Page 97 - Art Attack Gr 9 LB SKU1007

More about the design principles...

Scale refers to the size of something compared to the normal or real size
of that object. The subject matter or the actual design itself can therefore
be large scale, small scale or true to scale. Things that are large in scale
tend to leave an impression on the viewer. They tend to be seen as
intimidating and over-powering, while things that are small scale are non-
threatening. They are viewed as cute, collectable or precious.

When a short person stands next to a tall person, the short person looks
even shorter and the tall person seems taller. Their relationship
exaggerates their height difference. The same occurs in the illustrations
on the right, where the first inner circle looks smaller in the second
illustration just because of the size of the circles surrounding them.

Proportion is the size relationship of the parts of the object compared to the whole object, for example
the size of your head compared to the rest of your body. It can also refer to the size relationship
between two connected objects like a cup and a saucer. Proportion refers to the correctness of the
size of these parts when compared to each other. Look at the following drawings – state what is not
in proportion in each drawing, as well as what the effect of this is:
1 2 Figure 1:……………………………..
. . ………………………………………..
………………………………………..
Figure 2:……………………………..
……………………………………......
………………………………………..
Figure 3:……………………………..
3 4 ………………………………………..
. . ………………………………………..
Figure 4:……………………………..
………………………………………..
……………………………………......
………………………………………..

Artists and designers distort the proportions of their subject matter to convey meaning. An example of
this is Michelangelo’s “Pieta” sculpted in 1501. The subject matter consists of Mary, Jesus’ mother,
mourning and crying, holding the dead body of Jesus on her lap. Now imagine this practically – a
woman holding a grown man’s body on her lap – that would look amusing! Yet Michelangelo solved
this design problem by distorting the proportions of Mary’s body. He increased the size and length of
her body, yet disguised this by showing huge folds in the clothing she was wearing. Her head is the
right size yet her hands are nearly double the size. They say if Mary had to stand up that she would
be about nine feet tall!

Artifact Publications and Training 2015 91