Drawing Flies 52 Floating Nymph. A pattern that I started fishing when I was pretty young (and still fish regularly today). This particular Floating Nymph uses a Harrop-style dubbing ball for the bunched-up wings, and a split tail (more for me than the fish).

Notes: Wanted to do a Buddha Board fly, so here it is. What’s a Buddha Board fly, you ask? Well, a Buddha Board is a water-reactive drawing board that gets black wherever it gets wet. Makes it easy and fun to “paint’ anytime with nothing but a bit of tap water and a brush. The only downside is that if you get a masterpiece, you better be quick with a camera because once the water evaporates, so does your art! Keeps it quick and real, for sure. No cheating with this thing.

So I had to go fast, really fast. But I’ve also got some experience with this thing, so I actually did two drawings: a basic one that gave me form, and which I allowed to evaporate partially, and then a more detailed one that overlaid that. That doubled-up combo gave me a better sense of depth and spread of tone. None-the-less, I had to hustle and I grabbed the camera as soon as I laid the brush down (the hook and tails were already going, going…). As I took the first couple of shots, I realized that I was also getting a reflection from the flash and the overhead ceiling light. I liked what I was seeing, so I changed position and took a few more shots, using the reflected white and orange to enhance the image. What you see is what I got. A few minutes later, it was gone.

Tech info: Tap water on Buddha Board (with a bit of ambient  and introduced light). Photographed prior to evaporation.

Jeff’s cool Floating Nymph is here. I really like it—both the end product and the overall artistic approach. Using the straw and air pressure to get the tails was slick for sure. Nice work, indeed, my friend. Really appeals to my eye!