This Art and design scheme of work video introduces a lesson in which pupils explore how adding black or white paint changes a colour, creating shades and tints. This activity builds the skills needed to add depth and three-dimensional effects to their paintings.

The lesson begins with comparing paintings shown on the slides. The video encourages discussion, using simple art vocabulary, to help teachers assess the children’s existing understanding of painting techniques.

For the activity, pupils choose one starting colour and divide it into two areas on their palette. Using black and white paint, they’ll experiment with mixing darker shades and lighter tints. The video models the process step by step: starting with a patch of the base colour in the middle of the sketchbook page, adding small amounts of black to create progressively darker shades on one side, and tiny amounts of white to create tints on the other. Finally, pupils are asked to compare their results with others, noticing how mixing choices create unique colours.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Year 4 Light and dark unit.

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

Art and design, Year 4, Painting and mixed media: Light and dark, Lesson 1: Tints and shades – Option 1.