Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
view. As we position the figure on the picture plane, we will continue to consider how the lines flow through
the pose and adjust the position as needed to get the best possible result.
The Golden Rectangle: Ancient Secret, Timeless Tool
Before we position the figure on the canvas, we need to determine the proportion and resolution of that can-
vas. I avoid using the default ZBrush document because the resolution is too low for the best results and the
overall proportion is not as pleasing as possible. We will resize the document to be a higher resolution and a
more pleasing proportion and create a pleasing base document using a golden rectangle.
The golden rectangle has gone by many names: you will find it called golden section or golden ratio. The
golden spiral is derived from its shape. It is one of the fundamental ratios of measurement in nature and has
been a secret of designers, builders, and artists since the dawn of civilization. It is a powerful and often mis-
understood tool. I hope to give you some insights in this section on how it can be applied to your work as a
designer. While the golden rectangle is referenced often in graphic design, I rarely find examples of how it
can be practically applied to other kinds of design—especially sculpture and figure studies. I hope to offer
some examples here of how the rectangle can be used to help us proportion a figure and place it pleasingly
on the image plane of an illustration.
In a nutshell, the golden rectangle is a rectangle that can be divided into a square and a smaller rectangle.
The smaller rectangle has the same aspect ratio as the original larger rectangle. Figure 4-14 illustrates this.
Here we see that the length of the smaller rectangle divided by its width is equal to the length of the larger
rectangle divided by its width, a ÷ b = (a + b) ÷ a. The ratio of the larger to the smaller side of each rectangle
is known as the golden ratio. This rectangular ratio is found in nature as well as in art and design. A 35mm
film frame is very close to a golden rectangle.
The importance of this rectangle is that it provides an extremely visually pleasing ratio. This shape has
been exploited by artists and designers for centuries as an internal measure for the relationship between parts
of a figure or image as well as a basis for the proportion of the image plane itself. By composing inside
a golden rectangle, many artists feel they are starting off with a proportionally beautiful window through
which the viewer is asked to look.
It may seem like a strange thing to consider a simple ratio “beautiful.” Keep in mind this proportional
relationship is found throughout nature and was adopted by artists in the ancient world. They believed that
perfect beauty was found in balance and harmony and that nature expressed the highest manifestations of
this. By bringing the rules of proportion from the natural world into their work, these artists hoped to imbue
their art with a touch of the same perfection they found in nature.
Remember that within any golden rectangle is a smaller golden rectangle, and within that rectangle is
another, and so on ( Figure 4-15 ) . The smaller rectangle can be divided over and over to create an infinite
nest of golden rectangles ( Figure 4-16 ).
Figure 4-14: A golden rectangle in its simplest form
 
 
 
 
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