A recent inquiry about projectors prompted me to make recommendations for other artists and muralists.
I recommend you avoid the Artograph Tracer Projector ($62) as it is overpriced and has never provided me a clear image in a semi dark room beyond 2 feet. It is supposed to project a 5×5 image up to 14 times the original size (which, if I calculate correctly, means I should be able to see the image at 5 feet). Lines and edges become about an inch thick and so blurry you cannot accurately trace the edge—and that is if you have complete darkness.
If you’re going to use a project often, figure out how much you ought to spend based:
- Number of times you project ;-) you’ll use it in a year.
- Size you can carry with you.
- How you’ll use it (with computer, slides only, or paper drawings)
For example:
- I want to paint 3 murals per year at an average cost of $1000.
- I have too much to carry already, so the projector must be small enough to fit in my art cart which is 18-inches square.
- I want to project connected to my Mac laptop rather than print to paper first.
Based on these choices, I can afford the Mitsubishi PK10 Pocket Projector for about $350. Here are some other choices for slide projectors, home theatre projectors, and tracing projectors…roll your cursor over the slides to view specifications.
Let me know if you have thoughts about other projectors by commenting on this post.