Drawing Fish 52 Atlantic salmon. I love Atlantics. Perhaps my favorite cold-water gamefish in terms of the “game” aspect. When they are hot, right out of the ocean, they fight precisely like what they are: ocean fish in a river. Love that. If you go to a place where are still a lot of them (like Russia), you can have days with Atlantics you won’t ever forget.

Notes: The thought of Atlantic salmon always brings me back to the classic sporting paintings and pencil sketches that I loved in my youth (and still love). You likely know the work I’m talking about: An angler and guide, usually seen from some rear or side angle, with a big Atlantic arcing into the misty dawn on a spectacular Maritime or European river. There has been some truly great sporting art built around this fish, but this particular DF52 drawing is not among it!

This is a just a few brush strokes and some quick pen work meant to capture a feel for the fish. To make it even more pedestrian, it uses coffee for the color. Why coffee? Three reasons: 1) I think that coffee and Atlantic salmon fishing are made for each other (I have found myself consuming one in large quantities while earnestly engaged in the other); 2) Coffee is a nice color for use with Atlantics (I have caught coffee-colored Atlantics from coffee-colored water); 3) I had a cup of coffee sitting next to me and was too lazy to mix anything else (that, and I like to paint with coffee, tea, wine and whatever else I can drink that will also stain a piece of paper the proper color).

Tech Info: Coffee and brush-tip pen on Academie sketchbook.

Available for purchase? If you like minimalist pieces, then yes. If not, then no. Contact me directly if your feelings tend toward the former.

Check out Jeff’s site for his ATL Salmon. It was Jeff’s choice this week, and he went for a leaper in the Homer style. Nice!