Nuttall]

Hey! You did buy one of my books then! All the Trailer Park stuff since they went color is me. And Kirby's Lost Squad at Devil's Due and Dead Men Tell No Tales at Arcana and a bunch of other stuff. :D

I managed to get the "other way" to work and look good and basically it took me longer to tweak things and get it looking okay than it does to do it the "more complicated" way. :D

Glad you got it worked out!