20 Best Lights For Miniature Painting (2023 Updated)

Very disappointed with my dual light rechargeable unit. Primarily because of what I would call false or misleading advertising. It is advertised as “wireless” but in fact is battery operated and requires a manual switch to turn on and off.

For our location over the fireplace, it would require a ladder each time because there is no remote (wireless) controller. Plug in models are not an option for our location. I have had to tape the light to the underside of the frame in order to switch it on/off.

============================= Situ Lighting, Customer Service: Unfortunately, we do not use or advise the use of remote controls with battery operated systems. Note however that all of our plug-in lights use remote controls.

If reach is an issue, we would recommend having a recessed outlet mounting box installed behind the artwork. This provides for a wireless presentation (the artwork conceals the wiring), avoids having to charge the light (especially when out of reach), and uses a remote control for operation.

The Rechargeable Touch Series can be mounted beneath your artwork and used as an uplight keeping the on button as well as light lower for convenient access to charge. Note that uplight will eliminate any potential glare from the fixture as well.

The following is an excerpt from our website’s FAQ page. Remote controls and cordless art lighting: a bad design. For those situations where there is no electrical outlet, we provide three great options.

They’re incredibly easy to install, use, and recharge when needed. These products are made for small to medium works and require the users to be able to touch the light, both to operate and to easily remove the light for recharging when needed.

These products turn themselves off after 5 hours (in case you forget) but are not remote controlled for a very good reason: parasitic battery drain. If the top of your artwork is out of reach, consider using the Rechargeable Touch Series as an uplight by mounting it to the bottom instead of the top.

This often makes the difference between the light being out of reach and not. A very common solution to artwork mounted above fireplace mantles. There are competitor products on the market but as we have our short comings (mentioned above) they have others.

Chiefly, they are not rechargeable and most require that your painting be removed from the wall every time the batteries (4-8 C or D cell batteries) need to be replaced. So generally, if you run the product for 40 hours, it is time to take the painting down and replace the batteries.

These products do offer remote controls and while all of our plug-in powered lights offer this feature our battery powered products do not. Here’s why: A remote control system consists of two components.

1) A remote control that sends a signal and 2) a receiver, in this case, the art light. The receiver (the art light) must be powered 24/7 to look for the incoming signal from the remote control. The net effect of this is the art light is never truly “off” and instead constantly consuming the batteries.

We colloquially refer to this as parasitic drain. This, combined with the need to access the light for recharging, make remote controls a poor match for battery-powered art lighting. Other companies offer remote controls with their art lights and don’t disclose this, but customers often figure this out.

See their reviews….

We were looking for a small light to position over some art. I knew I didn’t want anything that required a plug. I looked at the Situ Micro Series and liked the design, but not the cost. After not finding anything I wanted I decided to order one single unit.

The single light was a perfect fit on the frame and it made the art look like it was in a gallery. With ambient lighting in the room the art looked nice but didn’t stand-out. The Micro light made to colors look vibrant and the art came alive.

I immediately order three more singles and two double Micro Series lights. We had just finished a year long remodel and renovation of the house. We were having an event with about 40 people. Many had not seen the house for years.

The event started with daylight and ended in the evening. When people arrived they commented on the remodel. Later in the evening as the sun set we dimmed the house lights for a more dramatic look, and the Micro light showcased the art like it was in a museum.

Many guests stopped me to inquire about the art and several just stared. We felt so proud to have others appreciate what we see. I enjoy having the Micro Series lights on the art. The charge lasts for 5 hours and charging is easy.

The Micro Series does not just light your art. It ignites your memory of the places you were and feelings you have when seeing your art for the first time. If you have art that you admire, and you want it lit, you just found a light that will make you look a good as your art.

Thank you for your excellent quality lighting , immediate response and world class support in our lighting project. After receiving the first three fixtures we quickly discovered how beautiful our pictures actually look.

We realized the pictures were mostly viewed during daylight hours. Situ lighting brought out vibrant colors and allowed us to enjoy them tenfold. We decided to evaluate pictures in different areas of the house for additional lighting.

we accomplished this task quickly as the lighting design is so easy and foolproof to move around and install. This also enables us to change locations as desired. Recently We had friends over and they were immediately drawn to our artwork and the quality of the fixtures.

We are totally satisfied with the battery life between charges and the amount of time required to recharge. Highly recommend Situ Lighting to anyone looking to take their artwork to the highest level of enjoyment.

Thank you for a terrific product!.

I reviewed this product a year ago right after I bought it and at the time I was enthusiastic. Now I would say it has a serious flaw and that is the stand, that is unsuitable for the size and weight of the light.

It has toppled over three times and each time I was not near it – in other words I did not knock it over. Once I caught it. Once it fell to the floor and the reflector was knocked out of round. Today it fell onto my painting!!! Luckily the painting was not damaged.

I do not know why I did not think of it before but I had a professional photo light stand in the closet and that will work fine. In the attached pictures you will see: that the light makes the stand lean – that the base is much too small for stability – and that the reflector is now damaged.

Other than the stand I love the light and actually did recommend it to a friend, with reservations, and am now sorry. When you look at the cost, you wonder if it is worth it.

I love the clip-on light and really wanted to purchase several more but will not buy this product again as not a good value when forced to buy poor quality stand with the light at almost double the price.

They no longer sell the lights individually. The stand is too lightwt for this light so it tips over with the slightest movement – so NOT functional in art studio. To salvage this purchase, I clipped their excellent light onto my easel and weighted the legs of the weak stand with cordova sandbags and clipped a smaller LED gooseneck light to create a spotlight w/ black cinefoil.

Perhaps, just buy the bulbs and look for other clip-on set ups.

Right out of the box, one of the leg caps is cracked completely in half. It’s also tippy, not at all sturdy and heavy enough, even with just the one light it came with. I am NOT comfortable with how flimsy this whole thing seems.

I will have to secure my own WEIGHT to the base to keep it stable. I’ll also mention that the monkeys in the shipping department used about 3 rolls of packing tape making sure that I would have to completely disassemble the outer box, as they taped random cardboard TO THE PRODUCT ITSELF.

I really was expecting a better product, over all.

I like the light very much. It is easy to mount and got me out of trouble by not having to chase the wall again. I am 82 and could manage fixing ti to the frame. I have not looked at the effect of the light in the evening.

Daytime it seems a little cold. I would have preferred another 2cm on the arm so that light sits slightly better over the painting. But then my painting may be a little too large for the 40cm light , which is the largest in the collection.

On the whole good product.

Good product and fast delivery. Very effective at lighting up the picture but some problems with fixing it. Don’t see how the light could be securely fixed to the picture frame. Easy enough fixing the light to the wall but had to adjust the height of the picture hook slightly downwards afterwards for it to hang properly under the light.

Overall very satisfied.

I LOVE this product, it’s exactly what I was looking for. Discovered it at my next-door neighbors’. They let me borrow theirs to try with my art, it is perfect. Ordered mine immediately. The print it illuminates measures 29.

25″w x 23. 5″h. I purchased the 2 LED model. I’m only 5′ tall but can reach the on/off button without a ladder; the print is centered at about 60″ above floor. I had previously purchased from another supplier a different product with a horizontal LED light element.

It was corded, I had planned to use a narrow cord cover channel painted wall color to disguise the cord. The fixture mounted to the print frame. Despite multiple tries, could never get the light element exactly horizontal, which would have bothered me forever.

Returned the product & purchased the Situ. It is SO worth the higher price. SO well designed. They thought of everything. I’ve shown it to all my friends. And no cord to deal with. YAY.

We have been so pleased with this product and the personalized service provided by Situ. Our light came within a few days of ordering. It arrived beautifully packaged nestled in a box clearly designed to keep it safe and well-presented upon opening, complete with a letter from the business owner and creator.

The light is sturdy, feels substantial (not cheap), elegant, minimalistic, and has a beautiful finish- we purchased the antique bronze. The high quality 93+ CRI LED light highlights our artwork perfectly.

We were so pleased we contacted the owner and asked for a special design which he graciously accommodated and within less than 5 days of our request we had a second custom made fixture with a slightly shorter extension arm.

Jordan and the entire Situ team- you are a stellar example of what makes American small business one of our country’s crown jewels. Thank you.

Looks great and lights my oil painting beautifully. I used two lights as my painting is 48 inches wide. Only complaint is that the line switch is too far down on the cord. I plugged the lights into a 2 receptacle timer and it solves the problem of having to move the furniture each time I want to turn it on.

The directions are not helpful and nowhere does it say the lights have two brightness choices. The thumb screw didn’t fit and there is an unnamed part that I still don’t know what it is.

The first time I looked at a Tombow brush pen and colored pencil drawing I was working on through this magnifying lamp I was blown away. The lamp throws off a beautiful clear light which allowed me to see better not only the colors and lines I had put down, but the different textures of the materials.

This magnifyer uses LED lighting, which one should not look directly into (there are usually warnings about this that come with lamps using LED bulbs). Since the lights in this magnifyer are placed in the underside of the magnifyer’s circular frame, where they shine directly on the piece of paper being worked on, the light is not shining directly into your eyes.

It is my hope these LED lights last a long time (from what I can see, a regular consumer would not be able to replace them inside this lamp), because they really allow you to see the beauty of the materials you are laying down on the paper, as well as any lines which need to be more clearly defined or cleaned up.

I bought the 5-inch clamp-on magnifyer to attach to my drawing table. It comes with a lightweight cloth pouch to keep the dust off the lens when not in use. To avoid sunlight passing through the magnifying glass, which can create a fire, I clamped the lamp onto a shady area of the table, but also keep it covered with a lightweight small dish towel should any sunlight pass through the magnifying glass when I’m not home.

It is possible the dust cover provided by the manufacturer serves this purpose as well, but I wanted to take extra precaution. I am grateful to have this wonderful product.

Recommended by an instructor on materials list for an online course in botanical illustration. I initially passed on buying, thinking my existing lights, sans magnifier, were fine. And then I purchased a similar magnifier lamp, but had a fluorescent bulb, from an office supplier.

It was shipped, and light did not work. I then ordered this lamp. I am very pleased with this Daylight Magnifying Lamp from Dick Blick. It is sleek, not heavy and clunky looking as the previous lamp I ordered.

Arm adjusts and holds in position well, lamp head rotates and can be used if I am looking at specimens or am working on painting or drawing. The LED lights are bright, and have no heat emitted, which is very important with close up work.

Optics of magnifier are very clear. The light switch for on/off and to adjust brightness is on top of the lamp and convenient to use. Very light touch to activate. So much so the cover weight can turn it on, so I leave it far from switch when used.

I had previously purchased a magnifier lamp from Amazon and paid $45. Well, you get what you pay for, right? I wasted my money on this cheap lamp that kept coming loose on my table. It was very annoying.

So, I decided to spend some money and purchase this lamp and I am so glad that I did. It is solid, stays in place. Great magnifier and well lit. I expect this to be a lamp I will use for a very long time.

It has not budged on my desk. I don’t have to tighten the attachment to the desk anymore.

The bright white color of the LED light is NOT good for artwork and the directionality of the light it throws is poor. It Illuminates very close to the LEDs but the light does not reach the bottom of the artwork.

The color of the light needs to be a warm white. Looks nice out of the box however the light it produces made it unusable.

After searching for some time online for a picture light I was happy to find one that was modestly priced and good quality. Perfect for my artwork and was easy to install.

Fully met my expectations! Quality product and fits product description. Would purchase again.

Although some may accuse me of being stuck in a rut, I love the contemporary styling of the Slim-Line picture lights from House of Troy. I have an extensive art collection, mostly 17th-early 19th century paintings, and I love the contrast of the contemporary look of the lights against the antique paintings.

They provide good lighting to the art and they can be dimmed for a more dramatic effect, if desired. I highly recommend this product. They are a fabulous re-imagination of the traditional “Hogarth” light.

This light looks wonderful. I would have given it a 5 out of 5 if the LED lights were replaceable. After speaking directly with the manufacture they confirmed they cannot rebuild or replace the strip of LED lights.

Please also note the plug isn’t a flat plug so it sticks out from the wall more than the slim plugs do. You will need extra room behind your art if your outlet is directly behind your picture. A quick solution is to purchase a 1′ extension cord that has a flat plug.

I bought 3 different sizes of this picture light for various paintings. The shortest light arrived in the largest box without instructions – maybe a return? And one of the knurled knobs used to tighten the light height wasn’t even machined.

I ended up using a screw I had of the same size. The overall quality is okay, and once the paintings were hung, they looked fine.

I’m recommending these with a qualifier. I bought these lights (2) for illuminating two rather large artworks. They are better suited for art in the 12″ x 18″ or smaller range than they are for works with dimensions greater than 18″.

Even though the lights are adjustable, they don’t allow for enough spread to cover a large area and they end up being more like spot lighting of an area directly below the light fixture than like area lighting.

The lights can be rotated and the intensity can be increased, but regardless of positioning, I couldn’t get the illumination produced to cover much more than the area directly below the light fixture.

The quality of the light itself is bright white. There wasn’t any indication of how large the light fixture was in the description and I mistakenly assumed that the light bar was longer than it actually is (about 9″ length).

I would also have preferred to mount these lights below the paintings but they are engineered so that they only mount above and this positioning can’t be altered. So, recommend for smaller artworks. Do not recommend for larger artworks.

This product seems flimsy to me. I expected more light from it, and it definitely does NOT illuminate my entire picture, only the top portion of it. I have two (2) side by side, and even that doesn’t provide enough brightness to effectively get the job done.

On the plus side, it IS very easy to install and it looks pretty good in the black finish, but the rotating neck isn’t flush to the level of the base, so it sits off-kilter. The price point was also high in my opinion for what I actually got.

Maybe give this product a shot if you have a small piece that you wanna shine some light on, but for bigger pictures or art, I would say stay away. Sorry, just being honest.

I bought this for an inexpensive uncomplicated way of back lighting a stained glass piece. I have the piece set out about an inch away from the wall and the light shines down on and behind it – looks great.

I don’t know how long the batteries would last if I used it much but I have it on rarely. It is easily accessible to turn off and on and adjust the light direction. After shopping around this proved to be the best solution but I can see that a better quality type would probably work better for other uses.

This is all plastic but the price tells you that. Design is good and installation easy.

I bought three (3), two were the same (excellent) but the 3rd one was totally different than the first two, and it sucks. It throws out fluorescent type light out. It doesn’t swivel down as much, which puts out light in the viewers eyes vs on the canvas as desired.

I don’t know if it was the same light as the others, as I found no model marking numbers on any. The bad one was black colored, and the good ones are brass colored. I thought about returning it, but they’ve raised the price up over $40.

00 each! Decent buy at $30. 00, outrageous at $70. 00.

Works fine and illuminates a large picture. Quality is quite good, and price is fair. The big negative: The light tube cannot be rotated, it has very limited adjustment and there is no adjustable shade on the tube.

As a result the light also shines back in the viewer’s eyes making this product of questionable service. Various mounting positions and angles don’t resolve the problem. An adjustable shade is required.

Suggestion: the easiest way to install a spigot on a closed top barrel is after you drill a hole, insert a piece of string or wire through faucet hole then out top bung hole. Slide internal parts of faucet down the string to position through the bottom hole.

Attach outer part of faucet snugly.

I love this picture light. I have a menu chalkboard that hangs in a dark corner where I wanted a bit of light. This light is perfect!! It was easy to install, looks great (up close you can tell it is plastic, but from further away looks like it could be metal), and gives off a good amount of light.

The light is actually a bit too bright for me, but the dimming feature (which allows you to decrease the light to ANY level between the maximum brightness and total darkness) takes care of that!! The price was excellent.

I’m so glad I found this light.

I bought this light to install under a stairway where I have a big armchair for reading. There is no electrical outlet nearby so battery power was the only solution. This light fits the bill perfectly.

It’s compact, adjustable, battery powered and very bright. It mounts with 2 screws in this case attached to the under side of one of the stairs. It is also dimmable. I’m very pleased.

IšverstiShow in original languageI have been looking for a well-made, stylish picture light for a very, very long time. I do not have access to an electrical outlet, so a battery operated solution was required.

I had been to many lighting stores and all the picture lights i found were chunky and required the use of four size C batteries. Replacing these batteries was simply not easy. I feel very lucky that I came across Situlighting’s website.

This company knows lighting. I spoke to Jordan about my needs and I really appreciated talking to someone knowledgeable! The picture light arrived very quickly! More importantly, it is simply beautiful! Yes, picture lights are an investment, and you want one that delivers on function and quality.

This locally made light was easy to install and is perfect – no yellow glow. The magnetic arm removes easily, and allows you to charge the light in only a few hours. I have been using the light nightly for about a week and still working off that first charge.

For anyone that has art that they would like to light, I highly recommend Situ Lighting. Their products are well-made and beautifully crafted!.

IšverstiShow in original languageI really needed something that was cordless and spent hours doing Google research. I am lucky I found Situ. The rechargeable model is sleek and elegant. I purchased three and they arrived in time excellently packed.

When the art installer arrived with our mounted works he was easily able to install the lights directly on to the frame. They look fantastic and do not distract. They feel incredibly well made and high quality.

Not like cheap products sold on Amazon. I highly recommend.

IšverstiShow in original languageI purchased a rechargeable touch series cordless art lighting fixture for a canvas art piece. It illuminates my artwork very well. I love how thin and streamlined the light is! I bought the silver finish, which works perfectly with my beautiful grey walls, as well as everything else in the space.

It’s so easy to remove the light from the supporting rod to recharge. One has to be careful not to yank too hard, but with care and a gentle hand, the light can be taken off and replaced easily. An excellent purchase!.

We have a dramatic fireplace and mantle in our home and needed a distinctive light to match. Glad we went with this light! Very high quality, like you would find in a mansion or world class library or museum.

Unlike some lights, this one telescopes and adjusts at an angle, so the beam falls exactly where you want it to. And its LED spectrum of light is outstanding, bringing out the colors of your painting or print perfectly.

We are so happy we are ordering a second one for the master bedroom.

Nice quality and good looking unit with a very traditional look. UL Listed & LED is a important to us as I hope to have this on each night.

This hard wired art light gives a beautiful soft, even light. I specially like the square piece that attaches to the wall and the finish. It matches the rim of my recessed ceiling lights. It is overall a very nice fixture.

The two items l ordered arrived promptly, and were very well-packaged. Assembly instructions were easy to follow. Although l intend to use the lamps to provide strong, consistent illumination while painting, lm finding that they also make reading and writing easier at night.

The quality of the light emitted by the Daylight bulbs is gentle on the eyes while still bringing things into sharp focus. My only (minor) criticism is of the tripod feet, which are slightly flimsy given the job they have to do of stabilising a top-heavy structure.

However, the assembled item is lightweight and easy to position. Satisfied customer!.

This lamp is brilliant ,the bulb is very bright and easily illuminates my 72″ x48″ canvas. The unit is light to move around and yet stable , and it means i can now paint in the evenings and winter months – great.

The lighting is brilliant and as an artist this gives me the clarity that I need. The stand and swivel movement on the lamp is also of very good quality. I am so impressed by this lamp that I have purchased two as I needed the extra lighting for working on large surfaces.

I took this light weight, easy to install light to my small social group of artists. They all wanted me to pass it around, They touched it, took apart the back to see the easy battery installation and the remote or at the light’s edge for on/off.

Expect many new orders at Lamps Plus!.

I purchased this light to illuminate one of my original photographs of the Seattle skyline. I was looking for a very high quality of construction and completely even lighting from every LED in the strip.

I found both of these in this light. My one suggestion is that they make the power cord longer to reach a more distant outlet.

KELSEY LEWIS is our sales person and she is excellent. We plan to purchase the remainder of the lights for our new home through this 1800lighting due to Kelsey’s efforts. Pros: Attractive Design, Adjustable, These picture lights really enhance original art, Diffused Light.

Hired electrician to hang. Bracket where light attaches broken and light does not stay level!!!

Good quality item, looks great, and it was very easy to fit (it came with a template, so you could mark accurately on the wall where the fittings go). It’s for use as an over-mirror light to help with putting on make-up etc.

I really needed extra light, but didn’t want an ugly spotlight with a trailing lead. This, however, is a really neat little unit, and the adjustable lights either side make it perfect. It’s good quality too.

Recommended.

I have already paid for the product. That should be enough. After only two weeks, the lights are so dim I cant tell they are on. I am so disappointed. One of the lamps worked well for a while but now I can hardly see the picture it us supposed to illuminate.

Great picture light, good value, if you buy 2-3 one remote works all. Good dimming facility, no wiring up. Easy to fit with it’s own spirit level, easy to replace batteries. Adjustable all angles excellent.

The light itself is good, nice finish, good quality light source. Simple adjustments, easy to put up. The edge of the light however is not straight and the arm clearly does not hold straight, given the size, price and quality of the product you would expect it to have a straight edge to ensure the light follows the lines of what it is illuminating.

The wave effect at the top of the picture / wall is very detracting and completely lets down an otherwise good product.

Very smart but unobtrusive picture light. Good finish. Good brightness.

Excellent quality although rather expensive as good light fittings tend to be. It was installed and working within 30 minutes of being delivered. Replaced similar but less effective item.