This week, Year 2 have been diving into the world of shade and tone as part of their art learning. The children explored how artists use light and dark to create depth, mood, and contrast in their work.

Yesterday, they experimented with a variety of techniques to build their own tonal ladders. Using pencils, they practised:

• Hatching and cross-hatching for textured shading
• Stippling to explore tone through dots
• Pressure control and pencil hold to vary the darkness of their marks

It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, carefully observing how small changes in technique can make a big difference in their artwork. Their tonal ladders are now proudly displayed in the classroom, showing off their growing skills and creativity!