How to ‘cut a mandala’?

[ludo2316813629kv]

To make something ‘mandala’-like in Illustrator, a circular construction of repeating elements (think of  fancy sliced pizza), you could go about like this (it’s only shorthand…). I’ll first explain what I do, followed by my question. Okay, here goes:

• New file
• Using the Shift key, draw a horizontal line (with the Line tool) over the width of your page. Using Shift, draw a vertical line, roughly of the same length. Align them, resulting in a cross in the middle of your page.
• Select all
• In the Layer window, make sure you have the “Layer 1” layer active – the little circle on the right should be a double circle.
• Effects >> Transform. Choose “Mirror on X”, “Mirror on Y” (my Illustrator version is not English, so maybe the labels are slightly different). Angle: 30°. Number: 11. Preview on. This should give you 12 lines, neatly focused on the center of your page.
• Grab a brush, and draw something, anything, not too big, e.g. a freehand circle fitting in one segment. Make sure your freehand circle is closed.
• Wow: immediately, this circle is repeated all over your 12 line construction. You just made your first mandala! Sort of. So, making a mandala works, roughly speaking. But...

Now my question: how to treat the 'slices' independently?? When I want to use my Live Paint, the bucket will only be active in my original freehand circle and colour it. That fill is repeated in the other 11 circles. I vaguely understand why, but it is exactly what I Don’t want. Instead, for the painting process, I would like Illustrator to consider my ‘mandala’ as 12 individual, independent slices, allowing me to approach my 11 circles (and any closed area) as “manually paintable”.

How oh how could I do this??

I’m using Illustrator CC 2019.

[Ton Frederiks · Accepted solution]

Object > Expand Appearance wil expand the effects.

[ludo2316813629kv]

Thanks, Ton, that was indeed the one which did the trick! 

[Ton Frederiks]

Good to hear that helped.

Have a look at the Appearance panel, that is where all the applied effects are listed and can be modified until expanded.

[Met1]

Select All → Pathfinder → Divide?

[ludo2316813629kv]

Thanks for your reply, Met1. I had already tried Pathfinder, but to no avail. Also "Ungroup" didn't work. Luckily, Ton Frederiks already gave the correct and working solution: Object >> Expand Appearance. Sometimes, one needs a special type of vocabulary in Illustrator. Next time I'll ask my pizza guy if he can expand the appearance.