From about 4:25 – 5:19 in this video, fine art instructor Ken Campbell reveals one of his 6 keys to designing great art – using the golden mean a.k.a. golden ratio a.k.a. sacred cut a.k.a phi proportion ≈ 1.618 (or its inverse which is roughly 62% – close enough for most small art projects – in laying out design concepts.
The ratio of AB to BC in the illustration below is in golden ratio proportion. (This “Dividing a Line by the Golden Ratio” illustration is from page 156 of Sacred Geometry Design Sourcebook – Universal Dimensional Patterns. That page also shows – with simple step by step instructions – how to make a golden rectangle (a more familiar classic construction, perhaps) using only a straightedge and compass:
I was working on another project in the office when I overheard these comments in the fine art YouTube video noted above that my wife, Nancy, was watching as she brushes up (pun intended) on techniques. I reminded her that my golden ratio compass was available for her art toolkit. The one I purchased a couple of decades ago (from Now and Zen of Boulder, Colorado, (c) 1997) appears to be no longer available, and the one I featured last year seems to be currently unavailable.
However, here are a few variations of golden ratio calipers that should work well. A couple of them also have an arm that locates the midpoint of the smaller length, and in the metal one, that additional arm’s location is reversible, so it can locate the midpoint of the longer length.
If you have artwork (2D, 3D or whatever) inspired by sacred geometry, and particularly that uses the phi (golden ratio) proportion that you’d like me to consider featuring on this site, please contact me! I enjoy sharing creativity from a wide range of media and artistic styles.