In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a glowing space light or black hole effect in Adobe Illustrator using the Color Dodge blend mode. This technique produces a shimmering, portal-like glow, giving the impression of light swirling and pulsating in space.
1. Create a File in RGB Color Mode
When creating your document, make sure the color mode is set to RGB.
2. Add a Dark Background
Draw a rectangle to cover your artboard and set a dark purple background.
Use a color close to black but with some saturation. Do not use pure black(#000000).
Each RGB value should ideally stay below 15, with a total combined value under 30.
3. Create Soft-Edged White Circles
First, make a black circle. Then, create a smaller white circle in the same position.
Tip: Make the black circle, copy it (Ctrl+C) and paste in place (Shift+Ctrl+V) to keep alignment.
Use the Blend Tool to create a gradient between the two circles. Select both circles, then click on one with the Blend Tool to generate the smooth transition.
4. Change the Blend Mode
Select the blended circles. Open Window > Transparency and set the Blend Mode to Color Dodge.
5. Add a Black Circle in the Center
Create a black(#000000) circle and place it on top of your blended object.
Make sure only a hint of the white edge is visible.
Use Align tools to perfectly center it if needed.
6. Create a Radial Gradient Circle with the Same Effect
Draw another circle and apply a white-to-black radial gradient.
Set its Blend Mode to Color Dodge as well.
7. Arrange Multiple Circles to Create Shimmering Light
Place multiple circles of varying sizes around the center to make the light appear to ripple and flicker.
Overlapping circles will intensify the brightness.
You can stretch or enlarge circles at the edges for a more dramatic effect.
TIP: Change the background color to create different colored lights. Using a gradient background adds richness but can cause noticeable banding (see the first image in this post).
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