Best Lighting For Oil Painting

Painting by north light.

Best lighting for oil painting.

North light is the standard for most professional artists. If you prefer cooler light akin to north light look for bulbs rated 7500 k. Foldi will give up to 8 hours of bright white light using batteries or unlimited light using the usb lead connected to your laptop or other usb power source making it the ideal travel office or studio lamp. Reflection and glare are often problems with artwork that has been placed behind glass.

For a good balance of warmth and coolness look for bulbs with a cct of 5500 k the equivalent of the midday sun. The led foldi lamp features 30 daylight leds to give you comfortable glare free full spectrum light. The trouble is not everyone has a north light window to paint under. A studio is a space to work where stray paint will cause no harm that has good light and is a safe place to keep wet paintings.

Too warm a bulb may tint work reddish yellow whereas too cool of a light can turn things blue. A broad based light source is best for lighting an oil painting. Watercolors serigraphs lithographs and other graphic media under reflective glass can result in glare. Artwork by chris derubeis.

Placing lights at a 30 degree angle reduces the glare on artwork under glass. Acrylic paintings are not glossy and consequently don t have the glare problems associated with oils or artwork framed under glass. This will ensure that you tend to paint your paintings with a hint of warmth while still maintaining true and vibrant colors. Any type of light source can be used.

The space should be large enough to accommodate you and your easel and have some room to back up and look at the painting. Where to paint and the light you need. It seems to be the easiest light to work with in order to determine correct colors and values in our paintings. Not all of us see color and light the same way.