MAGnificent Lamp guest post by Lucy Farfort, Illustrator and Designer

Website: www.lucyshappyplace.com

Twitter: @lucyfarfort

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucyFarfortIllustrator

Working as a freelance illustrator and designer I often find myself slaving into the night to get a project finished. Thankfully so far that’s never been past 10pm and as I love my job (for the most part) it doesn’t feel like a chore. Although working this late particularly in winter months causes a problem – light, or rather lack of it.

I decided sometime ago that I really needed to invest in a decent lamp to work by. So the timing was exceptional when I was asked if I would like to try out one of the daylight lamps. YES PLEASE!!

I’ve actually had my eye on the daylight products for a while now so I couldn’t believe my luck. Even more so when I was sent a MAGnificent lamp (great name!) as it’s built in magnifying glass would fit perfectly with my current project which i’m hoping will turn into a long term thing, so the lamp is going to be well used.

I couldn’t wait to test it out.

The reason why this is such a perfect match is because not only do I often work on a fairly small scale, mostly around A4 size, much of the work I do is quite detailed. This generally means I have to get really close up to the thing I’m working on in order to properly see what I’m doing – especially if the light is bad.

Above all I really wanted to use it in the making of some brooches I’m producing.  Here they are in their unpainted state:

The lamp was really helpful for the painting process as the details on the brooches are tiny so using the magnifier was great.

A major bonus of this product is that it can be used as a floor lamp as well as a table lamp. So if like me your desk is covered with your latest creative adventures and looking much like a bomb has gone off leaving little space for anything else, never fear just set it up as a floor lamp – et voila!

I’m so chuffed with this light as not only is it functional it looks pretty slick too, and genuinely feels like a high quality product well worth the money.

The MAGnificent is a great idea and especially beneficial for artists and designers who work traditionally on a small scale. I would definitely recommend it to people - it did wonders in helping me create my finished brooches which will soon be available from my website www.lucyshappyplace.com

Inside Look: Daylight's Handheld LED Magnifiers

As part of the new StarMag range, Daylight Company have brought out a handy due of LED magnifiers to make working with details and fiddly crafts much easier! The duo, consisting of a small handheld magnifier and a large handheld magnifier (sold separately) are new on the scene for crafters needing a closer look at their favourite hobbies! So let's take a look at them in more detail! 

Handheld Small LED Magnifier RRP £12.99

This little lighting solution comes with a 3.5X acrylic crystal clear lens (7.5cm/2.75") and two bright daylight LED's which will never need replacing! There is also a handy stand to allow you to position it on your table for hands-free magnification. This is the perfect craft kit essential to keep you enjoying your hobbies wherever you are, whether that's on-the-go or on your holidays! 

Handheld Large LED Magnifier RRP £16.99

This larger handheld magnifier offers the same great features including the handy pop-out stand and bright daylight LED bulbs. However, this tool offers a high quality 2.0X acrylic lens (11cm/4") with a 4.0X inset lens (2.5cm/1") - greater magnification for all your crafting needs! 

Both of these products are made from high-quality, long lasting materials along with a stylish satin silver finish! And, with them coming in for less than £30 for both, they make a great Christmas gift idea! 

Michelle Fallon - Swan Floor Lamp Review

Until I had my Daylight Lamp I struggled to balance my business and my hobbies, but then the Swan Floor Lamp entered my life and equilibrium was restored.  I just LOVE this lamp.  First of all it’s on wheels so I no longer need several lamps in different locations, I just wheel my lamp into whichever room I am in (this works as I live in a cottage but could be a bit cumbersome if you had to carry it upstairs as it’s quite heavy). 

The other thing I love about this lamp is that it has a bendy stem (I think the correct word is neck?) which means you can bend it down as close to you or as far away as you want.  This is perfect because, especially when I am on the sofa, normal floor lamps are just that little bit too far away and they always seem to shine in the wrong direction whereas the daylight lamp allows you to adjust the position of the light without having to move the lamp or furniture around. 

The bulb itself is white and not yellow and most importantly not hot!  I don’t find my eyes getting tired when working with it, as they would with a standard light.  Obviously if I have been working 12 hours they are tired but you get my drift, don’t you?   The other thing I love is that there’s no glare from the light.  It just lights up the area you are working in a comfortable way. 

What else can I say?  Oh yes, there’s also a handy magnifying attachment that comes with this lamp.  Personally I don’t tend to use this as I don’t wear glasses but my mum loves it!  She finds it perfect for reading in bed for all the reasons above, i.e. no glare and it’s easy to adjust the light and magnifying glass to the position you want.  However I do think this would be invaluable for intrinsic sewing such as fine embroidery or beading work.

Overall I have to say my Daylight lamp has not only saved my money as it’s a one for all rooms lamp, but I am pretty sure it has saved my eye sight too as most of my sewing is done at night with artificial light.  I highly recommend it to any crafters or bedtime readers!

Introducing Barrie Goodfellow

Here at Daylight Company we'd like to introduce you to another one of our Daylight Ambassadors - low vision artist Barrie Goodfellow. 

I was born with bilateral glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, acute myopia and a hearing defect. My sight condition was not diagnosed until I was 11 years old so I missed out on my early years of education as I was unable to see the blackboard and most teachers wrote me off as being uneducatable. I spent most of my school days painting in the art room, collecting milk crates or playing football and I grew up on my wits in a mining village in the heart of the Northumberland coalfield. 
Throughout my life I was faced with a visual challenge but was never deterred by my handicap and went on to enjoy a very successful Import and Export Shipping career that took me all around the world. The culmination of my career was starting my own business which became known in every part of the world and won many National awards. 
In 1997 my sight diminished further and I had no other choice than to take early retirement and I was registered blind. It was at this point that I started painting with water colour and later moved to acrylic. Most of my paintings feature seascapes, fishing boats or some element of water that are always captured in my mind when out walking with my wife, Janet, and guide dog, Marshall, around the many beauty spots of Devon and Cornwall.

Because of my blindness it is not possible for me to sit out and paint on location. My wife takes photographs with a digital camera for me which are downloaded and I then use the Daylight Professional Artist’s Lamp and Magnifying Lamp which is a prerequisite in making the required details accessible.  Without quality lighting it would be impossible to follow and see the digital photographs in detail to create a quality painting.  I am able to use Daylight lamps for long periods of time without sustaining any side effects such as flashing, floaters or even headaches which is often the case when I have used other lamps.  My motto is ‘We have little sight, so keep it bright and of course we require very good light’.
Daylight Lamps have helped me in my journey to enjoying art again, and I look forward to being able to share some tailored advice and product reviews for others living with low vision.