This is one of the most important things to have when creating a fursuit. You need good lighting. Without it, you can't see what you're doing very well. The question was asked by boogi in the mailing list awhile ago, and some good responses abounded.

What kind of lighting do you use when you do your fursuit work?

Has anyone used the Ott Light that is seen in the fabric stores? How
useful is it compared to regular lighting when doing fursuit creation?

From: Spiked Punch
Any kind of bright white lighting will help you see clearly while working on your costumes. Good places to look would be any artist, fabric, or hardware store that has workplace lights, such as the magnifying lamps and what not. I think Walmart might have some simular as well.

From: Aerofox
So far I've just used a 50 watt halogen desk lamp I bought from Wal-Mart while I'm sewing. it has a high and low light setting. Most of the time I use the low setting which I think is 25 watt which seems to be plenty of light.

Both Loriana and I've been doin' alot of sewing lately :)

From: Ixbalam
I love the Ott Light. They're a little expensive compared to normal desk lamp or floor lamp. I seem to have less eye strain and colors look more like they do in sunlight than they do under other types of light. It's not especially useful for sewing and similar unless you're having trouble with eye strain.

For most things an ordinary halogen lights work fine, even though they can be hot for close work.

From: frryfox
I have a sizable workshop (200+sq ft) that I use both for carpentry and costuming. It has several different types of fixed lighting but one common thread, its all fluorescent lighting. Why? Minimal heat and a more white light. That and being in the basement, having a child and dog running amok shook the filaments so much I was losing a bulb every month.

Main lighting for general use consists of 2 “100W” spiral bulbs on the ceiling (8ft). This gives nice even white light that I can cut and sew fabric by, make measurements on wood etc.

I have a 2 tube 4ft florescent fixture above my table saw (which when covered doubles as my airbrush station). Great overhead light for precision and reflects well off the walls for minimal shadows.

Around my main workbench I have 3 “60W” compact bulbs on a tree so I can get focused multi-angle light on the bench. This is ideal for working with exceptional detail and small pieces (and electronics). Some tools have additional fixed lighting to aid in precision work.

While I could make do with just the 2 100Ws on the ceiling, I prefer different types and intensities depending on the job.

From: Lobowolf
For any mechanical or sewing work that requires precision, you want to maximize the concentration of light on whatever you're working on without creating shadows. Anything that's a point source (like a single halogen or incandescent bulb) is going to give you shadows. I'd recommend a 4 foot fluorescent fixture with four 40W tubes. That should give you a *lot* of light over the entire 4 foot length of the fixture with minimal shadows.

If you're doing anything that requires color matching, make sure you use “full-spectrum” tubes the mimic daylight. You could use a couple of inexpensive “shop light” fixtures, but they usually come with “cool white” lamps. All light sources have a color temperature that will affect how colors look under artificial lighting as opposed to how the color would look under sunlight. The “cool white” bulbs don't pose a problem for sewing, but if you're airbrushing and working with subtle variations in color, you'll want to have daylight tubes so you can see how the color will come out under natural light. (Unless you're colorblind like me, in which case it won't matter anyway =P)

If you're doing really tiny and intricate work, a desk-mounted lighted magnifier might help, although if the room is already brightly lit, you probably won't need it.

It also helps to have a light colored room if possible. A really dark colored room won't reflect any light, and you'll be straining and struggling with shadows no matter how much artificial light you have.

Most of the larger fixtures are meant to be hardwired, so if you don't understand AC wiring, you'll have to have somebody who knows what they're doing wire it or put a cord on it. The fixture can be either secured to the ceiling with screws or hung with chains. The whole works will cost you about $60 or so at Home Depot, but it'll pay for itself over the long run.

Happy lighting! ;0)

An exchange of email between boogi and Lobowolf on metal halide lamps…

From: Lobowolf

Metal Halide lamps aren't *that* exotic, but they are rather expensive if
you buy them new. Neither are they that special…the “control gear” that
they need is merely a ballast….just like you'd need with a fluorescent lamp.

Ah, those lamps. I had the right thing in mind the whole time. Thanks.
I've seen them around and know what kind of output they've got.

Yeah..if you go into Costco or Sam's club or a big gymnasium, you'll see them. There are some in the garage at work, and they're excellent. But you wouldn't want one in a bedroom unless you want to be wearing several pairs of sunglasses.

There's a comparison at http://www.venturelighting.com/Literature/Lighting%20a%20Better%20World.pdf. It says that metal halide lamps are on the same order of efficiency as fluorescents…about 5 times more light output than a standard incandescent bulb. So, a 400 watt metal halide lamp is worth 2000 watts of incandescent bulbs, or the same as twenty 100W bulbs.

So, energy and efficiency-wise, we're talking on par with fluorescent lamps…except that the metal halide lamp can concentrate the light into a much smaller area, and with a polished reflector, you can aim a beam of high intensity light right where you want it, whereas fluorescent lamps are more diffuse and cover a much larger in area. (Good or bad, depending on your application).

I did say that having a diffuse source is better, but that was comparing with a regular incandescent bulb where light goes off in all directions (and most of it is reflected or wasted). If you have some way to focus with a reflector, then it's a lot more useful and will take away a lot of the shadows because the light isn't bouncing off other objects and going right to the object that you're working on.

Speaking of which, you could probably get decent light out of incandescent bulbs if you used PAR halogen spot lamps (like the ones used in track lighting or recessed fixtures)…but the efficiency is still only 20% of a metal halide or fluorescent lamp.

Not only are they rated at 400 watts, but the light output is orders of
magnitude over regular incandescent lamps (which really produce more heat
than light). In other words, get out your sunglasses, cause you really need
a pretty good size space for one of these unless you like staring at the sun ;)

Blindingly bright. Do they take up more or less power to stay lit? I know
the incandescents require a bit, but fluorescents don't, while LEDs pretty
much sip it.

Incandescent lamps generate more heat than light and are power hogs. Fluorescent and halide lamps give five times more light for the same energy usage and are the best choice for work lighting. LED efficiency varies, and seems to be very good in tiny lamps, but isn't much better than incandescent bulbs when room lighting is needed, nor have they figured out how to make very high wattage lamps because of the heat dissipation issues. (According to http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_lighting.html)

Metal halide lamps are hardly ever found in the home and are aimed squarely at the commercial market, and they're initially expensive to install compared to a fluorescent fixture. (And I've never seen anything in the 100W range..most are very high power for large area lighting). So the chances of the average person coming across one are pretty low. Nice and bright and easy to work by, but it's also physically a big fixture, so unless you have high ceilings, it's going to be hard to fit. And that's a heck of a lot of light unless you have a huge space or the fixture is 15 feet off the ground =P Also, cost-wise, if the ballast burns out, it might cost $100 to replace it (special order from your local electrical supply house), and the bulbs are $30-$50 each (available at your electrical supply house, but not at Wal-Mart or Home Depot). And, since metal halide lamps are not consumer items, you'd need to find an electrician or have sufficient electrical knowledge yourself to know how to wire up a cord and switch.

I think most fursuiters would be best off with a 2 or 4 tube four foot fluorescent fixture. The fixtures are pretty cheap, and the bulbs are cheap and available. I spent $60 for the 4-tube fixture and daylight tubes :)

You can get the 2-tube “Shop light” with installed cord for $10-$15 including cool-white bulbs. (Daylight bulbs sold separately). Cheapcheap!

Subject: FL: re: otter lights
From: “Jeff Jonas”

What kind of lighting do you use when you do your fursuit work?
Has anyone used the Ott Light that is seen in the fabric stores? How
useful is it compared to regular lighting when doing fursuit creation?

I'm not familiar with that but a web search finds the bulb for $40: http://www.toolsforwellness.com/ls203.html

If this is the mfgr: http://www.biolightgroup.com/ then they talk only of the human reaction to the light, not industrial use.

I got a similar thing from The Sharper Image: a Verilux “happy eyes” desk fluorescent lamp that's supposed to be close to natural sunlight. $80 is a lot for a lamp but I had a gift certificate to cover it. It's currently in my bedroom, though.

There are sealed beam halogen lamps that ought to give light exactly where you need it, whether a Tizio (http://www.artemidestore.com/) or bare socket on a gooseneck (my drafting table has both). I'd suggest the sealed lamp type to prevent dust from melting or igniting.

Drafting table lamps ought to be prefect for their ability to position anywhere, and you can usually install the lamp/bulb of your choice. I'm unsure if the incandescent/fluorescent combination lamps are still available. Home Depot used to have a nice selection of different lamps and a display showing the different color balances they achieve.

Spiked Punch:

Any kind of bright white lighting will help you see clearly while working on
your costumes. Good places to look would be any artist, fabric, or hardware
store that has workplace lights, such as the magnifying lamps and what not.
I think Walmart might have some simular as well.

Ah yes, my electronics workbench has the traditional magnifier lamp with circular fluorescent lamp. The problem is that the lamp is available only in cool white, few other colors.

I remember seeing very interesting “industrial” lighting but that was way too expensive for me: http://www.sunnex.com/ (trying to remember that name, I found http://www.luminex.it/ *drool*)

– mejeep!