Painting: Colour Mixing — Tints and Shades — Year 2 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Art and Design KS1 — To develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour; to use painting to develop and share their ideas; to know about the work of a range of artists including painters.
Overview
Building on their knowledge of primary and secondary colours from Year 1, pupils investigate how to extend the colour palette by creating tints (adding white) and shades (adding black). Inspired by the atmospheric seascape paintings of J.M.W. Turner, they develop skill in working with acrylic or tempera paint to produce a tonal colour study and a final landscape or seascape painting.
Learning Objectives
- To understand how to create tints by adding white and shades by adding black to a colour
- To mix a range of tints and shades systematically on a colour strip
- To know about the landscape and seascape paintings of J.M.W. Turner
- To apply tints and shades to create a sense of light, mood and atmosphere in a painting
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Show pupils two or three Turner seascape paintings. Ask: what colours can you see? Why do some areas look lighter or darker? Introduce the vocabulary of tint and shade. Show a pre-made colour strip from very light blue to very dark blue as a concrete example.
Demonstrate how to mix a tint: start with white and add tiny amounts of the main colour, mixing thoroughly. Show that adding the dark colour to white is easier than the reverse. Then demonstrate shading: start with the pure colour and add tiny touches of black. Emphasise: mix thoroughly and test on a scrap before applying to the painting.
Pupils create a 6-box tonal strip for a chosen colour moving from the lightest tint to the darkest shade. They practise loading the brush correctly (not too much paint) and making flat, even strokes to fill each box. Teacher circulates, supporting accurate mixing and brush technique.
Pupils begin a simple seascape or landscape using only the tints and shades of one or two colours. They establish a clear horizon line and work from light tints at the top (sky) to deeper tones at the bottom (sea or land). The aim is a painting that uses at least four different tonal values.
Pupils hold up paintings and compare: which painting has the strongest sense of light? Which looks most like a storm or a calm day? Relate back to Turner: how did he use light to create drama?
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils often add too much black when shading, creating a muddy, lifeless colour — teach them to use black very sparingly and to use a deeper version of the same colour family as an alternative
- Some pupils mix tints by adding the colour to the existing paint on the palette rather than starting fresh, leading to inconsistent results — reinforce a systematic mixing process
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Knowledge of primary and secondary colours from the Year 1 Painting: Primary Colours unit
- Basic brush skills and paint handling from Year 1 painting activities
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