How to Make a Tint and Shading in Painting

Practice making a tint or shade of a color on a sheet of paper.

A tint or a shade of a paint color is possible with the addition of either black or white paint. A tint is a mixture of the main color with white to lighten the color hue. A shade is a mixture of the main color and black to darken the color hue. When painting a picture, a tint is used to add highlight to an area while a shade is used to add shadow. When painting a wall, a tint of a color will lighten the room while a shade will make the room seem darker.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Main paint color such as blue, red or green
• White paint
• Black paint
• Paper plate
• Artist paint brush
• Water
• Water container
• Paper towel

Instructions

Tint

1. Place a sheet of paper on a flat work surface. Place a paper plate next to the sheet of paper.

2. Squeeze a dime-size drop of white paint on the left side of the paper plate. Squeeze a pea-sized drop of the main paint color approximately 1 inch from the white paint.

3. Dip the end of the paintbrush in the main paint color. Place the paintbrush in the white paint and mix. A light tint of the color will appear. Add more of the main paint color until the desired tint is reached.

4. Brush the tinted paint on the sheet of paper. Allow the paint to dry five minutes. Adjust the amount of white or main paint color to achieve the desired tint.

Shade

1. Squeeze a dime-sized drop of the main paint color on the right side of the paper plate.

2. Squeeze a pea-sized drop of black paint approximately 1 inch from the main paint color.

3. Dip the end of the paintbrush in the black paint. Place the paintbrush in the main paint color and mix. A dark shade of the color will appear. Add more of the black paint until the desired shade is reached.

4. Brush the shaded paint on the sheet of paper. Allow the paint to dry five minutes. Adjust the amount of black or main paint color to achieve the desired shade.

Tips & Warnings

• When making a tint, always add the main paint color to the white paint. When making a shade, always add the black paint to the main paint color.

References

• SVAM: Tints and Shades