Adjustable Proportional Divider and Art Caliper

Accurasee Artist 11 Inch Proportional Divider Adjustable Caliper

$9.99

9.6

Value/Pricing

9.5/10

Functionality

10.0/10

Usefulness

10.0/10

Durability/Quality

9.0/10

Pros

• A very useful tool for measuring proportions.
• Even without being able to adjust, it would still be better than a ruler. But with 16 positions, utility is even better
• Being able to quickly move from small to large and adjust on the fly is great.
• Price is also very good. Only $10 for something that is a handy tool for any artist
• Better than using a ruler or drawing a grid for proportions

Cons

• If you like the feel of "premium" or substantial tools, this isn't in that category. It is made of cheap feeling plastic. Which is appropriate, because the item is actually inexpensive. But still, good to know.
• The adjustment piece was not intuitive to use from my perspective. A quick look at the Amazon page details cleared it up, but I was afraid I might break it.

Go Check it Out

I just recently learned of these proportional dividers from a video by “The Paint Coach” Chris Fornataro. All this time, I’ve been using a ruler and multiplying the measurement in my head to help with portrait proportions. Yet this incredible solution had been sitting here the entire time! Well, regrets aside, I’m glad I finally got to use one of these things. As of this review, I’ve used it for three paintings and it’s helped a ton. My video review is much more useful in this case, because you can actually see this thing in action. But if you want to see more, check out some of my other videos where I’ve used this (Dragon Age and Elden Ring paintings)

If you don’t want to watch the video, the short version is that one side of the tool measures your reference, while the other side measures your painting surface. The center, which is adjustable, allows you to make the reference smaller and the painted/drawn image larger. I would find something like this useful even if it couldn’t be adjusted, but the fact that you can tweak the proportion scales is incredible. It’s massively more efficient than a ruler or grid. Although I just got this, it feels like it might be come a regular part of my toolkit that I use every time. Although I’m all about portraits of people, I could see this easily coming into play for any subject. For something so useful, it’s also surprisingly inexpensive – only about $10 for the version I purchased which is made by a company called Accurasee.

The only negative I could come up with is that it definitely doesn’t feel like a “premium” device. If you like to have tools and equipment that are substantial and feel like quality items, you might not like the feel of this one. Although it is, in point of fact, inexpensive…it also feels like cheap plastic. Again, because it is cheap plastic. Not an issue for me, especially considering how useful it is and how well it functions. But that might matter for some people. A somewhat related item of note is that the adjustment piece is not especially intuitive. I was worried I might break it, particularly because it’s just a little flimsy piece of plastic. A quick bit of research showed how to move that piece, so it wasn’t a huge deal though.

Manufacturer Description:

The Proportional Divider is a better solution for artists looking to achieve drawing and painting accuracy. This art tool allows you to transfer a drawing with the same scale. If you need to draw the subject a different size from the reference image this caliper tool is the best solution. Artists needs to approximate proportions and landmarks, and The Accurasee Proportional Divider does just that at a fraction of the $100-$300 price tag of high end dividers. Comes with detailed instructions as well as links to product demonstrations. The divider is made of plastic, but is a sturdy and has precise points for accurate measurements. This product is great for beginning and advanced artists. This is the perfect alternative to art projecting, gridding, or pencil measurement.

• NEWLY UPGRADED – Premium design with 30% more proportion choices and durable pointers. Must have artist measurement caliper: The Proportional Divider is not just for architects; it’s an invaluable drawing tool for artists! Alternative for drawing compass, drawing projector, and lucy drawing tool.
• PROPORTIONAL SCALE DIVIDER – Align your desired subject matter in the small end of the divider and transfer the spacing of the larger end to your drawing surface.
• EASY TO USE LAYOUT TOOL DIVIDER – Locking device makes it easy for you to keep the same scale for your drawing. Easy perspective drawing tool for drawing, painting, sketching.
• HIGH QUALITY DURABILITY – Convenient and economic artists tool for accurate measurement transfer. Precise tips allow for accurate measurement.
• PROTECTOR CASE – Our proportional divider comes with a durable tube to make it easy to store and travel with.