Help please: what painting lamp should I buy?

Rob_S

Member
I have been taking painting seriously the last two years and lately have been frustrated by nightfall bringing my painting efforts to a halt. Artificial light just doesnt cut it.

I dont mind spending a bit on a hobby I love.

So esteemed forumites, what daylight lamp should I invest in? What's given you the best results?
 
I've used one of these for a while, doesn't actually say it's daylight light, but it's pretty close and gives a good even light. Base is heavy, main problem is the connection between the base and the stem which is a weak point :(
As you are in Oz I realise the UK store link is of limited use, but it gives you the idea!
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/p ... 308148.htm

Of course if you have recently won the lottery you could check out the offerings at http://www.seriousreaders.com/ which I'm told are very good, but I can't afford their prices!

Cheers, Laurence
 

Nico

Member
Ikea lamp first price : 4€
Day light price start at 8€ (France)

Two sources of light are better for painting (Day light or other) .

Bye Nico.
 

Naagruz

Member
I'll second what Nico said about two light sources.
I use a desklamp with a daylight bulb & a dual 46" fluorescent light that is about 4 feet over my workspace.
 

ardyer

Member
Naagruz":3d9iah9m said:
I'll second what Nico said about two light sources.
I use a desklamp with a daylight bulb & a dual 46" fluorescent light that is about 4 feet over my workspace.

And I'll third this and add that I've grown accustomed to three light sources! Pretty soon there will be a lamp arms race :lol:
 

Blue in VT

Moderator
I love the Ott light my parent gave me for Christmas....and I'll buck the trend and say it's the only light source I use.

Cheers,

Blue
 

Asslessman

Member
I use the TERTIAL lamp from IKEA (2 of them actually)

and I bought daylight bulbs (20€ for 3). I think it's actually not very expensive and once you start using good lighting you cannot go back (I recently tried and it was awful).


For real "Daylight" meaning a light which does not alter your colour perception, you're looking for a colour temperature close to 6000°K or 6500°K, you have to check the OCR is as close to 100% as you can (you can easily find some close to 90+) this is important because it means every colour of the spectre is here (unlike in some halogens or sodium lamps for instance)

When painting I usually use only one light source because it helps to get where lightings are neede. The seocnd one is here for photos or when I'm working on bigger models

This is probably not the best you can get but I've spent some time to get a good compromise and I have to say I'm really happy with these. Hope it helps.

Just a pic to show how I organised it so that I can take photpo easily as well :

2014-01-26+20.52.34.jpg
 

Skarsnik

Member
Rob_S":pj6as55e said:
Thanks for the advice guys.

I came across this on one of the painting blogs, perhaps it was Massive Voodoo. I am getting the impression that it's over the top? It's $200 US.

http://us.daylightcompany.com/product/daylight-triple-bright-lamp-32500/

I am going to hunt up some of those 6500 90+ globes and run two lamps at once.

I have that very same lamp and it's fantastic. It's like having your own personal sun. I can't recommend it highly enough.
 

Asslessman

Member
Rob_S":y0fgn8ji said:
I am going to hunt up some of those 6500 90+ globes and run two lamps at once.

I found mine on Amazon (link in previous post) but the week after that I found the same for even cheaper in my DIY store :mrgreen:

I'd be curious to try the 200$ one if it's that good, I thought my 24€ solution was good but a personnal sun is something to be considered :grin:
 

Naagruz

Member
Blue in VT":1arik92b said:
I love the Ott light my parent gave me for Christmas....and I'll buck the trend and say it's the only light source I use.

Cheers,

Blue
Hey Blue, which model do you use? I saw a couple at my local art store & am considering replacing my desk lamp with one.
 

Blue in VT

Moderator
My parents originally got me the really great floor stand lamp with the Magnifier and LED lights (from JoAnn Fabrics on line)...Very nice...but I did not get on with Mag well...it tired out my eyes to be refocusing all the time. So I returned that and found that they were having a sale where you could get a large stand floor lamp and a desk top model for $99.00...so I jumped on that. I use the big one for painting and we have the small one on a side table next to the couch for my wife to use while knitting or for me to use while cleaning up mold lines etc as I watch TV some nights. I've also heard that you can just buy OTTs light bulbs and put them into a cheaper fixture...but I have not tried this myself....since mine were a gift I'm perfectly happy to have the name brand fixture...it seems quite well put together.

These OTT lights are not as bright as some others but the quality and balance of the light somehow makes everything seem more detailed and clear....there is no glare...your eyes do not get tired of working under this light.

...ok...enough of a sales pitch...here is the link to the 2-for-1 sale: http://www.joann.com/ottlite-led-floor- ... 51550.html

Cheers,

Blue
 
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