Drawing Flies 52_10 McGinty

Drawing Flies 52_10 McGinty-Watercolor, Sharpie and Gouache

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- And now for something totally different! Boy this ended up totally different than what my intentions were. I will not tell you what I had originally planned because I will attempt to create it again. This was definately a more colorful approach. Not sure I am pleased with the results, but I will say that it is very different. A bit more graphical in nature almost cartoon like. Started by drawing with a Sharpie, then applying the watercolor layers. Finished up with a bit of gouache.

Drawing Flies 52_09 Deceiver

Drawing Flies 52_09 Deceiver-Watercolor and Gouache

Original status: S O L D !

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

Tech Info- Pretty straight forward watercolor base then punching it up with some gouache. I always start with the same struggle, dark background or light background. The shape of the fly and the general color usually dictates which way I would go. I could have gone either way so I decided to go light. I aways figure that I can aways go darker if I change my mind mid stream. This one took 26 minutes to complete.

Update: Jason's rendition is my favorite to date! Swing by his blog for my comments.

Next week's fly - a McGinty.

On The Record With...Jeff Kennedy

My local newspaper ran an article on my Drawing Flies 365 project. You can read the article here.

Drawing Flies 52_08 Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle

Drawing Flies 52_08 Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle-Digital and watercolor

Original status: Prints Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- Went digital on this one. I produced a series of flies in this method for Fly Fusion Magazine. Recently, I completed a fly for a soon to be announced Patagonia program using this same method. The software used to create this image was primarily Adobe Illustrator with some support help from Adobe Photoshop. I started the process by sketching the fly, working on proportions and experimenting with shapes. I then scanned my sketch and placed it in a background layer in Illustrator. Although the final image was created digitally, the background was created by throwing down some watercolor on a sheet, scanning it and compositing it with the Illustrator image. Just cannot get away from using a brush and paints! I like the look of the results achieved by the fusion of traditional and digital media. No matter what media I use, I follow the same process and always start with hand sketches of the fly. I could have rendered the fly in Photoshop, but I chose Illustrator because I like the way I can uses blocks of colors instead of gradients to get the shapes to read. I ran right to the 30 minute mark with this one! I could have easily added more detail in the hackle, but would have run out of time. The 30 minute limit really forces you to think loose and use economy of marks to get your image down quickly.

The Partridge and Orange is one of my favorite soft hackle wet flies that I go to when dries are not producing strikes. I really enjoy swinging this fly down and across to pools that I know are holding fish.

Update: Just had the opportunity to check out Jason's excellent rendition of the Soft Hackle! Really dig the long flowing spey style hackles.

Next week: Deceiver streamer

Drawing Flies 52_07 Hex Dun

Drawing Flies 52_07 Hex Dun-Sepia ink and Watercolor in my Moleskine sketchbook.

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- My day job has me on the road today, so I am posting this one early. Laid down some sepia using my bamboo quill pen. Added in some watercolor to draw attention to that signature extended body and moose hair tail. More info when I return.

Update: Jason also did a great rendition of the extended body Hexagenia. He used a comparadun style wing. Lots of great color!

Our next fly will be a soft hackle- artists choice.

Drawing Flies 52_05 Muddler Minnow

Drawing Flies 52_06 Muddler Minnow-Compressed Charcoal on Pastel Paper.

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- Now for something completely different! My buddy Corey and I were having a beer after the GreatWater show this past weekend and he mentioned how he liked a past graphite version I did of the muddler. I created this muddler sketch about 4 years ago. I wanted to do something a little bit different from the original muddler and to break away from the watercolors and gouache, so I decided to used some compressed charcoal on a cream colored pastel paper. I started with a very quick sketch of the basic shapes. I used my 6B pencil for this. I then started to block in the dark areas around the outside edges of the shape. This resulted in a nice negative shape of the muddler. I then added some details and dark marks to the interior to help describe the forms. I used my hand to smudge the charcoal to create some values. My finger tips and palm of my hand were black with charcoal. I had to make sure that I did not dry my hands on the light colored towels in the bathroom or else! If I do another in this style again, I will use a different paper. Although I like the tooth of the pastel paper, This brand of paper has very distinct horizontal lines that are part of the graining of the paper. The lines are a bit distracting and take a lot of work to fill in.

Update: After looking at the image a day later, thee one thing that I would change is to have some more midtones. A bit too heavy on the darks. I could add some more mids and maintain overall the mood of the image.

Jason had some happy accidents and new discoveries with this one. As the time approaches the 30 minute mark, you tend to do some quick responsive things to get the fly done. It is this type of experimentation that pushes us into new directions. Way to go Jason!

Next week will be a Hex Dun pattern - Artist choice.

Below is an in progress shot. You can see my quick warm up sketch off to the left.

Below is a picture of the Muddler Minnow I did over 4 years ago.

DrawingFlies 52_05 Flashback PT Nymph

Drawing Flies 52_05 Flashback PT Nymph-Watercolor and Gouache in Moleskine sketchbook.

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the Flashback PT Nymph!

Tech Info- I have to admit that I really struggled with this one. I barely made it within the time limit. I was shooting for a dramatically top lit image of the fly. I am not thrilled with the composition, it is off balance. I also used small brushes instead of my larger ones. Using larger brushes forces me to loosen up and avoid getting to detail oriented too quick. I was too tight too quick and it was a time eater. It was just an off day and I struggled with the small size. There is always next week. I also feel the need to mix it up and try a different style. We will see what happens as next week comes around. As an experiment, I may try to rescue this image and will repost the results.

Update 1: Seems like Jason was feeling the same about his fly. Although I disagree. I like the simple straightforward and color qualities of his image. Just like the pattern itself. I also dig the colors and the fact that this fly looks like it can go zero to sixty in .09876 seconds!

Up for next week will be the Muddler Minnow.

Below are the three minute warm up sketches I did before I started painting.

Final shot from the drawing board.

8 New Limited Editions Prints

Stop on over to ArtCreel.com to check out the 8 new Limited edition prints Also check out the 90 prints in 90 seconds ArtCreel promotional below.

TU Demo

I was invited by the Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited to talk about my new book and to give a painting demonstration. It is always a fun challenge to work on a painting in front of a group of individuals. There were many questions and we ended up with a decent painting at the end of the demo. I decided to do a generic hackle tip wing dry fly. The finish painting was donated to the chapter for their annual auction which raises funds for their many conservation efforts. Thanks to all who attended and to my buddy Corey for taking the great pictures.

Drawing Flies 52_04 Boss

Drawing Flies 52_04 Boss-Gouache on chipboard

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- My original intent was to quickly sketch out the shape of the fly on some chip board, then come back and paint it with gouache. Typically I will do some quick sketches to loosen up and warm up. Instead I spattered some gouache on a piece of chip board grabbed a brush and just started painting. No pencils lines just a piece of board with some odd spatters on it. I started by applying dark gray qouache to block out the form. To get the gray I mixed a bit of black into white gouache. Next came the whites and blacks to make the form come to life. Added the Orange schlappen collar and a few tweaks to the bead chain eyes and tinsel to make it read.

Update 1: Awesome approach to Jason's Boss. Waiting to hear what happened to his scan.

Update 2: The fly for next week will be a Flashback Pheasant Tail nymph.

Below is a closeup so you can see the brush strokes. Look's much better from a distance!

The boss is a traditional West coast steelhead pattern that comes in many forms and colors. I landed my first West coast steelhead on this orange and black Boss. This was an extremely effective pattern during our Idaho steelhead trip.

Below is a picture of an orange and black Boss firmly planted in the maw of this beauty my buddy Corey landed. The boss was extracted and this magnificent fish was sent on her way so that she could continue on her journey and attempt to complete the task her biology was begging her to do.

Drawing Flies 52 03_Tarpon Fly

DF52 03_Tarpon Fly - Watercolor, gouache and graphite pencil 5" x 8".

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- I started this one by sketching in my Moleskine sketchbook with my favorite 6B graphite pencil. To get the saltwater feel, I used a blue green mixture for the background water color. A very "Miami" color in my mind. This image took 24 minutes and 32 seconds to complete. Quick and simple fly that has a fun and dynamic shape to it.

Above is quick graphite sketch I did on a piece of bond paper. I do a number of these sketches before starting so I can get a feel for the proportions and shape. I humped the wing a bit to give it a more dynamic and flowing shape. I felt the image would needed some more dark shapes to liven it up a bit. To achieve this, I added the grizzly pattern to the wing.

Update 1: Jason's version with ink and wash is outstanding! This is one of my favorite illustration styles. I have a love of the line and then when you add a wash good things always happen.

Jason, how about a bit of chrome action for this next one? Let's try one that I had good luck with out in Idaho. Let's try a BOSS.

Drawing Flies 52 02_Humpy

DF52 02_Humpy - Watercolor, gouache and graphite

pencil 5" x 8".

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info- I started out sketching this one in my Moleskine sketchbook with my trusty 6B graphite pencil. I like to quickly block out the proportions and shapes with my pencil first. I do not get into too much detail at this stage, just some quick lines. I prefer to have the freedom to adjust my shapes when I start using my brush to lay in color and volume. After the pencil work is done, I throw down some quick washes to define the shape with watercolor. I use the biggest brush I can so that I deal with broad interesting shapes without any detail. I then start to add some qouache to help define the forms. These typically are the darks and shadows. At this stage the image basically looks like a fly in a dark room. Next comes the punch and sparkle, the highlights. During the entire process I always step back and take a look at the image. I also squint at the image to block out the details so I get a better view of the shapes and values. I adjust the image as necessary and call it done. I try to stop early enough so that I do not go back in and fiddle and overwork the painting. This image took 23 minutes and 10 seconds to complete.

The Humpy has a long and storied past. This article is an interesting read on the history. One of the activities I really enjoy to do along with painting and drawing flies is researching their history. I have discovered many a debate on the origin of certain flies. The other joy is discovering the numerous variations that have been created from various flies.

I am sure that Jason has more information on the history of the Humpy.

Above is an image of the finished product on my drawing board. You can see my old analog stop watch on the top left hand corner. I will try to post some in process images on future flies so that you can see the image as it progresses.

Update 1: Check out the simplicity of lines that Jason used to that create a beautiful fly shape with charcoal. Sweet work Jason! I really dig the initial sketches Jason did before diving into his illustration. Using Charcoal is just like riding a bike!

Stu Apt Tarpon is fly is up next for numero threeo.

Mickey Finn-01

Mickey Finn 01 - 12" x 10" - Gouache on black Canson paper. This is the first in the "Drawing Flies 52" weekly collaboration series with Jason Borger at Fish Flies and Water (FF&W) .

The one rule we have is that the image must be completed in 30 minutes or less. I was not sure if I could do this style of image in under 30 minutes. That became the challenge for me. I grabbed my sheet of black paper, stared at it for a moment, took a deep breath and clicked my stopwatch. I quickly prioritized the order of what needed to be painted first. Tinsel body and hook, glance at the stopwatch, then drop in the head while the body was drying, glance at the stopwatch, paint the yellow bucktail winging then let that dry, glance at the stopwatch... I think you get the idea. I completed the image in 25 minutes and 23 seconds. I knew in my mind that in order to pull this image off, I had to use a minimal number of brush strokes and had to strategically paint in a specific order so that the paint would have a chance to dry. Working on a plain colored background help reduce the time so I could concentrate on rendering the fly.

Be sure to stop by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the Mickey Finn. I am sure that you will not be disappointed with his artistry! I really like the flowing, dynamic lines of Jason's rendition of the Finn. It takes a gifted hand to get such a great look in under 30 minutes.

Jason and I will have the next fly in the series posted on Thursday. I am going to go out on a limb and throw down our next fly, the humpy.

2 Days Left for Discount!

There are only 2 days left to receive your $10 book discount! To preview and order your book today, click here. Enter the following code at checkout to receive the discount:

Orders from the US (using US $): GREATGIFT

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Drawing Flies 52

Jason Borger (whose credentials would take an entire post to list!) at Fish Fles and Water and I are going to collaborate on a new project starting January 1st. We are going to draw the same fly on the same day of the week. We will post those flies to our respective blogs every Thursday. Each fly will be our own interpretation that neither of us will see until we post it. The idea is to create a collaboration hosted by two artists who love to illustrate the same subject matter. To keep the project fun we are going to limit ourselves to 30 minutes total drawing time for each fly. That is more than enough time for me to get into creative trouble!

The first fly we will be drawing is the Mickey Finn. And it will appear on each of our blogs January 1, 2010. We will post new flies every Thursday thereafter and we plan to keep it up for an entire year. We both hope that FF&W and DF365 readers will enjoy this new project.

Stop back on the 1st to check out the Finn!

HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Blurb is offering $10 off either version of my new book! Enter the following code at checkout to receive the discount! Hurry, offer is valid until December 31st. Click here to preview and order the book

Orders from the US (using US $): GREATGIFT

Orders from UK (using UK £): GREATGIFT2

Orders from EU (using EU €): GREATGIFT3

Orders from AU (using AUD $): GREATGIFT4

The Book is Ready

The Drawing Flies 365 book is now available! This 154 page book takes you on a visual journey as I draw/paint 365 fishing flies every day for a year. You can click here to preview 15 sample pages of the book. This link also directs you to the ordering and pricing page for obtaining your copy of the book. I decided to self publish this book through Blurb, who is a print on demand publisher. The book quality is superb. I am offering the book in two versions, soft cover or hard cover with a dust jacket. For those of you that pre-ordered the limited edition copies, you will receive an email with all the information for your order. This book will make a great unique Holiday gift! I hope you enjoy the book. Putting this book together brought back some great memories from that year.

Woolly Bugger

"Bead Head Woolly Bugger"

Watercolor and Gouache - 10" x 14"

This painting was created for an upcoming project. More details will be released later. More images from these series to come!

Limited Edition Prints

Scott Hale over at ArtCreel is offering 10 limited edition prints from the Drawing Flies 365 Series 1 collection. Stop by and check out all of the available art.

More Posts Coming!

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have a number of items that will be announced the second week of November, namely the anticipated book release. But for now, I am Gone Fishing!