Learn tinting and shading with this fun and educational art project that is great for Valentine’s Day or anytime of the year. It works best with oil pastels, but chalk pastel would work as well.
Discussion Points for Parents and Teachers
- Color blending and mixing
- Warm colors: red, yellow, orange
- Cool colors: blue, purple, green
- Mixing white with a color is called a tint.
- Mixing black with a color is called a shade.
Supplies
- Black construction paper or cardstock
- Newsprint, paper grocery bag, placemat or other item to cover workspace
- Oil pastels in many colors, plus black and white
Directions
- Draw a large heart in the center of your paper with a white pastel.
- Draw sections inside the heart and in the background with straight lines
- Inside of the heart, use colored pastels and white. In each section, color about half with a color and the other half white. Where the white meets the color, blend with your fingers to create a tint. Each section will then be white, the tint, then color.
- Outside of the heart, you will use colored pastels and black. In each section on the outside of the heart, color about half with a color and the other half black. Where black meets the color, blend with your fingers to create a shade. Each section will then be black, the shade, then color. Note: Using the black pastel close to the heart outline and the color towards the edge of the paper will make the heart “pop“ off the page more.
- Your artwork is now ready for framing!
Alyssa Navapanich is a nationally recognized art educator who teaches art to elementary school kids in East San Diego County. She is the author of San Diego Family Magazine’s “Art with Alyssa” column.
