Light Pads for Watercolor and Calligraphy

[@ArtSummits]

*Do you use a light pad for your artwork? How much do you love it? 😂*

[@c.r.8195]

I do!! I use a Huion, LED, L4S, 5V-1W, reasonably bright, I really like it 😄. My only pet peeve with it is that the on/off button is super sensitive! I have to strategize how I set it up to avoid turning it off by accident 🧐

[@ArtSummits]

@@c.r.8195 Thanks for sharing the info about the power button!

[@Lennadeluxe]

I have two light pads. One for DinA4 Size and as I started to paint on a bigger size I bought another one for DinA3 Size. Moreover I paint mostly on 650 -850 gsm Watercolorpaper and It is often difficult to see my sketch through. Sometimes I have to wait till it is dark outside and I thicken the lines of my sketch with a black fineliner before tracing.

[@ArtSummits]

@@Lennadeluxe yes, sometimes it helps to go over your drawing with pen if the pencil isn't showing through!

[@JuliaGarbe1]

This is such a helpful and informative video. Thank you so much!!

[@susansear7968]

I use a Huion L4S LED Light Box A4 Ultra-Thin USB Powered Adjustable Light Pad for Tracing. I love it!

[@karlalehnhoff6069]

This was really helpful had no idea they existed! Thank you!!❤️❤️

[@chrislora8895]

Thank you. This was very helpful. I’ve just started tracing images for watercolor painting and saw a trick using a tablet or computer screen. I’ll definitely look into buying a light tablet if the cheap way doesn’t work for me.

[@kathypedreira6256]

Very helpful. I have a very large one with regular bulb, would like something easier to use. Good video, thanks.

[@annadrawsnow]

Very informative ! Thanks for sharing !

[@ArtSummits]

Glad it was helpful!

[@marciaw4164]

I do and find it very helpful. But mine is from the 1800s 😄 and is the size of a big cereal box. Now I want one of these dainty ones...lol.

[@ArtSummits]

The thinner profile ones are a nice change from the much thicker versions that came before (we've used those too!). They feel a little more comfortable or natural as they lay close to flush to your desk.

[@Andrea-og7wc]

Hi, I do use a light pad to transfer art work and embroidery. I have a very old Martha Stewart. It doesn't seem bright to me as I can't put work on watercolor paper or transfer an embroidery design on (even medium weight fabric. I just went to you link with Amazon for the Circuit. It is 99.00. I thought you had said $50.00 something?? Thank you for the review. I'm hoping the cost goes down a bit.

[@STARZSHINE614]

fyi, actually the cricut you showed is the more expensive pad at 99.00 not 59., that goes to their less features model, which is not what you showed. It has 5 light settings and does have a built in battery as well the model for 59 has only 3 settings and no battery function

[@ArtSummits]

Hi @starzshine614, when this video was originally posted, the Cricut BrightPad (demonstrated in the video) was out of stock and unavailable for purchase. That's why we linked the similar (but more expensive) BrightPad Go. Both are great options! The BrightPad Go has more features, thus the higher price tag. If you click the Amazon link below the video, it will show both options as the BrightPad is back in stock now!

[@romelmadrayart]

Dear Art, I have jerry-rigged my own lightpad with an old refrigerator shelf and some ledlights and duct tape, I have no doubt that it probably contravenes safety standards is problematic with hot spots, overheats, but it produces light. I would like to find something that has the characters of light evenness, light brightness and is not so bulky as to limit your hand in gestural movements. My preference is for larger sizes. But I am unsure what to purchase that will give a decent result of actually producing enough light in low light conditions without having to put the room in darkness. I purchased a Huon a couple years ago and hardly used it then took it out and the light production was terrible. And literally the whole room had to be in darkness whilst I worked. An alternative is to go all in and even use LED floodlights ? My question is if you have ever tried this ? Or what could you recommend as a really good lightpad (meeting the 3 characters I have numbered above). I can always put up a video to show Frank (short for Frankenstein)the lightbox

[@ArtSummits]

That's a pretty creative solution! Our favorite is the Cricuit Brightpad or Brightpad Go linked above. The only difference between the two is the "Go" version can be unplugged and run off of battery power temporarily. As far as brightness goes, that can be a tricky thing to compare among brands because units of measurement listed by manufacturers are inconsistent. Your best bet would probably be to choose one with several levels of brightness so you can turn it up to the brightest setting. Make sure that you had your Huion turned up all the way as that can make a big difference! Making sure the drawing you are tracing is nice and dark (ink vs. pencil) can help too. I regularly use the Cricut Brightpad Go to transfer images onto 100% cotton (140 lb) paper with no trouble. I do find that if I am using thick paper and a lighter pencil drawing underneath, it can be helpful to turn the lights off to get the best view. The Brightpad gives a lit area of 11.5x9 in. It only comes in the one size so if you want larger than that, I would look at other brands. I hope that helps!

[@romelmadrayart]

@@ArtSummits The Huion i just think is a bad product, I used it maybe 3 hours 4 years ago and then just left it and all of a sudden when i wanted to use it never got back to light production. It used to have two settings now just 1. Ce la vie. the home made is pretty large but has some creases, and does not sit flush, so you kinda have to limit your whole arm movement, especially if you are doing whole page gestural expressive flourishes but i can just adapt the letter size and the flourishes. J.C. Ryan is my calligraphy hero so if he could do it sitting on a small table, creating art on fair grounds who am I to complain. And thank you for your response

[@Andrea-og7wc]

Hi, Thank you for doing the review. I do use an old Martha Stewart light box. It's heavy and doesn't seem bright to me. I followed your link for the Circuit to Amazon and the price is $99.00. I was disappointed but will keep my eye out for it to go down. Maybe yesterday they realized they had it priced incorrectly?? Thanks again.

[@ArtSummits]

That's a great question, Andrea! The light pad reviewed in the video is the Cricut BrightPad. According to their website, that light pad is out of stock until Sept. 2 (priced @ $59.99). The similar light pad linked above is the Cricut BrightPad Go. It is $99 both on the manufacturer website and Amazon. It looks like it's priced higher because it can actually hold a charge, so you can use it when it's not plugged in (unlike the BrightPad which has to stay plugged in). Hope that helps!

[@Andrea-og7wc]

@@ArtSummits Yes, thank you. I didn't read descriptions!

[@bethjames9246]

Ashley, are 4000 lumens safe for your eyes?

[@ArtSummits]

I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that 😄 but I imagine it may depend on multiple factors such as your environment. The good news is all of these lightpads have multiple settings for brightness so you do have the option to turn them down if you feel like you are straining your eyes. Hope that helps!

[@lemonwoodcourt]

Great video! Would any of these work with 300# Arches Watercolor Paper? Thank you!

[@ArtSummits]

I've used the Cricut with 140lb Arches with no problem, but haven't tried 300lb. To increase the chances of it working, I would look for the brightest LED option, use a drawing with very dark lines to trace over, and turn off all the other lights in the room. Good luck! Let us know if you try it!

[@lemonwoodcourt]

@@ArtSummits Thank you so much for your reply! ❤️

[@lindayoungartist]

I would like to have known the light box actual drawing space dimensions

[@ArtSummits]

Hi Linda, that's a great question! According to their manufacturers, here are the dimensions of the lit workspace area on these light pads: 1. Huion - 12.2in x 8.27in (31cm x 21cm) 2. Tiktech - 12.2in x 8.26in (31cm x 21cm) 3. Cricut - 11.5in x 9in (29.2cm x 22.8cm)