The Poudre Canyon Special

 The Poudre Canyon Special.  This is roughly a 8'x10' watercolor and ink work done at the request of the Midgeman to honor the great work of another great fly tier. 
Some of you have already seen this fly and know the distinct style as the work of the blog SmallStreamReflections.Blogspot.com. 
If you have yet to visit his site then do yourself a favor and click on over.  Also, an institution on the blogs of fly fishers, you have no doubt heard talk of the midgeman.  Again if this is the first time hearing of him, click on over and see a man obsessed with perfecting the smallest flies one can catch trout with.  Both blogs are worthy of your time and no doubt will find a way into your list of blogs you will follow.


The pic to the left is a 'work in progress' photo of the PC Special just starting off.  I started off doing something I am not particularly fond of - Lettering.  For those that know me well they know my penmanship is pathetic so adding letters to a work is a painful process for me.  For these I sketched them out in pencil and went over them with an archival ink then added the parchment effect to the background of the fly.  To keep the watercolor effect I allowed the paint to partially dry then I dropped in fresh water to spread the paint around naturally and give the work texture.
After that was finished I got to work layering the colors of the fly which is a process of painting and waiting, painting and waiting, and repeat.  Overall I am pleased with the effect and hope the recipient is happy with the end result.

Now for the shameless plug so if your hate this sort of thing then promptly stop reading and go visit these two great fly anglers blogs.  If you would like an original work of art like this of a fly or fish that is special to you or a family member, Email me your request and as many details as you can supply - as always, a photo is a good way to start.  Turn around time for a work varies on size and my work load but most works get done in a weeks time (this was three days because my schedule had a big open day available) up to three weeks.  For larger works I might request a down payment but no full payment is due until the work is complete. 
If you took the time to read that, thank you.  Every time I have a purchase like this it gives me not only ammunition to blog about but also pads my 'man account' so I can afford more fly fishing gear.