drawing flies 365

DF&F 52_3 Cutthroat trout and a Chernobyl Ant

2012-01-22T18:53:00.001-06:00

Original status: Unavailable

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Cutt and ant!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and Photoshop on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12".

I wanted to create an image that portrayed the viewer lying on the stream bed looking up. You are seeing the fly drift, debris rushing through the water column, and then you see the trout rise. will there be a take or not? I really struggled with this one and the 30 minutes came up fast. My quick application of color turned to mud and I really struggled with the values. Every once in a while things do not come together and you just have to let go until another day. I will definitely be revisiting this one.

To Purchase Prints, click below:
Prints are 8" x 10" reproduced on digital watercolor stock, signed and number. Each print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.

DF&F 52_2 Brown Trout and Stone Fly

2012-01-14T17:14:00.001-06:00

Original status: Available

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Brown or Stone (artist choice)!

Tech Info - Sharpie, white pastel pencil, Photoshop on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12".

I plan on painting this image in the upcoming weeks (as a separate project).
Used a little Photoshop to darken areas of the image to create depth and a focal point.

NEXT WEEK'S SELECTION WILL BE POSTED IN SIDE BAR ON RIGHT SIDE OF THE BLOG PAGE.

Prints are 8" x 10" reproduced on digital watercolor stock, signed and number. Each print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.

DF&F 52_1 Rainbow and Royal Wulff

2012-01-07T09:54:00.002-06:00

Original status: SOLD

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Rainbow and Royal Wulff!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

The start of the New Year and the new project.

Next week we will go with just a fly: Black Stone Fly Nymph and a Brown Trout.

Prints are 8" x 10" reproduced on digital watercolor stock, signed and number. Each print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.

DF&F 52

2012-01-02T18:54:00.002-06:00

Once again Jason at FF&W and I will be collaborating with the year of Drawing Fish and Flies 52 (DF&F 52). We will be alternating between the two as we see fit. The rules from last year still apply, 30 minutes or less to create the image.

We will be posting the images on Saturday as opposed to Thursdays. We will also pre-announce the following week's image after the previous week's post so that others can join along. More on this subject later. We will also be inviting some other artists to join us on an occasional basis.

Coming up this Jan 7th is a combo Rainbow Trout and Royal Wulff. We started off last year with a rainbow, so it was only fitting to kick off this year with a bo.

I am looking forward to another fun and creative year!

Drawing Fish 52_52 Silver Trout

2011-12-31T17:05:00.002-06:00

Original status: Available - See below for purchase links.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Silver Trout!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

The extinct Silver Trout, Check out the history on Wiki. Next year's plan to follow!

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Silver Trout!

Drawing Fish 52_51 Aurora Trout

2011-12-27T19:41:00.002-06:00

Original status: Available - See below for purchase links.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Aurora Trout! Jason really nailed this one!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

Tried to get the movement that you would get with the Northern Lights. Did not quite hit what I had in mind, but it is what it is. I have never witnessed Northern Lights, but it is on my bucket list. In the meantime, here is a cool video of some Aurora's.

To Purchase the original, click below:

Driftless Caddis

2011-12-19T18:11:00.002-06:00

The Driftless Caddis - A pattern by Jon Uhlenhop at Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters.

Drawing Fish 52_50

2011-12-15T21:02:00.002-06:00

Original status: Available - See below for purchase links.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Payara!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

This is one toothy fish! I really dig the way the two lower teeth slide into the pockets in the roof of the fishes mouth when it's lower jaw closes. One of nature's cool designs!

To Purchase the original, click below:

Alaska Trip Inspiration

2011-12-14T18:49:00.000-06:00

Sockeye Salmon as inspired by my recent Artist In Residence trip to Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska.

12" x 18" Watercolor, Gouache and pastel on 140# watercolor paper.

SOLD

Drawing Fish 52_49 Greenland Char

2011-12-08T21:36:00.001-06:00

Original status: Available - See below for purchase links.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Greenland Char!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

Another crazy week, but it is always great to come to the studio to paint! Jason and I have been discussing what next year may bring. Stay tuned for an announcement.

To Purchase the original, click below:

DF 52_48 Brookie in hand

2011-12-01T20:00:00.001-06:00

Original status: Donated to EDTU Chicago Chapter.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Fish of the week!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

All work and no play makes my paintings way too tight! This week was artist choice for fish. So I went with a brookie in hand. Similar to the brown in hand DF 52_35.

Drawing Fish 52_47 Marble Trout

2011-12-01T17:22:00.001-06:00

Original status: Available,

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Marble Trout!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor and gouache on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

Sorry for the late post. The day job has been extremely demanding of my time along with being out of town for Thanksgiving! Hope I am forgiven!

To Purchase Original, click below:

To Purchase Prints, click below:

Prints are 8" x 10" reproduced on digital watercolor stock, signed and number. Each print comes with a signed certificate of authenticity.

Drawing Fish 52_46 Barracuda

2011-11-17T20:21:00.001-06:00

Original status: Available,

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Barracuda!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper. 10" x 12"

I dig the car, the song by Heart and the fish! Went safe with this one. A very long and tiring week at the day job has really drained the creativity out of me.

To purchase original:

To purchase prints:

Drawing Fish 52_45 Dolphin Fish

2011-11-10T20:47:00.001-06:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Dolphin Fish!

Tech Info - Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and pastel on watercolor paper.

Struggled a bit with this one. Went right to the 30 minute mark.

Drawing Fish 52_44 Snook

2011-11-03T20:40:00.003-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Snook! A great simple and expressive linework snook.

Tech Info - Sharpie, gray marker and white charcoal pencil on oatmeal paper.

Went with some simple line work for this snook with a bit of attitude.

Drawing Fish 52_43 Albie

2011-10-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Albie!

Tech Info - Watercolor, and gouache on oatmeal paper.

Jason decided to continue with the East coast theme for this week. Tons of colors and very cool markings on this tuna!

Drawing Fish 52-41 Blue Fish

2011-10-20T20:03:00.004-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Blue Fish!

Tech Info - Sharpie, Pastel, Gray markers on oatmeal paper

Tried something a bit different tonight. Put down the brushes and paint and used markers and pastel. I was real tempted to draw Dr. Seuss's little blue fish from One fish two fish red fish blue fish! Maybe later.

Drawing Fish 52-40 Steelhead

2011-10-13T20:42:00.007-05:00

Original status: SOLD

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Chromer!

Tech Info: Watercolor, Gouache on Oatmeal paper

One of my all time favorite fish! If I could wade in a river and fish these incredible fish everyday and never get board. I have swung flies for chromers on my home waters in the Mid West and on the West Coast. I have many many more rivers to explore out west and look forward to that journey!

Drawing Fish 52-39 Spotted Gar

2011-10-06T21:49:00.002-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Gar!
wide format watercolor paper.

Continued with the toothy theme this week. I had a different image in my mind that I wanted to create for this week. A bit more dynamic image. Alas, I did not really have it in me tonight. I decided to showcase the long and sleek body of the gar by using my wide format watercolor paper.

Drawing Fish 52-38 Lamprey

2011-09-29T21:48:00.005-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Lamprey!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache and Sharpie on oatmeal paper.

Jason suggested something a bit different this week! I really like his choice! He also forwarded an interesting article on the Pacific lamprey and how they are becoming threatened. Did you know that the lamprey dates back 450 million years! The lamprey is considered part of the First Foods with the Northwest Native Americans. The lamprey is native to both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Niagara Falls was a natural barrier until the Welland Canal was built in the early 1919 which allowed passage of the lamprey all the way to Lake Michigan.

Drawing Fish 52-37 Atlantic Salmon

2011-09-22T21:34:00.002-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Atlantic Salmon!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache on oatmeal paper.

My tribute to Winslow Homers Leaping Atlantic Salmon.

Drawing Fish 52-36 Tiger Fish

2011-09-15T18:46:00.004-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Tiger Fish!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache on oatmeal paper.

This past weekend my wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We spent a long weekend in Santa Fe New Mexico and had a wonderful time ( I will post pictures on my Facebook page). I had so much fun that I sent an email to Jason inquiring which fish we would be doing this week. In his reply he stated it was my pick. I have been so busy between the Artist in residence program in Alaska and our anniversary trip that my weeks were all mixed up. Jason suggested we go with a Tiger Fish, so I obliged, so thanks to Jason for keeping me in line and coming up with this weeks suggestion. As for this fish, it called for bright withe teeth and blood red paint!

Drawing Fish 52-35 Brown Trout

2011-09-08T21:32:00.006-05:00

Original status: SOLD

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Brown Trout!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache on oatmeal paper.

So we decided this week to do a generic brown trout. Sometimes some real gems come in small packages! This image is a drift less area Wisconsin brown held by my best fishing buddy Corey. I am actually working on a full color painting of this sketch. Beauty can sometimes serve in the smallest of packages and experiences. Fishing the drift less area with Corey is someting that I will carry with me forever.

Drawing Fish 52-34 Silver Salmon

2011-09-01T18:40:00.004-05:00

Original status: Available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his see his Silver Salmon!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache and Pastel on 140 LBS watercolor paper.

Continuing with my Alaska theme, I decided to go with the fresh from the ocean version instead of the spawned up color version. We were fortunate enough during our trip to use the spey rods and swing for these on fire fish fresh in from the Bering Sea. The fish were so fresh and full of fight that they even still had sea lice on them.

Drawing Fish 52-33 Rio Grande Cutthroat

2011-08-25T22:07:00.005-05:00

Original status: SOLD, Prints are available, email me for details.

Swing by Jason's blog to see his Rio Cutt rendition!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Gouache and Pastel on 140 LBS watercolor paper.

Went a bit looser with one. I will post some of progression pictures over the weekend. More later.

Used my new pad of extreme landscape format 12" x 24" watercolor pad.

Drawing Fish 52-32 Dolly Varden

2011-08-18T22:16:00.007-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_32 Dolly Varden

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his Dolly Varden rendition!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor and gouache and pastel on oatmeal paper.

I do not know where to start. I just returned from one of the most memorable fishing trips to date. I was privileged to spend a week as an artist in residence at Bristol Bay Lodge in Alaska. None of this would have been possible without the extreme generosity of the lodge and Bob White for making it happen. I will save the details of this trip for a different post.

This image is a portrait of a beautiful male Dolly that I caught while swinging a Morrish mouse pattern on my trip. Nothing like seeing a nice fish take a skating mouse! The colors of these fish are incredible. I exaggerated the colors a bit to drive this point home. The river that I caught this fish in was also filled with a turquoise-green rock that nearly matched the color of the fish.

I will have more images to post this weekend from this amazing trip! (you can see a few of the photos of the trip in my previous post).

Artist in Residence Week at Bristol Bay Lodge

2011-08-17T21:08:00.003-05:00

More to come later!

Back From Bristol bay Lodge Alaska

2011-08-15T06:49:00.003-05:00

I just returned from the Artist-In-Residence week at Bristol bay Lodge. What an incredible experience! There will be a separate post on this in the upcoming week. Special thanks go out to Bob White for putting together this great event and to Steve Laurent and the entire staff at Bristol Bay Lodge. I will be re adjusting to everyday life this week, and will start posting pictures, once I have had a chance to go through them. Drawing Fish 52, will resume this Thursday so stay tuned!

Drawing Fish 52-31 Chum Salmon

2011-08-05T08:39:00.002-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_31 Chum Salmon

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his Chum Salmon rendition!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor and gouache on oatmeal paper.

The Chum "aka Dog" Salmon has one set of teeth and spawning colors that deserve to be painted.

Drawing Fish 52 will be on hold for next week and will resume the following week with a bunch of great images.

Drawing Fish 52_30 Golden Trout

2011-07-28T15:13:00.002-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_30 Golden Trout

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his Golden Trout rendition!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor and gouache on oatmeal paper.

More info later! Stay tuned.

Drawing Fish 52_29 Muskie

2011-07-21T20:27:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_29 Muskie

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his Muskie rendition!

Tech Info- Sharpie, white pastel pencil and gray marker on oatmeal paper.

I had a number of concepts on how to approach an image of the big bad north woods muskie! I settled on this foreshortened image and added the extra teeth hanging out for impact!

Drawing Fish 52_28 Stripped Bass

2011-07-13T21:36:00.005-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_28 Stripped Bass

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his rendition of the Stripped Bass!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and pastel

Back home now and back to painting in the studio. Sketched this one out in Sharpie on 140 lbs watercolor paper. Quick washes with watercolor for value and tone, then details with gouache and pastel. I started mess with it too much at the end. I know I should leave well enough alone!

Drawing Fish 52-27 Sockeye Salmon

2011-07-07T22:02:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_27 Sockeye Salmon

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his rendition of the sockeye!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor and gouache

I spent the week of this post at a church group work camp with my son in Rochester New York. Youth came from all over the country to work in smaller groups on homes in the inner city of Rochester. My crew was assigned a painting job for the first few days, then we were reassigned to a wheel chair ramp construction site. It was an extremely rewarding experience for both the youth and the adult leaders. I was able to squeak this image in during the few minutes of downtime we had in the evening.

Drawing Fish 52_26 Smallmouth (Bronzeback) Bass

2011-06-30T21:00:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_26 Smallmouth (Bronzeback) Bass

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his rendition of the bronzeback!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and pastel

I really dig fishing for these beauties in my home waters of the Fox River! Either by swing a Ralphies Minnow with the 6 weight or under a float when the water is high is always a good time.

Best in Show

2011-06-26T18:49:00.002-05:00

I exhibited at the annual Art On The Fox Festival over Father's Day weekend. I was honored with a First Place Best In Show Ribbon! Totally unexpected.

To read more about the event, click here and here.

Be sure to check out the photos from the event.

Atightloop Magazine

2011-06-25T10:09:00.002-05:00

Swing by Atightloop .com to check out the premier issue of this new Midwest Fly-fishing oriented e-zine. Stuart and Kurt have put together a great issue and look to expand the offerings on upcoming issues.

I am honored to have been interviewed for the premier issue. Swing by Page 63 to read the interview and click on the link to watch the interview at the end of the article.

Be sure to sign up and subscribe to future issues.

Drawing Fish 52_25 Yellowstone Cutthroat

2011-06-23T19:15:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_25 Yellowstone Cutthroat

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his rendition of a Yellowstone Cutthroat!

Tech Info- Sharpie, watercolor, gouache and pastel

This is a memorable fish for me. In 2008 we packed up the family and the camper and headed to Yellowstone. After a bit of sight seeing, we decided to do a bit of fishing in the Yellowstone river. I had the family all spread out at the Nez Pierce access. I looked across the river and I could see fish constantly rising. The river was a bit high and I had a short deep section that I had to navigate. I felt confident with all of the steelhead wading I have done in the past. It was a tough slow wade, but it was worth it. I found a gravel shoal up stream of the rising fish. I stayed put for quite some time, mesmerized by the rising fish. I tried to determine what they were feeding on. made a nice cast and drifted the fly right over them. Nothing. They still continued to rise. I tried a few more casts with no success. To make a long story short, I tried just about everything in my box with no success. I decided to throw on a Royal Wulff. I had never caught a fish on this pattern, even thought I have tied a dozen or so and I know that in my heart it is a tried and true pattern. The proceeded to implement a parachute cast and let the Wulff drift right into their feeding lane. BAM! I set the hook and held on. It took a bit of chasing and dealing with the swift current, but I finally landed that beautiful cut. I was able to get close to shore so that my wife Janine could snap a few shots before the release.

Drawing Fish 52_24 Crappie

2011-06-16T19:28:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_24 Crappie

Original status: Available, email me for details..

Swing by Jason's blog to see his rendition of a crappie!

Tech Info- Sharpie and pastel on cardboard

I had a different approach in mind then what I ended up with. I will try this different technique on a future fish installment. Sketched out the crappie with a Sharpie on a piece of cardboard. I then went in with pastels to add colors and value.

Drawing Fish 52_23 Leopard Rainbow

2011-06-09T20:48:00.006-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_23 Leopard Rainbow

Original status: Original and prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of his Leopard Rainbow!

Tech Info- Watercolor, Pastel and Gouache on Arches 140 lbs watercolor paper

This is the heavily-spotted form of the Alaskan Rainbow. Just started sketching with my pencil, then came in with washes and gouache details. Feeling a bit tight with this one. The brushes did not dance the way I would prefer. Adding the pastel helped to pull it together. There is always next week.

Drawing Fish 52_22 Permit

2011-06-07T18:06:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_22 Permit

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

Thanks to all that emailed your responses to Jason and myself. We did accept either the answer Permit or Pompano. So I gathered all of the correct answers and put them in a hat. My lovely wife will now pick the winner. And the winner of this Permit painting is......Donna L!

Donna - I sent you an email so that you can provide your mailing address. Thanks to all for entering and congratulations to Donna L!

Drawing Fish 52_22 Mystery Fish

2011-06-02T20:21:00.005-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_22 Mystery Fish

Original status: Original will be sent to one lucky winner.

Swing by Jason's blog to receive an additional clue of the mystery fish!

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

We are going to try something a bit different this week. As you can tell, I did not reveal what fish it was. You only get a small glimpse. Now for the fun part. Send me or Jason an email with your guess as to what the fish is. All of the correct guesses will be put into a hat and a winner pulled. The winner will be announced on Tuesday (6-7-11) when the full images are revealed. The winner will receive my original painting of this mystery fish. Deadline is Monday (6-6-11) by midnight CDT to email your guess. 1 guess only, no multiple guesses will be allowed. Good Luck! You can also receive another hint as to the fishes identity at Jason's Blog.

Artist in Residence Week at Bristol Bay Lodge

2011-05-30T07:58:00.012-05:00

If you have never been to Alaska to fish, now is the time to book a trip!

Join me, Bob White, CD. Clarke and Rick Harrington for Artist in Residence week at Bristol Bay Lodge.

This project is the dream child of Bob White and is the second year for this annual event. As Bob put it: "The artist-in-residence program at Bristol Bay Lodge is a culmination of what I've lived and breathed for nearly three decades, and promises to be an epic experience for many years to come."

I am honored to be able to participate in such an event with such great outdoor artist!

If hanging with artists isn't your thing, BBL is also sponsoring Writers Week - July 2-9 withScott Sadil . Nashville Song Writers Week - July 16-23 with Scott Laurent, Earl Bud Lee, Dave Turnbull, Wynn Varble, and John Wiggins. and Photographers's Week- July 30 to August 6 withMike Dvorak, Tosh Brown, Aaron Otto and Dave Lambroughton.

Guests will have the rare opportunity to fish with the artist. Over the course of the week guests will have the rare opportunity to watch as the artist paint on location (plein air), then see the finish showcased work at the end of the week. BBL guests will get an inside look at the process behind the finished pieces.

To learn more contact Steve Laurent at Bristol Bay Lodge via email or call (509)964-2094. Or you can contact Bob White at Bob White Studio via email or call (651) 433-4168

You can view a short video from last years artist in residence program here.

Drawing Fish 52_21 Golden Dorado

2011-05-26T21:07:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_21 Golden Dorado

Original status: Original and prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of his Golden Dorado!

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

What a cool looking fish - Big shoulders, golden color and some razor sharp teeth! Kind of like a piranha's big brother. Drew the image in with a Sharpie on my favorite oatmeal sketch paper. Laid in some big juicy washes or pthalo blue and quin gold. I just let the colors mingle, then I added the details. Enjoy!

Drawing Fish 52_20 Colorado Greenback Cutthroat Trout

2011-05-19T19:56:00.007-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_20 Colorado Green Back Cutthroat Trout

Original status: Original and prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

It has been a while since I have picked up a brush and painted. It felt foreign and I need to paint more.

Colorado Greenback Cutthroat Trout - The Colorado State Fish!

My family had a condo in Colorado ski country during my youth. I spent many a Spring and Winter skiing the slopes. When I was in High School, I dreamed of going to college in Colorado or maybe become a ski bum. I ended up staying in the Midwest, but visited Colorado on a regular basis. I proposed to my wife at the base of "B" lift at Copper Mountain. My wife and I would take our two young boys out there for Summer vacations. It was during one of those Summer vacations when my fly fishing obsession began. During my Colorado fly fishing, I had the pleasure of catching a few of these cutty's. There are so many great memories from Colorado. They will stay with me always!

Drawing Fish 52_19 Amur Trout

2011-05-13T17:51:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_19 Amur Trout

Original status: Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Hand Sketch - Digital - Adobe Illustrator

AAARRRRGGGHHH! Blogger was down last night, so I was not able to post. I did post this image on my FaceBook page last night. Feel free to to look me up on FaceBook and send a friend request. Note to self: I should put a FaceBook link on the blog!

Went digital again, and decided to create a Euro style oval sticker. Thanks go out to Mark Johnstad at Mongolian River Outfitters for the reference photos of this trout.

Drawing Fish 52_18 Coho Salmon

2011-05-05T18:28:00.005-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_18 Coho Salmon

Original status: Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Coho Salmon!

Tech Info- Hand Sketch - Digital - Adobe Illustrator

Went with a Yin Yang Pacific Northwest Native American style with this one. Basically I sketched up the shapes, scanned them in and created the shapes in Illustrator. I really dig this Native american style of art. It is simple and folksy.

Drawing Fish 52_17 Mako Shark

2011-04-28T18:53:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_17 Mako Shark

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Mako Shark!

Tech Info- Watercolor and Gouache

Searched the internet for some great info on fly fishing for Mako's. Had no idea how relatively popular it is. The rich blues, gray and white of this shark are stunning in photos. I can only image how great looking they are in real life.

Not sure how I feel about this one. Tried to go real loose, but ended up with too much detail. Have not painted much in the past few weeks, need to get that brush wet more often.

Drawing Fish 52_16 Grayling

2011-04-20T19:36:00.008-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_16 Grayling

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Grayling!

Tech Info- Sharpie sketch Watercolor and Gouache

Had to go with highlighting the dorsal with this one! The Grayling is one of those species that is on my list of fish that I would like to catch before I take a dirt nap. Pretty straight forward with this one. Quick Sharpie outline then went at it with watercolor washes and gouache details.

Drawing Fish 52_15 Taimen

2011-04-14T18:37:00.004-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_15 Taimen

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Taimen!

Tech Info- Sharpie sketch and Gouache

Since I turned the big 50 today, Jason chose the world's biggest trout species, the Taimen, for this weeks fish image. I went with a triptych illustration for this one in the hopes to exaggerate the size of this bad ass trout. I basically carved out the negative space around the image and threw in a bit of color. Enjoy!

UPDATE: Jason turned me onto the Mongolia River Outfitters. As their website states, "The Guides for Ghenghis Khan's Home Waters". MRO provides guided fly-fishing adventures for Taimen, Amur Trout and Lenok from their private camps located in the Mongolian wilderness. Swing by their site and check out the great pictures and what they have to offer!

Drawing Fish 52_14 Large Mouth Bass

2011-04-07T19:08:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_14 Large Mouth Bass

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Large Mouth Bass!

Tech Info- Sharpie sketch, Adobe Illustrator

I decided to break away from the comfort of my oatmeal sketchbook, watercolor and gouache this week. Instead I went retro and digital (Boy, is that contradictory!). I was looking through some old retro reference information for another project when the idea hit me for the creation of this retro looking piece. Almost reminds me of the illustrations in the old "Children's Highlights" magazine when I was a kid. Started with a sketch with a Sharpie, scanned it in, then started drawing over the top in Illustrator.

Drawing Fish 52_13 Golden Bone

2011-03-30T20:32:00.006-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_13 Golden Bone (aka Carp)

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Golden Bone!

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

As you can tell by now, I am really comfortable with using my Sharpie, watercolors and gouache on my oatmeal paper. I know I need to push myself in other directions, but I am just having too much fun with these tools! Carp fishing with a fly is a blast and not an easy task. My buddy Corey and I have frequented a few of local streams that drain into the Fox in search of carp. Nothing like casting an olive wooly bugger to a tailing carp. I would like to get out and fish for those monster golden bones feasting on the flats of Lake Michigan. The Midwest equivalent to bone fishing in the tropics.

Drawing Fish 52-12 Lake Trout

2011-03-24T19:41:00.003-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_12 Lake Trout

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Lake Trout!

Tech Info- Sharpie, Watercolor and Gouache

Pulled out the Moleskine watercolor sketchbook for this one. Laid down some quick Sharpie marks, then laid in the watercolor washes. The Moleskine paper behaves differently than my sheets of Arches watercolor paper, but I managed to make the body gradient work. Colors are a bit off, but this paper does not allow over glazing of colors well.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T06:33:00.002-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This image is the business end of the Lucky Charm Fly swimming in a sea of ale. This was an image from the 2008 Drawing Flies 365 series. This fly pattern is typically used to catch "Tavern Locked Salmon"!

Drawing Fish 52-11 Yamame Trout

2011-03-16T20:00:00.007-05:00

Drawing Fish 52_11 Yamame Trout

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Yamame Trout!

Tech Info- Digital - PhotoShop

It was Jason's suggestion that we create artwork of the Yamame Trout in honor of Japan and the tremendous challenges that lie ahead for their country. Jason had created the line work which he featured on one of his T shirts. We decided to each use this same artwork and colorize the image as we saw fit. I went digital on this one, since Jason provided the artwork in digital form.

Drawing Fish 52-10 Peacock Bass

2011-03-10T21:23:00.003-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_10 Peacock Bass

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Peacock Bass!

Tech Info- Gouache and Sharpie on Oatmeal Stock

Drawing Fish 52-9 Arctic Char

2011-03-03T20:26:00.004-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_9 Arctic Char

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Arctic Char rendition!

Tech Info- Gouache and Sharpie on Oatmeal Stock

Trying something a bit different. I went for the strong shape and the bright colors. This is a different style they I want to keep on experimenting with on upcoming fish. I want to achieve a strong recognizable shape while keeping the detail to a minimum. My goal is have just enough detail that the species is recognizable. I want to feel as if I put down one more stroke, it would have been one too many.I really want to try pushing the limit with this concept.

Drawing Fish 52-8 Brook Trout

2011-02-24T21:23:00.005-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_8 Brook Trout

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his Brookie rendition!

Tech Info- Gouache and Watercolor on Oatmeal Stock

The best part of a brookie is it's fins. More later.

Drawing Fish 52-7 Tarpon

2011-02-17T21:09:00.003-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_7 Tarpon

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Sharpie and flair pen on bond paper - digital coloring in Photoshop.

What a week it has been! Today 12 hours, yesterday, 16. I was afraid that I was not going to get home in time from the day job to get this one in. I had intended on breaking out the gouache this week, but I just did not have it in me to create the image that I wanted. Instead, I did a quick sketch, scanned it it and colored it a bit in Photoshop. I really want to do this image (and fish) justice, so I think I will paint one up with gouche and watercolor over the weekend. Check back to check it out.

Drawing Fish 52-6 Northern Pike

2011-02-10T22:02:00.002-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_6 Northern Pike

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Sharpie and gray marker and white pencil on oatmeal paper 9" x 11".

Really long day at work. Really did not have it in me.....again. Hopefully next week things will click. More later.

Drawing Fish 52-5 Sea Run Brown Trout

2011-02-03T18:37:00.004-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_5 Sea Run Brown Trout

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition Sea Run Brown!

Tech Info- Sharpie and gray marker and white pencil on oatmeal paper 9" x 11".

Not much to say with this one. Really did not have it in me tonight. Long miserable day at the day job compounded by and extremely long return commute. But there is always next week!

Patagonia Sketches

2011-02-01T17:52:00.010-06:00

These were the initial set of sketches for fly ideas that I generated for the Patagonia shirt project. These were all done with a Sharpie on Chipoltle napkins with gouache. I will have a later paost which shows the next step which are the refinement sketches.

Df52_4 Redfish

2011-01-27T20:56:00.003-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_4 Redfish

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition Redfish!

Tech Info- Sharpie and Gouache on oatmeal paper 9" x 11".

I spun the wheel of fish this week and it landed on salt again. This time the redfish. I was really drawn to the dark spot which looks like it represents another eye which may fool a predator. Since I am still having fun experimenting with gouache, brush strokes and my oatmeal paper, I decided to use it again this week.

Au Sable Morning

2011-01-22T14:29:00.003-06:00

My latest landscape painting painted for Ed as a parting NIFT Presidents gift.

Df52_3 Bonefish

2011-01-20T18:38:00.004-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_3 Bonefish

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition Bonefish!

Tech Info- Sharpie and Gouache on oatmeal paper 9" x 11".

I was happy with the way the Pumpkinseed went, so I decided that a similar approach was in order for the bonefish. I have never fished for, caught or held a bonefish. I sure would like to do all three some day! With that being said, I struggled a bit with this one. I had to do a bit of research about this species before I could begin sketching. The information that I read that I found most intriguing is the bonefishes ability to reflect it's surroundings due to the highly reflective nature of it's scales. Armed with that information, I made sure to add a bit of exaggerated color in this piece. I also went thick and heavy with the gouache to give texture and depth to the piece. Unfortunately, the scan does not show all of the subtle brush strokes. I also had to do a few warm up sketches, since the proportions are a bit foreign to me. I really enjoyed reading all about the bonefish in my McClane's New Standard Fishing Encyclopedia. having the net and some great books to gain additional knowledge is one of the great pluses of this project.

New T Shirts!

2011-01-18T19:08:00.004-06:00

My first shirt for Patagonia that is printed with my original art is available online! I really enjoyed working with the folks at Patagonia. This was an extremely fun and rewarding project. The Green Butt Skunk is shown here, and I will have additional posts on the other two shortly. (Hint, they are a Tarpon fly and a wooly bugger). I would like to send out a big thanks to Bob White for hooking me up with the fine folks at Patagoniaonline!

DF52_2 Pumpkinseed

2011-01-13T06:41:00.011-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_2 Pumpkinseed

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition Pumpkinseed!

Tech Info- Sharpie and Gouache on oatmeal paper 9" x 11".

Bluegills remind me of Summer fun and kids. We all may be needing this kick in our memories right now! I have caught (and released) many spawning Pumpkinseeds in the Spring. I have held them and admired the depth and brilliance of their amazing coloration. The vibrancy of their colors resemble that of many saltwater species. My aim was to capture that brilliance in this painting. Almost need to wear shades when looking at this!

I started by sketching out the shapes and forms using a Sharpie pen in my oatmeal colored sketchbook. I then started to apply the base layers of gouache blending as required.

I used my stiffer bristle brush to introduce texture. This texture is to give the illusion of scales without painting individual scales. You will not see me painting individual scales (unless it may be a tarpon or carp which have large scales). My drafting days are long past and I welcome the challenge or using as few a brush strokes as possible to accomplish the task. Not to mention the 30 minute time limit helps to enforce that!

New T Shirt Art

2011-01-09T09:08:00.003-06:00

Cameron over at the Fiberglass Manifesto has a new shirt offering for this year. And it just so happens that one of my flies from the DF 365 project graces the front. Head over to his site and pick one up as they are only offered for a limited time. These shirts are high quality and will look great out on the stream of at the tying bench!

Drawing Fish 52_1 Rainbow Trout

2011-01-06T17:54:00.005-06:00

Drawing Fish 52_1 Common Rainbow Trout

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition Rainbow Trout!

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper.

Well here we go with the first in another interesting series. I have a feeling this project will be more of a challenge than the previous. Jason and I decided to kick this off with the common rainbow trout. My first path was to ink out the trout, then come back with watercolor. Instead, I grabbed my medium squirrel brush and just went at it. the intention was to create a general feel for the skin and overlay a general shape onto it. I was a bit concerned about the time element so in place of rendering all the spots, I went at it with random splatter. I was a bit aggressive with the color and should have left some more of the white paper. Not sure how I feel about this piece, but I have 51 more opportunities to work on it.

New for 2011

2011-01-05T19:06:00.006-06:00

Starting a new creative series on Thursday in collaboration with Jason Borger. DF 52 but instead of drawing flies, we will be drawing fish. Posts will be every Thursday. Stretching my creative legs in a new direction. The rules will be the same, 30 minutes maximum time to create. It will be artists choice on what to portray, whole fish or just portions. Skies the limit on medium. This will definitely be a challenge for me but one I hope to grow artistically from. This Thursday will be the first posting.

I will have more news on other projects slated for 2011 coming shortly.

The Rainbow above was the first fish I ever painted. I believe I did this one 8 years ago.

Drawing Flies 52_52 Christmas Spey

2010-12-23T18:35:00.005-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_52 Christmas Spey

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper.

Well, we have reached the end of Drawing Flies 52. It has been a fantastic year collaborating with Jason on this project! It is also another memorable milestone in my artistic pursuits. I would like to thank Jason for the great inspiration during the course of this project. Having the opportunity and privilege to work with someone of such a high caliber is a great honor.

I would like to thank everyone who has followed us all the way through the project and a special thanks to all who have provided good homes to many of the originals and prints!

Jason and I will be discussing the next project and the possibility of a book, so stay tuned to the blog and my Facebook page for the latest developments.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Drawing Flies 52_51 Gray Ghost

2010-12-16T19:16:00.003-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_51 Gray Ghost

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper.

A Carrie Stevens Famous streamer creation made to imitate the rainbow smelt. I am not really pleased with the way this has turned out. Oh sure, I can blame it on a number of things going on right now. I would have liked to work a bit more transparent and the background was quite busy. I started to mess with things in the end (A huge mistake). Fortunately the 30 minute clock prevented me from turning this into a total disaster.

One more to go. I cannot believe it!

Drawing Flies 52_50 Winters Hope

2010-12-09T18:00:00.003-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_50 Winters Hope

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper.

Stared in my ususal way with this one. a quick sketch in pencil to block out the shapes. I then laid in the background wash, leaving white paper in the wing and tinsel body areas. Blocked in with water color, then finished off with the gouache.

I have swung this patterns on a couple of occasions on bright days when the water was clear. The pattern has not been productive for me.....yet!

Drawing Flies 52_49 Bright Fox

2010-12-02T18:46:00.003-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_49 Bright Fox

Original status: Original and Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Sharpie pen, watercolor and gouache.

Started this one by just loosely sketching with the sharpie. I then came back over the pen markes with watercolor and gouache. I ran across the Ray Bergman patterns from a post at Hatches Magazine. You can read more about the Bergman patterns at that post.

As you can tell, we are coming close to the end of the Drawing Flies 52. Stay tuned for what we will be up to next!

Drawing Flies 52_48 Turkey Spey

2010-11-25T09:52:00.003-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_48 Turkey Spey

Original status: Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Sepia India Ink, Gouache.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Tribute To Tom Helgeson DF 52-47 BBCE

2010-11-18T21:32:00.007-06:00

This fly is dedicated in memory of Tom Helgeson. The Blue Butt Caddis Emerger was one of Tom's favorite go to patterns. So much so that Tom was nicknamed "Old Blue Butt". There has been so much said about Tom and his life recently. Sometimes the right words escape me. In this instance, I will let my brush (although it is digital) express the fly Tom so dearly had confidence in.I was torn as to what media I should use to produce this image. I decided to go digital, since my previous rendition of this fly was in watercolor. I hope Tom would have approved. Rest in peace my friend.

Chris Niskanen at Twin Cities .com wrote this nice obituary.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out tribute to Tom.

Tom Helgeson

2010-11-14T16:56:00.008-06:00

Bob White called me Saturday with the sad news that Tom Helgeson has passed away. For those of you who did not know Tom, He was the man behind Midwest Fly Fishing Magazine and the Great Waters Expo which occurred every Winter in Chicago and Minneapolis. Many Midwest anglers will feel this tragic loss. I had the great honor and privilege to work along side Tom on the last edition of Midwest Fly Fishing Magazine. Rest in peace my friend, and someday we will meet at that great trout pool around the bend.

The painting above is the Blue Butt Caddis Emerger. This painting was commissioned by Tom and was one of his favorite go to trout flies.

Drawing Flies 52_46 Durham Ranger

2010-11-10T20:28:00.010-06:00

Drawing Flies 52_46 Durham Ranger

Original status: Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Digital - PhotoShop and Cintiq Monitor.

I began by sketching in the shapes using a 10 pixel angled brush. If you look closely, you will see some of those original sketch lines. When I digitally sketch, I use a blue/ black color. This helps to give the sketch a bit more life then when using straight black. Next, I start layering mid value "home" colors over the top of the sketch. After those colors are laid in, I start adding the lights and darks to give the image volume and depth. You can mess around with this step forever! adding details, pressing CTRL Z, going back, rinse, repeat. I try to approach my digital work in the same manner as I would traditionally. Although there are a zillion digital brushes available, I have limited myself to 6 to get the job done. Same goes with the color palette. The last step was to create the background. I turned off all of the fly layers and created the background using a variety of brushes. I typically create the background in gray scale to start. I then turn back on all of the fly layers and adjust the background color to fit the subject.

I went right to the 30 minute mark with this one. When working digitally, you can continue to tweak and modify until the cows come home. As with traditional painting, I am striving for a loose interpretive look.

Drawing Flies 52_45 General Practitioner

2010-11-04T19:21:00.006-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_45 General Practitioner

Original status: Available email me for information. Prints are available email me for information.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and Gouache on 140# Arches watercolor paper

One of the great all time prawn patterns developed in 1953 in England when the use of shrimp and prawns was banned.

Drawing Flies 52_43 Jack O' Lantern Spey

2010-10-28T19:30:00.007-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_44 Jack O' Lantern Spey

Original status: SOLD. Prints are available email me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the Jack O' Lantern Spey!

Tech Info- Watercolor and Gouache on 140# Arches watercolor paper

My buddy Corey and I were making a stop at our favorite watering hole on the return leg home after fly tying the other evening. During the drive I was trying to decide which fly to paint for this week. That is when Corey said that a Jack O' Lantern spey is in order with Halloween being Sunday. What a great idea! I painted a JOL spey in April of 2008 for the drawing flies project. With the Midwest Fall steel head season upon us and and Halloween occurring over the weekend, I felt Corey's suggestion was the right fly for the occasion.

Drawing Flies 52_43 BWO Floating Nymph

2010-10-20T21:23:00.005-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_43 BWO Floating Nymph

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the BWO Floating Nymph!

Tech Info- Sepia ink, Derivans Liquid Pencil, white gouache on Lenox 100 paper

Went with a few of my favorite ink products for this one. To start, I used my rigger brush and the sepia ink and just started drawing. As I was drawing, I would take my damp round brush, and soften and blend out areas to give the image some depth and value. For the tail, I put down a pretty healthy blob of ink, then I took a drinking straw and blew the ink outwards. To give the fly more volume, I worked over the top of the sepia ink with the liquid pencil, using my brush to soften and blend. I finished up with the white gouache to reclaim some highlights and add sparkle in a few spots.

Drawing Flies 52_42 Gray Hackle Peacock

2010-10-14T12:15:00.015-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_42 Gray Hackle Peacock

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the Gray Hackle Peacock!

Tech Info- Flair Pen on 20# bond paper - Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

I really enjoy producing flies that have a great history behind them. Another joy is producing fly art that moves individuals and has a great family or individual story behind them. It helps to put a personal face on a fly. If I can create artwork that helps to move people, then I know I did my job. I am hoping this fly does just that...

I received an email from Danielle requesting a fly that has great meaning to her personally and her family. I do get many requests for flies, and I try to accommodate most requests. This one was special. Not only does the Gray Hackle Peacock have great meaning to her and her family, it also has a historic connection to her Grandfather. Danielle interested in my rendition of the fly, but she also would like to get a tattoo of my art. I have had 4 others flies inked on individuals. 1 of which was a gal who had her grandfathers favorite fly permanently inked on her ankle. I find it a great honor that someone would permanently ink my art on their body and that the images I create brings back memories of a fond fly fishing loved one.

Here is a bit of what Danielle emailed:

"I would LOVE for you to add a grey hackle peacock to your paintings! My Grandfathers favorite fly was a grey hackle peacock. I am interested in getting a tattoo of this specific fly. This fly is special to me and my family due to mt Grandfather's love of it. Having this done would mean a lot and would be truly appreciated by both myself and my family!!

My Father reports that this was my Grandfather's most successful fly and of any other fly he tied, this specific fly caught the most fish. My Grandfather's favorite place to fish when he was alive was on the high mountain lakes of Colorado. My Father stated that "he would have rather been there and fished there than any other place on Earth. And, when he was there he was catching fish on the grey hackle peacock when nobody else was catching fish."

I, unfortunately, never fished with my Grandfather and picked up the sport/lifestyle/religion when I moved to Montana. The first fly that I learned to tie was the grey hackle peacock. This was also the first fly that my brother learned to tie years ago.

My Grandfather passed away in 1993. And although I will never be able to fish with him, through the grey hackle peacock, I have this attachment with him. Such great memories of my Grandfather surface every time I see that fly!"

So Danielle, in my 30 minutes alloted, I created some "INK" art for your tattoo (which, I expect to see a picture of after you have the tattoo completed) and my watercolor rendition of the gray hackle peacock.

Drawing Flies 52_41 Wool Head Sculpin

2010-10-07T19:47:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_41 Wool Head Sculpin

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

I have a number of sculpin patterns in my box. This one is loosely based on Kelly Galloup's wooly sculpin pattern. I have had many a successful evening swing sculpin patterns late into the evening for large brown trout. I also have a few large sculpin in my "bug" collection sitting in a glass jar of ethyl alcohol on my tying bench. These specimens make for a great tying reference.

Drawing Flies 52_40 Wickhams Fancy

2010-09-29T20:27:00.005-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_40 Wickhams Fancy (wet)

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

A beautiful traditional English wet fly. I like the combinations of the wing, collar and gold body. Jason was looking forward to my "metal work", so I hope He likes this one, since it is a bit obscured by counter wrapped hackle.

Drawing Flies 52_39 Bunyan Bug

2010-09-23T18:49:00.010-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_39 Bunyan Bug

Original status: SOLD

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

I created this quick sketch in my new watercolor sketchbook. The paper did not react to the watercolor in the manner I am use to, but I will have to work with it some more to get the hang of it. I am going to leave the story of the Bunyan Bug up to Jason, due to his connection with "The River Runs Through It". The Bunyan Bug is one of those flies that not only looks good and catches fish, but has a story that captures your imagination. Below is a full blown painting I did of the Bunyan Bug. This one took more than 30 minutes due to the complex layering of washes, but I thought it would be of interest in this post. . The final picture is an in progress shot of the initial wash, my palette and brushes.

Post on Captain Rusty Hook

2010-09-21T07:21:00.003-05:00

The Captain Rusty Hook blog has a nice post about Drawing Flies 365. You can read it here (You will have to use the translate function in your browser unless you are fluent in Italian!). Thanks for the nice post Captain! While you are visiting, be sure to check out his other posts.

Drawing Flies 52_38 Joliette Hopper

2010-09-16T18:29:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_38 Joliette Hopper

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

This is one of my favorite hopper patterns for late Summer trout in the Wisconsin Driftless area. Many a fish have fallen prey to this great pattern. I used a very tattered and beat up fly from my box as reference. If I painted it the way it looks now, it would almost be unrecognizable as a hopper. I just returned from a week long watercolor color workshop up in Northern Wisconsin. This was the first painting I did after returning. Nothing seemed to work the way I had envisioned. The brush felt sluggish, color mixing was off, but I struggled through and did the best I could today.

Drawing Flies 52_37 Rusty Spinner

2010-09-04T17:16:00.009-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_37 Rusty Spinner

Original status: Available, email me for information. Prints are available.

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache 140 lbs watercolor paper.

Back to the traditional media I love best. I was going for the look of the spinner laying on top of the water withe the Z-lon wings and tail fibers supporting it. Great simple and effective pattern. More on this later.

Drawing Flies 52_36 Dahlberg Diver

2010-09-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_36 Dahlberg Diver

Original status: email me for information. Prints are available.

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

Tech Info- Dirty sidewalk, 1600 PSI pressure washer, 15 degree tip and water.

Now for something completely different! I was instructing my Son on how to pressure wash our real dirty sidewalk. It suddenly occurred to me that this section of sidewalk would make a great canvas. I grabbed the pressure washer and started drawing, I mean washing, this image of the Dahlberg Diver. I evened signed it. The image only lasted an hour, before my Son cleaned it away.

Just Exercising the Brushes

2010-08-29T07:35:00.003-05:00

I discovered this pencil sketch in my watercolor sketchbook and decided to get the brushes out and go at it. I had nothing in mind as far as colors type of fly or values when I started. I just wanted this to be a spontaneous fun piece.

This original is available - email me for details.

Drawing Flies 52_35 Crazy Charlie

2010-08-26T19:26:00.005-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_35 Crazy Charlie

Original status: email me for information. Prints are available.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of a Crazy Charlie!

Tech Info- Digital rendering in PhotoShop using Wacom pressure pen and monitor.

Went digital again with this one. A real quick monochromatic study using my Photoshop brush arsenal. I have been wanting to work on my digital drawing still, so I may experiment with a few more flies.

En Plein Air Trailer

2010-08-22T09:02:00.004-05:00

en Plein Air (official trailer) from Wildman Pictures on Vimeo.

Friend and fellow artist Jared Shear at Terrapeer, shared this trailer to a new independent movie about plein air painting in the proposed Scotchmans Wilderness Area. There is nothing better than some great hiking, fellowship and plein air painting!

Drawing Flies 52_34 Hornberg

2010-08-19T17:50:00.008-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_34 Hornberg

Original status: email me for information. Prints are available.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of a Hornberg!

Tech Info- Digital rendering in PhotoShop using Wacom pressure pen and monitor.

Decided to do something different this week. I decided to sharpen my digital skills a bit and figured this was as good a time as any to do it. Started by creating a neutral gray background. It is always hard to get started with a big old white canvas staring back at you. I then roughly sketched it the shapes then started blocking in color using my "Chalk" brush. I have created a set of digital sketching and painting brushes that I like to use for this kind of work. I continue building shapes and values, just as I would when I use watercolor and gouache. One has to remember that digital painting is just a tool, the fundamentals are the same. I will say though that there is no "Control Z" or "Undo" key with conventional painting!

I have tied a couple of Hornbergs, but I cannot say that I have had great success with them. The Hornberg was developed a retired Wisconsin Conservation Warden named Frank Hornberg. The fly has been known to imitate a large sedge or a small minnow. Knowing that Frank was from Wisconsin, my bet is that the later was what he was striving for.

The Hornberg can range from "Real Scruffy looking" to more refined as I have shown. I chose this look because I new time would be a factor when rendering the mallard. I recall seeing seeing a while back a rendition of a Hornberg where the the tips of the mallard were brought together and glued with some head cement. That is the way I decided to render it.

There is nothing like jungle cock as great method to draw your eye to the center of interest on this fly!

Drawing Flies 52_33 Takayama Sakasa Kebri

2010-08-12T22:07:00.006-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_33 Takayama Sakasa Kebri

Original status: SOLD

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of a Tenkara fly!

Tech Info- Watercolor stock, Bamboo pen, sepia ink, gouache and watercolor.

Jason through down artist choice on a Tenkara fly this week. I have to admit that I did not know that much about Tenkara. So I went to the web to do a bit of research. I was fornutate to come across the Tenkara USA site, which is chock full of information and videos. For those who are not familiar with Tenkara, the site states - " Tenkara is the traditional Japanese method of flyfishing which uses only a rod, line and fly. Tenkara is a category of fly fishing particularly well-suited for fishing streams and for fishing while back packing. It's a very effective, simple and enjoyable method of fly-fishing small streams."

I scanned the page that had the flies listed on it and chose the Takayama Sakasa Kebri. According to the site - "The Takayama Sakasa Kebari are thought to be one of the older "sakasa" (reverse hackle) patterns used in tenkara fly fishing. It's an "elaborate" fly compared to some of the other tenkara patterns, for this one has a peacock herl collar, and a "butt". We'll never know whether it really is one of the oldest sakasa flies,but it's a beautiful one.

These are tied with the softer part of a hackle, which makes them a great mix of soft-hackle wet flies, and the stiffer hackle sakasa flies. They can be very effectively fished as a wet fly (swung), or by giving it some life by light twitches on your rod."

I really like the look of the reverse hackle, and I am always a sucker for peackock herl and a bright butt! I was not quite sure which painting approach I should take with this fly. At first I thought something similar, like the fishing style itself. Then I thought about something with an oriental flair. I scanned my arsenal and decided, I had to use a bamboo pen! I layed down some sepia ink, then folowed it up with the color. After reading more about these flies, I was curious as to the idea behing the reverse hackle.Since the hackle is more of a soft style, I imagine that it flows back when swung, creating an inciting look! Swing by Tenkara USA and check all there is to offer about Tenkara.

Drawing Flies 52_32 Serendipity

2010-08-05T20:59:00.005-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_32 Serendipity

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Oatmeal paper stock, Graphite pencil, gouache and watercolor.

I was not sure exactly how to approach this weeks fly. I intended to pull out the old standbys, bamboo pen, sepia ink. Instead I went with a graphite sketch and then threw down some watercolor and gouache. Keeping true to the the name, I used all warm colors, creating a calm and serene feeling.

The serendipity was the second fly I fished when I started fly fishing. Unfortunately, it did not produce, but I will try it again when the time is right.

Drawing Flies 52_31 Brassie

2010-07-27T21:15:00.007-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_31 Brassie

Original status: SOLD

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

Tech Info- Gouache, Watercolor and sepia ink and bamboo pen on 140 lbs. watercolor stock.

Created this one in a similar method as the leadwing. I started by laying down ink lines with my bamboo pen and sepia ink. The bamboo pen is a great tool to use for drawing. You can great great thick and thin lines by adjusting the pressure when drawing. I also break up the lines by using a spray bottle.

This pattern is a great imitation of a caddis larva. I have spent considerable time turning over rocks in the streams and rivers I fish. The most abundant insect that I encounter is the cased caddis. The brassie imitates the unfortunate caddis whose anal proledges cannot overcome the natural or unnatural dislodging forces. The wire wraps get the pattern down in the water column and the peacock hurl is a wonderful representation of the emerging legs from the case. A simple yet effective pattern.

Drawing Flies 52_29 Loop Wing Dun

2010-07-15T21:46:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_29 Loop Wing PMD Dun

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Gouache, Watercolor on medium gray Canson paper.

I really like to tie and fish parachute patterns. A loop wing parachute would make a great combination to tie and to fish!

Drawing Flies 52_28 Chironomid

2010-07-08T18:56:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_28 Chironomid

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Watercolor, gouache, sepia ink and graphite pencil.

I found this pattern a few months back and really fell for the shape. It is a chrionomid emerger pattern that I though was unique and different.

Just got back from our family vacation this evening. We visited family in the "Tip of the Mitt" in Michigan. More information to follow after I adjust from vacation mode.

Drawing Flies 52_27 Damselfly

2010-06-29T22:03:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_27 Damselfly

Original status: SOLD

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

Tech Info- Watercolor on 140 lbs Arches watercolor paper.

We tied this pattern during one of our regular Monday night club meetings. John M. from our club demonstrated this pattern and swears by it's effectiveness. John spends time every year chasing smallmouth in Sylvania and has great luck with this pattern.

I rendered this pattern from the top because I liked the shape of the foam tail and the great flash and marker patterned wings.

Drawing Flies 52_26 Irresistible

2010-06-24T21:44:00.004-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_26 Irresistible

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Oatmeal sketchbook paper, watercolor and gouache. Pretty straight forward on this one. Quick sketch with some pencil, under painting with gouache to get the general values, then came in with the highlights.

My day job has been keeping me extremely busy these past few weeks and I have not had enough time behind the brush or the pen. Feeling a bit rusty and awkward with this rendition. After looking at it again after scanning it, I do not like the rounded bottom side of the deer hair body, I should have clipped this and made it flat. This would have made been a better looking shape.

My fly box contains a half dozen or so irresistibles. It is one of those patterns that has bits and pieces of other great patterns combined into one fly. The deer hair makes it float like a cork in rougher water and works for droppers. The front half has the classic Adams or catskill dry look to it. There are so many buggy features to this fly that i do not think the fish can resist. Hence the name irresistible!

Drawing Flies 52_25 27000 ft Gartside Sparrow

2010-06-17T21:07:00.005-05:00

Drawing Flies 52_25 27000 ft Gartside Sparrow

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Black Flair pen on Moleskine sketchbook with a bit of saliva.

I have had a busy and hectic week. The day job has been keeping me going from early in the morning to late at night. So busy that this weeks fly was done on the fly at 27,000 feet. That has to be one of the highest flying sparrows I have ever seen! Alright, now you are probably wondering what 27,000 feet, sparrows and saliva have to do with this fly. The fly was drawn today on my return flight from St. Louis. As I had my tray table down and I was sketching away, the pilot announced that we were at our cruising altitude of 27,000 feet. And a bit of spit was used to soften and smudge the ink in a few areas to give a softer impression in the tail and collar of the fly. So there you have it, a 27000 ft Gartside Sparrow.

The top photo was shot from my iphone after I finished it up. I used a whopping 4 minutes to create this fly. I had 56 minutes left to rest and listen to some music the rest of the ride home.