This particular forum is kind of slow….so you might not see very many comments.

I will start it off with my thoughts on lighting. Unfortunately you can’t rely on natural light all year long, and of course not at night. A high North facing window (You don’t want direct sunlight on your easel) can provide very nice light, but it is worthless when it is dark out side. Thus the need for electric lighting in your studio for when you need to paint but the light isn’t there.

The price of very high quality LED lights has come down significantly. Look for a 90+CRI index LED so your studio lighting will be balanced correctly. This brand is one of the less expensive for the quality you will get – http://www.viribright.com – I prefer the 4000K color temperature in a 100 watt equivalent bulb but the 60 watt equiv. cost less. A reflector / flood PAR38 will give you more direction lighting than the standard bulb shapes. They also offer 2700K (too red for me) and 6500K (too blue for me). Amazon often has them starting at around $2. Unlike traditional bulbs they are going to last for many years.

Old school fluorescent bulbs are in my opinion the very worst lighting you could possibly use for your studio. The color of light they give off is unnatural looking and can make your paintings appear off color when displayed in more naturally colored light after having been painted under them. Additionally, fluorescent lights are known to cause headaches, eye strain and even more sketchy health issues for quite a few of us.

Hopefully more will chime in on some of your others topics. You can also search for existing threads on this topic here and in other forums on WC.

Thanks! Im deciding where to make the window and where to position the easel.
As for light okay i think 4000k will look good, also are thoose led flicker free for the eyrs?

I am very sensitive to flickering lights. The 60hz flicker of fluorescent bulbs and tubes is part of the reason that quite a few people find them unpleasant. I have not noticed any such issues with the current crop of 90+ CRI LED bulbs.

If you plan to install north light windows – south light if you are south of the equator – make them wide and tall, all the way to the ceiling and even onto the roof if you can manage it. If I were building a studio from scratch I would want the entire north wall and part of the roof (skylights) done in glass if I could afford it. A way to control the light coming in every window / skylight can be helpful for lighting portraits and still life setups and blocking direct sun at the times of the year when it comes in such has the height of summer. Being able to block the incoming light down at eye level with blackout shades / shutters / blinds is very important to control reflections on your painting as you work. You only want the light on your painting coming from above you and 35% behind you. Shutters / blackout blinds for the higher windows / skylights is not an absolute need but nice to have if you can afford it.

You might get something out of these articles. Remember not to buy into the recommendation to use fluorescent / CFL bulbs if recommended in the articles. As mentioned already, they aren’t a good choice for studio lighting if you want the most natural lighting you can get. I would suggest you buy one bulb in the 4K range, one 5K and one 6K to see which you prefer before buying all the bulbs for your studio. The artificial light on your easel also needs to be up high at 35 degrees behind you from vertical. This will take some precise planning for your studio if you want to use natural light as much as possible and artificial to light your easel. Installing a track system with drop pendants allows you to place artificial light exactly where you want it without the mess of light stands and cords all over the floor.

https://willkempartschool.com/art-studio-lighting-design/

http://www.stanprokopenko.com/blog/2009/03/setup-painting-studio/

https://www.finearttips.com/2010/01/why-how-to-turn-your-window-into-instant-north-light/

http://www.drawmixpaint.com/classes/online/step-1-setting-up-your-studio.html

This is very helpful, thanks so much. Is there a formula for the number of floods per square foot? I have a 20’x40′ space with very high ceilings and am putting floods between the beams (open ceiling).

This particular forum is kind of slow….so you might not see very many comments.

I will start it off with my thoughts on lighting. Unfortunately you can’t rely on natural light all year long, and of course not at night. A high North facing window (You don’t want direct sunlight on your easel) can provide very nice light, but it is worthless when it is dark out side. Thus the need for electric lighting in your studio for when you need to paint but the light isn’t there.

The price of very high quality LED lights has come down significantly. Look for a 90+CRI index LED so your studio lighting will be balanced correctly. This brand is one of the less expensive for the quality you will get – [url]www.viribright.com[/url] – I prefer the 4000K color temperature in a 100 watt equivalent bulb but the 60 watt equiv. cost less. A reflector / flood PAR38 will give you more direction lighting than the standard bulb shapes. They also offer 2700K (too red for me) and 6500K (too blue for me). Amazon often has them starting at around $2. Unlike traditional bulbs they are going to last for many years.

Old school fluorescent bulbs are in my opinion the very worst lighting you could possibly use for your studio. The color of light they give off is unnatural looking and can make your paintings appear off color when displayed in more naturally colored light after having been painted under them. Additionally, fluorescent lights are known to cause headaches, eye strain and even more sketchy health issues for quite a few of us.

Hopefully more will chime in on some of your others topics. You can also search for existing threads on this topic here and in other forums on WC.

Great idea! Keep us posted on your studio setting. Hope the result will be similar to Soflo Studio[/URL]. Currently this is my favourite video production studio to rent.