Brenda Santoyo MATH 1030 Final Project Draft November 19, 2013

Mathematics and Art are two concepts that have held a long historic relationship with one another. Ancient artists believed that mathematics were the over-encompassing aspect of the physical world and were convinced that art could be explained in the same terms. As a person, who intends to pursue a career in illustration and has practiced it for ten years, I realize that mathematics plays a key role in my potential profession. The most important aspects in an art profession involve symmetry, proportion, mathematics, and the golden ratio to draw the most accurate, realistic portraits of a models face. The theory of the golden ratio consists of the culmination of Dr. Stephen Marquardts facial mask and Leonardo Da Vincis rule of thirds. Marquardts facial mask presents itself as a geometric beauty mask to create the perfect face in terms of the golden ratio and phi: 1.618. For the perfect face Da Vincis rule of thirds is noted as a guideline for the creation of proportionate designs, paintings, and photographs through the use of two equal vertical as well as horizontal lines. Examples of the golden ratio (left) and the rule of thirds for facial proportions (right) are presented below:

As a self-taught and seemingly talented artist, I never used the traditional methods or golden ratio technique old artists used to create accurate portraiture. For the past decade I have

used an adaptation similar to the rule of thirds as my method of choice. As such, I wanted to propose an experiment to test if my methods or if the textbook methods such as the golden ratio are more beneficial for me as a future illustrator. Which method is better? What flaws do each of these methods possess? To test this hypothesis, I wanted to create two contrasting portraits and survey a random selection of people, as possible customers, to choose which they prefer. One portrait presents the methods I use and the other represents the technical methods from the golden ratio. The two portraits are included below:

I chose to present this survey to a total of 35 people on a local and seemingly national level. I presented these two examples to people in person and online. According to my results, thirteen participants or 37% of the people in the survey preferred my method and style of the face. They believed that the inequalities in my portrait had a different style, and added an overall unique quality to the piece. However, 43% or fifteen other volunteers believed otherwise, and ultimately chose the golden ratio. They came to the conclusion that the golden ratio portrait had more equal dimensions and appeared more realistic. This can be traced back to the notion that

society seeks perfection in every aspect of reality especially the faces we see in the world. Finally, there were a number of people, seven, who thought that both are good examples of the perfect face. It seems that only 20% out of the 35 participants found a happy median between the two examples. An illustration for the survey is presented below:

Beauty Mask Rule of Thirds Both

By the end of the survey, a seemingly equal number of people had a definite preference in one method or the other. Furthermore, a decent number of people preferred either method. I came to that realization that I should use both methods to become more versatile in my future trade. With the use of both techniques, I can appeal to a larger demographic. In conclusion, I have gained a valuable amount of information from this survey to make an educated and more beneficial decision for my career. Through this experiment, I have built on constructive criticism and feedback to better myself as an artist. Improving and honing my skills as a result of this survey will serve to help me on a more professional and personal level.

Bibliography "Archetype Theory." Weblog post. Beauty Analysis. Marquardt Beauty Analysis, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. "Human Beauty and the Golden Ratio." Golden Number. Phi, 1.618: The Golden Number, 31 May 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2013. "Proportion, Golden Ratio and Rule of Thirds." Weblog post. UVU. Utah Valley University, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2013.