Illustrator Tutorial: How to Create Vector Wavy Vortex

In this tutorial I will tell you and show you how to create some exciting eye wavy compositions, in other words how to create Wavy Vortex.

You can download the source vector file for this tutorial

Illustrator Tutorial Details

• Program: Adobe Illustrator CS4 - CS6;
• Difficulty:beginner;
• Estimated Completion Time: 15 minutes;

In fact, it is not a problem to create the wave around with the Zig Zag effect; to create a copy of a wavy circle radiating from the center, is also not a big deal - just use the Blend Tool.  But to make those circles rotate on the wavy curve, when getting further away from the center, is not some trivial task. This tutorial is devoted to the methods of such rotations.

Step 1

To begin with, limit the boundaries of our future figure by drawing the inner and outer circle and a wave guide on which the elements of figure will turn. I recommend you to color our circles into light-grey and lock them in the Layer panel, so they won't bother us for now.

Step 2

Draw two vertical lines which intersect the curved line in the beginning and at the end. Select those vertical lines and press Cmd / Ctrl + Opt / Alt + B shortcuts, then make the double click on the Blend Tool on the toolbar, choose the Specified Steps (or the Specified Distance) and achieve the desired frequency of intermediate lines.

Step 3

Go to the Object > Blend > Expand, select the vertical lines and the curved guide, and then click on the Outline in the Pathfinder panel.

Step 4

As the result, we've got a group of elements with no stroke and fill. Color the stroke into any color only for us not to work blindly. Press Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + G shortcuts in order to ungroup all the objects. Select the rectangular area with the Selection Tool (V) around the tops of the lines.

And now go to the Select > Inverse and press on Delete.

Step 5

Select the rectangular area around the tops of the lines with the Direct Selection Tool (A) this time.

Now press on Cmd / Ctrl + Opt / Alt + J shortcuts and choose the Both option in newly opened dialog box. Turn on the Smart Guides with the Cmd / Ctrl + U shortcuts, and "capture" the tops of the lines and drag them into the center of the future figure.

Step 6

Lets distract from the lines for a little bit. Turn on the mesh (Cmd / Ctrl + ") and Snap to Grid (Cmd / Ctrl + Shift + "). Draw a rectangle and a circle (the rectangle should be placed behind the circle). Their sizes don't matter, it is important that the width of the rectangle was equal to the circle's radius and it was aligned with the center of the circle and with the right edge.

Turn off the rectangle's stroke (and make sure there is no fill), select it and the circle, and drag it into the Brushes palette, select the Art Brush Direction — to the right; the Proportion option must be turned on. Now the rectangle and the circle can be deleted.

Step 7

Going back to lines, select them and apply the created brush, and then go to the Object > Expand Appearance. Delete the circles that we created in the first step. Select everything (Cmd / Ctrl + A) and set 1pt in the Stroke panel.

Now we can experiment. For example, apply the Zig Zag effect to the circles (Effect > Distort & Transform > Zig Zag…) with such parameters.

Or apply the Zig Zag effect with such parameters.

Then go to the Effect > Distort & Transform >Pucker & Bloat....

As the result of our actions, we've got vector vortex indicated on the figure below.

And here how the Vector Wavy Vortex looks like if the radial gradient and the dotted stroke are applied to the circles.

A bit more experiments…

You can download the source vector file for this tutorial