Art Class, Level 5: Widbey Island Lighthouse

Product Description

At one time the Admiralty Head Lighthouse on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound guarded the sound and the passageway to the city of Seattle. Now, the beautifully restored lighthouse is only a tourist attraction, and its sharp lines and gorgeously simple architecture make it an ideal subject for drawing.

If the lighthouse fills the paper’s space, its imposing structure begins to seem rigid and artistically uninteresting. This lesson makes use of that problem by introducing cumulus clouds into the composition. By introducing clouds, we also introduce an interesting artistic problem: the problem of emphasis.

If we make the lighthouse tiny and the clouds large, the clouds can seem menacing or overpowering.

If we make the lighthouse large and the clouds tiny, the lighthouse seems powerful.

If we make the lighthouse and clouds similar in size, an interesting tension develops.

Students will choose what kind of emphasis they want to give the objects, and will color the picture with oil pastels. As they do so, they will need to learn to introduce subtle coloring (beyond white and grey) to give the clouds volume and vitality. Clouds seem very easy to draw and color, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself giving clouds a very careful second look as you work!

This lesson includes both POWERPOINT and VIDEO versions of the lesson plus 2 downloadable printouts: a warmup and a drawing of the lighthouse.

Approximate Time to Complete the Art Lesson:

• Drawing the picture: 20 minutes
• Coloring with oil pastels: 2 or more hours
• Total time: 2+ hours

Families will have access to the online lesson for one year from the date of purchase.