Interlocking Spiral Drawings Inspired by M. C. Escher’s Print Whirlpools

Abstract

Whirlpools , by the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher, is a woodcut print in which fish interlock as a double spiral tessellation. Inspired by this print, in this article we extend the idea and present a general method to create Escher-like interlocking spiral drawings of N whirlpools. To this end, we first introduce an algorithm for constructing regular spiral tiling T . Then, we design a suitable spiral tiling T and use N copies of T to compose an interlocking spiral tiling K of N whirlpools. To create Escher-like drawings similar to the print, we next specify realization details of using wallpaper templates to decorate K . To enhance the aesthetic appeal, we propose several measures to minimize motif overlaps of the spiral drawings. Technologically, we develop algorithms for generating Escher-like drawings that can be implemented using shaders. The method established is thus able to generate a great variety of exotic Escher-like interlocking spiral drawings.