Oil Painting Inspired by the Solar Eclipse of 12 August 2026

The solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 promises to be one of the most striking astronomical events visible from the UK, occurring around 7pm and offering dramatic sky colour at sunset. This second eclipse‑inspired oil painting explores a personified moon almost eclipsing the sun, with the solar corona streaming into the distance. Below, I share the full process—composition, underpainting, colour mixing, and celestial lighting techniques—to help artists create their own cosmic oil paintings.

Read my article on how I completed my first of this pair of eclipse paintings, showing a face in profile on the moon.

Planning the Composition: Drawing the Eclipse Discs

I began by drawing around a large dinner plate placed near the centre of the panel to represent the moon. A second disc, slightly offset, marks the sun positioned behind it. This simple geometric foundation helps establish the eclipse alignment.

The painting is executed on a 24×24 inch primed panel, giving a square format that suits symmetrical celestial subjects.

Where my first eclipse painting showed a profile face on the moon, this second piece presents the lunar face front‑on, giving a more iconic, symbolic presence.

Tonal Key: Using a Black Background for Cosmic Contrast

I sketched the composition using thinned burnt umber acrylic applied with a fine sable brush. Once the drawing was established, I blocked in the background with solid black acrylic paint. This underpainting creates the deep void of space and sets the tonal key for the luminous corona and atmospheric glazes to come.

Solar Eclipse Art Tutorial: Building the Underpainting

After the black acrylic dried, I applied thin washes to the remaining areas:

• Burnt sienna glaze for the sun
• French ultramarine with a touch of cerulean blue for the clouds beneath

These transparent layers create warmth behind the moon and cool atmospheric depth below.

Once dry, I scumbled in the base colours for the moon’s face. I kept to a cool palette—burnt umber, ultramarine, cerulean, and touches of burnt sienna—mixed with varying amounts of titanium white. Allowing the warm underglaze to show through adds subtle radiance.

Careful attention to the facial features ensures the expression remains cohesive as the layers build.

Oil Painting Techniques for Dramatic Celestial Lighting

With the oil layers underway, I added detail to the clouds using rough brushing in blues and greys. These muted tones set the stage for the bright cadmium red streaks of distant clouds, enhancing the celestial atmosphere.

How to Paint Celestial Scenes: Corona, Colour & Light

The red and gold clouds echo the hues of the corona. For the solar corona itself, I used:

• Lemon yellow
• Burnt sienna
• Cadmium red
• Viridian
• Titanium white

I feathered these colours outward with a stiff fan brush to create soft, radiant effects—suggesting solar flares, chromosphere glow, and corona filaments.

Painting the Moon in Oils: Facial Details & Lunar Texture

I spent time refining the facial shadows around the nose, mouth, and eyes. A subtle shadow channel connects the features, giving the moon a brooding, contemplative expression.

Using a fine sable brush, I suggested lunar craters with thinned titanium white mixed with ultramarine and burnt sienna. I avoided overworking these areas; instead, I softened edges and hinted at texture to maintain the face’s readability.

Related article: eclipse painting, showing a face in profile on the moon

A Solar Eclipse Anniversary

I witnessed a total solar eclipse in Alderney (Channel Islands) on 11 August 1999, shortly after winning an art competition sponsored by The Art Paper, with my work exhibited in Guernsey. Nearly 27 years later, this new eclipse painting feels like a return to that moment—an artistic anniversary marked in oil.

How to Paint a Solar Eclipse (Step by Step Artist’s Guide)

 Concept and Composition: Painting the Moon as a Personified Figure

To establish the focal point, I began with reference images showing strong side‑lighting on a human face. This dramatic chiaroscuro effect represents the moon personified—a symbolic “woman on the moon”—and helps anchor the celestial theme in figurative realism.

Read my article on how I completed my first of this eclipse painting pair, showing a full view face on the moon eclipsing the sun.

Using a large dinner plate as a template, I drew the eclipse spheres slightly right of centre. This off‑centre placement creates visual tension and leaves space for the solar corona and plasma flares extending outward.

I sketched the composition onto a 20×24 inch primed panel, using dark brown acrylic applied with a fine sable brush. This underdrawing establishes the structure before the heavier oil layers.

Tonal Contrasts: Capturing the Corona & Atmospheric Glow

To build the dramatic eclipse contrast, I blocked in the background with solid black acrylic paint, forming a deep void that enhances the luminosity of the corona.

For the moon’s surface, I applied thinned burnt umber with a fan brush, and used French ultramarine to suggest atmospheric cloud layers beneath. These cooler tones help balance the warm plasma colours added later.

Once the acrylic underpainting dried, I worked briskly in oils, refining the facial features and cloud textures. The surrounding black space intensifies the high‑key highlights, making the face and clouds appear to glow—mimicking the real optical effect of a solar eclipse.

Colour Palette: Mixing Eclipse Plasma & Corona Light

To paint the plasma streaming from the eclipse, I blended:

• Viridian green
• Lemon yellow
• Burnt sienna
• Cadmium red
• Titanium white (for luminosity and atmospheric haze)

These colours, layered and feathered, create the impression of solar flares, chromosphere light, and corona filaments. The interplay of warm and cool tones adds depth and movement to the celestial energy.

The painting took approximately one week to complete. I plan to view the eclipse from a high, west‑facing vantage point in the Midlands, where coverage will be around 90% at sunset (approx. 7pm)—a perfect moment for dramatic sky colour.

Read my related article on my second eclipse painting of the pair showing a full face on the moon eclipsing the sun.

A Personal Eclipse Memory

I previously witnessed a total solar eclipse in Alderney (Channel Islands) on 11 August 1999 at 11am. I had travelled there after winning an art competition sponsored by Daler Rowney, with my work exhibited at St Peter Port. Nearly 27 years later, this new eclipse painting feels like a continuation of that experience—an artistic echo across time.

The Shores of Infant Sea: Art exhibition at Nuneaton Art Gallery

 

An art exhibition for toddlers and young children runs from 17 November 2023 to 18 March 2024.

 

This exhibition shows oil paintings from Rachel Shirley’s children’s books:

Katie’s Magic Teapot and the Cosmic Pandas

Katie and the Pandas’ Deep Sea Voyage

And Ben’s Little Big Adventure.

Art Exhibition for Toddlers

The exhibition consists of oil paintings from my three children’s books.

The aim of this exhibition is to introduce children from toddler age to art galleries. The paintings show a child of three learning about the world from her flying teapot.

Another book describes a little boy’s quest for a midnight snack.

The aim of this exhibition is to bring young children to exhibitions.

Without realising, clues to my own toddlerhood have eked into these paintings.

Andy Pandy and Teddy of My Toddlerhood

The ‘panda’ come from Andy Pandy, a BBC children’s programme I would have watched in toddlerhood. This is due to the sound-echo. A teddy bear, and ragdoll (like Ted and Looby Loo) also appear.

The space aspect comes from the Moon Landings in July 1969. A lot of space exploration was on TV in my toddlerhood.

Waking up to the world is like coming to sand from the sea. This is where the oceans come.

The teapot symbolises home and family. People often gather around a teapot. Here, it becomes a vessel in which to explore.

Opening Time Winter hours

Thursday 11am-3.45pm

Friday: 11am-3.45pm

Saturday: 10.30am-4pm

Raising Money for Barnardo’s

I aim to exhibit these paintings before selling them at an auction or finding them a home where they can brighten up a public space. All moneys will go to Barnardo’s.

I am now using my art to raise money for Barnardo’s.

Link to Rachel Shirley Books Online

Katie’s Magic Teapot Omnibus Edition

Ben’s Little Big Adventure

My Author Page on Amazon

My YouTube Channel

How to I Treat Craquelure in my Oil Painting?

 Craquelure are fine hairline cracks that appear in an old oil painting. Some art restorers may not decide to treat it, for is the normal process of ageing and adds charm to the appearance of the artwork.

This old oil landscape painting shows cracks in the paint layer called craquelure. This is caused by the aging process of the oil paint that has dried out over time. The proper preparation of gesso will minimize the appearance of these cracks.

A close up of this painting showing craquelure.

Image right shows distortion in the canvas due to botched restoration. Masking tape had been stuck onto the back of the canvas to hide a hole. Sadly, the resultant stresses in the canvas have exacerbated the cracks.

Any restoration work would now require extra care.

The image shows the painting after I had removed the offending masking tape and repaired the holes in the canvas. I had also tensioned the resultant flabbiness in the canvas by adjusting canvas keys in the back of the painting. My other article explains how I had restored the surface of this painting.

This article is about how I patched up an area of craquelure.

Cracks in the Oil Paint

The images show the oil paint flaking off after I had removed the sticking tape from the back of the canvas and repaired the holes.

My aim isn’t to hide all the cracks in the oil painting, but to restore only this particular area. As can be seen, bare canvas is exposed. This painting hadn’t been prepared properly and the oil paint has dried out over time.

Fortunately, the neighbouring oil paint remained sound and I could work into the area concerned. But any loose paint should be removed. The bare canvas beneath can be prepared with gesso primer before restoration.

Any large pieces of flaked-off oil paint can be glued back on with impasto medium if possible, but this could be a lengthy process.

The bare canvas showing beneath the paint. Image right: applying gesso.

First, I applied a little acrylic gesso primer onto the bare canvas. A fine sable is needed for careful application. The gesso provides a stable surface onto which to apply the oil paint on top.

The oil painting prepared for restoration.

All the areas of bare canvas have been touched up with the acrylic gesso primer. I can now apply the oil paint onto the areas where the oil paint had flaked off.

Treating the Craquelure.

Once the gesso primer is dry, I will place onto a palette the required oil paints and a little impasto medium.

Impasto medium is an alkyd resin that thickens the oil paint and accelerates its drying time. It’s great for impasto effects and works like Polyfilla for oil paintings. Any indentations can be smoothed out for an even finish.

For this painting, I used ultramarine, olive green, burnt sienna and a little cadmium yellow.

I mixed a little of the impasto medium into my paint mixture and applied it over the damaged area.

A vast array of neutral hues can be achieved with just a few oil colors.

I will work over the damaged area a little at a time with soft sables for a smooth finish. Work the paint in various directions to create evenness in the paint layer.

Images show how I worked over the cracked areas of an oil painting.

The images show how I worked over the damaged area in stages to bring the paint layer in line with the surrounding area.

Scars in the oil paint layer will show at first until smoothing it over in stages. Any ridges can be smoothed over to bring a more consistent finish.

At first, the scars beneath will be evident. Thin layers of paint on top will add integrity to the paint layer.

Images showing restoration in stages. The scars in the paint layer will eventually fade with careful blending.

Image left shows touching up on a damaged area near the corner of the painting. Image right shows an area of matt on the area worked on. Varnishing will bring the finish in line with the rest of the painting.

The image shows the unsightly lump caused by the masking tape is gone and the painting correctly tensioned. The craquelure has also been treated locally.

Images shows the painting restoration complete.

Relevant articles

Repair a hole in an oil painting

Hide a defect in an oil painting

Repair a tear in an oil painting

Repair a Hole in a Damaged Oil Painting

 This oil painting had undergone a botched attempt to hide a hole in the canvas. This old master had masking tape stuck to the back, and as a result, had warped the shape of the canvas, spoiling the look of the oil painting.

And old master landscape painting by Willis Pryce.

As can be seen, this oil painting by Willis Pryce looks okay when viewed head-on under even light. But view it from the side, and the warp becomes noticeable. The closeup shows a hole in the canvas.

Warped canvas caused by masking tape on the back of the painting.

Notice also the cracks in the oil paint layer. This is called craquelure and can be an appealing feature of an old oil painting. The old canvas is indicative, for the cracks follow the stresses of the canvas beneath.

Sadly, I would soon discover, the oil painting hadn’t been prepared properly, for no primer had been applied beneath the oil paint.

An oil painting requires gesso primer prior to applying the oil paint. A bare canvas or wooden panel will suck the oils from the paint, causing the paint to dehydrate, brittle and crack. Worse, the flexible canvas, is not compatible with oil paint that lacks suppleness.

This painting had no primer applied onto the canvas. Hence cracks. This isn’t good.

Masking tape stuck on the back of this oil on canvas has pulled the canvas out of shape.

Removing the tape from the canvas.

Step 1: The tape had to come off. Here, I turned the canvas onto its front and worked carefully from the back. Sadly, the tape wouldn’t peel off easily. A little water was necessary.

I applied a little water onto the area and gently scraped the tape off with a blunt palette knife. Great care is needed to avoid further damage. The cracks in the paint were also a concern.

I allowed the water time to soften the glue and worked steadily from the edges.

The offending masking tape is removed to the bare canvas

Step 2: During the work, I removed the glue, enabling me to work onto the lower layers of the tape. Gradually, the tape came off. The bare canvas is exposed from the back. The hole is laid bare and the distortion gone. The horrible square shape is no more. The canvas has reverted to its flatness.

Oil paint flaking from the canvas due to poor preparation.

Step 3: The hole in the canvas is laid bare. Notice the cracks in the paint layer. The image shows bare canvas beneath the oil paint layer. The painting is fragile and extra repair work is needed.

Minimal damage to the oil painting due to care.

The images show the touch-up required after working on the back of the painting. The cracks in the paint layer warns of oil paint brittling over time. The canvas beneath has sucked the oils in the paint dry. Extra work will be needed to correct this area of craquelure.

Repairing the holes in the canvas layer.

Step 4: The first thing to do is to repair the holes in the canvas.

My article on repairing a tear in canvas demonstrates never to use thick material to repair an oil painting, as suggested on some websites. This will warp the shape of the canvas. Instead, I used thin, but strong undyed (or neutral-colored) linen cotton. I traced out the size required and cut shapes that follow the contour of the holes. I fanned out the edges, to prevent unwanted ridges forming on the canvas as the glue dries.

Applying the glue onto a mixing palette and applying a little water onto the canvas first.

Step 5: I applied strong fabric glue onto a palette and, with a fine brush, applied a little water over the area for repairing. This will encourage the glue into the weave of the canvas. I then dabbed the glue onto the linen shapes and spread it evenly to the edges.

 

Patching over the damaged canvas.

Step 6: There are two holes, so I prepared two pieces of cotton linen, both in star shapes. After spreading the fabric glue evenly over both, I grafted the pieces over the hole. The glue won’t dry immediately, so there is time to adjust.

Once the fabric is in place, I will rest the painting onto its front. A clean, firm resting platform will need to be prepared. Greaseproof paper on top will protect the painting.

I will leave the glue to dry over a day. But ten minutes later, I will check that all is well before leaving it.

The offending distortion is gone, and the holes repaired. but extra work is needed.

As seen, the horrible shape is gone. But the canvas requires tensioning, as there is now too much give. The tape has pulled the canvas and once removed, has left the surface ‘flabby’.

Canvas Keys

Turn the painting on its back and in the corners, you may find four pieces of wood sticking out of slots. These are called canvas keys. These enable tensioning of the canvas. Here, I gently tapped each key a little further into the slot. Care is needed as the wood is a little aged.

As the canvas is generally flabby, I tapped each corner in equal turn until the canvas is correctly tensioned.

The painting being old, shouldn’t be as tight as a drum, but nicely tensioned with a little give.

The canvas is now tensioned, and cotton linen grafted nicely over the holes. The next stage is the touching up.

The image on the left shows the holes in the canvas prior to repair work. The image on the right shows the repair complete, ready for the touching-up.

My next article shows how I completed this restoration.

Relevant articles

How to treat craquelure

Repair a tear in an old master oil painting

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Hide Damage to an Oil Painting Old Master

The canvas of this old master oil painting has been torn.

How does the art restorer hide damage to an oil painting? This article shows how to completely hide a tear.

The images show the tear in an old master oil painting completed previously. Lower images show the tear from the back. Image bottom right shows the tear repaired. But the tear remains invisible and requires touching-up with oil paint.

As can be seen, before applying paint to a damaged oil painting, the canvas must be repaired and the surface stable. My previous article shows how I repaired a tear in this canvas.

Touching up a Tear

The painting has been repaired (see my other article on how to repair a torn canvas), but the damage remains visible as a scar. How does the art restorer completely hide the scar?

Materials required for this project are:

Brushes: A selection of fine sables, from 3 to 6. A soft flat (3-6) is good for blending. Rounds are good for getting into detail.

Acrylic paint or artist gesso: The standard white gesso is used for priming over canvas. I opted to use acrylic paints for the underpainting. This means fewer layers of paint are needed to hide the white gesso when I apply the oil paint on top.

Oil paints: A selection of oil paints for the overpainting.

Artist’s spirits: to clean the brushes. I used washing-up liquid in warm water or soap.

Impasto medium. This is a thick alkyd resin, that works rather like Polyfilla for oil paintings. It will hide dimples and blemishes for an even finish. Don’t be put off by the brown color. It will not affect the colors you are mixing with.

Mixing palette: A shallow lid or old saucer on which to mix your colors.

Rags.

A magnifier or good glasses.

Artist clear picture varnish for finishing off.

Preparing the Damaged Area

Gesso primer must be applied onto the canvas before the oil paint. It provides a stable surface, where the oils cannot sink into the thirsty canvas beneath.

I opted to use regular acrylic paint to seal the bare canvas. This is just as good, and less underpainting will be required. 

Applying the acrylic underpaint onto the bare canvas.

Color Matching on Canvas

At this stage, getting the colors spot-on is not essential, for you are simply underpainting over the damaged area to provide a stable surface.

The hues of most old master landscapes are sombre, and few colors are needed. The secret is to aim for neutral colors.

For landscapes, I have found the following oil pigments useful:

Burnt sienna, burnt umber, raw sienna, black, French ultramarine, green (viridian, olive or pthalo green will do), cadmium and lemon yellow.

For the sky: Ultramarine, yellow ochre and cadmium yellow.

Titanium white in varying amounts is always needed.

For the underpainting, I used a blend of yellow ochre, pthalo green, burnt umber and cerulean blue.

The images show an array of neutral colors that can be achieved with just a few oil pigments.

Applying the Oil Paint

Allow the acrylic paint to dry completely. This shouldn’t take long.

Now for the overpainting. This will provide the finish.

Onto a mixing palette, carefully mix the oil colors. Here, I used yellow ochre, cerulean blue, burnt umber and olive green. I added a little white and the impasto medium.

With a fine round sable, I mixed the required color and added a little impasto medium to fill indentations.

Applying oil pigments mixed with impasto medium and smoothing over with a finger.

Impasto medium accelerates the drying time of the oil paint. Here, the paint will be completely dry in a about four hours. This provides ample time to work over the paint layer and perfect.

Mistake of Using Different Oil Painting Mediums on the Same Oil Painting

If things don’t work out before the oil paint dries, don’t be tempted to add linseed oil to slow the drying time. Being conflicting in nature, will cause instabilities in the oil paint layer. It’s best to gently remove the unwanted paint with a rag and work on top again with the same medium.

Blending and Blending

Fine blending is essential to get it right. The tip of my finger worked quite well in getting a smooth finish. This will take time and another session will be necessary.

View the painting via a strong sidelight. This will reveal blemishes in the oil paint unseen under flat light. The images show.

These ultra-close ups under a strong sidelight shows up the scar. The colors match, but the scar remains. Work towards a seamless finish by regularly checking under this sidelight and a magnifier.

You can’t go wrong if the repair work looks good under sidelight.

Perfecting the Restoration

I blended and blended with a little more of the impasto medium, sometimes on separate days. Move the brush in various directions with required tint.

Don’t be tempted to work onto neighbouring areas of the painting if the color doesn’t quite match. Keep the work local and only within the damaged area via accurate color-matching.

The images show continual improvement. See how the scar is less visible.

Blending over the damaged area is the key to creating a perfect finish. The scar is softening and becoming less noticeable.

Once the paint dry, I will touch up with a tiny amount of artist’s picture varnish. This will bring consistency to the finish. If the painting is matt, a matt varnish can be used instead.

Use materials only designed for art purposes.

The images show the restoration complete. The tear can be seen on the image left. Repair work was necessary before touching up with oil paint. The image on the right shows the damage after repair. The damage cannot be seen.

Relevant articles

How to treat craquelure

Repair a hole in a damaged painting

Repair a torn canvas in an old master