MAPS-Illustration

"Planning" - Watercolor and sepia ink on140 lbs. watercolor paper.

This painting was used in concert with an article titled "Maps" by Jim McLennan featured in the latest edition of FlyFusion magazine. This is a great article about using multiple special use maps ( good old paper maps not GPS) as a means of locating that great fishing spot.

Drawing Flies 52_22 Dr. Oatman

Drawing Flies 52_22 Dr Oatman

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the Doc Oatman!

Tech Info- Gouache on neutral toned paper paper. Did a very quick sketch of the proportions in pencil, then went at it with the gouache. I started with the wing, then worked on the body. Started with basic flat shapes, then added darks and lights to make the surfaces read. I did a lot of "fiddling" to get things the way I wanted them and it caused me to run the full 30 minutes. Joseph Meyer at One More Cast asked my why I have never included a vise in any of my images. He told me that "after all I am also a fly tyer you should have a vise in a few images". Well Joseph, there you go!

I really like the long sleek lines of traditional streamer patterns. I also enjoy all of the patterns created by Lew Oatman. I was introduced to the oatman patterns by my friend Chris Delplato.

Chris also started the Streamer List, which is a network which is dedicated to tying, fishing and history of the long fly.

Chris provided this history on the Doctor Oatman - Not a lot of specific history on that fly. Circa 1953. As you know, Lew designed each of his streamers to imitate specific baitfish. This is the only one of his 'published' patterns (Bates' "Streamer Fly Tying and Fishing") which I suspect is a 'tribute' fly. As far as I can see, his notes for this fly don't reference a specific forage fish. None of the correspondence I have from him make mention of the Dr. Oatman as "an imitation of ...." This, coupled with the the naming of the fly, leads me to believe it is more a tribute pattern than an exact imitation of anything that swims."

DrawingFlies 52_21 Big Old Strip Leech

Drawing Flies 52_21 Big Old Strip Leech

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the BOSL!

Tech Info-Watercolor and Gouache on watercolor paper. Pretty straight forward, laid down the yellow marabou tail first, then the brown body. I then came back over the top with the big dark rabbit strip. Detail work next with the gouache and watercolor.

Jason sent the suggestion this week for a "run-off" style fly. This was timely, because in our neck of the woods we have had abundant rain with the local rivers at or near flood stage. Jason suggested doing a 70's style leech pattern. This pattern is one of Gary Borger's from way back when. So we decided to honor Gary's upcoming birthday with this fine leech pattern. I have to admit that I am very fond of leech patterns. There is something about how the rabbit fur comes alive when swinging one of these beauties for big browns or steel head.

Happy Birthday Gary!

Drawing Flies 52_20 Woolly Worm

Drawing Flies 52_20 Woolly Worm

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the WW!

Tech Info-Charcoal, Nu Pastel on kraft colored shipping paper.

Went big on this one! 22" x 31". Took 25 minutes to complete. One thing that I wish I would have done was to step back from the piece more as I was developing it. I was a bit concerned about the time due to the scale, that I just hunkered in and did not step back to view proportions.

The WW is another one of those "Gotta Have" flies in your box. They work great for many fish species.

According to the text I have found, this fly was developed by Don Martinez who lived in Chicago. Don was a resident of Chicago for 30 years and was also one of the founding members of the Izaak Walton League.

Below are some in progress shots my wife Janine took while I was working. The images give you get an idea of the scale of this piece.

Drawing Flies 52_19 Redfish Wrangler

Drawing Flies 52_19 Redfish Wrangler- Digital.

Original status: Prints are available, email me for info.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the redfish fly!

Tech Info-Went full digital with this one. This image was rendered in Adobe Illustrator CS4 and my 21" Cintique pressure sensitive pen monitor. Just grabbed my pressure sensitive pen and started drawing.

Since I have never fished for Redfish let alone any saltwater species, I searched the web for some patterns. The Redfish Wrangler is a combination of a number of patterns I found. As Jason mentioned in his last post, we are dedicating this fly to the Gulf Coast fisherman and guides. I can only hope that the disastrous oil spill will be resolved quickly and this fragile ecosystem does not sustain long term damage. This disaster will not only take it's toll on the fish and wildlife, but all of the small businesses that survive on the fishing that occurs in this region.