Proportion and Scale
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| proportion/prəˈpɔːʃn/ | A part's size relative to a whole, or the relative sizes of quantities being compared. |
| scale/skeɪl/ | The size of something, especially in relation to other objects, its surroundings or an intended viewer. |
| hierarchical scale/haɪəˈrɑːkɪkl skeɪl/ | hierarchical scale |
| golden ratio/ˈɡəʊldn ˈreɪʃɪəʊ/ | A historic guide to pleasing proportions. |
Size relationships
- Proportion 比例 is the size relationship between the parts of a work.
- Scale 尺度 is the size of an element relative to something else.
- Both control how big things feel.
Proportion is the size relationship between the parts of a work.
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Proportion compares the sizes of parts within a work.
Hierarchical scale
- Hierarchical scale 等级比例 makes the most important element the largest.
- Ancient art often drew rulers larger than servants.
- Size can show importance, not just real-world measurement.
Proportion: the figure is about 7.5 heads tall
Proportion or scale?
Sort each example as about proportion (parts within) or scale (relative to outside).
Making the most important figure the largest, ignoring real size, is called ____ scale.
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Hierarchical scale uses size to show importance.
Select all true statements.
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The first three are correct; scale strongly affects how a work feels.
Match each term to its meaning.
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Proportion = within; scale = relative; hierarchical = importance.
Distortion and the golden ratio
- Exaggerated or distorted proportion can express emotion or draw attention.
- The golden ratio 黄金比例 is a historic guide to pleasing proportions.
- Changing scale can make a work feel monumental or intimate.
A historic guide to pleasing proportions is the ____ ratio.
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The golden ratio guides pleasing proportions.
Proportion (parts within a work) and scale (relative to something outside) are related but distinct. A figure can have realistic proportion yet be shown at a huge scale on a giant canvas. Changing either dramatically alters how the work feels.
In an ancient wall painting, the king is drawn far larger than his servants. Their real sizes are ignored — the hierarchical scale uses size to show importance, telling the viewer instantly who matters most.
Proportion is the size relationship among parts; scale is size relative to something else. Hierarchical scale uses size to show importance. Distorted proportion expresses emotion, and the golden ratio is a historic guide to pleasing proportions.
Write from a bottle of 20 cm and an apple of 8 cm
- In the photo the bottle is 20 cm tall and the apple is 8 cm tall.
- On the page the apple is drawn larger than the bottle.
A photo shows a bottle 20 cm tall and an apple 8 cm tall. The drawing makes the apple larger than the bottle. What relationship is wrong?
Eight is less than 20, so the apple should read as smaller.
What is wrong in the drawing?
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The apple is 8 cm and the bottle is 20 cm, so the apple should look smaller.