Overlapping arrows - How?

[wgullo]

I came across this illustration published in the Washington Post about 1 year ago, and am intrigued by the complexity of the overlapping arrows. I've had no success in reproducing it with my intermediate skillset using shapebuilder. Using the scissor tool is a bit tedious, and requires some finessing. 

Is this something drawn with pen and paper, or can it be done in Illustrator? Suggestions?

(iStock illustration, artist name not listed)

[Kurt Gold · Accepted solution]

Your example is probably drawn by hand.

In Illustrator you may use several techniques, one of them would be Live Paint or the Shape Builder tool.

[Anubhav M]

Hello @wgullo

Thanks for reaching out. You can try Live Paint or the Shape builder tool as suggested by Kurt.

Also, you may have a look at these tutorials for creating overlapping or interlocking shapes and characters in Illustrator:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z1pFUgLooA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVsiUPI-0Z8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okMNUmfrkSk

I hope it helps.

Thanks,

Anubhav