Today I am going to talk a little bit about a product I recently started using in my art studio and give a bit of a review.
So some back story
A few months or so back, while perusing the shelves of Michaels Art Supply, I decided that I needed some better lighting. After a little home reorganization, my husband and I recently converted our spare bedroom into a bit of hobby/art space. It is nice, but there was zero lighting and I had been drawing in pretty dim lighting…. Anyways, I spur of the moment decided to purchase a small light.
It was cute, clean, simple – and after a coupon pretty affordable. The light didn’t fill up the room by any means, however it did spot light whatever I happened to be working on quite nicely, I almost always work at a 11x14 size or smaller. Just plug it in and the base is touch sensitive to turn the light on and off, pretty easy to use and I will be able to bring it to other locations quite easily… Anyways, with my first painting utilizing it as a light source I decided to use the #ottlite hashtag on Instagram. I like to tag the companies and products whenever possible in hopes of getting some interaction, and it worked!
I was just excited that they liked my art, which is always great… Then later in the week I received an email! They wanted to send me a 2nd light in exchange for doing this review. So here we are! Everything here is my honest opinion, I did not receive any compensation, just additional lighting so that I can continue making art.
My new light is a bit larger model, it hinges at 3 different points, has a button switch at the top, and a heavy base to weigh it down. My favorite feature compared to the other model I have is how much larger it is – the extended reach allows me to get lighting from any angle while keeping the light just in the corner of my desk. Each has a decent length cord that I am able to plug into an extension cord that I keep under my drawing table. Because I now have two, I am also able to get even side lighting when I do something like videos…. Which speaking of – I recorded a video on my you tube, showcasing a bit of what I am talking about, as well as a timelapse of a new watercolor painting. I even turn the light off at one point so you can see the difference.
Some Pros
-The light lasts for 40,000 hours
-Even lighting provides true brightness with no discoloration/yellowing when looking at a color
-Simple pretty design
-Relatively lite in weight while still being sturdy
-Multiple hinges and flexibility
And Cons
-I don’t much about LED’s… Can I get a replacement bulb when this eventually burns out? Or do I just buy a new light?
Is this even a con?
I am being completely honest, I can’t really think of a real con. I specifically waited a while to see if there was anything I didn’t like about these lights and I can’t come up with anything. I am actually considering purchasing one that can clamp onto the top of my easel. A battery operated option might also be nice, I do a lot of work where I don’t always have access to an outlet.
That’s it! Let me know if you have an questions and I will do my best to answer them.
If you want to check them out - http://www.ottlite.com/ This is the light they sent me - http://products.ottlite.com/p-438-led-crane-lamp.aspx This is the light I purchased - http://products.ottlite.com/p-427-soft-touch-flex-led-lamp.aspx
oh! And of course here is my finished painting of The Jeweled Mermaid!
