Drawing Flies 52_52 Christmas Spey

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Drawing Flies 52_24 Crazy Claw Crayfish

Drawing Flies 52_24 Crazy Claw Crawfish

Original status: email me for information..

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

Tech Info- Watercolor and gouache. Pretty straightforward process, a few quick pencil lines for proportion, a very loose blue background wash, then coming in with the details. I layered the image so that I could get my lights and darks to read.

I had a hard time deciding which fly to do for this week. I had the opportunity Saturday evening to run down to the Fox River to try my hand at swinging a fly for the first time this year. I landed a nice 16" smallie on my third cast. As I was removing the fly from his mouth, I happened to look down his throat. He had recently eaten a small crayfish, and I could see its claws, antenna and eyes in the back of its throat. My decision was made as to which fly to paint next.

The next decision was which pattern to paint. I have a number of crayfish patterns in my smallmouth box, but none spoke to me as good subjects. I remember my buddy Corey had a great rabbit strip version that I thought might work. I was over at his place watching game 6 of the Stanley Cup (Hawks Win!), and I asked him if he had any of those patterns laying around. He did not, but he did produce tise crazy claw version he had caught fish on. So it was decided, this crazy claw crayfish would be this weeks pattern to paint!

Drawing Flies 52_23 Sofa Pillow

Drawing Flies 52_23 Sofa Pillow

Original status: Original not available.

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

Tech Info- Sharpie and brush pen on sofa pillow.

I grabbed my Sharpie and brush pen and went to work on my rendition of the sofa pillow on a sofa pillow. Well, it is actually my hammock pillow. Boy was my wife mad when she found out what I did!

The story described above is a complete fabrication. I sketched the fly on bond paper, scanned it and created a digital composite with an actual picture of my hammock pillow in my hammock. No actual sofa pillows were harmed it the making of this image! Nor is my wife mad at me.

The sofa pillow is one fly I fish frequently when I am using a dropper. It it very visible and rides high even in rough water. The Sofa Pillow and it's cousin, the stimulator are great mid to late summer flies in the Midwest when hoppers abound.

MAPS-Illustration

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

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

Drawing Flies 52_22 Dr. Oatman

Drawing Flies 52_22 Dr Oatman

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

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

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

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

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

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

DrawingFlies 52_21 Big Old Strip Leech

Drawing Flies 52_21 Big Old Strip Leech

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

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

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

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

Happy Birthday Gary!

Drawing Flies 52_20 Woolly Worm

Drawing Flies 52_20 Woolly Worm

Original status: Original available, email me for info.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Drawing Flies 52_19 Redfish Wrangler

Drawing Flies 52_19 Redfish Wrangler- Digital.

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

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

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

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

DrawingFlies 52_018 Solomon Caddis Pupae

Drawing Flies 52_18 Solomon Caddis Pupae- Sepia Ink, Watercolor and Gouache.

Original status: Available, email me for info.

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

Tech Info-Tried my hand again using my new oatmeal toned paper. Started with a rough pencil sketch Then came back with gouache to build up the shapes and values. I diddled around to much with details and noticed that time was passing quickly. after the time was up, I took another long look at the results and noticed that I did not have enough darks and too many mid values. I guess that's why this image appears so flat to me.

I will be experimenting with some new techniques in the upcoming weeks. I feel as if I am getting into a rut with my current approach. Stay tuned to see what happens.

Larry Solomon devised this duck wing version of the caddis pupae imitation. This dressing was designed to imitate the rising pupae. Other pupae patterns rely on the impression of a bubble similar to a LaFontaine's Sparkle Pupae. This pattern imitates the wings and antenna all tucked along the body just like the natural

DrawingFlies 52_17 Hendrickson

Drawing Flies 52_17 Hendrickson- Sepia Ink, Watercolor and Gouache.

Original status: SOLD

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

Tech Info-I waffled a bit on how to approach this one. I knew I had the option to go either dark or light. I decided to go dark and work the background shape into the the values and shape of the fly. I also used a limited palette of burnt sienna and ultramarine blue. I did throw in a bit of orange for the wing. I started this one by lightly blocking in the shape then I lightly sprayed some water over the image. Next I used some sepia ink and my bamboo quill pen to add a bit of line work. As the pen ran over the water drops, it broke up the line to give it an overall loose effect.

Both the dark and light versions of the Hendrickson are extremely versatile patterns. This fly has a long and storied history. Hope to read about some of it over at Jason's post.

Drawing Flies 52_16 Undertaker

Drawing Flies 52_16 Undertaker- Charcoal Pencil, Watercolor and Gouache.

Original status: SOLD

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

Tech Info-I just received three 13.25" x 11" Canson scrapbook pads. These books are spiral bound an contain 20 sheets of 80 lbs. oatmeal colored paper. This is a perfect mid weight mid value paper. I could not wait to give it a try. Since the fly has a lot of black in it, I went with my General's brad 4B soft charcoal pencil and drew in all the details except for the floss. I typically used a combination or colors to get black, but for this I went straight charcoal. Next I added the watercolor drop shadow and started in with the gouache work. I was not sure how the gouache and charcoal wold act, but I liked the way I could smooth out some of the charcoal with a damp brush.

Last week I received an email from my good friend, fly tying master and one hell of a spey caster, Marty Howard. He suggested something steelhead for this week. I told him to name it, and he came back with the undertaker. Marty has a great pattern that has some similarities to an undertaker. It is called the undercoach. It is a great come back fly that you can throw on if you receive a strike but no hook up. Change the fly over to a come back version, take a few steps back up river and start swinging again. Most times, in the right hands, it results in a hook up. I had the opportunity to tie up and swing a few of Marty's pattern during my trip out West this past Fall. Like stated earlier, in the right hands it usually works, in my case it did not.

Swing by the spey pages and look under Hooks, Feathers and Floss. You will find some great Marty Howard step by step tying. His explanations and photography is top shelf. If you would like some great instruction on tying steel head and spey flies, check out the DVD that Marty and Dec Hogan produced. This DVD has a prominent spot in my collection!

Drawing Flies 52_15 Gold Ribbed Hares Ear

Drawing Flies 52_15 Gold Ribbed Hares Ear- Watercolor and Gouache.

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info-Decide to create this rendition using a very limited palette. I used ultramarine blue and burnt sienna and white gouache. I started by laying in a medium value wash using a burnt sienna and a touch of ultramarine blue to gray it down a bit. I basically painted in the silhouette of the fly first. I then came back in with a darker mixture and less water an placed the darks. To finish it off I added some white gouache to the mix to add some highlights and the gold color to the rib. The last shape I painted was the cast shadow on the ground.

If I had to pick one fly that has the most casting hours it would be the hares ear. This fly is at the top of my list of the "6 must have" flies.

Drawing Flies 52_14 Bass Bug

Drawing Flies 52_14 Bass Bug- Watercolor background, digital sketch.

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

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

Tech Info-Decided to dabble in the digital world this week. I rely on PhotoShop and my Cintiq drawing capable monitor for my day job. I decided early on that I would produce a watercolor background for this one. After I completed the background, I let it dry and then headed to the computer to start drawing. In PhotoShop I opened a blank document and grabbed the digital drawing stylus and started sketching. The nice thing about using the Cintiq is that the marks made on the digital canvas are pressure sensitive. This creates a more natural looking sketch. I roughed in the shape using a dark gray digital pencil brush. Once that was complete, I added colors on various layers to complete this of cartoon looking bass bug. Once the watercolor background was dry, I scanned it and dropped in into the background of the image. I scaled the background to fit and did some erasing to complete the image.

It is Spring time in the Midwest and the temps have soared this week into the mid 70's! It will not belong before I am down on the Fox chasing the smallies!

Great Waters Show

I will be attending the Great Waters Show in Minnesota this weekend. You can find me in the authors booth signing my latest book. If you have previously purchased a book and would like me to sign it, drop on by and I will be glad to personalize your copy. I will also have both hard and soft cover books for sale. If I am not in the authors booth, you may find me at Bob White's booth. Drop by and say hello!

Drawing Flies 52_13 No Hackle Dun

Drawing Flies 52_13 No Hackle Dun- Watercolor and Gouache

Original status: Available. Contact me for information.

Swing by Jason's blog to check out his rendition of the of the No Hackle Dun!

Tech Info- I do not know where to begin. Had a real rough day and it carried into the things I enjoy doing. Anyways, I will spare the gory details. Struggled with getting this one to come together. Came down to the 20 minute mark and I was close to the point of switching gears and finishing up with an ink sketch. I decided to keep at it and make the best of it.

I have only fished this pattern once. It was late in the afternoon in June on the Ausable River. I was in experimentation mode on a rising trout up river. Threw a number of patterns at it with no luck. Tied a no hackle on my tippet and hookup!