INFOGRAPHIC SERIES - VALENTINES BANNER

Create a banner for any occasion. This looks like a simple set up but it takes several steps to make it look like it curls and curves like you want it to. Have fun! And just in time for Valentines day.

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Start your banner with the Spiral tool, and while drawing, use your down arrow to take away the concentric arcs until you end up with the shape you see above. 

While the Spiral is selected, use the Pen Tool to add a point as show. Then use the Direct Selection Tool to select the last tail of the arc and delete it. 

With the tail of the arc deleted. Select the shape with the Selection Tool and make it 1/2 the height.

With it half he height, it is now ready for duplicating. 
Option CLCIK + DRAG the shape down to create a duplicate.

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With the 2 spiral selected, you need to Join the open ends. Select both shapes and use COMMAND + J to join the shapes on one end.

With the shapes joined, we now want to fill the shape with a color but we need the shape to be closed.

Use the Direct Selection Tool and delete two of the curves on the bottom shape as shown.

Create a straight, vertical line on each of the 3 ends as shown. They do not need to be joined to the open ends as it won't be possible as some of them are closed. 

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When you fill it with a color, it doesn't fill like you would want. So we need to Live Paint this object.... Undo the Fill before you go into Live Paint.

Select the objects and choose Object, Live Paint.

The Object will now be a Live Paint Object, noted by the "snowflakes" around the bounding box of the shape.

Choose Object, Live Paint, Gap Options to make sure that the lines "create" a closed shape to fill with Live Paint.

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Using the Live Paint Bucket Tool (the only way you can fill a Live Paint Shape) you can now fill the shapes with color

By the Live Paint Tool is a set of 3 boxes filled with color, this is your Swatch palette at hand. Use the left or right arrows to work through the color choices then click on the shape to fill it with the active color.

Here is the shape filled with three shades of red to add depth. 
Choose Object>Expand to break the shape up into usable shapes and outlines.

When expanded it will give you filled shapes and a seperate editable outline as well. Ungroup the shapes and delete the separate outline that is overlaying the shapes.

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Duplicate the shapes to Reflect them and get a mirror image of the shape. 

Select the right curl with the Selection Tool and right click, choose Transform>Reflect. 

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Draw a rectangle in the center of the two set of curls, matching the height to the verticals of the curls. 

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With the rectangle selected, choose Effect>Warp>Arc. 

Set the percentage of arc to make the arc effect look like it fits. I set this arc to 20%

With the center section selected, choose Object>Expand Appearance to make the effect the actual shape. Select all the shapes and Ungroup everything.

Select just the arc rectangle and the two front sections of the curls and Add them all together using the Pathfinder Panel. You should end up with one solid shape.

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Select all the shapes and add a gold stroke to all the shapes.

Select all the shapes and Group them all together. 

Select the group and choose Effect>Warp>Arc and set the arc to make it curved. I used 30% here. 

Here is your arc'd banner.

Add some type on a path to personalize your message!