In addition to being great for drawing and tracing, light boxes can be used by photographers to view slides or negatives. Light boxes are also a really handy tool to use for crafts. Indeed, one can use them for scrapbooking and creative stationery (for embossing), but also for serigraphy, calligraphy, stained glass technique, quilling and even embroidery.

Features to Consider When Choosing Your Drawing Light Box

While it is quite easy to build a DIY light box with a plastic tray, an opaque glass plate and fluorescent tubes or LED bulbs / strips, it is recommended to go for a quality product with a perfectly even illuminated surface that does not heat. But with dozens of models on the market, choosing a light box can be a real headache. The perfect device has to meet your needs and offer the best quality at the most competitive price. So, what to look for in a tracing / drawing light box?

• Size

Do you plan to bring your drawing light box with you while you are out? Then you should consider buying one in A4 size. It will be lightweight and easy to carry in a bag or a backpack. Do you usually draw on A3 or A2 paper sheets? In this case, a larger device should be preferred. A3 is the most common size in pencil portraiture and other kinds of art while A2 is useful for portraits of full-body.

• Brightness

Obviously, a good light box should have a bright light. If you need one for tracing, the LED lighting should be bright enough to shine through 2 sheets of (thick) paper. A tracing light box should have a maximum brightness of at least 4000 lux. For other applications (drawing, photography, quilting etc.), 1500-4000 lux should be more than enough. Most light boxes have adjustable brightness so you can dim or brighten the light to the level that suits your project. Generally, they offer 3-5 levels of brightness, but top-of-the-line products allow you to adjust the brightness continuously.

• Power Supply

A light box plugged to a power outlet will generally be brighter than one powered by USB. The latter must be connected to a computer to operate, but it is also possible to purchase a USB wall charger. However, with a USB-powered device, you can get a car charger and an external battery and thus have a completely portable light table that you can use everywhere.

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