Currently I have a strong halogen light directly above the figure.... but my white balance is set for incandescent light.
Halogen might be okay, as long as you set your white balance correctly--some cameras even have a "halogen" white balance setting. Does yours?
The paper issue can be tricky. I went to the printing counter at Office Depot and asked them for 4 feet off of their big roll, and just ran it all down the back and across the floor of my light tent. It works okay, but it tends to get scuffed-up. Highprime (I think it was) went to Home Depot and bought a big sheet of white flexible laminate, which can be wiped clean. They haven't had that any of the Home Depots I went to, but your mileage may vary.
We don't typically recommend cloth--you'll either get wrinkles, or visible grain in high-res photos. But do whatever works for you!
