Thursday, May 28, 2009

Use Eye Width To Determine Facial Characterisitcs In Canon Of Beauty

The Canon of Beauty gives the artist a way of determining length, width and projection of facial features based on the normal values of symmetry. Using the transverse width of one eye can give you the measurements for all other facial features. This article will give you a basic overview as to use eye width to determine facial characteristics in the Canon of Beauty for Restorative Art.








Instructions


1. To begin, you will measure the width of the human eye from inner canthus to outer canthus and record the measurement in inches. Using a tape measure can sometimes be more efficient if you are unable to read the ruler due to depressions in the face. So for an example in this article we will say the eye width is two inches from inner to outer canthus. To start finding for other features, you must remember the basics of the Canon. The face is five eyes wide, the nose is one eye wide, and the mouth is two eyes wide. The ear width is two thirds its length, and is also one third of the total face length. The face is subdivided into three main compartments, with the lower third being further subdivided into thirds. Each third of the lower third of the face has a line of division as follows: base of the nose, line of mouth closure and base of the chin.








2. Say you want to find the width of the face. To do so, you must multiply the width of the eye by five. So with the example of two inches from above, this would make the width of the face 10 inches wide. Since the width of the face is two thirds its length, see if you can find for the length. Now, to find the width of the mouth. Multiply the eye width of two inches by two, as the mouth is two eyes wide. Your answer should be 4 inches. This measurement is from the extreme end of the line of closure on each side of the mouth. Now these computations will not be exact on all persons, as not every face is perfect according to the Canon. But, this will give you a basis as to model when you have an idea where to begin. The ear is two eyes long, so if the eye is 2 inches, your ear should be 4 inches long. Since the ear width is two thirds its length, the width of the ear should be 2.67 inches across at the widest point. Now that you know the length of the ear, we will move on to the face length.


3. To find for the length of the face, you must know the length of the ear. Since we know the ear is 4 inches long, and that the face is 3 ears long, this is how we will compute this equation. Multiply the length of the ear, which is 4 inches, by 3. We do this by three because the face is three ears long. Your answer should be 12 inches. So the face is 12 inches long, and the width again, from above is 10 inches. This is not a perfect face according to the Canon. So again, you see this will give you a starting point for your modeling of any feature.


4. I will again list the facial computations used for all facial characteristics, as you have completed all that are necessary for modeling. Try measuring your own face to see how you measure up to the Canon of Beauty. Face Length= divided into three subdivisions, and also three ears long.Face Width= two thirds of face lengthEar Length= one third of face lengthEar Width= two thirds ear lengthEye Width= nose base, or one fifth face width, or half of mouth widthMouth Width= Two eyes wide


5. If you are looking for length, which is the larger of the two measurements of width and length, multiply the known measurement by 3, and then divide by 2. If you are looking for width, the smaller of the two measurements, multiply your known measurement by 2 and then divide by 3. This will always give you the correct measurement if the known measurement is correct to begin with. Finding the ear length for example, you would take the width, which is 2.67 inches, and multiply it by three, then divide by two, and your answer should be 4 inches. This is the same answer we came up with in step 2. So you can always double check your work using these computations.

Tags: should inches, Canon Beauty, eyes wide, answer should, answer should inches, ears long, inches long