Is there any point in a hobby lamp for army painting? – OnTableTop – Home of Beasts of War

Is there any point in a hobby lamp for army painting?

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This topic contains 10 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by horati0nosebl0wer 4 years, 5 months ago.

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May 30, 2020 at 5:49 pm #1532238

noyjatat
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So something I have found with a recent tank I painted is that in normal room light a lot of the details are lost. I painted it under a 40 watt hobby lamp and when I photographed it in the light booth it looks the same but in normal light, a lot of the work is lost. Now if the mini is going into a painting competition where you know they will put it under better lighting that’s fine but am I adding work or losing the look and wasting my time doing tabletop standard stuff under the lamp?

Under a good light

Normal room light

May 30, 2020 at 6:13 pm #1532241

sundancer
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I found good light helps a lot in painting. Details, warmth of colour etc. And I use it for every project that fits on my table.

May 30, 2020 at 8:04 pm #1532270

noyjatat
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@sundancer I agree it is good for painting buddy. My issue is in the gaming hall they don’t look good because of the lighting so I reckon its better to paint for gaming room lighting which would mean not using a lamp.

May 30, 2020 at 8:48 pm #1532286

lloyd
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I know what you mean, you might use brighter colours etc. if painting in a dimmer light so the mini would look more poppy in normal gaming light.

But the hobby light for me is there to try and reduce eye strain and help see where the brush is actually going.

It’s hard to paint details if they are concealed by shadow due to bad light.

I guess you could try just lifting the mini out and setting it somewhere else for a 4 Foot test while painting.

May 30, 2020 at 9:36 pm #1532316

sundancer
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@noyjatat now I get you. Sure, if you’re looking it at that angle. But then why bothering painting them up in the first place? 😉 But seriously: ask yourself, do you paint them in good light with high detail for yourself or for others? And even if details aren’t that prominent under normal lights, you’ll see a big difference when compared to someone who had done the “quick and dirty under normal lighting” job. At least I do.

May 30, 2020 at 10:26 pm #1532327

noyjatat
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@lloyd it does make me wonder can I achieve the same effect for a gaming room.

@sundancer I actually paint for my opponents. I don’t game very often but do like to attend some events now and again. I think people like to play a nice looking force and with me barely knowing rules and not looking to come first they get an easy-going game with me.

May 31, 2020 at 11:03 am #1532479

ced1106
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Keep the hobby lamp, but don’t paint as many details.

The hobby lamp is there to prevent eye strain and making painting easier. Doesn’t mean you have to paint details.

Article on lamps (on the cheap) : https://geekandsundry.com/miniature-painting-101-the-importance-of-proper-lighting-for-your-painting-space/

May 31, 2020 at 7:21 pm #1532696

warbossd
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Hobby lampd are a good idea for many reasons. Always try to use ‘daylight’ balanced bulbs which have more blue wavelength light in them. They aren’t a ton more expensive than generic economy bulbs but give a better colour balance for painting by.

May 31, 2020 at 7:28 pm #1532697

sundancer
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it does make me wonder can I achieve the same effect for a gaming room.

@noyjatat Use daylight bulbs in the gaming room too 😉 But some people might scream “to bright” when they enter

May 31, 2020 at 10:31 pm #1532770

avicenna
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I’d say keep the hobby lamp, but also review your painting under regular lighting too – if you cant see it under regular lighting increase the contrast. Whether that is with colour or shading/highlighting, it is what will make them ‘pop’. If you are painting for realism (on your panzer I for example) and would rather not exaggerate, then I’d just keep doing what you are doing if its about historical accuracy.

June 1, 2020 at 4:05 am #1532850

horati0nosebl0wer
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I agree with @avicenna on the aim of how you’re painting. The issue is the scale we paint at. We need to bring out the pop effect for small things because well… they’re small. The 4’/4″ issue is the detail level you work on. There have been pretty well painted minis of armor here on the boards that have the high contrast edge highlights that break the planes of the flat paneling and make the shapes seem more visible.

Last year as a gift to one of my brothers I picked up a Pz IV for Tanks and tried a desert camo pattern. It came out well enough but what made it pop was color. I see a dusting of field grime over the tank and it definitely is cool for larger model kits. That detail loses its punch in scale on the Pz I but you could kick it up with the alternating blue grey/brown pattern and then a light dust of grime around the tracks. Maybe some small bits of pulled pluck foam (in most any sue mini packaging) painted to look like foliage glued here and there could spice it up too without added cost for hobby materials.

I guess the lighting issue gets skirted with all this but its all in what we end up with on the tabletop. As I was taught in an art class years ago “If it looks wrong, it is wrong”. Here its paint to what makes you happy and be sure that you are able to see the parts that make your minis cool.
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