Creating the first layer
Bubble letters are created using Paint Shop Pro (which has a good selection of tools for drawing bubble letters with a computer mouse and keyboard). Starting out with the elliptical tool, the artist draws an ellipse on the screen. The artist creates a new layer for the ellipse shape by clicking on the "Layer" button (the dialog box opens). By clicking on the caption, the artist is able to change the name of the layer (If the artist is going to draw the letter C, the artist would name the layer "C").
Nodes
A preset shape tool is accessed from the Tools panel to create closed shapes. Each tool has a certain number of nodes. The nodes have control arms that appear on the sides of the drawing shape. By moving a control arm, the artist is able to manipulate the curve of the drawing shape on both sides of a node. This curve is what gives the letters a bubble shape. Manipulating the curve on both sides of a node is important for creating different letter shapes. For example, some nodes are asymmetric (creates the same degree of curve on both sides of the node), while others are symmetrical (creating a different degree of curve on both sides of the node). Bubble letters are easily created using the ellipse tool because all bubble letters are roughly elliptical.
Outline
Bubble letters can have any kind of outline with respect to the size of the letters. The smaller the bubble letters, the thinner the outline must be. By contrast, large bubble letters can have any size of outline. The size of each bubble letter's outline is measured by the software in pixels. A Size 3 pixel outline is considered thick.
Fill Color
The fill color for each bubble letter may be any color. To add patterns or gradient to the fill color of bubble letters, the artist selects the style from the drawing's Vector properties. The artist double-clicks on the "Layer" button, and again double-clicks the "Sub-layer" button to open the Vector properties dialog box.
Transforming the Shape
The ellipse shape is changed by right-clicking on it with the mouse pointer. A side out menu appears, and the artist selects "Convert to path." One node at a time is selected and moved to create the shape of the letter. The elliptical outline gives the letter its bubble shape. The artist clicks on a node and adjusts the handles to change the curve of the drawing shape. In order to make holes in the drawing shape (bubble letter "A," for example, has a hole near the top), the artist selects the ellipse tool, then sets the Tool options to "Circle." A circle is then drawn where a hole in the shape is needed in order to create an alphabet letter.
