Miniature Painting Lighting: Fix Shadows and Compare Lamp Specs Fairly

Start With the Shadow You Actually Cast

Set your normal painting posture before you move the lamp. Sit or stand the way you will for the next hour, bring the model to the height where you actually hold it, and look at the area you need to see. If your hand, brush or the lamp head throws a shadow across the face or the detail you are painting, the fix is lamp position, not a brighter bulb. There is no universal 45-degree side that suits every desk: the right position is the one that keeps your working shadow off the target while leaving the model evenly lit enough to judge color.

A Repeatable Shadow and Glare Check

Run this check once, then repeat it whenever you change lamps, chairs or the model's height.

1. Keep your normal working posture and hold the model where you would paint it. A lamp that only works when you lean forward is set for the wrong position.
2. Seat the lamp on a stable clamp or base so the head stays where you put it. A lamp that creeps or wobbles will change your shadows mid-session.
3. Look at the exact area you are painting, not at the whole desk. Move the lamp head sideways or raise and lower it until the shadow from your hand and brush no longer covers that area.
4. Check reflections with a spare glossy surface placed where the model sits. If you see a bright reflection of the lamp, change its angle or brightness before you start painting.
5. Change one variable at a time — position first, then height, then brightness — and repeat the same observation after each change. Two changes at once make the result impossible to read.
6. Repeat the check later in the session, from the same posture and with the same model and setting.

Brightness, CCT and Color Rendering Answer Different Questions

Brightness is two related numbers. Lumens describe a lamp's total light output. Lux describes how much light lands on a surface at a given distance. A lux figure without its measurement distance is incomplete, and a reading taken at 30 cm cannot be compared directly with one taken at 45 cm.

Correlated color temperature (CCT) describes whether the light looks warm, neutral or cool. A 5000 K lamp and a 2700 K lamp will make the same paint look different, but CCT does not tell you how accurately either lamp renders pigment.

Color rendering is the separate question. CRI compares how colors appear under a lamp with how they appear under a reference light. Extended CRI covers the R1–R15 test patches, and R9 is the red patch that matters for many miniature palettes. A high CRI claim is still a manufacturer claim, not a guarantee that a specific paint will match daylight on your desk.

Current R9 and Lumi White Specifications

Both rows are manufacturer-published figures for the current models, not independent tests. The lux values were measured at different distances — 45 cm for the R9 and 30 cm for the Lumi White — so they cannot be used to rank the lamps directly. Light falls off with distance, which means a 30 cm reading and a 45 cm reading describe different setups rather than a winner and a loser. The Redgrass page checked here describes the dual-bar R9, not the R9 Solo.

What the Numbers Do Not Decide

A specification table cannot tell you whether a lamp will clear your hand shadow. It cannot tell you whether the beam will reflect off a glossy model or your desk. CCT alone does not establish color rendering, and a higher lumen or lux figure is not automatically better: a brighter lamp can also create more glare if it is aimed badly. Use the numbers to understand the design, then check how the lamp behaves at your desk.

Where the Rest of the Setup Fits

Hands-On Hobby Notes's miniature painting supplies guide covers the rest of the starter kit — brushes, primer, paints, palette and rinse cup — so lighting is not the only item on the bench. Hands-On Hobby Notes's guide to miniature painting handles explains how a mount changes the angle at which you hold the model, and that angle changes where the lamp needs to sit. That is why the position check comes before the specification comparison.

Sources for the Specification Table

The Redgrass R9 figures come from the current Redgrass R9 product page, which lists fixed 5000 K, 1800 lumens, 3700 lux at 45 cm, extended CRI R1–R15 98.5+ and R9 98. The Lumi White figures come from the current Daylight Lumi White product page, which lists 1700 lm, 4500 lux at 30 cm, 5500/4000/2700 K and CRI 95+. Both sets are manufacturer claims checked on 17 October 2026. This is not a price comparison, and current US pricing was not verified.

Blank Position and Shadow Record

Use this table to record your own observations. Change one setting per row, repeat the same check, and write down what you actually saw rather than what you expected.