Illustrator brush fabric covered electric cord

[jay fresno]

Can anyone tell me how to create an Illustrator brush that looks like a fabric covered woven electric cord, like this:

I need to use the brush in a shape similar to this:

[Monika Gause]

This is the base construction:

Paint with Live Paint

Add some deatils, but don't use gradients.

Expand Live paint, expand strokes, brushes. There only should be shapes in the artwork

Draw the repeat as a rectangle. Exactly.

Use Pathfinder crop

Drag into brushes panel, make pattern brush

[jay fresno]

Thank you, Monika. Works as described. However, it looks flat and I am confused about how to add volume to the wire as Anna suggested.

[Monika Gause]

Use the Appearance panel. Add a second stroke. Apply a radial gradient to the stroke across the stroke and set it to multiply.

Everything else is an illustration job. Add additional shapes to make texture and depth in the pattern.

[Met1]

That was fun, thanks Monika.

[Anna Lander]

in addition to Monica's great instruction, you can add some volume to your wire. In the Appearance panel add a new fill and set it as a Gray-White-Gray gradient with a "cross-line" direction. Set a Blend mode as Multiply.

Your wire will look some more natural 🙂

[jay fresno]

I like your suggestion, Anna. It would help if you could describe in more detail how to add the gradient. When I add a new fill to the stroke in the appearance panel, it doesn't work right.

[John Mensinger]

It's possible Anna meant to say "add a new Stroke".

[Anna Lander]

Yes, John, thank you.
Sorry, Jay, it was some misprint. Certainly, I meant the New Stroke.

[jay fresno]

Excellent finishing touch suggestion, Anna.

[Jacob Bugge]

Long time no see, Jay.

In addition to what Monika and Anna said, a rounder waveform will also give a rounder appearance, fully round with a sinusoid; you can see one here (Sine),

It also depends on how much you wish to have a twine/weave surface appearance as in the photo.