If you’re going to be doing outdoor observations, you want to keep your “night vision” as much as possible. But if you’re also drawing what you see, it is helpful to have a light to see your paper. A red flashlight can be very helpful, because it won’t destroy your night vision.
Here’s how to make your own!
Supplies
- A small flashlight with a regular bulb (not a compact florescent or an LED array)
- Red “holiday” plastic wrap
- Rubber bands
Instructions
- Tear off some plastic wrap wide enough to fit over light end of your flashlight with an inch or two on both sides to spare.
- Fold the red plastic wrap end-over-end, making squares. Continue folding until you have a square about 1/8th of an inch thick. If you need more plastic wrap, add more.
- Secure it to your flashlight using rubber bands.
- Test your new red flashlight out to make sure there is no white light leaking through.
Buy a Flashlight
If you would prefer to buy a flashlight, this one comes highly recommended.
iPhone Red Light
If you have an iPhone, you can easily turn the screen into a red light. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to do it.