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Colorful Spiral in Python Turtle

Beginner · Patterns and spirals · 20 lines · draws in about 9 seconds

Lines that grow by one step each time, with a turn of 59 degrees between them, make a hexagon that twists into a six-armed rainbow spiral.

Colorful Spiral in Python Turtle: the finished drawing
import turtle
screen = turtle.Screen()
screen.bgcolor("black")
screen.title("Colorful spiral")
t = turtle.Turtle()
t.speed(10)
colors = ["red", "orange", "yellow", "lime", "deepskyblue", "violet"]
# Turning 59 degrees, one less than a hexagon's 60, makes the spiral twist
for x in range(200):
t.pencolor(colors[x % 6])
t.pensize(x // 70 + 1)
t.forward(x)
t.left(59)
t.hideturtle()
turtle.done()
Open in the editor

How the code works

Six colours

One colour for each side of a hexagon, bright enough to glow on the black background.

colors = ["red", "orange", "yellow", "lime", "deepskyblue", "violet"]

The spiral loop

x goes from 0 to 199 and each line is x steps long, so the spiral grows outward while colors[x % 6] cycles through the colours. x // 70 + 1 makes the pen 1, 2 and then 3 pixels wide as the spiral gets bigger. A hexagon turns 60 degrees at each corner, so turning 59 leaves every lap one degree short, and that is what bends the arms.

# Turning 59 degrees, one less than a hexagon's 60, makes the spiral twist
for x in range(200):
    t.pencolor(colors[x % 6])
    t.pensize(x // 70 + 1)
    t.forward(x)
    t.left(59)

Make it yours

Change the code above and press Run. Some ideas:

  • Change t.left(59) to t.left(121) for a smaller spiral with three arms.
  • Change range(200) to range(120) for a smaller spiral that draws in about half the time.
  • Change screen.bgcolor("black") to screen.bgcolor("white") and "yellow" to "gold" so every colour shows up on white.

What it uses

Every turtle command the site supports is listed on Python turtle online.