Were reaching for the stars this week with Deke. Well, were actually making one beautiful glowing star that spreads its luminance across a dark sky. In this weeks free movie, youll see how simple paths and the deft application of blending in Illustrator can create an absolutely stellar effect. And you dont need the latest and greatest Illustrator to play with this feature in your own projects. Although Deke is using Illustrator CS5 in the video, the tools involved have been a part of the application since 1988!

Deke starts with some simple paths, isolates them systematically, then applies blending and some careful pen tool machinations to make them dance to your will. Youll even see how Illustrator blends from completely opaque to completely transparent, and along the way, youll find out how Deke creates this striking star trail:

Want to see more Illustrator illusion? Members of the lynda.com Online Training Library® can catch this weeks exclusive video here, in which Deke shows you how to automatically create the repeating effects of his gargoyles wings, the sarcophagus it protects, and the fence around the cryptic tomb.

Frankly, sometimes I find Illustrator a little mysterious, but Dekes Techniques will give you stellar powers in under eight minutes. And if you want to explore Adobes vector-drawing powerhouse, you can check out the first course in Dekes Illustrator One-on-One series. Meanwhile, seasoned Illustrator explorers shouldnt miss our deep-dive series—Illustrator Insider Training—with Illustrator commander extraordinaire, Mordy Golding.

And next week, Deke continues the galactic travels in Illustrator with a custom starburst. Every week, a free technique from Captain Deke!