MyLeoNes™

Size and scale — Art, 7–10 years

The size of one thing compared with another can show distance, importance or how the parts belong together.

Comparing sizes

Scale means looking at the size of something compared with something else. A person can be smaller than a house but larger than a cat, while a close object may look bigger than a far one. Artists use these relationships instead of choosing every size separately.

Why scale is needed

Without scale, a picture can make a cup as large as a person or a distant mountain as large as a nearby tree. Artists needed a way to show how objects relate in the real scene, or to change their sizes on purpose when telling a story. Scale makes the choice understandable.

Drawing a dog and a cat

Suppose the dog should look twice as tall as the cat. Draw the cat 3 cm high. Measure 3 cm above the same baseline and mark the cat’s top; then make the dog’s mark 6 cm high. Add their bodies and legs up to those marks. Because 6 is twice 3, the size relationship is clear.

Bigger does not always mean more important

A common mistake is making the most important person the biggest in every picture. That seems sensible because bigger things catch our eyes. But size can also show distance, or simply match the real relationship between objects. If size is changed for importance, the artist should make that choice clear through the story or style.

Scale in the world

Maps use scale so a few centimetres can stand for many kilometres. Designers use it when fitting furniture, letters and pictures onto a page or screen. In animation and comics, changing a character’s size can show that it is far away, tiny, enormous or especially important in that moment.

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