Light sources

[Otter]

I\'m relatively new to mini painting and am still working on setting up a good rig. Thanks to those that took the time to write up and post some great articles!

One thing that is problematic for me is lighting. I\'ve tried everything but tikki torches. Right now I have four desk lights spaced around a kitchen table... it\'s fairly well-lit, but a tad warm. After a few hours of painting it\'s like I\'m sitting on the surface of the sun.

The recent addition to my lighting setup is an \"Ott-Lite\" natural sunlight lamp, a cheaper version of Sharper Image\'s natural lighting products. It\'s a HUGE improvement over standard desk lamps, but it\'s bloody expensive and the replacement bulbs will run the cost through the roof over time. This means that I\'m stickin\' with only the one for the time.

If I have missed an article on lighting or a past forum on this very topic, or if anyone has suggestions for how to make a bright setup without catching my hair on fire, I\'d appreciate the advice.

- Otter
\"Never send a ferret to do a weasel\'s work\"

 

[Infidel Castro]

What I do is this...

Hi Otter,

My usual trick is to paint in daylight hours (as I paint for a living nowadays - just gets me by). What I do is arrange for the room to have a window to my right, a normal ceiling light above me but just off centre so I don\'t obscure my view by blocking out that extra light. Then on my left and elevated I have a daylight lamp so that I effectively have three sources of light of which only one is a special lamp...the other two are either natural and free or part of your everyday lighting. This way you won\'t get too hot and your paint will survive for longer on the palette!

It works for me anyway.

Phil

 

[finn17]

If you are not in the UK, I can\'t really help. Painting/modelling lights are ludicrously expensive. The best I have found however is a unit available from \'Machinemart\' which incorporates a high quality magnifiing glass and a circular flourescent tube. It\'s not perfect but i can wholeheartedly recommend it. I don\'t know if \'Machinemart\' exist outside of the UK however.

 

[Badaab]

I use a standard 60w desklamp with a daylight bulb. And, when I can, I paint during the daylight hours (my desk is right in front of a window), but as its in the basement, those hours are fleeting (between 7 and 11 am)

Joe

 

[Otter]

Light Issues

Thanks for the feedback!!! (I\'m also trying to get a feel for the community, and these posts were helpful in that way, too.)

So it looks like community opinion strongly favors daylight? Unfortunately, I can\'t paint often during daylight hours. The Ott-Lite lamp is great simulated daylight - They\'re selling at the big-name office supply stores, so sneak a mini in and check at the difference in colors under the light as opposed to the store florescents. The difference is pretty significant.

I\'ll stick with the desk lamps for the current, I suppose. It\'s probably pointless to try and avoid eyestrain when painting things the size of a nickle anyhow.

(Edit) I have never heard of the \'Machinemart\' brand but I will keep an eye out for it.

- Otter
\"Never send a ferret to do a weasel\'s work\"

 

[Lai]

i prefer to paint during daylight but when i can\'t i use a 50W halogen light,it brings a little of reflection but when you get used to it is perfect and cheap

 

[Coyote]

I\'ve been working under a single, adjustable florescent. I like the fact that it\'s 6 inches long, spreading the light out a bit.

This is because I\'ve setup a temporary painting station in my living room. Normally I have two lights, 1 with a GE reveal bulb, the other my florescent.

When not in daylight I find the best place to check the colours in in my bathroom. It\'s also good to look at the miniature in a mirror, as it gives you a new perspective on it, letting you know if what you did pops like you want it to, or if it falls flat.

 

[supervike]

Excellent suggestion!

Checking your mini out in a mirror is a great idea.

I used to do that when I drew alot. And it works well for mini\'s also.

Plus a bathroom is usually well lit.

 

[vincegamer]

Some lighting facts

There are 3 common types of light on the market: incandescent, fluorescent and halogen.

Incandescent: your standard light bulb.
Pros - good light spectrum (GE has some that claim to simulate natural light, though I couldn\'t find CRI on the packaging), low UV light (over time could cause pigments to fade) and cheap.
Cons - low UV means high IR a.k.a. HOT.
Also usually don\'t put out a lot of foot candles.

Fluorescent: long tubes, sometimes curled to take the place of standard bulbs.
Pros - Low IR. If heat is your problem, these will help. Ott-Lite is a special type of bulb, which all reports say is great though I don\'t have one so can\'t say personally. It\'s great because it has a CRI of 95-98. CRI stands for Color Rendering Index. Most fluorescents fall around 60-70 CRI. Incandescents more like 75-80. The sun has a CRI of 100, so 98CRI means 98% of the colors show.
Cons - fluorescents put off a lot of UV. Not good for lighting your display cabinet as it will fade the colors quickly. Also not good if you have Lupus as you may be sensitive. Cheap ones will make everything look blue. In the case of the Ott-lite, expensive.
(side note: if you have fluorescent lighting in your house [mandated in the US] when you replace the bulbs look for ones with CRI around 85. Not much more expensive but your home will look much nicer)

Halogen - common in torchiers, small, bright bulb.
Pros - puts off a lot of light. Not sure what the CRI is but the footcandles are amazing.
Cons - Hella hot! I think I heard once that halogen lamps fall just behind smoking in bed as sources of house fires. Also, do not touch the bulb with your bare hand, as you will leave oils on it which will superheat and cause the bulb to explode.

So my advice is to keep working with the Ott. It should be enough on its own, but if you feel the need for more, I\'d get another (check ebay). If that\'s too expensive, replace the bulbs in your other lamps with daylight bulbs. Won\'t help the heat problem though.

 

[smokey]

Lighting? what is this lighting you speak of?

I use a florescent magnifying lamp on the right side of my table (available at office depot under the brand name Nautilus) a regular incandescent desk design lamp on the left side of my table (Both are mounted on articulted arms, allowing me to position them as I want) and a window front and center. The incandescent brings out yellows and earth tones, the florescent hits the darker, bluish tones, and the window is natural. I also don\'t get much time to paint during daylight, tho, so most of my work has just two light sources.

Smokey

 

[SaxonAngel]

For painting...

A 65 watt \"plant gro n show\" full spectrum floodlight by General Electric. It costs me about $3 Canadian. It\'s in a $18 IKEA \"Tertial\" Lamp. It casts some shadow if I don\'t adjust it properly, but I keep it about 2 feet above my work space. Take a peek at my workspace in it\'s usual state of disorder to get an idea.
http://www.blackmoor.ca/blackmoorimages/myworkspace.jpg


Hope that helps.
Peace!:innocent:

 

[Chrispy]

I use a daylight bulb also and trust me, it\'s a cheap investment for great lighting! It\'s nice to see someone else\'s workspace, Saxon Angel.. I work best on a clean surface, but my table never is clear.