I'm not sure how many of you are on Instagram but if you are, you might want to check out fish_as_art which is the site for Canadian scientific illustrator Paul Vecsei. He's a fisheries biologist based out of Yellowknife, NWT. I've always been a fan of good scientific illustration and when it comes to fish (and particularly salmonids), Paul is about as good as they come.
I messaged him about doing an illustration and he provided information on what he would need if I wanted him to draw a specific fish. I wanted a coastal cutthroat from Devils Lake on the Oregon Coast. I went back and forth about whether to find one that was uniquely patterned or one that's representative of what I thought were the typical adfluvial/sea runs that were in the lake in the fall. I ended up going with a specimen that's typical of those that I catch as they begin to congregate around the spawning tributaries. Paul was great to deal with and I thought what he charged for the illustration was reasonable considering the time involved. I will probably have him do another.
If anyone has hankering for a one of a kind original fish illustration - I would encourage you to reach out to Paul. Here's a write up in Loop Magazine about him and the link to his Flickr page.
Here's the completed illustration...
I messaged him about doing an illustration and he provided information on what he would need if I wanted him to draw a specific fish. I wanted a coastal cutthroat from Devils Lake on the Oregon Coast. I went back and forth about whether to find one that was uniquely patterned or one that's representative of what I thought were the typical adfluvial/sea runs that were in the lake in the fall. I ended up going with a specimen that's typical of those that I catch as they begin to congregate around the spawning tributaries. Paul was great to deal with and I thought what he charged for the illustration was reasonable considering the time involved. I will probably have him do another.
If anyone has hankering for a one of a kind original fish illustration - I would encourage you to reach out to Paul. Here's a write up in Loop Magazine about him and the link to his Flickr page.
Here's the completed illustration...
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