lecture 6-scale and propertions

8/12/2019 Lecture 6-Scale and Propertions

1/15

Scale and Proportion

To understand and apply scale,

proportion, andgridsas they relate

to the two-dimensional pictureplane.


2/15

size

scale

Proportion

Grids

Scaling by percentage

Golden Section


3/15

How big are your feet? If youdescribe them as simply"large" we still don't know howmuchbigger your feet are thanthe general population's. Are

they the size of an averagesized adult's, the size of abasketball player's, or the sizeof two small canoes? The pointis this: sizeis only meaningful

as it tells us something aboutan object's dimensions inrelationship toother things.


4/15

Rather than endlessly comparing one thing to

another, most cultures agree on systems of

measurementthat help to establish clear

dimensionsof an object. A person is so many

feet or centimetres tall. A horse is so many

hands high. A highway is so many miles or

kilometres long. In Japan, a room's size isdescribed as accommodating so many tatami

mats.


5/15

By making either a mental comparison

between a given object and a given

dimension, or actually taking a measurementof something, we can move with relative ease

between actual things and abstract systems of

measure.


6/15

Once we have measured something, we can

play with its scale. Scaleis another relative

term meaning "size" in relationship to somesystem of measurement. While we can speak

generally of things that are "large or small in

scale," in art and design when discussing scale

we are referring to the size of object in

relationship to a clear set of measurements.

The little canoe on the left is called a"salesman's model" because the salesmen for

historic Maine canoe companies used to carry

scale models of their company's offerings. The

"half scale" model is an exact representation of

the "full size" 17 foot canoe at the right.


7/15

For example, if you tell me that the shoes you

just drew are "half scale," I would assume that

they were half the length of the actual object--

that is, one-half "full" or "actual size."

The little canoe on the left is called a

"salesman's model" because the salesmen for

historic Maine canoe companies used to carry

scale models of their company's offerings. The

"half scale" model is an exact representation of

the "full size" 17 foot canoe at the right.


8/15

When we move into some ofthe design professions, likearchitecture or industrial

design for instance, otherconventions apply. Forexample, if I said I want adrawing in "1/4 scale"*,

generally I mean that I want adrawing in which "1/4 inchequals 1 foot." In this case,instead of measuring the

actual object against a systemof measurement, we arerelating two sets ofmeasurements.


9/15

One of the particular challenges in moving

between scales is to understand the difference

between the scaling of something in "linear

measurements" versus "area measurements."

In general, the conventions of 2D design

dictate that we utilize linear measurements to"scale up" or "scale down" a graphic image.

The image on the left is 4 inches high. Theimage on the right is 2 inches high--it has been

scaled by .50 (4 inches x .50 = 2 inches)


10/15

We would only need the corresponding dimensionsof the original and the desired reduction--height,

for example--to determine the scaling factor. If anoriginal drawing is 4 inches in height, and thereduced image is to be 2 inches, the scaling factoris .50 (50%). [2 inches divided by 4 inches equals

.50]. This scaling factor (.50) could be applied toany aspect of the associated graphics thatrequired reduction.

The image on the left is 4 inches high. Theimage on the right is 2 inches high--it has been

scaled by .50 (4 inches x .50 = 2 inches)


11/15

If one assumes that an object should be scaledby virtue of its total surface area, we arrive atan entirely different outcome. The final imagewould have to be calculated by gridding theentire surface of the drawing, then creating aproportionally accurate grid that occupied

50% of the total area. If the original were 12square inches(4" x 3"), for example, a reduceddrawing based on area would be 6 squareinches (~2.1213" x ~2.8284")

Fig. A

Area = 12 sq. in.

Fig. B

Area = .50 x Fig. A

Fig. C

Height = .50 x Fig. A


12/15

Proportionrefers to the ratiobetween the partsof a larger whole. If we go back to the shoeexample for a minute, a drawing--at virtually any

scale--that represented the shoes in "correct"proportion would show the actual relationship ofheight, width, and depth. I could alter the scale ofthe object without changing the proportions. Or,if I wanted to exaggerate the proportions (like a

circus clown might do), I might make the lengthof the shoes twice the length of the original shoeand preserve the height and the width


13/15

In so doing, I have changed theproportionsof theobject--that is, I have changed the ratio of the partsdescribing the whole. If the original ratio of height,

width, and depth could be represented by thefollowing expression: 1:1:1, the "new" clown shoescould be represented by 1:1:2, where the 2 representsthe new exaggerated "depth" (or length). "Ideal"proportions reflect the taste and goals of particular

communities. For example, among dog breeders, thereare ideal ratios governing the proportions of a dog'sbody such as the length of a dog's legs to the height ofits upper body.


14/15

Golden section is a mathematic system from

Pythagoras concept each of incidents related

with number. It has been used by Greek

people which believe human and templebuilding must have perfect proportion and this

system could be seen at every temple

structure.


15/15

lecture 6-scale and propertions

Documents