Fur swirls?

For a convention next year, I want to try making a fursuit of Aramashira from The Witch And The Hundred Knight. However... she's got a swirl pattern that covers her whole back, and I'm not sure how I'd go about recreating that. :'|

[sorry for the phone photo quality; I don't have a scanner]

I've heard that airbrushing colour onto dark fur doesn't work, but could I airbrush black lowlights onto coloured fur? I was also curious if sewing or gluing coloured swirls of unspun wool into a black fur base would be doable.
I'm thinking of using unspun wool for the tails, since it appears to braid nicely and would probably look better than braided pillows of faux fur.

Thanks!