Tone and shading

Tone is how light or dark something is. Getting tone right is the quickest way to make a drawing look real.

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Light and shadow

Tone is the lightness or darkness of something.
When light falls on an object you see:
a highlight (the brightest spot),
mid-tones,
a core shadow (the darkest part of the object itself),
reflected light (a little light bounced back on to the shadow side),
and a cast shadow (the shadow the object throws on to the surface).
A tonal scale is a strip of boxes going smoothly from white to black.

Pencils

Drawing pencils are graded.
H pencils are hard: they make light, fine lines.
B pencils are soft: they make darker lines that smudge more easily. The higher the number, the softer: a 6B is darker than a 2B.
HB is in the middle.
For tonal drawing, a 2B and a 4B or 6B are a good pair.

Shading techniques

Blending: smooth tone, made by gradually changing pressure.
Hatching: parallel lines; closer lines look darker.
Cross-hatching: layers of lines crossing each other.
Stippling: lots of dots; more dots look darker.
Scumbling: small circular scribbles.
Follow the form: curved hatching lines can make a round object look rounder.
Contrast is the difference between light and dark. Strong contrast looks dramatic.
Worked example

A student's drawing of an apple looks flat. Their tones only go from white to light grey. What should they do?

  1. A flat-looking drawing usually lacks a full range of tones.
  2. They need darker tones as well as light ones, for example by using a 4B or 6B pencil.
  3. Adding a darker core shadow and a cast shadow increases contrast and makes the apple look 3D.

Answer: Use a full tonal range, with a softer B pencil for darker shadows (core shadow and cast shadow), to add contrast.

Key idea

Tone is lightness or darkness. Look for the highlight, mid-tones, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow. H pencils are hard and light; B pencils are soft and dark. Hatching, cross-hatching, stippling and blending all build tone.

Key words
Tone
How light or dark something is.
Highlight
The brightest area on an object, where light hits it most directly.
Hatching
Parallel lines used to create tone. Closer lines look darker.
Cross-hatching
Layers of crossing lines used to build up tone.
Stippling
Building tone with many small dots.
Blending
Shading smoothly from one tone or colour to another with no visible lines.

All KS3 Art and Design key terms and definitions →

Common mistakes
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Extra practice

2 more questions

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  1. Which formal element describes how light or dark an area is?

    1. Texture
    2. Pattern
    3. Line
    4. Tone
    Show the answer

    Answer: Tone

    Tone is lightness or darkness.

  2. What is a form shadow?

    1. The shadow thrown on the table
    2. The brightest spot
    3. The outline
    4. The darker side of the object itself, facing away from the light
    Show the answer

    Answer: The darker side of the object itself, facing away from the light

    Form shadow is on the object.

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Last updated 2 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

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