Are you trying to do something with your text to make it look more appealing? If yes, you can always do wonders by adding multiple strokes to anything inside Illustrator.

Indeed, adding strokes is not a cakewalk, especially for those who have just landed in the world of videos. But if you follow the right approach, then you can do wonders without breaking the banks. 

Moreover, you will be amazed to know that many organizations that are creating videos having multiple stroke effects grab more audience attention than normal videos.

Are you excited to add strokes to anything but don't know how? Well! This step-by-step guide will help you to know how to add multiple strokes without putting in much time and effort. 

In this blog, I have got a basic shape with about six different stroke layers that are added sequentially underneath it. Here, I will show you how to create it properly with an example. I have placed the text in the middle of this Artboard. Also, for your understanding, I have downloaded this text font from google named Racoon.

strokes text font racoon

Now, without any further ado, let's jump onto the steps for adding multiple strokes in Illustrator. 

what you can create using illustrator 2 1

Steps to add Multiple Strokes in Illustrator

Let's begin…  

  • Step-1 Firstly, to make the steps easier, create duplicate text to the side by holding Alt and then drag and then turn one of your Artboard into outlines.

Once you are done with the text duplicity, make sure you open your pathfinder panel and click the button to turn that all into one object. This step will surely make your next steps easier, especially when it comes to applying all of these strokes. 

Now that you have got that outline, it's time to duplicate that again with alt and drag. It will ensure that you have a copy of the original text along with a copy of the original outlines. 

duplicate stroke
  • Step-2 When we add a stroke, we simply need to make sure that you have your appearance panel open, which will be viewed under the window option at the top. When you click on appearance, you will be redirected to the page as  screenshot below. 
illustrator appearance section
  • Step-3 Now, you will see that when a shape is selected or else nothing is selected, the properties of the appearance panel change. Here, we need to be sure that whenever you choose the shape at all times, it is selected properly, and for this, you can go to our appearance panel. 

For example, here, I just have a white fill with no stroke primarily. So, now, I am going to click these three little lines on the burger menu and choose to add a new stroke.

fill colors in strokes

Now it's important to note that when you keep adding strokes later, don't forget to add them on top. The top of the stack is like a layer palette that's going to be the one that you see on the top but make sure it's the one that's closest to the original. 

As it is the first stroke that is added, now let's add a new stroke just by choosing a color from your palette. So, I'm going to choose another color with a new width, height, etc. 

Say, if you want to play with gradients, then you can also work on that. For your understanding, I have applied my first stroke width to 12, but this depends on the size of the Artboard. So, now I will increase my stroke size accordingly. 

update stroke appearance
  • Step-4 Now, to make sure that the fonts don't look weird, I will change them to a round cap and round corner as well. For this, you just have to click a stroke that can fix all these little spikes that might not look so good. 

Many people think that we can't do an inside and outside stroke as it's a complicated shape. Well! The answer is a big no! 

You can make the duplicates of your first stroke by clicking this small burger menu again. Here, you will get a duplicate item. But now, it will have the same properties as the other stroke underneath our first stroke. 

Now, I will make the changes in those properties so that it does not look similar to the previous one. I'm more likely to change the color of text strokes. 

So, it's time to select the shape again. Here, I will choose my second stroke with a different color. I will go from a dark to light shade. So, let's move to another color palette and start increasing the size of the stroke.

Here, I have increased my stroke width to 24. As it goes down in the stack, the size of stroke text increases from both inside and outside.

reset stroke size
  • Step-5 In the above image, you can see that the first stroke is of dark blue, which is followed by another color stroke that comes inside as well. This ugly effect is seen after putting the stroke effect, but it can be fixed by these overlay shapes. 

Now, the next step is to increase the stroke width of the next color to 24. After increasing the text size, it's time to duplicate the text again. After applying the second stroke, go with the third stroke. Here I have chosen 36 as its width size.

Here, you might be noticing that every time, the stroke size is increased by 12. Now, the color of the stroke which I will be choosing is a lighter shade(yellow), after which I will process with the duplicity of things. This is how it looks. 

change stroke color to light color
  • Step-6 So, now you can see that there are multiple strokes that are looking a little weird as it is overtaking the original text and shapes. Say if we allow this stroke outside, then it will not happen; rather, it will be taking the original shape. This is the reason why we go with the task duplicity. Have a look at the below screenshots- 
choose different stroke color
view multiple color stroke
  • Step-7 Now, it's time to duplicate the image with alt and shift keys and then just drag and drop. Until it is in the middle, you can add multiple strokes on anything in Illustrator. The only difference that you might see here is that it's really easy to duplicate and add strokes in almost any shape or text. 

Have a look at the final image- 

final view of multiple stroke image

For your understanding, I have created this effect in different text and images. Have a look at the below images. 

illustrator text view
butterfly in multiple stroke view

The Final Say 

Hopefully, this step-by-step guide will help you understand how you can easily add multiple layers of stroke in Illustrator without getting distracted. 

So, what are you looking for? Start enhancing your text and images to give a boost to your boring animated videos. Still need any help in creating appealing custom animated videos for your business, feel free to contact us. 

Happy character designing! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Creating multiple lines in Illustrator can be done by using the Line Segment Tool. Simply select the tool, click on your canvas where you want to start the line, and drag to draw the line. To create additional lines, release the mouse button, click again at a new starting point, and drag. Illustrator allows you to draw multiple lines, each with its own characteristics and styling options.

The “Appearance” panel in Illustrator allows you to add multiple strokes (or fills) to an object. To access this panel, go to “Window” in the top menu and select “Appearance.” In the Appearance panel, you can add, duplicate, and modify strokes and fills, allowing you to create complex and layered appearances for your objects.

To repeat a stroke on an object in Illustrator, you can follow these steps:

  • Select the object to which you want to add a stroke.
  • In the Appearance panel, find the “Add New Stroke” button (represented by a plus symbol). Click it to add another stroke to the selected object.
  • You can then adjust the settings of the newly added stroke, such as stroke width, color, and other attributes.

Adding another stroke to an object in Illustrator involves using the Appearance panel:

  • Select the object you want to add a stroke to.
  • Open the Appearance panel by going to “Window” > “Appearance.”
  • In the Appearance panel, click on the “Add New Stroke” button (represented by a plus symbol). This action will add an additional stroke to the selected object.
  • Customize the attributes of the new stroke, such as stroke color, width, and style, using the options in the Appearance panel.

This allows you to create objects with multiple strokes, each with its own unique appearance, and achieve complex design effects in Illustrator.

Lavisha Sharma, a Graphic Designer, explores graphic design, branding, typography, user interface design, and visual communication through her writing. Her expertise enriches understanding of design principles and fosters creativity in visual storytelling. Lavisha's passion for creating impactful designs shines through her insightful content, inspiring fellow designers and enthusiasts alike.