Proportional Systems 20
Proportionol Systems I t I I \,. I'ti t rr\
length to or 2engrena0n25hewptodproces he length of the sternum in fact equals the y a chosen unit relates to YaeeeP9na9hesnocerbode.c eenremuaehngetap8ieioe ength of the midale lied by ten or the c6heengno9beeaosmeengmcd upper arm.or humerus.Three ngth of the sternum of the foot (the dis- poay.A ng of the 3ioata9neroomhe te8r0or9ee9ro0esisiowokasmch erve that the length of nand numbers and those harmoniou 2
Ihese boxes ore bosed on the lenglh af the slernum. ^lale lhe relallonship af lhis lenglh la alhet I n drowing, the fgure s bu I oul ol mosses I lhol hove o relofonsh p io eoch oiher:Th 5s acLect propodons n o ploportono sYslem _-re ori st con use whotever porl of lhe bocly ^? kes os o lnl of meosure Then he need :- y anol\/?e how lhh chosen unil Ie oles 10 :: erpodsofthe body The onc enl EgYpl ons _:c o propodionol system thoi \das bosed on -,. englh ol lhe midd e fnger opp colions :: rhh syslem oso occur n cerToin exompes :'Greek orl Accordng 10 lhs syslern, the :^qih ofihe midd e fngermuli p ed by n ne' _:.n equos the heght of ihe figure The :^glh of ihe hond muiplied by ien or the :^glh oi ihe looi muLl p ed by sx a so op- : .x moies lhe heghiof on o\€roge hlmon ri l're deveoped lhe drowing shown here, '. a.eongelo wos evdeniy lhnkng of lhe :_!i1 of lhe knee ond how il le oies lo lhe :-: formsoflhe body Afler correcl y render :-e porlsoitheknee n ine, M cheongelo :::eeded to odd lght ond shode-noie - :' -e ght in lhis drowing comes from the =' .-i iowqrd the fronl ol lhe liglrre -: nlerest ng lo observe lholihe engih oi -:.39,ihoi s,lhedisloncefromlhetopoi -: ::-rmon lendon, (4, of lhe quodrlceps -,:: . io ihe knee ng polnl, or tuberc e oi -: -: . lBl, equa s the enerlh of lhe br,aosibone, or sternum, minus lhe xiphod process, wh ch s ocoied ot lhe boliom of lhe siern! m The lenglh oflhe slernum nlocleqLrolslhe longlh of selerc oiher seclions of lhe onoiomy For exompe, l eqlols the ength of The clovcLe, the lengih ol lhe shoulder blode, or scop! o,lhe d slonce belween lhe scopu oe, the lenglh of lhe hand m nus lhe tp of lhe th rd f nger ond lhe w dth oi ihe heod n oddton, ihe siernol lenglh mutpled one ond o ho f limes equa slhe lenglh ofihe heod (from the top of the sku io the boliom ollhechin)ond the englh ollhe foreorm The slernolengih doubed eqLrols ihe engih ol lhe r b cooe,ihe oppfox mole u/ dih oiihe fli) coge oi iis wdesl poinl ond ihe engTh ofihe upper orm, or humerus Ihree iimes ihe lenglh oilhe siernurn eqlo sihe Lengrih oltte lhigh os\de os lhe lenglh ofihe egwihlhe fool, lhal s, the heighl oi ihe fooi (ihe dis lonce from ihe onke io lhe groLlndl Ho\,e ),ou evercompleled o drow ng oiihe figure only io fnd lhoi lhe head is ioo srno , ihe orm s ioo long, oI the body sloo wide? The cure for these problems s lo work os much osyou con wth proporions, The oncienlorT sis of Greece lo\,ed lo work wlh meosure ments ond numbers ond those hormon oLrs numbersloundihe rwoy inlothe re oi onships of lhe forms of lhe lgure
Proportions Used by Renaissance Artists yoencntr gurs in sae o reining ment A)Them Artists of the Renaissance were fond of The third measure physis pubisD)theitth from the crotch to the person:and the head length multiplied knee (F):the seventh from the knee to te fomnee88ohSe。9ego9n8eo tom of the foot (H). length of the head and trunk does not vary so the distance much.Therefore,adjustments in height were
Proportions Ued by Renoissonce Artists 'iat H ' Qy underrtondng the reoionshrps beglween fofms in a siond nq f qLrfe you w hove a beller deo of whot io expecl when lou encounler fglres in seoted or €clinng Arlisis of ihe Reno ssonce were fond of Lrsing ihe englh of Jhe heod os o uni of meosure The engih of Jhe heod mulip ed seven ond one hof lmes equo/s lhe loto he ghiof on a\eroge liguretlhe heod lengih mulliplied by eghl equoh lhe heighloJo loll personr ond the heod lenglh mulllp/ied roughly by seven equo s lhe he ghl ol o shod ndviduol. Renossonce orlsh usualy used eghi heods as o meosuremenl simpy becouse il s eosier 10 subdivde eighl lhon se\,en ond o holf. Ofcourse nolo lrnodeho€ ihe some height D screpdncy n heighl in mosT insionces, occurs n the o\^€r limbsrlhe lengih oilhe heod ond lnrnkdoes not\ilryso much. Thelefore, odjuslments nheghlwefe usuolly mode n the ower lmbs According io lhs system of meosuremenf, ihe heod lself consiitules the irst meosure meni (A). The second meosuremenl h the dlslance beireen lhe chin ond ihe nppes (B) The third meosuremeni s lhe d slonce from lhe n pp es io the e\€ ol the no\,e (C)rihe iourlh from the no\€l lo ihe crolch, or symphys s publs (D)jthe Rfih fforn ihe crolchloihe leve of lhe mddle ol ihe ihigh (E)r lhe sixth from lhe midd e ol lhe lhigh lo ihe le\,e of the knee (D; lhe se\,enfh from lhe knee lo lhe m dde ol ihe ower eg (G)j ond the eighfh from lhe mlddle of the ower leg io the bol tom of the foot (H) I yo! oppy lhe englh of lhe heod to lhe w dihs oisorne oi ihe mossesolihe figufe, ),ou con see lhol lhe length ol one heod equa s lhe d slonce be veen the nipples os we os lhe d slonce ocross the \ro si, One ond one hol heod engihs equo lhe
proportions tional systems that have o the bolttom ofn ine parts or the angelo's our figure oy The estab ysenshctceognyhea ment of oints,or land- twice as large as that of Delilah
iLsiance beireen the ormpih os wellos the ,ldlh of lhe mo eh pevc massrlhe lemoeb seLvic rnoss ss ghllywidet the lengih of tu/o heods equoh ihe ds- '3nce ocross lh,a moe3 shouders; the =moeb shouders ore sighty norrov€t The .nglh of iv/o heods s o so equol to ihe lengih :i ilre lhigh. li so mhiokeio beg n drow ngiromlhelop :: ihe heod ond oliempl lo fn sh your drow_ -g of ihe bo1lom oi the fgLrre ojl n one ex :arion Lnsfeod, sketch n ihe poris of The 'j!re n o generolv/oy,lndicoing proporiions :_c ceslure, Th nk of ),our figure drow ng os o -.p on which yo! simpy v,/oni io pon ond :;coler ihe plocemenl of the porls of lhe .:dy lhe esloblishmenl of po nts, or lond -ark, ond the plocemenl of ines conneci _3 lfese poinls ore mportonl n poitng : aperproporijonsbetv€enlormsofthebody -: ,"r,. .iL-. y'6 you drow conlinuoly scon \,our subleci The lntroduclion ol bod proporlions resulls when you Look too long at ony given pan or deloll of lhe body n oddition to lhe propor lionol sysiems thot hove been d scussed here, why nolexplore ond come up wlh oiher relo_ uonships olyour own? The more reollonships thoi you conlind os you drow lhe more occu_ role your lgure wiL be. Proporiiono sy$ems shoLrld be lseful and comiodoble Mchei_ ongeos meoslrremenls oi ihe llgure ore ceorly differenl lrcm lhose ol soy E Greco The femoe fgu|e oi DeL oh ond the orger lg!re ofSornson tholyou hove been study ng here ore dfown occording io proporlionol syslems thal ore roughy ihe same I s ihe lengths ol lhe Lrnits of meosure lhal ore d i €leni noiice lhol the heod ol Sornson is i\r ce os lorge os lhol oi Delioh S,AMSON ANO DEUL AH 153A rcd chdlk loli t 15.!, 127 2 \ 395 ch)
Designing Forms he effective plocement of one objec in nd harm to form a larger unity 24
Designing Fonns Rhy'hm lines indi.ote lhe flaw ot .rD.Jenlenl within o drcwing ond rclote indiviluol figut$ ta the compositr, os o whole. The eftecllve plocemeni ot one obleci in I fe otonto onolheroblecf s\ery mporlonl in a work of orl. The lhings thot )ou leorn oboul drowing o sngle figure willo so be of help in composlng o piciule mode !p of group ngs of frgures. Juslos the€ is o geslule, or h)4hm, throughoulihe lorms lhol moke up o single flgure, there musl be a rhy,thm lhot connecls muliple imoges, In ihis drowing of Hercues engoged in d sporole octions, lhe gesfures of lhe ind! vlduolfgures biend hormoniousylo creoie o unif ed composillon Thoif hormonyof gestue couses the eye lo fow freely from one fgure lo onoiher Try io visuolize curved, ff owing lines thofconnecithe three f gufes in lhls drcwing. A good composilion ollen hos numerous fildhm hes runnlng ln mony different direclionr, Thus, ihe pods of o drawing ore never ireoied as bh ond pieces bul work iogether lo forrn o lorger lnljy