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:

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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

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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!

Blue Butt Caddis Emerger

"Blue Butt Caddis Emerger" This painting was done for my freind Tom Helgeson over at Midwest Fly Fishing Magazine. Tom puts out a fantastic tabloid journal that covers fishing in the Midwest. It is refreshing in the age of digital books and e-zines, that someone can still print a quality journal that you can read while dozing of in bed dreaming about your next fishing trip or while on the can passing time dreaming about your next fishing trip. Tom also hosts the the Midwest Fly Fishing show in Chicago and Minneapolis every year. Tom, hope you like the painting, and I cannot wait to try fishing this pattern for trout! The blue tail does not that prominent in the pictures. It is a painting challenge getting that blue metallic flash tail to pop off the painting.

Tribute to Grandpa

"Cassi's Tribute- Art on Skin" I received an email about a week back from Cassi asking permission to use a fly for a tattoo. I have had other request for use of fly art for tattoos, but Cassi has been the only one to not only follow through, but to send a picture of the art immediately after it's completion. Cassi used No. 363 as her choice of body art. Now for the coolest part of the story. Cassi had this tattoo done as a tribute to her grandfather. Here is what Cassi had to say about her life and her Grandpa: "My entire family lives in LA and I spent time with my Grandpa deep sea fishing for tuna and fishing for bass in Newport. I have been fishing with him since middle school. It has been the best time of my life. When my granpa turned 59, he retired from Lockheed and moved to Oregon to learn to fly fish. He unexpectedly passed away one year after moving to Oregon. Three years ago I moved to Oregon into my grandfathers house. A good friend of mine took me on a fly fishing raft trip. We were not that successful, but we had an awesome experience. This is what it must have felt like to my Grandpa to learn something new." I am extremely grateful that my art can help create a lasting memory for someone who had a great love of fishing and for his family. B.C. You have a fantastic Grandaughter who now has artwork inscribed in your memory.

Respect The Fly

"Respect The Fly" This was a collaboration between Steve at Fishing Florida Radio and yours truely. We ended up with one kick ass fly! Check out respect the fly.com to order a cool camo hat and more to come! I really enjoy working on these graphic representation images of flies. Kind of like fly team mascots!

Flats Bunny

"Orange Flats Bunny 2" This is another of the paintings for Fishing Florida Radio. I really have been enjoying doing saltwater flies. Being from the midwest, the colors and shapes of these flies are a painters dream. Looking forward to trying saltwater fishing someday. Shoot on over to their site to register to win a painting!

MidCurrent Fly Fishing News

My fly art will be featured weekly in the MidCurrent Fly Fishing Newsletter. Sign up for free to get your copy sent fresh to your inbox!

Seaducer

"Seaducer" Watercolor and Gouache.

This is another painting for the Fishing Florida Radio Monthly giveaway. Enjoy.