Since I am relative inexperienced with airbrush painting of fish, I am thinking about buying a reproduction bass to practice on. After catalog prices of these repos, it looks like an expensive proposition. But I need the practice and I don't want to take in fish specimens until I feel confident in my abilities. I am also going to buy some fish painting videos. Am I doing the right thing or should I be practicing another way? Is the head & fins included when you buy a reproduction fish [bass] or must they be purchased seperately. You can tell by these questions I am a real novice, but I feel comfortable aking them on the forum because I always get great helpful responses. Any and all suggestions, recommendations or tips will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Joe P
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especially if you're planning on only doing repo's. Otherwise, you're going to need practice on skin mounts too. I would suggest practicing with the air brush on paper first. Paashe I know has a little booklet that comes with the brush that teaches you the tricks via little exercises. Although it may be a little expensive I would suggest practicing with the paint you're going to use. Learning how to thin your paint and add retarder, etc. makes more sense to do so with the eventual paint you're planning on using than re-learning later with different paint.
90% of Taxidermy is preparing the specimen to be painted (less with replicas but still 50% or more...). And although fun, I wouldn't get caught up on just the painting part. A replica is certainly easier to strip and repaint than a skin mount but you can strip/repaint skin mounts also. With skin mounts you can learn the fundamentals of taxidermy in preparation to be painted. Then, if using water based paints, you can strip a fish relatively easily with denatured alcohol if stripped within several hours of initial painting. Or, acetone if you wait too long.
Also, I think replicas are much tougher to pull off than skin mounts. With skin mounts, manytimes the markings are already there after drying and minimal "tinting" is all that is necessary. This could be a real confidence booster vs. possibly getting discouraged with a replica.
Good idea - not taking in any work until you gain confidence in your abilities through practice. Tonight, order a few books and videos from WASCO and go out this weekend to catch a few specimens and start practicing with skin mounts. You'll learn a lot more and the end result will probably be better than what you could have done with a replica...
Draw an outline of a bass complete with pelvic, anal, dorsal and caudal fins. If you can't draw it, trace one from a photo. Scan the trace into your computer. Blow up the outline. Print out the enlargement. Trace onto stencil paper. Cut out stencil. Place on cheap poster stock. Tape down the stencil, or glue down with rubber cement (The bottled liquid type).
Make a second trace like the first, but with only the body outline and no fins. Cut out second stencil. Spray fins on first stencil. When finished, paint in the rays with a lining brush. Place the second stencil over the first and then paint the body. The painted fins will be masked off by the second stencil. Detail the gill covers and the eye with sable brushes. Cut shapes to use as masks for head and mouth details. Paint lots of fish until you are very comfortable with the colors, patterns and your airbrush.......Then do as Marty says.
take in a fish taxidermy seminar.I attended one of John Lager's walleye seminars and he had a neat idea .When you go fishing and catch dinner -take the filleted off skin and attach it to a piece of foam let it dry and practice painting on it until you are happy with the results.
Many thanks to Marty, Cur & Chuck for taking the time to respond and help.
Joe P