You’ve Never Seen the Rotunda Quite Like This

With its red rectangular shape and two white knobs, the Etch A Sketch recalls a simpler time from childhood, before smartphones and tablets. With a stylus that could move vertically or horizontally, a handful of skilled sketchers could create imaginative designs with the toy.

One of these skilled individuals is University of Virginia first-year student Wescott Lowe, who recently recreated the University’s iconic Rotunda on her Etch A Sketch. Using a photo of the Rotunda that she took on her phone as a reference, she included a few ’Hoos, a flag pole and trees to perfectly capture a day on the Lawn.

The photo was shared on UVA’s Facebook and Instagram accounts on Monday, where many marveled at Lowe’s skills.

“All I could ever do was make a circle on mine. Ok, that’s a lie. But I could make a straight line,” joked alumnus and noted Twitter personality Chris Dembitz on UVA’s Facebook page. 

In honor of Lowe’s skills, UVA’s Center for Politics shared staffer Daman Irby’s sketch of Pavilion IV, the home of center director Larry Sabato: