both are beautiful works, definitely a great talent, nice job on both :cheers:
when do you start to sell them????

mac good work!

but i think i like the one with out stripes better. IMO

i think u meant without the scales steve :laugha: and i think i agree too. either lighten down the scales like chris had mentioned or just stick with the stripes. either way, ure work is always awesome to look at. u sure have a talent.

WOW!!:claps::claps:

That is some fine craftsmanship, Dave. Well done!! You have a true gift and talent, there..............................

As most have said, I feel that the secondary scales take away from the stripes, however the scales make for a better overall work. The scales doan seem busy to me as they make for a fine transition from the stripes to the body of your striper, and more texture is always a good thing when working with wood as it adds definition and tonal depth to your piece. Is there a way to make the "secondary" scales a little less pronounced than the "stripes" scales?

IMHO, keep the scales as they add depth, tone, and realistic detail to yer striper. Also, verrrry nice work on the dorsal, the head, the tail, and the rest of the fins. When can we start buying them, bro :bl:? I like the added bonus of the lure, as well.

She's very life-like, MAC, and looks like she just swam out of one of my honey holes, up Cape Ann way :btu::btu:.

sweet mac!!!

like the one w/o scales better

Nice job Dave!! :kewl:

Honest opinion, I'd sand down the scales to lighten-em up and then re-introduce the stripes lightly as not to overpower the other details. If they came in heavy, I'd sand those down as well. SAnding does wonders as I'm sure you know. BUT...GREAT job none-the-less.

Are you still doing Rock therapy?? :boots:

I agree with Nebe. There are too many scales and they are too dark. Scales should fade away from head to tail, and from back to belly. Also it would look better if you could blend in the hard lines such at fins and gill plate. There should be less contrast at the head also. I hope I don,t sound too critical but I,m just offering constuctive criticism. You might want to try another carving technique to highlight the scales and gill plate, rather than painting them in. Good luck and keep posting them. I'm sure we all like seeing a budding artist. :claps: :D

I say both look good but given a chance to compare the two... I would say no scales....sometimes less is better!

Dave they are both great wooks.
I must say I'm drawn to the carving without scales. It may be the dark contrast with the scales and fins and the lateral lines are to faint on the scaled one. Also the mouth looks nicer on the one with out the scales, maybe cause it's not open as much and the fishs shape that way. The wife has a good eye !

That is very good work.You obviously take a lot of pride in your carving.You should master your craft. Take some scrap wood and
practice carving scales so that they overlap and cast shadows exactly the way you want.Experiment and master it and make it your signature.I had to do a pen & ink drawing of a viking ship one time and I took 4 or 5 days to learn how to draw waves. Totally worth it.Do your best,why show the world anything less?
Good Luck!

Like the stripes better Dave but that one is nice to. Maybe lighter on scales and a mixed version. All Nice :kewl:.

I like the scales but would do it with a finer woodburning edge.
Thinner lines on the scales is what I'm trying to say.

Whats the scale of these fish?

Seriously, no pun intended


Personally, I like the scales better than the dotted line. I think they would be killer if there was some way to lay out the scaled design with more pattern. or to get a curved wood burning tip ... Nice work

I agree with striperknight about having a finer edged tool also...

I like them both , lighter on the scales would be nice to see the stripes better . but your the artist your choice . My buddy made a beutiful rainbow trout on the perfect shaded piece of black walnut with a burner . just awesome ability

great job dave,i liked the no scales a little better but both are great works.keep it up.

Both are nice but I like the one w/o the scales better.

both great, but i like the one w/out scales a little better

awesome mac. i like the one without scales better. no scales. let me know when they are up for sale. :btu: i'd buy 3 or 4 of them. great gift idea as well.

Both are art forms:btu: Personaly... no scales

As you probably assumed (why else for the post ;)) the scale pattern is a bit heavy and busy IMHO.

I'd shoot for something inbetween. Instead of individual scales perhaps use some "scale like" marks to add character or motion. Take a look at fish pictures to see what features you may want to incorporate as accents so they add interest but don't dominate.

Still great stuff though :humpty:

-spence

I'm going to have to vote against the scales. Sorry Mac.....Stewie

I'm In..


:hihi:

sweetness, but in my opinion, it looks better w/o scales.


still they are both awesome, great work

Looks more lifelike with the scales. The other is freiken good also but the scales give it more 3D look. Great job on both Mac!