Proportions without the grid: check with AR and the 82 overlays
A single-session lesson that replaces the slow hand-ruled grid with two faster proportion tools: an AR trace on real paper, and the free web tool's proportion overlays. Students trace a subject once, verify it against a Loomis head or golden-ratio overlay to find exactly where a proportion drifted, then redraw the subject freehand with that one correction in hand.
Why skip the hand-drawn grid
The classic grid method works, but ruling a numbered grid across a sketch eats time and covers the drawing in lines students then have to erase. This lesson swaps that for two tools that check proportion without the ink. The first is the free web tool — free forever, browser-only, and private, because the reference image is never sent anywhere. Drop one of its 82 overlays, such as the Loomis head or the golden ratio, over a reference and it shows the underlying proportions at a glance.
The second is AR tracing — a separate paid app that does the one thing a browser can't: lock a reference over the student's real paper through the phone camera so they hand-draw the proportions on the page. The free tier gives three AR traces of the student's own photo each month plus all 82 grids, which covers this lesson's single guided trace. See AR drawing explained for how the two fit together: free web overlays for checking on screen, the app for tracing onto paper.
Learning objectives
By the end of the session, students will:
- Use an AR trace to capture a subject's proportions on real paper without ruling a grid
- Overlay a Loomis head or golden-ratio guide on a reference to test where proportions land
- Name the single proportion in their drawing that drifts most from the overlay
- Redraw the subject freehand and correct that one proportion from memory
- Explain why an overlay checks proportion faster than a hand-drawn grid does
Standards alignment
- VA:Cr2.1.7aDemonstrate persistence in developing skills with various materials, methods, and approaches in creating works of art or design.
- VA:Cr3.1.7aReflect on and explain important information about personal artwork in an artist statement or another format.
- VA:Re8.1.7aInterpret art by analyzing art-making approaches, the characteristics of form and structure, and relevant contextual information.
Materials
- One internet-connected device per student or pair to open the free web tool and its proportion overlays
- At least one phone per small group with the Grid Maker Pro AR app installed (Android; iOS planned) — the free tier is enough for the guided trace
- A phone stand, book, or binder to hold the phone steady over the paper
- Plain drawing paper, pencils, and erasers per student — but no rulers for the drawing itself
- A simple portrait or clear object reference per group; a front-facing head suits the Loomis overlay, a landscape or still life suits the golden-ratio overlay
Lesson sequence
Trace, verify, redraw
55 minutesPut two portraits on screen: one with the eyes drawn too high on the head, one correct. Ask which looks off and why. Most students feel the wrong one is wrong but can't say what broke — the eye line sits above the halfway point instead of on it. Name the lesson's promise: instead of hand-ruling a grid to find that, we will drop a proportion overlay on the reference and let it point straight at the problem.
- (3 min) Groups pick a reference and prop the phone on a stand over the paper, camera down.
- (3 min) Open the AR trace, calibrate to the page, and lock the reference over the paper. Remind students the trace runs entirely on the device — nothing is uploaded.
- (9 min) Students hand-draw the main shapes and a few landmarks through the phone: the outline and, for a head, the eyes, nose, and mouth. No grid, no ruler — just the shapes they see locked in place.
- (4 min) In the free web tool, students load the same reference and drop the fitting overlay: the Loomis head for a portrait, or the golden-ratio overlay for a landscape or still life.
- (6 min) They line the overlay to the reference and read where their traced drawing agrees and disagrees. Does their eye line sit on the overlay's halfway line? Does the main subject fall near a golden-ratio intersection, or off to one side?
- (4 min) Each student writes down the single proportion that drifts most from the overlay. One correction, clearly named — that is what carries into the redraw.
- (2 min) Phones and overlays away. Fresh paper, no grid.
- (8 min) Students redraw the subject freehand, holding the whole proportion in their head and deliberately fixing the one drift the overlay revealed. The point is a drawing that is right because the student now sees the proportion, not because a grid held their hand.
- Which proportion did the overlay catch that your eye alone missed?
- Did the freehand redraw fix it, or did the old habit creep back?
- Was the overlay faster than ruling a grid would have been? What did you gain, and what did you give up?
To keep practising, students can open any of the 82 overlays in the free tool and check their own sketchbook drawings the same way.
Assessment rubric
4-point scale per criterion:
| Criterion | 4 — Mastery | 3 — Proficient | 2 — Developing | 1 — Beginning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trace capture | Trace records proportions cleanly, no grid | Trace captures most proportions | Trace is partial or careless | Trace unusable for checking |
| Overlay verification | Aligns overlay and names the exact drift | Aligns overlay, names a drift | Aligns overlay but reads it loosely | Cannot read the overlay |
| Freehand redraw | Redraw corrects the drift and holds proportion | Corrects the drift mostly | Attempts the correction | Redraw repeats the error |
| Reflection | Explains overlay vs. grid trade-off clearly | Names one clear trade-off | Vague reflection | No reflection offered |
Extensions
- Two overlays, one reference: Advanced students check the same portrait against both the Loomis head and a rule-of-thirds overlay to see structure and placement at once.
- No trace at all: Repeat the arc without the AR trace — draw freehand first, then verify against the overlay. Compare which order taught the proportion better.
- Differentiation: Students who need support use a clear front-facing head with the Loomis overlay; advanced students take a three-quarter view where the overlay fits less neatly and judgment matters more.
- Cross-disciplinary (math): Connect the golden-ratio overlay to ratio and the number 1.618, and have students measure whether the overlay's divisions really match that ratio on their reference.
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