Spirals & style

Lord McMutton

Why is it that, a large portion of the time, when someone makes a piece that is in a cartoony, stylized... Style, they have spirals in the design? I'm not bashing the practice, I do it myself, but what about spirals gives something style?

Xoliul

I never noticed. Illustrate plz ?

Em.

1. Blame Tim Burton.
2. Sprials are cool and fun to draw? I've thrown some light swirlies in a few sky boxes I've painted, not sure why myself.
I don't necessarily think that sprials as is give something "style" per se, but I guess they're whimsical. This is an odd topic.

nitzmoff

They lead the eye and are one of the key components of 'whimsy.' 'Style' is too generic a term for what you're talking about.

Keg

potentially something to do with the fibonacci sequence possibly?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_sequence

Rox

I've never really thought about that, either. The only time I can recall seeing spirals in a cartoony work was Wind Waker's smoke poofs (and in turn, everything where someone tries to copy that style).

I did use a spiral design myself, many years ago when I was drawing creatures for a card game I was making but never finished. I made a series of monsters that were supposed to consist of solid darkness. It wasn't in a cartoony style, but I envisioned them being pure black with dark blue or purple outlines, and little perfect swirly spirals randomly around them. Intended to sort of look like pouring colored liquid into a draining sink, but in reverse, as darkness "leaks" into the world from another realm or something. I should keep working on that...

Also, spirals are fancy and probably pleasing to look at by nature or something. The Fibonacci sequence, the golden ratio, that stuff.

cholden

It's a dark secret!

http://the-ultimate-evil.blogspot.com/2009/07/pedophile-symbols-and-codes-update_3771.html

swampbug

If you like anime and spirals watch Gurren Lagaan. That show uses the spiral and drill obsessively. Its pretty cool too.

The spiral is just simple to draw, interesting to look at. It has rhythm and pattern. It can depict depth as in a tunnel, or spike. Pretty interesting really.