How do you light the model and the surface?

[Debra Rexroat]

I have used clip on mini-lights designed for reading books in the dark when working a plein air nocturn or in a darkly lit figure drawing session. A small work light over your palette and canvas should not interfere too much with the model's lighting, but helps greatly in distinguishing colors.

[Clayton J. Beck III]

The problem with using very small light sources is that they don't cast light evenly across your palette or your canvas. If you have more light on one part of your palette than another then you're mixing of values will be next to impossible. As for color, the clipped on lights would hardly be considered full spectrum so it would be impossible to have any trustworthy color mixtures on your palette. As for using these lights for linear based drawings I think they're more useful as color and value are not critical.

On the other hand, I've been known to do some pretty crazy things to get a painting done so if you ever see me in an open workshop working with a clip on light don't jump down my throat. I am always more concerned with the lighting on my subject than anything else.

[Lacey Lewis]

Thanks for the reply, Clayton!

Now, however, I am in a different sort of pickle when it comes to lighting. I found a very affordable studio space, and it is in a huge open area with five 6' x 6' south-facing windows. I have way too much light!

I've tried building a little miniature room with three 8' tall by 4' wide panels hinged together and then black felt over the top in order to control light, but there just seems to be no way to completely control it. The light just comes in from the front and competes with any lighting you might try to set up.

However, I love the way it lights the canvas and palette!

I might have to see if there's a way for me to cover half my studio space with some kind of ceiling, though I don't have any dough left for such a project.

[Clayton J. Beck III]

Lacey--If you don't mind the variation in light so much, you can try of the putting thin white butcher paper, which is similar to tracing paper and comes on rolls, over the windows. This will diffuse the light and even it out much better than just clear glass. The problem comes on partly cloudy days when the sun is first striking the paper making the light source warm and intense then a cloud comes by, the room darkens, and the light turns cool. So days like this of course would be completely unacceptable. On the other hand if you have overcast days, your south facing window will act as a north light and work very well.

Having full sunlight on your palette in your canvas is not a good idea. The light is too intense and the painting will look terrible in any other light than full sunlight.

Not considering your lack of budget, the best way to handle it would be to block of the windows completely and setup artificial lighting. Not very financially practical though.