Tonal flowers
I can use light and dark tones to create a reduction drawing.
Tonal flowers
I can use light and dark tones to create a reduction drawing.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Artists use tone to show where an object is light and dark.
- Artists can build layers of tone, rather than use pressure, to create dark tones.
- Artists can create light tones by taking away, rather than adding, materials.
Keywords
Tone - how light or dark something is
Light - a tone that is closer to white
Dark - a tone that is closer to black
Reduction - when an artist takes away a material rather than builds up layers of materials
Common misconception
Tone is always achieved through pressure.
Remind children that tone can be achieved through adding pressure, but layers of material can also be built up or removed to vary tone.
To help you plan your year 1 art and design lesson on: Tonal flowers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 1 art and design lesson on: Tonal flowers, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 1 art and design lessons from the Create a flower garden: introducing the 7 elements of art unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Soft pencil, dark chalks, charcoal, rubbers, sketchbooks or thicker sheets of paper such as neutral coloured sugar paper, flowers or seeds to observe.
Licence
Starter quiz
4 Questions




red + yellow
blue + yellow
red + blue
Exit quiz
4 Questions


soft and smudgy marks
light marks or erasing marks
thin, sharp marks