Desk Lighting Suggestions?
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Hey all! I'm gradually upgrading my work space, and I was wondering if anyone has suggestions for lamps on a drafting table/desk. Since the desk tilts, I'm looking for clamp-on lights, but other than that, I'm not sure what to look for. The cheap lights I have now are usable, but they don't cover the whole desk very well (more like tiny spotlights, which create kinda sharp shadows.)
Any suggestions for specific models? Or things to keep in mind while looking?
Thanks in advance
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That is something I have very strong opinions about. I would recommend getting a daylight spectrum light. They are not cheap, but they have the same color spectrum as sunlight - this is particularly important if you work traditionally to judge colors correctly - but even if you work digitally (as I do) a daylight spectrum light is a lot less tiring to the eyes than any other light. The one I have is a clamp on light from a company called Daylight. I have it since years and I never changed the bulb once.
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@smceccarelli That's really good to know! Do you find that one lamp is enough? My desk is big, but I'm generally working on pages no bigger than 11x14 or so.
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I normally have the room lights on (those are normal halogens) and the desk light as well.
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I am looking for bette lighting too. I have a daylight light but it doesn't clamp., my clamp light doesn't really light things up enough. I might have to get a skinny standing lamp. Let me know if you find any good solutions!
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Amazon has many large drafting table type lamps.
Also, I agree with one of the above posters. if you are working traditional you need access to a daylight spectrum bulb.
Pantone (the color company) suggests a light in the 5000k range and that they be replaced every 1,500 hours of use.
The newest pantone color swatch books on the inside back page now have two color swatches to test your lights. When viewed under the proper lighting to evaluate color, the swatches look alike. If the light color is not optimal for evaluating color, the swatches look different.
Here is a very brief video from pantone to show how color looks different under different lighting.
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Thanks for your suggestions, everyone! I knew daylight/natural light was better for your eyes, but I never knew what to look for in electronic lighting!
This is a light I decided to try out... it's affordable, and has multiple light settings (which is perfect, because the sunlight in my room changes a lot over the course of the day.) If it turns out to not work for me, I guess I'll splurge on a nicer/expensive one. Just thought I'd give the cheap option a shot! I'll let you know how it turns out.@jimsz , I never thought of checking Pantone for lighting tips, but I guess they would know! While I don't do much traditional coloring right now, I'd like to get back into using my markers, so decent lighting will be a must. Thanks for sharing those links
