Good quality, diffuse lighting can prevent eye fatigue, a major roadblock to a comfortable long painting session. The best daylight lamps and lighting setup provide proper white balanced light at the right brightness. These kinds of lights will also improve your ability to paint because it will accurately reveal issues of contrast and color.
Summary (TL;DR): Miniature Painting Light Recommendation
Recommended lights for painting accurately have a color temperature that falls within the daylight range (5000 – 6500K or Kelvin) and provides sufficient diffuse illumination to prevent eye strain, e.g., squinting, and hard-shadowing.
When people ask what they can do to improve their painting, my answer—aside from thinning your paints—is: What kind of lighting do you use? What desktop light setup are you working with?
If you want one lamp that works for most painters, start with the Phive or Neatfi; upgrade to the Redgrass R9 if budget allows.
The lamps I highly-recommend for painting miniatures are:
These task lamps continue to impress me over time, and provide an affordable way to upgrade your workspace. I’ve suggested other cool looking lamps for those with a home office. But, for their versatility, these are the three lights I’d recommend you start your search.
Great quality swing arm lamp that emits a powerful, yet diffuse light that has lasted me more than 5 years without changing the bulb. The LED’s are white-balanced for proper color reproduction on miniatures. LEDs also do not produce much heat, so you won’t burn up during those long painting sessions in the Summer!
Pros
- Bright, even beam suitable as a single-lamp desk setup
- Easy clamp on system that doesn’t get in your way
- Long-lasting LED with proper white balance
- Flexible positioning over your work area
Cons
- Must clamp to the back of the desk
- Min/max height may not fit all desks or setups
This lamp is another swing arm lamp and uses an energy efficient LEDs. The LED is rated for more than 20 years continuous use, and will powerfully emit light nearly endlessly (a huge money saver). This lamp also comes with a huge 6-inch magnifying lens built into it. With it being a bifocal lens, you can use the 5-diopter or 225% magnification to 20-diopter or 600% magnification part of the glass. I think the 20-diopter is overboard for scale modeling or miniature work, but I’m sure some of you will find a use for that. In general, this lamp can serve as a back up visual aid for those finer details or help with assembling kits or whatever you need a bit of assistance seeing.
RELATED: “WEARABLE” MAGNIFYING VISORS FOR PAINTING MINIATURES
Pros
- Versatile swing arm positioning
- Large glass magnifying lens
- Excellent diopter/magnifying power for miniature work
- Bifocal lens with 225 to 600% magnification options
- Bright LED
Cons
- Expensive for some
- Lit area could be wider
These lamps would be my lighting choices if I had a bigger budget and could do it all over again
Redgrass Games R9 Task Lamp
A dedicated light source built for serious hobbyists, the Redgrass R9 has been my steady companion ever since I upgraded my workspace. The bright, even daylight emission at 5000K and thoughtful design features make it a fantastic choice if you have the budget for a premium tool. The brightness is fully adjustable, reaching up to 1800 lumens, and the dual light bars give you incredible flexibility over how you direct illumination across your miniatures or models.
One neat thing I discovered is the small gap between the two light bars—it lets you paint without casting shadows right underneath the lamp. Plus, the wide arm reach and rotational adjustments make it just as capable for miniature photography or crafting videos.
Phive Architect Lamp/LED Task Lamp with Clamp
Swing arm, bright LED full-spectrum daylight emission and additional functionality make this my choice if I had a bigger budget. It has a dimmer (6 levels) and other fine-tuning capabilities to suite painting miniatures or other hobby tasks. The other neat thing about this lamp is that because of its diffuse light and adjustable swing arm (a tad more flexibility and movement than the other two I describe above), it can be used as a video or photography light by itself.
Why Daylight Lamps matter for miniature painting
The best daylight lamp for painting miniatures is one with bright, softly diffused illumination that doesn’t create hotspots (which reduces contrast).
I have one of these classic desk lamps for reading or working on regular office tasks at home, but I don’t use it for painting miniatures. In general, I highly recommend getting a lamp that uses a full spectrum daylight bulb or LED. And if you’re looking for a portable light for painting miniatures, check out the Ottlite task lamp or the highly-rated compact Redgrass Creative Solo Task lamp.
Finally, good quality, diffuse lighting makes a huge difference when taking photographs of your painted minis.
RELATED: BEST 13 DESK LAMPS FOR PAINTING MINIATURES AND MODELS
Other Highly-recommended lighting setups for miniature painting!
Neatfi XL 2,200 Lumens LED Task Lamp
As a side note, as a photographer, I’m also on the lookout for making sure I have good lighting available, whatever the case may be. To learn more about photographing miniatures, another art in itself, check out these miniature hobby photography articles that are updated regularly!
Final Thoughts
I love painting miniatures and lighting makes a huge difference. If I have trouble seeing what I’m doing; I don’t even bother starting the work. It’s uncomfortable.
As I get older, I find eye comfort (just relaxing, really) makes the hobby more fun. A cozy hobby desk, well lit, a warm drink maybe, and an audiobook if I’m in the mood for assisted focus and immersion.
For other suggestions for best lights and lamps for miniatures, take a look at these magnifying lamps for painting miniatures and models.
For anyone hesitant in getting better lighting, just count the number of hours you spend painting miniatures or assembling kits…. why do it in the dark?
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Nice job on the painting. For several years I was building 1/87 – HO scale buildings and vehicles, I loved the building and weathering. I never had a train, but I really enjoyed making little dioramas.
Thank you! I just got into model trains 🙂
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