WingedBlue Arts: Studio Lighting

Lighting for Artists

Text and Artwork:
Copyright © 2009 Beth E Peterson.
All rights reserved.

Resources

Full Spectrum Solutions
Vita-Lite
Ott-Lite

Lighting is a particular problem for artists, since everything we paint or draw is subject to visual change under different lighting conditions. Local color, the actual color of the object, can change dramatically under various lighting. By the same token, the way your paint looks on the palette or painting surface will also be dramatically effected by differences in your studio light's spectrum. What we need is balanced light....not too blue, and not too gold or yellow. There are two basic types of lighting: natural light and artificial light.

Natural Light: Traditionally, light coming into your studio from the north has been considered the best for painting. This is because, since it is facing away from the sun's location, it is slightly bluer and more balanced than direct sunlight can be. In general, morning light coming in from the east is more yellow and evening light coming in from the west is more orange or gold. Because the sun tends to be found in the southern portion of the sky in the northern hemisphere, southern exposures will also tend to catch the yellow/orange biases of morning/late afternoon daylight. Hence the tradition.

There are problems with using natural light, even north light. In addition to the light's spectrum and the lay of shadows changing throughout the day, daylight spectrums also shift according to the weather and the time of year. Also, the amount of light can vary significantly. For example, I live in an area that is very cloudy. I often won't have enough light to paint by, especially in winter. And yet another problem with relying on natural lighting is that if you want to paint at night or in the evening, it is impossible to get the sun to cooperate.

Artificial Light:In general, incandescent lights have a very strong tendency towards the yellow end of the spectrum. Fluorescent lights tend to be very blue. However, you can find light bulbs in either variety which have been made to give off a daylight-balanced spectrum. These give a balanced, consistent light perfect to paint by.

Light bulbs are rated by CRI, or Color Rendering Index. Natural early-afternoon daylight is rated at 100. This is the number you want to get close to. For example, one full spectrum fluorescent bulb is rated at 94.5. That's very close to perfect. In contrast, the average cool white fluorescent bulb is rated at only 68.

For overall lighting in your studio, I recommend daylight-balanced fluorescent bulbs. You can get various fixtures; I prefer a four-bulb reflector type hood that takes four-foot bulbs. You will want a fixture that comes with an electronic ballast; this cuts down on or eliminates the hum and wavering lighting. Electronic ballasts do need to be replaced on occasion. If your bulb shows severe discoloration on the two or three inches at either end, your ballast has become defective. When buying the fixture, speak to a sales rep and ask them to show you the ballast so that you know where and what you will need to replace eventually. Fluorescent bulbs themselves should be replaced before they burn out. Figure on replacing them every 18 to 36 months, depending on usage. If both ends of the bulb have darkened, you've waited too long.

When determining your own lighting needs, you will first need to measure and calculate the cubic footage of your studio space. One watt of power is considered adequate to light 2 cubic feet of space. Therefore, one 75-watt bulb will light 150 cubic feet of space. Let's do the math. Given an 8-foot ceiling, this light bulb will light only a floor space of 4 1/3' x 4 1/3'. (150 ÷ 8 = 18.75. The square root of 18.75 is 4.33. So the dimensions of the adequately lighted area, given the eight foot ceiling, would be 4.33' x 4.33' x 8'.)

Costs can vary, but are in general reasonable. Although slightly more expensive to purchase, you can also get ‘daylight deluxe super saver' fluorescent bulbs. These cut down on energy usage. Bulbs and fixtures can be found at home improvement centers and at retailers who specialize in lighting. You may also investigate lighting on the web. See some of the sources for information and products in the Resource box above.

Spot Lighting:

Besides the concerns regarding the overall lighting of your studio, you may also want floodlighting for use with models and still lifes. If so, I would again recommend a balanced light for your lighting source, at least in general. For certain work you may want to deliberately skew the lighting's spectrum...say, if you are interested in capturing a subject in the golden light associated with late afternoon. Although daylight-balanced fluorescent bulbs work best for overall lighting, you will probably find that a daylight-balanced incandescent bulb will work best for spotlighting subjects and perhaps your working surface. These light bulbs fit into standard incandescent fixtures, and you should be able to find them at the same places you find the daylight-balanced fluorescent bulbs. In order to focus the light, I use standard work light fixtures, the ones with the circular reflector and clamp that you can find at the hardware store. Whatever fixture you use, however, be sure not to exceed the fixture's wattage rating, and never leave spots on when unattended. Using a reflector on any type of incandescent bulb substantially increases the heat built up around the bulb.

As you can see, there are things to consider when getting ready to install lighting to any area which requires balanced light, be that your studio, a gallery space, or some other area. Once you have this base of knowledge, however, everything will begin to easily and smoothly slip into place.