This Art and Design scheme of work video introduces teachers to a drawing unit focused on tone, shading, and proportion, helping pupils develop their drawing skills. Pupils explore how light affects different surfaces by building on their mark making and tonal shading skills. They’ll learn to control pencil pressure to create gradual tonal changes and understand how shading adds depth and texture to drawings.

This unit also introduces proportion. Pupils will begin to understand how objects relate in size and placement. While their drawings aren’t expected to be perfect, they’ll be encouraged to make conscious choices about balance and scale. Using sweets, chocolates and bakery items as stimuli, pupils explore a range of surface textures, shapes, and tones.

Throughout the unit, children practise observational drawing, looking closely at how light falls on different objects.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Year 4 Drawing: Exploring tone, texture and technique unit. It supports teachers in guiding children to observe, reflect, and refine their drawing techniques through engaging, hands-on lessons.

See more of our Year 4 Art and design scheme of work.

Art and design, Year 4, *Updated* Drawing: Exploring tone, texture and technique, Lesson 1: 3D pencil drawings.