This Art and design video introduces Year 4 pupils to the concept of tone and explores how artists use light and dark to create different effects in their work. Children learn that tone describes how light or dark a colour is and discover how light falling on an object creates highlights, shadows and midtones.

The video explains how artists create a range of tones by mixing colours with black and white paint to make shades and tints. Through clear visual examples, pupils see how changing the tone of a colour can alter the appearance of an object and create different artistic effects.

Children explore how artists use tone to create depth, make objects appear three-dimensional and realistic, and suggest mood or atmosphere within an artwork. By comparing different examples, they begin to understand how careful tonal choices can influence the way a painting feels and how viewers respond to it.

This video supports Kapow Primary’s Year 4 Painting and mixed media: Light and dark unit and helps children develop the knowledge needed to use tone purposefully in their own artwork.

Explore the accompanying Year 4 Painting and mixed media: Light and dark resources.

• Year 4 Art and design scheme of work.