Updated

Year 4 Painting: Light and dark

Investigating the use of tone in art through studying how artists use highlights, midtones and shadows to create the illusion of form.

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  5. Painting & mixed media: Light and dark

Important update

This Year 4 Painting and mixed media unit has been updated for 2026–2027 to provide a clearer progression of painting skills and knowledge.

The current Art, Year 4, Light and dark unit will move to the Content archive area in August 2026, where it will remain permanently available.

Explore the Art and design, Long-term plan for 2026–2027.

Unit outcomes

Pupils who are secure will be able to:

  • Accurately use the vocabulary tone, tint and shade.
  • Mix colours with white and black to create a range of tints and shades.
  • Create gradual changes in tone using tints and shades. 
  • Identify highlights, midtones and shadows on an object
  • Apply lighter and darker tones to show highlights and shadows.
  • Use tone to make an object appear three-dimensional.
  • Use a range of paint techniques to create tonal variation.
  • Use art vocabulary to describe elements of composition, such as shape, colour, light or balance.
  • Arrange objects deliberately to create a balanced still life with areas of contrast.
  • Mix a range of tints and shades, placing highlights and shadows in the correct places to show 3D form in a still life painting.

Suggested prior learning

Painting & mixed media: Exploring texture with paint and collage

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Lessons

Lesson 1: Tints and shades

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Lesson 2: Three dimensions

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Lesson 3: Tone techniques

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Lesson 4: Composition

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Lesson 5: Still life

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Key skills

Key skills

Generating ideas:

  • Generate ideas from
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Key knowledge

Making skills:

  • The impact of
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Key vocabulary

blend (Y3)

communication (Y3)

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Related content

    Resources

Unit resources

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Art and design

Knowledge organiser: Art and design – Y4 Painting: Light and dark

Aimed at pupils, a single page which gives key facts and definitions from the unit: Art and design, Year 4,…

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Art and design

Vocabulary display: Art and design – Y4 Painting: Light and dark

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Cross-curricular opportunities

Spanish.

Science: Light.

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