What is and how to use a light table?

Talk creative! All beauty? All right? My name is Rafael Silva, I’m a graphic designer and I’m back with another post for the Design Club.

Today I’ll show you what a light table is and how it can be used both in drawing and lettering and even in graphic design.

Using the light table

In case you don’t know it, the light table is a very used equipment especially by those who work with drawing and illustration, but it can also be used by lyricists, calligraphers and even designers in their moment of creation and search for ideas.

The light table is nothing more than a table, usually made of glass or similar material, with some kind of lighting underneath it.

It is used so that you can transfer designs from one sheet to another more easily and quickly. It is also very useful when you want to plan adjustments on a drawing without necessarily modifying it or having to redo it all.

You can also use the table to plan compositions and layouts from your sketchs, making better use of the space on the sheet of paper.

The same can be done in calligraphy and lettering works where you can use the table to plan compositions, adjust the letter design, create a lettering from a handwriting and much more.

This kind of table makes the creation process too easy, especially for those who like to create from sketches and sketches because you don’t have to keep drawing and redesigning the same things over and over again, and so you end up saving a lot of time.

There are several light table models but I will use as an example for this post the model that I use in my works.

This is a more compact model and can be connected directly to the computer through a USB input, if you have an adapter you can still plug it directly into an outlet.

Another interesting feature is that with it you can still regulate the intensity of light just by pressing this button here in the corner.

It’s a piece of equipment that can have a little higher price for most creative people in the beginning of their career but I consider it a good investment for those who like to work with drawing, illustration, lettering and calligraphy. With it you will gain a lot of time and will positively influence the result of your work.