How do I create a circular multicoloured swirl? (like a water pool, swirling from the centre)

[Ludo444]

I would like the colours to merge into one another like a gradient..

[Kurt Gold]

Use the tools.

[Ludo444 · Accepted solution]

Wow, thanks Kurt Gold, perhaps you could elaborate?

[Kurt Gold]

How about your elaboration?

[Steve Fairbairn]

Why so snide Kurt?

It’s tricky doing it well.

What method would you use?

[JETalmage]

Why so snide Kurt?

Because there are as many stylistic treatments (Cartoony? Posterized graphic? Photorealistic?)  as viewpoints (Bird's eye? Worm's eye? Side view as the fish would see it?) as envionments (Sink drain? Ocean maelstrom? Rocky bottom? Muddy bottom? River rapids? Around a stick or pole? With a current?) that the one asking most any such "how to" question may have in mind.

I often share the same frustration. Without a little effort put into framing the question, it's as vague as asking "How do I draw a person?" (Or a car or a fish or a cloud or a tornado or lightning or...)

JET

[Kurt Gold]

Why so snide Kurt?

It’s tricky doing it well.

What method would you use?

What method? Live Trace, of course. Quick, easy – perfect results. Why do you ask?

Apart from that, see James' answer.

[Steve Fairbairn]

Yeah, yeah.

So maybe it really IS tricky.

At least I haven’t seen any half decent results yet.

I got this using the Twirl tool, but the tool is so hopelessly inaccurate that I wouldn’t dream of showing this kind of work to a client.

[Mike_in_British_Columbia]

[Steve Fairbairn]

Twirl tool again, starting off with triangles (left).

But the geometry of the Twirl tool is so inaccurate, whatever the settings, that you always get white spaces between the shapes.

[JETalmage]

At least I haven’t seen any half decent results yet.

I haven't seen anything that looks even remotely like a "water pool," either.

Sure am glad I didn't waste any time guessing at what was being asked for.

JET

[Kurt Gold]

All those examples are pretty amateurish.

Take James' next to last red example. Looks like a flubbed fried egg. And his last sample might be a third-class fantasy.

I get better results with Live Trace.

[JETalmage]

I tried LiveTrace first. But it didn't look right. What settings should I use?

JET

[Kurt Gold]

I tried LiveTrace first. But it didn't look right. What settings should I use?

JET

I guess it's the Best quality preset, James, but I'm not sure because trivial things like that are usually done by one of my servants.

Hope that helps.

[JETalmage]

Hmmm...My copy doesn't seem to have a Best Quality preset.

Should I Move The Folder, reinstall Illustrator, reinstall the OS, or reformat the drive?

Thanks in advance for a quick reply. My deadline is in the morning.

JET

[barbara_a]

JET, it may be a version difference. I'm using CS6, and these are the choices:

In CS5, these are the settings:

[JETalmage]

Barbara,

It's sort of an "inside joke" thing.

JET

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

Barbara it is not at all a joke but they dio the best they can.

Watch closely and you'll see what I mean.

[JETalmage]

...And how do I get it to ignore white?

JET

[Wade_Zimmerman1]

In the image trace panel expand the advance options and check the ignore white box at the bottom of the advance options.

[Silkrooster]

Maybe something like this.

[Steve Fairbairn]

O.k., but how do you twist it to get it to look like water going down a drain?

I tried it several times without satisfactory results.

[Ludo444]

Thanks for your responses, the closest image I can find is on the link below:

http://www.webdesignhot.com/free-vector-graphics/colorful-swirl-background-vector-illustration/

The best way I can describe the effect I need is if you were to take a row of colour stripes, put your finger in the centre one and swirl it around.

I also need the colours to merge into each other like gradients.

I then need to drop this pattern into a logo.

I'm afraid I don't know the official terminology. I've tried twisting a striped gradient and envelope distorting with a spiral but I cannot get the desired effect..

[Monika Gause]

Please show a sketch of what you want. Draw it on a piece of paper.

Please show your experiments (although they went wrong)

[Jacob Bugge]

Ludo,

You may:

1) Create a curved path with the starting colour (maybe red), you can use the right part of a circle;

2) Move a copy by some distance to the right and change the colour (maybe green);

3) Repeat 2) as many times as desired/needed (maybe blue);

4) Repeat 3) and end with the starting colour;

5) Object>Blend>Blend Options>Smooth;

6) Object>Blend>Make;

7) Create a nofill/nostroke rectangle with the same height as the curved paths and a length equalling the total move and place it centrally behind the blend (which will overhang it at both ends;

8) Brushes>New Brush>Art Brush;

9) Create a circle with the same W=H=height of the brush and apply the Art Brush to it.