Complementary Colours: KS3 Art Colour Theory Lesson

In this hands-on colour theory lesson, students shade an apple, an orange, bananas and blueberries. They use each fruit’s complementary colour to build a convincing shadow from a single light source. A step-by-step exemplar shows the technique in stages, so students can see exactly what to do, and the lesson works without specialist knowledge from the teacher.

Ideal for:

• Cover lessons and supply teachers: print and go, needing only coloured pencils
• Following a colour wheel or warm and cool colours lesson
• Preparing students for tonal and observational drawing

Key Stage: KS3 (Years 7–8) | Lesson length: 45–60 minutes | Materials: coloured pencils

What students will learn:

• What complementary colours are, and how to use them for shadows
• How to vary pencil pressure to move from light to dark
• How to blend colour smoothly rather than outlining a shadow
• How a single, consistent light source controls where the shadows fall

What’s included:

• Complementary Colours worksheet: four fruit outlines, a light source arrow, Must/Should/Could and Top Tips
• Exemplar page: the technique shown stage by stage, with pencil swatches for each step and finished examples of all four fruits
• Teacher guidance notes: learning objective, discussion starter, main task, plenary and extension
• Available US spelling/Letter

Part of the ArtHouse26 Colour Theory series. Pair it with the Colour Wheel and Warm & Cool Colours lessons.