Did you know the very first lighthouse was built in Alexandria, Egypt? It was called the Pharos of Alexandria and it was the tallest building in our history. At the top of this structure, a lantern with a giant bonfire whose light may have been focused by mirrors, perhaps made of polished bronze, radiated light about 300 miles out into the sea. It took 300 Slaves to build this lighthouse, and 17 years of labor. Sadly, it was completely destroyed in an earthquake. Lighthouses are extremely important structures for the safety of ships and boats of all sizes to know where the coast line is, and are located at dangerous areas of the coast. My class was really interested in this information and got them ready to do a contour drawing.
I passed out black and white copies of lighthouses, and they did their very best to render them. I showed them that the base of the lighthouse is wider than the top, because as we look at them, they appear to be tall in the picture, and drawing the sides of the lighthouse narrower at the top will help achieve that perspective. I also showed how to make a shade with watercolor to accentuate the cylindrical form of the structure. :)
Some are not finished but they are right on their way!
