How do I create gradients (only a few steps) that follow the contour of the artwork?

Question

I am creating a 'How to' diagram using illustrations from a previous artist. As such I need to recreate his way of creating image gradients. He seems to do it by using only a small amount of gradient steps creating quite block like gradients. Like this: How would I go about getting my smooth gradients like this? At the moment I am creating a smooth gradient filled object, expanding it then specifying the steps in the dialogue box that then appears. But this does not really recreate the same gradient (please see as follows):So my question is does anybody know how this artist has done this? As the gradients also seem to follow the contours of the object.
Thanks in advance,
Olly

Answer 1

Olly,
If you do wish a more precise recreation, I am afraid you need to approach it some other way.
As I see the original artwork, it has small roundings at the left end, and it has a dark outer stroke and a blend inside from bottom to top, and on top of that it has three slightly shorter parts, the two lower ones abutted. Everything narrower at the left end, except for the stroke which is uniform.
You may recreate all that in this maybe rather silly way:
1) Create a rectangle with the original width and right side height and with the same Stroke Weight and colour as the original and with a solid fill the same colour as the original at the bottom, then create a corresponding rounded rectangle with Corner Radius corresponding to the roundings to the right, and place it on top of the rectangle;
2) Select both and Pathfinder>Divide, then delete the corner paths to the right, then select the rest and Pathfinder>Unite (or whatever it is called in your version to get one path with rounded corners to the right, then scale the H value to the original left side height;
3) Copy 2) to the front, remove the fill, and lock the copy (which holds the stroke), to work on with the fill/nostroke path;
4) Create two copies of 2) and hide the topmost one;
5) With one of the top Reference Points ticked in the Transform palette, select the visible copy path 4) and reduce the H value to a small suitable value (1pt or something, depending on the size);
6) Select 3) and 5) and Object>Blend>Make (with Smooth ticked in Object>Blend>Options), this should give you the background fill;
7) Show the copy hidden in 4) and reduce its height to 1/6 (divide the H value by 6), change the fill to the right (darker) solid colour/shade, move it to a position 1/6 up, and reduce its W value by a small amount so the bottom fill shows at the ends;
8) Move a copy of 7) 1/6 up;
9) Move a copy of 8) 1/3 up;
10) Adjust the colours/shades of 8) and 9), unlock the stroked path from 3), and Group everything, now you should have the whole artwork represented, only rectangular;
Depending on version, you may then:
11a) For the newest version(s) create an Art Brush to be applied to simple paths with decreasing width towards the right, or
11b) For any version, Direct Select the Anchor Points to the far right, and Object>Transform>Scale vertically to get the original height to the right.
Here is an image in greys, indicating the look after 10) and 11) (the stroke should have been wider, eating away more of the height of the bottom fill blend):