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Advice on Magnifying lamp

Hello everyone!

I'd like your thoughts on magnifying lamps; do you use one for your work? Or do you prefer Optivisors?

I tried working with Optivisors but they tend to give me headaches (maybe because I already wear glasses? I'm not sure).

I'm considering buying a magnifying lamp to help me along painting minute details; however when searching on the Internet I got really lost with the amount of options!

If you are using one, what would be your recommendation?

I'm considering the following parameters :

- LED would be my choice, if possible with the option to replace the lights if necessary

- I would be happy with a bench one, wheels would be too much

- A magnification of X 2,25 seems to be enough

- I'm quite concerned about daylight rendering, best seems to be a light temperature of 5500K

- Cost is a consideration as well, I'm looking under £100 (if possible)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you🌷

11 comments

11 Comments

Neeta Madahar

Oct 26, 2020

I've found this magnifier which I may invest in myself when my eyesight further deteriorates: https://www.preservationequipment.com/Catalogue/Instruments/Microscopes-Magnifiers/Optivisor-binocular-magnifier. There's also other neat tools and materials on this site that look interesting.

Cécilia Duminuco

Oct 26, 2020

Replying to

Thank you so much Neeta!! That one looks definitely great, thank you for sharing!! 🌹

Cécilia Duminuco

Aug 03, 2020

I'm so sorry this is happening to you Karima... I think what you are doing is amazing, and it shows your strength as an artist to be able to use your memory and imagination to compensate!!🦋 It's so nice you can borrow your friend's lamp/magnifier! Thank you for the tip, I'll have a look and do some research in that direction!🌷

Karima Cammell

Aug 03, 2020

Replying to

It’s just age... trying to do it gracefully - and I’m still pretty young! And of course the way age is informing my art in all the positive ways is very nice. More confidence, more trust, more practice and skill. But I definitely miss being able to see all the details and really get into the paintings through my eyes. Now it’s all a bit blurry and my heart has to do half the looking. BTW I did meet a woman who was nearly blind who did embrace the magnifiers and was able to do the most incredible micro paintings with single hair brushes. I know the tools are out there. Nothing wrong with a good lens!

Vaishali Prazmari

Aug 05, 2020

Replying to

@Karima Cammell love to hear more about age and ageing and painting insights you've had, as a professional painter! There are great passages about this in My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk (kind of book club I'm trying to start online here in a different thread). And - the memory - so your heart knows your painting and you kind of bypass your brain and go directly to your hand - I love it!

When my father in law went blind that is when he took up painting (he's a theatre director by trade). He had 20% sight (restored by a 'witch doctor') and recently it's worsened, but he's still painting. Where there's a will there's a way!

Karima Cammell

Aug 03, 2020

I have arrived at the place where I can’t “see” my paintings and “touch” them with my eyes the way I used to. My eyesight isn’t bad but it definitely isn’t the same and it is very frustrating. I rely on memory and imagination to paint - I kind of imagine where the strokes should be and imagine how they are landing on the page! It isn’t the way I would like to paint but it is my reality. In fact I panicked when buying the rocks brush because I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to see the tip! A friend has an aesthetician’s lamp with magnifier in her studio that is heaven! Sometimes I will go there when I’m scratching gold. Her lamp is my envy!

Vaishali Prazmari

Aug 05, 2020

Replying to

I hope you are able to use the Rocks brush, you don't need to see the tip so much as what you're painting with it! A beautician's (UK, US aesthetician, I think!) lamp is an interesting idea. Actually we painters have a lot in common with surgeons and dentists too. Patience, tools and bright lights ;-)

Cécilia Duminuco

Jul 30, 2020

Thank you very much for your answers Vaishali! 🌻

It's good to know your thoughts on this, maybe I got too used to my magnifying lamp at work in conservation in the past... I'll look into eye exercising, that's a good idea! I suffer from eye fatigue quite quickly, that might help.

I totally agree with you, daylight is the best; I'll try to adapt my workspace to get more of it at home 😊 I won't go into candles hihi, definitely too risky and too warm in colour I agree!

Thank you for your time and those answers, this really helps!!

Vaishali Prazmari

Aug 05, 2020

Replying to

Yes daylight is the best also because colours are at their truest. All the dedicated work lamps in the world are actually just trying to replicate daylight because either it's cloudy or nighttime when people need to work. Though candles are great too, if only for atmosphere and scent to transport you to other climes...

Vaishali Prazmari

Jul 29, 2020

About lights, though, and light - that is a different matter and really does help, also with your eyesight. In the past of course they didn't have electricity and relied only on either daylight (highly recommended - natural daylight is the best) or candles (not recommended!).

I have 2 professional daylight lamps for photography but they were quite expensive and I rarely use them for actual painting now. Really, daylight is the best, even when it's rainy. That way you get the best colour balance too.

If you're going to spend the money then maybe better to spend it on good ambient lighting rather than a magnifying lamp... a good work lamp should suffice. Honestly though the best thing is daylight, so if you can move a desk or yourself towards a window that is ideal!

Vaishali Prazmari

Jul 29, 2020

Good question! I get asked this fairly frequently - do miniaturists use magnifying glasses at all? In the past no, not really evidence for this... plus we don't tend to look at miniatures with magnifying glasses but with the naked eye.

Muscle memory helps us with the fine details.

Also, doing eye exercises when tired rather than looking too much through magnifying glasses.

Other people may have different thoughts on magnifying glasses? Never say never, maybe one day I'll use magnifying glasses too... for now not.

My husband uses a headband lamp when he does jewellery yes. But that is for jewellery, not painting. It is a very powerful one, I will try to take a photo next time I see him use it.