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Year 9 - Art and design

Principles of art: proportion

The principles of art

Unit Summary

This unit expands pupils understanding of the foundations of creative practice, building on knowledge of the elements of art, to now explore more complex principles. This will deepen understanding of how artists use these principles to question the world around them and communicate their ideas.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to create a drawing using proportions and distort them for effect.

Key Notes

  • Proportion in Western art is the size and relation of different parts in a piece of art to each other
  • Western ideas of proportion can aid in drawing mathematically and accurately, but they can embed ideas of the 'norm'
  • Rules of proportion change depending on the culture
  • We can play with proportion to create new ways of looking at a subject

Vocabulary To Learn

  • proportion: the way different sized elements relate to each other
  • stylised: drawn or made in a special way that changes how it usually looks, to fit a certain style.
  • stereotype: a simple (and often incorrect) idea or image of what all people from a particular group are like.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Proportions are set rules and always apply

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Proportion in Western art is the size and relation of different parts in a piece of art to each other. Western ideas of proportion can aid in drawing mathematically and accurately, but they can embed ideas of the 'norm'.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'proportion'

the way different sized elements relate to each other.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Proportions are set rules and always apply. Correction: Proportions are relative to the unique form you are observing. They relate to the different sizes of the different parts but may be different for each person, place or object.

More Lessons In This Unit

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