STUDIO LIGHTING / How to light your Art Studio on a BUDGET! 

Hey Guys, I am in Alaska at the moment and just found a bit of internet to post a comment. There is a lot of discussion below about natural light. YES! I know. I actually had this as part of the video, but on the cutting room floor, is where it ended up! So, that said, many of you who mention that natural light is best, are right (sometimes). HOWEVER, if you watch the video on STUDIO SET UP you will see that like many others, I cannot control where the windows go in the studio, and I am not in a position to build a studio to my design, yet. Many of us have the studio we're given, either in our rentals, the spare room, or a kitchen bench. So how then do you deal with the shifting light through the day? I have found myself working until dawn on several projects throughout my career. The light shifts all over the place, depending on the time of day. One of the most important considerations is consistency, and it should have been in the video. Daylight is inconsistent, even when you have open shade. So, here in this video, are some ways that we can achieve consistent light. The first thing I do is block up the windows when I have a new space and set up the lighting rigs you see here. That way, it doesn't matter if I paint at 2pm or 2am, the painting appears the same. Now, a HUGE thank you to everyone who brought up CRI (Colour Rendering Index). I need to go back and study, as I was not aware of this factor. I will make an update to this video in the near future! Thanks for all the comments guys! Alaska is beautiful! XD

Hey, I actually do commercial lighting "design" for a living. It is very interesting to hear how an Artist's lighting affects his or her trade. Two things worth noting that Tischler touched on. CCT, or Correlated Color Temperature, is how the color of light appears. This typically ranges from 2700K (Close to sunset orange) to 5000K (White with a tinge of blue). 4000K I would consider a neutral white, but I prefer to use 3500K in buildings. The thing that Tischler is missing is CRI, or Color Rendering Index (measured from 0-100). This compares a select spectrum of colors against how they would appear under normal daylight conditions. The higher CRI, the more colors will resemble how they would look under daylight. 90+ CRI light sources do come with a cost increase, but if you are serious about painting, it is worth it. As for dealing with glare, the larger, more diffuse the source, the better. Like Tischler's janky Flourescent T8 sliding track covered in foil.

The desk lamps with 5K bulbs are a real winner. I use them on almost any size works. it's important to consider phase cancellation effects in intensity when adjusting the lamps at varying angles, these effects can affect hue on the reflected surface. Thanks for sharing your " Dark Days" with us Andrew.

again such a great informative video tischler!! good job

Glad I subscribed, this is great info covering everything that needs to be taken into consideration for studio lighting. Thank you

I always look forward to your videos Andrew.

Another great video, thank you, Andrew. I learned my lesson once by staining a cabinet outside in the bright sun. When I brought the cabinet inside, it was way too dark. That was my Ah-ha moment. Now, I did change the lighting in my studio but your explanation of how different lights affect your work will greatly help my future projects.

This info is so incredibly useful! Thank you so much for sharing your studio lighting tricks! You're the best! :)

Thanks Tisch! I'm doing some things right w/o even knowing it! Very helpful as always!!

thanks once again. .. for sharing your valuable experience and knowledge. I've literally about to setup a new studio for myself was thinking about the lighting... I got some brilliant ideas by watching this. tx again and keep up the wonderful work.. cheers!

This was greatly helpful. I'm in the middle of moving into my first real studio and excited to have this info!

Your video on lighting confirms/re-enforces my thinking - many thanks for sharing!

Thank you so much Andrew for the input about the light. I learnt a lot from it and came very handy because I just bought a new lamp and daylight bulbs. I really like the way you explain everything , you make it easy to understand. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience. You have a very likable personality and are a FANTASTIC artist....love your work!!! Shirley

Andrew, You are my type of guy! DIY! Great videos and very interesting to watch. Love your style of paintings too.

First video I found and you answered all my questions! Thank you so much! Now time to figure out my own lighting for home :)

GOSH Andrew, I watched almost the whole series this evening and oh boy have I learnt a lot from You!! Very informative and a pleasure to listen to you. I truly enjoyed every minute of this series. My deepest thanks and appreciation once again, this was exceptional!! I could see your heart and soul in every brushstoke!! All the Best.

This is a superb explanation. You, sir, are awesome.

Thanks dear Andrew for this useful video!

By far one of the most helpful videos I’ve found on RU-vid! Thanks a lot for this!

The audio is beautiful. Levels are great. Thank you.

a great help! thanks

Thanks for this video. You immediately every question I have about this!

Right in time ; I was about to make a research on this tank you !

Wonderfully thorough. Thankyou

Extremely helpful thank you so much !!!

Thank you very much for this valuable information. You just solved alot of problems for me . I went through the dark painting episode too from having a to bright of a bulb.

I like the idea that our paint mixing & color choice directly reflects the light fixtures in our studios.

Oh wow, this is so helpful. Thank you!!

Great advice, thank you

You have no idea how helpful this video is to me! I was about to spent about 700 doller on a pro filming light from aperture, but seeing that i could spent that money on other stuff like painting equipment. Your ideas will definetly come in handy, when im going to finish my studio decor! 😃

Thanks for the advice, especially the info on "Calvin" :)

I have looked at several RU-vid videos and yours was the only one that truly helped me! Thank you for your expertise, Andrew Tischler! I also prefer the light coming from high above so as not to create shadows. I am building a studio upstairs....but for now...Since I tend to move around, I purchased a 7 ft. Daylight U31375 Art Studio Lamp & Stand. It's wonderful and being that I like instant gratification...ha...Amazon got it here in 2 days.

Great video, thanks very much

Great advice as always Andrew, your enthusiasm is very catching I always feel more upbeat after watching one of your videos and inspired to try whatever it was that you have taught, Thank you for making these.

Thanks man. Some worthwhile information there.

You are always give us the best solutions thx a lot

Awesome dude !

So that's why those paintings seem different. I always wondered why. Now I know its the light. I never knew light has so much impact on the end result of a painting. This is one of your best video's Andrew. Thank you very much for the tips.

Good video. As an aside, I wear blue shirts or jackets when plein air painting. Learned this from Monet and the boys. The cool light reflection allows you to paint brighter colors.

Great Info. You are saving us time and money.

Thanks ... for sharing ...lighting is so important... I like your idea of having your lighting slightly dimmer on your canvas, so in average lighting conditions your painting is vibrant... wish I had your work ethic too :)

yessss!! finally ! :-D

thank you this was very helpful !

Thanks man 🙏

wow! those paintings!

amazing video! thanks for the tips! saludos desde Argentina!

Why have i not seen this before.. THANK YOU so much for this info.. my current lighting is horrible.. I'll be looking into your ideas.

Hi Andrew, I'm just starting out doing charcoal on brown board. I found your clip very enlightening, no pun intended, and must say that even when doing charcoal the intensity of the blacks and grays are hugely affected by light intensity. I am already toying with the idea of blacking out the windows of my studio/study at home so as to make the best of stable lighting. Thank you for an awesome insight into lighting!!

Thanks so much for your information

Really loving your feed! ♪♪♪

Great information.

this is great im surprised that i fig this out on my own very fast when i started painting i do have a eye for color and lighting hues i see deep details that others over look and yes iv been called crazy weird but thats how i am this was a grate vid to hep ppl understand the importance of lighting great job

SPLENDID !!!

I'm obsessed with your work😍

Very useful tips! I found mixing warm & cool lights works well, and I checked my balance with something called a Kodak Color viewing Light Selector. It was a photographic trade tool that shows if your light is balanced or not with a couple of color patches that turn dark or light if it is not balanced, which shows that they match when balanced. I tried to google it but came up empty. Mine is very old but still works. It states: " If the patches appear the same color the light source is equivalent to a 5000K source with adequate amounts of red, green and blue light which result in a high Color Rendering Index." Kodak, 1987 P3-180. The photographic and printing trades used these all the time for color balanced prints (and all color printing is based on CYMK). If you use the photographic color wheel your color mixes might be better if you have trouble mixing colors. Looking forward to your next video- many helpful tips to thank you for! I'm a huge fan!

Amazing artist, wow! I'm on a quest to get better lighting, thank you

How awesome it's to be able of learning from someone else's mistakes without going through the same mistakes but taking the straight lesson

Muchas felicidades! Eres un gran artista saludos desde México

Damn good stuff man

I've had this challenge for a while, I've been working with diffused natural light from a window (which seems cool) and an over the shoulder lamp with a warm bulb of 3500.....My issue is I need to move away from the wall so I can step back from my work (and have a little room) but my lighting will suffer! I can now see some more solutions to my dilemma, Thank You! Your work is amazing, please keep the videos coming!;*)

Thank you

Fantastic video. Very illuminating :D Now i will try a better setup for my lighting. Thanks. By the way, great muscles

i was literaly just thinking i wanted a new video of you! ^^

Shower rail track for adjusting the light angle. Bloody genius!

Great stuff, Andrew! And as pointed out earlier in these comments, the CRI of the bulbs should be a very important consideration as well. Color Rendering Index is listed for most bulbs on the packaging and is the measure of the bulb's ability to throw a full spectrum of light across the work. It is *separate* and apart from the listed 'temperature' of the bulb. Temperature is the bias, or warm/cool cast, we see. CRI is the actual true "quality" (accuracy) of the emitted light. CRIs of 92 or above are recommended by those who know lighting. And while "Daylight" and "Full Spectrum" are ad copy selling points, CRI is the actual true measure of a bulb's quality - and Temperature, e.g., 5000K, is the warm/cool cast of the light. I concur with Andrew's brilliant suggestion to deliberately tend studio lighting a wee bit lower and cooler than "perfect." This will generally tend to slightly 'brighten' and 'warm' a painting in future 'normal' lighting. Too many posts on this topic say we should have PERFECT lighting in our studios. And others paint with poor lighting saying that's how most homes are. Andrew's point is that illumination, distance, glare, and temperature should be set to accomplish the best work possible while making sure to avoid preventable and glaring errors like "the blues" or "dark and moody" ... when neither was the artist's intention! That said - I've exhibited in shows that, and I know collector's homes, have widely varying lighting. We cannot account for every situation with our studio lighting, but we can plan for "preferred" lighting as Andrew suggests.

Andrew, You have magical hands

Nicely done mate! :)

Thank you very much

Hey andrew...thank you so much ..i get more tutorials and same tricks from your chanel..i get enjoy and you too. Greeting from indonesia

I understand and I am ready the to set up my life

Again great video Andrew..👍👍👍..Still waiting for your next painting... I guess ...your next painting video is that bird which is behind you....😏😏😏😏 I'm so excited...

Thanks, Andrew, for another gem of an installment! I recently came to the same conclusion about reducing the light intensity on my easel. Thanks for the insight on temperature. I might need to tweak that one. You do man!

For the best colors representation, always use light source which is rated between 5000K~5500K and above 90CRI (Color Rendering Index). Here CRI is a magic potion :) and to eliminate the distance issue, buy lights with dimmer options.

brilliant tips again :)

Thank you very much Andrew for your tip on studio lighting, in reply to my request too😄. I never happen to get a clear idea how to get the optimal lighting required when it comes to painting. Thank you very much for sharing your uploads.

Terrific tips and goodon,ya for passing it on Andrew. The lighting and Oloegel are jobs for first thing tomoz ! Hwyl Fawr Dai Kayll, Pembrokeshire, West Wales

Great tip Andrew, living in the Netherlands, we have months of sober lighting.

every video of yours is an inspiration to me

SOMOS CREADORES IRREMPLAZABLES❤

Great information...so now that Compact Fluorescents are obsolete, what would you recommend as a clip on extension lamp?

Hi Andrew thank you for an awesome video once again. I have a question. What is a good amount of Lumen and watts for CFL lighting?

Hey Andrew. Thank you for your videos... im learning so much from them! I'm a hobbyist and currently painting in my home in a room (don't have a studio yet). I cannot add the rails etc. What do you think about the standee lights that are available these days..the ones that are currently being used by ticktokers etc...its a standee lamp with a round tube like light. What is your opinion on that?

I saw the bad effect of that bad light at your first videos, 😂 but l noticed your good tips, your enthousiasm and I continued to folow them, and I can see a real progress a of your technology and realistic colours ☺.

Hi Andrew, what wattage are you using for the deal lamps? I'm curious to your recommendation for brightness

Hi from Canada Ontario 👋

Hey there, Quick question... When it comes to the compact fluo lights, would I not need to filter or "shade" the light as you do with the tube?

Thanks Andrew! I just set up a pair of those desk lamps and 5000k globes.

Would you recommend using black and white umbrellas for the lighting?

Handsome, talented, lovely man

I have found using daylight is best for me, when it's a nice bright day witch is not very often living in England. But at night I just use the lights in the room, I didn't realise how much it can effect a paintings look.

I respect anyone who uses Ryobi tools :)

What about the new LED lighting? I have added these to my garage wood workshop and gotten rid of the fluorescents and the lighting is great. It is bright but in the garage I actually removed the defusers. I'm thinking of trying this in my small painting studio, ie.. bedroom.. but using the defusers.

Andrew, you have some pros commenting but as a video professional and someone who adjusts lights often to 'repair' ugly, I would like to suggest something to those artists looking for the right lighting. Though your 5k solution is sound, I would need to tell you something important about fluorescents. GREEN. Those lights pulse beyond the range of human sight but pulse they do. And they pulse a green flash of sorts in between. That may 'subconsciously' affect your painting. To balance any fluorescent tube light, use TOUGH SPUN GREEN or TUFF GREEN or WINDOW GREEN over the light (a very cheap filter plastic which will not melt) so make your white light perfectly balanced. The "window green," (or "plus green") gel converts the light from a flash to nominally match that of a fluorescent light without the green amplitude and matches it to what is referred to as Tungsten. By my interpretation, all the masters of the past used the ole big yellow ball in the sky, which to our eyes is actually quite warm, even with a blue sky. Using Plus Green will render artificial light without the green in it that makes us all look a little sickly. Think the reality that Neo had to deal with before he was 'The One' in The Matrix. That's fluorescents without any correction. there are clean incandescent bulbs you can buy already balanced for just that light. And TOUGH SPUN or a diffusion paper or filter over a desk lamp will soften that light. And finally, there are super duper cheapo light kits available on Amazon which are pretty amazing for next to nothing by comparison to actual studio lights. These knockoff kits come with decent bulbs stands, and umbrellas. They are 'modeling' lights for photographers but they will cast very pretty CLEAN light. If you wanted something that truly did not bend your eyesight toward cool or warm or what have you, CLEAN TUNGSTEN is the way to go...That or open a window and step back a bit until you have a balance between the warm outside and the ambient albedo of the cooler light temps inside. Face your canvass to your window with your back to the window and as long as its sunny and the same time of day, you have it. That's pretty cheap too.

👌👌👌

Andrew- I have struggled with this for years!!!!!! Can never get the light right.

Hi Andrew, you mentioned that we need to consider lumens when lighting a studio. How many lumens would you recommend?

Hello. Thank you for this. How do we measure the lumens? That seems to be another key to success. Did I miss that information? Thank you!

Just building a new studio in a tower by gulf in naples. We are very interested in proper lighting. A unique Endeavor!

Thank you Andrew! This is another great tip- . Another question: "VALUES!".. It's not that easy try to see everything as "grey" and then find the right value. Do you have any suggestion about it?

Hey Andrew! For the desk lamp setup, when you say "low wattage" what is it in lumens? (I will be using a 32inch swing arm lamp) Keep the videos coming! I really appreciate it. - Kristof