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.