Lamps and Brushes... oh my

Hey all.
Seeking your professional opinions.

Its my bday here in a few days, and I asked for a new clip lamp for my paint station I got for xmas, as well as some good brushes.
A friend referred me to the winsor newton brushes, but there are lots to choose from, what style/series is the best for brushes in this line?

Also, the lamp Im looking at is LAMP FROM HOME DEPOT
You think this would be a good-not-to-expencive lamp for painting?

I want a clip style so that when I move my station around I don't have to worry about balancing acts with the lamp, it would stay nice a clipped to the spot I want it.

Thoughts?

What kind of brushes you will like depends a lot on your paints/style. If you thin your paints (with water or medium) you'll want brushes with a large "belly" for example.

The most important part of any lamp is the light it puts off. What type of light it puts off can drastically change how a paint looks.

My 2 cents.

Aegwymourn wrote:What kind of brushes you will like depends a lot on your paints/style. If you thin your paints (with water or medium) you'll want brushes with a large "belly" for example.

The most important part of any lamp is the light it puts off. What type of light it puts off can drastically change how a paint looks.

My 2 cents.

I do thin my paints a lot with water. One huge issue I have with old style GW/el cheap brushes from micheals is that the pointed ends like to perma-bend so im left with a little "hook" after a few dozen applications. Another issue I have with brushes is that the paint likes to pool right at the base where the handle meets the bristles and then dry there. I can usually stop this from happening for a while, but eventually the paint just gets in there and screws everything up.

As for lamps, I like my area to be bright as I find I paint right under the light (bad vision now ) so was kinda hoping is anyone used the style I linked, or something similar to impart their reviews on it. I just dont know how much light or how bright/clear the light from that LED lamp will be... but im limited in my choices for "small-ish" "clip" lamps...

You can check out Lester Bursly (sp) on Awesomepaintjob. He thins his paints a lot and has a favorite brand he tends to stick with. He also has a lot of informative videos for doing all different kinds of painting.

My lamp is currently not an LED one. I would imagine compared to a non-LED lamp you will be in for an adjustment.

Not sure if LEDs are pure white or colored ligh. Only issue I'd see.

Scott can give you a windsor newton breakdown whwn he sees this. I think Glover picked uo a few as well.

If you're serious about painting then the two things that you'll be glad you spent money on are your light setup and your brushes.

I like the OTT lamp I have. Got it from Micheals during one of their sales I think they're a couple hundred reg price. Thing is it puts off great "daylight" and not a lot of heat which helps with long sessions.

Brushes... There's a few brands to consider but what you really want is anything that is a kolinsky sable brush. The hook and bend you get will never happen with a natural sable brush. Though they have their own problems if not kept clean. And it sucks but even at $30 or so for a single brush you CAN still get a lemon. I still prefer my Raphael 8404 over other brands I've tried like Winsor and Newton and Rosemary and Co. but any of those three I've tried and they're all good.

Important to buy the right kind of soap if you invest in a good brush. Best I've found and most people seem to use in the painting community is the masters brush soap. It comes in a little hockey puck looking plastic container and I think the Den carries it.

+1 to what Scott said, good advice there.

Another way to avoid bent paintbrush bristles, is to make sure to not let brushes sit in water for any real period of time. Clean em off, and use soap when you are done a session will greatly increase the longevity of your brushes.
A coiled water pot helps too. Getting (or making) a pot with a metal coil inside helps you lightly clean off the brush, especially if paint has run to the base of the bristles, without wrecking your brush on the flat bottom of a pot
Finally, take a look at wet palettes. They keep your paint from thickening, to an extent, and will save you paint and brushes aplenty.

you can save yourself serious cash on the lamp by buying an OTT lamp replacement bulb at Canadian Tire. they sell a 15W one for $10/bulb.  thats the equivalent of a normal 60W bulb, and is the same size most OTT Lamps come with.

if you decide to go LED lamp, home depot's usually good about having a display model on hand to see what the light's like. if it is a true white and not a yellow tinted, the circuit pip inside the individual LEDs is usually color-coded; white is real white, yellow is a yellow tint.  anything over 18 LEDs is usually a good buy.  when buying LED work lamps for example, anything in the 25+ LEDs is usually a strong crisp white light.  since that one claims to have 30, it should be nice and bright.  however, it is $40. i'd buy the bulb and then buy whatever style of lamp you like it to be in.

i have the bulb in most of my lamps at home. its also good for you if you have a tendency to get headaches from fluorescent bulbs.

This is how I paint:

My paint station

That is WAY too neat a paint station! And is that $4 bucks in Nickels!?!?!? Now you're just bragging Paz. I'd show a pic of my work station but it is truly vomit inducing. I can't imagine how you can keep your work area so well organized.

Well of course a cleaned it up a touch Scott :p, but generally I like to keep stuff where I can easily find it.

The rolls of nickels are for my basing! I use empty bottomed small gw bases for infantry, and since I really only go resin or plastic, my little dudesmen used to tip over all the time at the slightest nerd breeze.
I then realized that a Canadian nickel fits perfectly under the round bases, and adds a huge amount of weight, allowing the figs to stand up without falling over on most surfaces, even when randomly bumped by sweaty magic card players.

Paz wrote:, even when randomly bumped by sweaty magic card players.

No I am pretty sure they do this on purpose. Had one of them bump the table Gavin and I where painting at TWICE on the way to the bathroom even though no one else was occupying the other 3 tables at the back of the den.

Pretty sure he was just mad that I took the time to shower before going out to the den.

Dana wrote:

Paz wrote:, even when randomly bumped by sweaty magic card players.

Pretty sure he was just mad that I took the time to shower before going out to the den.

"How dare these people follow basic hygiene. This'll show'em."

Thanks for all the advice.

I've picked up the lamp I posted a link to and am going to check it out here tonight. I hope its good and bright, I'll be returning if it sucks...

Paz, that a Hobbyzone station? I got one for Xmas and am getting it all set up.

Matthew: I think so, Jesse ordered it for me!

I didn't use wood glue like it suggested, I grabbed a tube of this wood auto-sealer stuff, supposed to quick deal together stuff, comes out in a sludgy dryish paste. Worked really good! Just be careful with the pieces till you've glued on the struts, they are pretty breakable.

So you picked up the lamp with the 1.5 outta 5 star rating?

ScottRadom wrote:So you picked up the lamp with the 1.5 outta 5 star rating?

To not buy a product because it was reviewed 2 times is silly. The second reviewer said the light was good other than the switch which I have not had issue with (but bought yesterday so it still could mess up yet).
So far it fits nice where I want it. Will see as I use it more.