Light and Dark: Mixing Tints and Shades

Look at the sky on a clear day. Near the horizon it looks almost white-blue. High above you it looks deep, dark blue. It is all the same colour — blue — but it looks very different depending on how light or dark it is. Have you ever wondered how artists create all those different versions of one colour? Today you are going to find out!

When artists want to change how light or dark a colour looks, they use two simple techniques: making a tint or making a shade. A tint is what you get when you add white to a colour. White makes the colour lighter and softer. For example, if you add white to red, you get pink. The more white you add, the lighter and paler the tint becomes. A shade is what you get when you add black to a colour. Black makes the colour darker and deeper. For example, if you add black to red, you get a deep, dark red — almost like the colour of a cherry. The more black you add, the darker the shade becomes. Here is a helpful trick for remembering which is which: think of pulling down a window shade to make a room darker — shades go dark. Tints are the opposite — light and airy. When you mix tints, always start with your colour and add tiny amounts of white little by little. When you mix shades, start with your colour and add tiny amounts of black little by little. Black is very strong, so just a small drop changes the colour a lot! Artists use tints and shades to show light and shadow in their paintings. This makes flat shapes look round and three-dimensional — as if they are popping off the page.