25
Mar
Phi-nding the Golden Ratio
The Golden Ratio can be used to enhance your scrapbook pages.
Basically, the golden ratio is the combination of two lengths, such that the length of the two added together divided by the longer or the two is the same as the longer divided by the smaller. This works out to a proportion of 1.618 (it repeats forever, like Pi) and is called “Phi,” using the greek letter to denote it.
Philosophers, and more importantly for us, artists have been fascinated by phi for over 2500 years. Leonardo da Vinci uses phi when he draws the human body and the face. The pyramids of Egypt demonstrate the golden rule. A rectangle that uses this ratio can be the start of a beautiful spiral; if you take away the largest possible square on one side of the rectangle, the rectangle that remains is also of this same ratio; you can continue taking the squares away until you run out of rectangle.
The golden rectangle gives us a means to measure a pleasing asymmetry, such as that used by these interior designers.
But what does this mean for you? Encouragingly, the two photo shapes we most likely use are 3×5 and 4×6; if we crop them slightly to 3×4.85 and 4×6.4, we’ll be using the golden ratio for those shapes. And in those photos, look at where the most interesting point is. Or use the shape as a background for your page; seven and a half inches from one side of a 12×12 sheet will result in a golden rectangle. Or use it to compare a photo and the journaling block next to it; if the photo is 4.85 inches wide, you could do a journalling square of 3 inches to the side of it and be using the golden rule.
Give it a try 
You might find yourself in the company of da Vinci.
