Painting lamp

[BLACK BLΠFLY]

What do y’all recommend? It will go on my night stand.

[Scott_K]

I recommend 2 lamps with adjustable arms.  I use these - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-22-in-Matte-Black-Architect-Desk-Lamp-with-Adjustable-Arm-LAMP1EQBKR/202563427

 

As for bulbs, not only do you want sufficient brightness, but you also want high CRI (90+) and neutral color temperature (5,000 K).  I use these - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-40W-Equivalent-Daylight-5000K-A19-Dimmable-Exceptional-Light-Quality-LED-Light-Bulb-2-Pack-TA19-04550MDFH25-12DE26-1-12/304006418

[Firedrake Cordova]

You really want something with a bright bulb that has a colour temperature in the daylight range (c.6500K), and adjustable/poseable. I've seen a fair few people use the Ikea Tertial lamp with a 10-15W daylight LED bulb in it. There are also more sophisticated setups with strips of LED lights that are adjustable or more compact, but they're not necessarily necessary.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Firedrake Cordova

[Grotsmasha]

Cannot recommend one of these bad boys enough,

IIRC they come in different magnifications, 2x or 3x is spot on.

[Brother-Chaplain Kage]

This is what I use. It's not cheap, but it's nice. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083B894V8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Guest]

This is what I use. It's not cheap, but it's nice. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083B894V8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Got a Neatfi too they are nice.

[Cyrox]

I used some plastic trunking and LED strip to make a LED light arch (my desk is not normally that tidy ha!)

The trunking was cheap and the LED strip was about

[Arkhanist]

That's pretty awesome Cyrox, I like it! My desk does double duty though, so not being to put it away easily might be a pain.

 

I used to use an anglepoise lamp very similar to the ikea tertial, with a high lumens daylight CFL photographer bulb; these days you'd go LED. The downside of that setup is the light is very focused, so you get a very bright side of the mini closest to the light, yet harsh shadows round the side and back. So you either get glare in your eyes when trying to point it towards the bit of mini you want to paint; or you put it near your head/painting arm which gets in the way a bit.

 

I switched to an LED bar light a few years ago now, and it's been so much nicer I couldn't go back. The bar is nice and wide and long enough that it eliminates most shadows, it lights the model from above so you don't get it in your eyes (I tend to angle the bar slightly away from my face), you can just swing it up out of the way easily (vertically) when you're not using it, and you can fairly easily get them with a high CRI so the colour accuracy is good.

 

The one I bought was the daylight company lumi  - I tend to use it on the lower light option, and turn up to max for fine detail - but there's various ones of that type of design, like the neatfi models.

 

It also works as a suitable light for photography without the need for a light box.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Arkhanist

[Arkhanist]

Heh, seeing your desk Cyrox makes me want to get one of these... Not because it would work better than my lumi, just because it looks cool and would fit in the desk half that hasn't got my PC on it (and is flexible so can be reshaped)

 

[Axineton]

I got two of these from ikea and put daylight bulbs in them and they’re pretty darn good https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/tertial-work-lamp-dark-grey-40450802/

[Firedrake Cordova]

I used to use an anglepoise lamp very similar to the ikea tertial ... The downside of that setup is the light is very focused, so you get a very bright side of the mini closest to the light, yet harsh shadows round the side and back. 

I suppose one option is to use multiple lights, like Marco Frissoni (he's actually converted his Tertials to be "Adam Savage lamps" using flexible LocLine connectors to aid positioning). Having said that, a sheet of tracing paper over the front of the lamp will diffuse the light somewhat, as will shining the light through a larger sheet of tracing paper a little distance away from it (photographer's trick for softening light by increasing the apparent size of the light source)  (not saying one's better than another, as a lot of it is personal preference and what works for people :))

[Arkhanist]

 

I used to use an anglepoise lamp very similar to the ikea tertial ... The downside of that setup is the light is very focused, so you get a very bright side of the mini closest to the light, yet harsh shadows round the side and back. 

I suppose one option is to use multiple lights, like Marco Frissoni (he's actually converted his Tertials to be "Adam Savage lamps" using flexible LocLine connectors to aid positioning). Having said that, a sheet of tracing paper over the front of the lamp will diffuse the light somewhat, as will shining the light through a larger sheet of tracing paper a little distance away from it (photographer's trick for softening light by increasing the apparent size of the light source)  (not saying one's better than another, as a lot of it is personal preference and what works for people )

 

 

Marco's setup is giving me flashbacks! I also wear an optivisor (I am getting old, and so are my eyes), and I kept knocking it against the bell of the light; and I ended up dropping a loaded brush in my lap more than once when I knocked the back end against the arm or bell. You can see how close the main light of the 3 is to his face, and low. Marco specifically likes it that way though, as it how he keeps his eyes shaded and avoids glare.

 

 

As a less important thing, you can see how dark the area outside the 3 lamps light throw is; if you're not super tidy putting paints away, and you're just using the painting light(s) without 'warm' whole room lighting throwing off the colour, I find it a lot easier to find tools/paints/brushes etc with a broader area painting light at night.

 

 

This is how I tend to use my lumi, with it overhead the workspace and pointed slightly away from me to avoid glare (it does also have a little lip round the light bay, so the light is more directed down instead of sideways). Personally, I much prefer a flat lamp further back and higher up instead of right by my nose, even though it was more expensive, but horses for courses!

 

You can also see how this style of lamp looks like in the video at the bottom from when GW brought a bunch of pro painters to warhammer world to try Contrast (I paint like the guy behind the front one; just worse, obviously)

 

 

If you have the space though, an LED arc setup would definitely be cool.

Edited March 2, 2022 by Arkhanist

[Xenith]

I got a £40-50 Arod lamp from Ikea, with their closest to white bulb - I forget the name. I usually paint in the living room, with the main light on and the daylight bulb on my workspace - been ok so far!