Divi & Frey

When planning an illustration there are many composition theories that can be applied. One of my favourite is ‘the Golden Ratio’. Some times referred to a ‘Di Vinci’s Golden Section’ or ‘Golden Spiral’. That is Leonardo Di Vinci not the Mutant Ninja Turtle. “The Golden Proportion is considered as the most pleasing to human visual sensation and not limited to aesthetic beauty but also be found its existence in natural world through the body proportions of living beings, the growth patterns of many plants, insects and also in the model of enigmatic universe” (Akhtaruzzaman & Shafie 2011) This image from book 2 of the Samurai vs Ninja series is based on a double ‘Golden Ratio’ spiral composition. Calculating the Golden Ration is very involved and there numerous complex mathematical models are available in print or online. But to keep it simple the ration roughly works out as 1:1.6. This works a grid of rectangles is formed based on the short length of the rectangle being multiplied by 1.6 to give the longer length. Once you had one grid calculated it is simp a mater of ceasing a series of rectangles that for a grid pattern. Each of the intersection or grid line form strong focal points in an illustration. A spiral can be plotted through the intersecting lines. In this diagram you can see the spirals have been overlaid on the grids and I have rotated the 1st grid (and spiral) 180 degrees to create a complimentary balance from one page to the next. The resulting focal point and elements of the illustration that imply the spiral as shown above. So why have I bother to use this technique in such detail? This image is printed in black and white on a small page. I wanted to give a scenes of chaos while maintaining easy readability. The section of battle on the left hand page is cluttered and the characters body become merged together. I have used the spiral to guide the readers eye into the image. On the right hand page I wanted the battle to focus on the fight between the 2 main characters (brothers) Buta-sama and Kingyo-sama. The centre of this spiral leads down to the clash of their weapons. As the spirals are arranged in this way. the eye of the reader is guided form one spiral to the other in an endless loop. For more in-depth reading on he subject I recommend looking at Akhtaruzzaman,Md & Shafie, A.A, 2011.Geometrical Substantiation of Phi, the Golden Ratio and the Baroque of Nature, Architecture, Design and Engineering, International Journal of the Arts, 1(1), p1-22