Can anyone share some paint recipes?

[Bester]

I'm just getting going on making my own Musky baits. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to shorten my learning curve on paints. I know people use different paints but some help to put me in the ball park would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking to make the following baits:

Walleye

Bass

Sheephead

Silver Shiner

Gold Shiner

Firetiger

Perch

Dark Frog

Light Frog

Carp

Pike

Thanks again to anyone who can help.

[reeves]

Bester,

If you click on 'FORUM', top of every page, and select 'Hard Baits', the very first post is a Sticky titled 'Hard Bait Cookbook'. It's all there waiting for you. If some of the colors you are after are not in the three pages, ask and someone will get you the recipe. Good Luck.

[Bester]

I checked it out and the ones I'm looking for are not in there.

[dampeoples]

I don't mean to sound like too much of a #####, but what, in the end, would you gain from someone telling you exactly how something is done? Buy a paint kit and a color wheel if it helps, and start poking around. It'll help you learn your own schemes, and if something ever goes wrong, you'll have a clue as to what to do. The guys that paint a great bait didn't read it out of a book, they practiced. Just ask Kellure, Blades, Blackjack, and on and on.

[Bester]

I don't mean to sound like too much of a #####, but what, in the end, would you gain from someone telling you exactly how something is done? Buy a paint kit and a color wheel if it helps, and start poking around. It'll help you learn your own schemes, and if something ever goes wrong, you'll have a clue as to what to do. The guys that paint a great bait didn't read it out of a book, they practiced. Just ask Kellure, Blades, Blackjack, and on and on.

I've allways found that along from learning from your own mistakes, learning from others mistakes can really help one along especially when you're new @ something. To each his own.

[dampeoples]

Yes, but you asked how to paint silver, gold and firetiger...all but one come in a bottle, but are better done with foil.

[Bester]

I was hoping for a "try spraying this on the side and maybe this on the bottom." Just looking for a little help. If this post bothers you(which it seems to) don't read it.

[stripercrazy]

I'm not a great painter but what I do is try to blend colors..white primer then white paint then I might paint silver sides with a darker top to match the bait...a carp or goldfish you could paint gold base coat then put your scale(mesh) on and spray orange over it giveing you a orange carp with gold scales...or play with the colors to give yourself more of a brownish carp color....golden paint is good paint and many co. have different shades of color you could do silver/light gold/darker gold...its endless really, I paint saltwater baits...the guys here on this site paint in detail:yay:

[Bester]

Thank you.

[stripercrazy]

here's one white belly/silver side/gold then green top:)

[Palmetto Balsa]

This wheel at the bottom is where I started. Then 2 more years of Jr. High, 4 years if High School, and 5 years of College. I now have BS in Business and a Minor in Art.

This site was not around when I started making baits and I gave up on a couple of occasions. Then I found this site and spent many hours of studying before I asked my first question. This site is like another endless course in woodworking, art, chemistry and physics all in one. If you are willing to study TU, you will reduce your learning time exponentially. I don't think there is any short answer to what you are asking. Some TU member (in time) might be willing to show you in person if you spend the time to build relationships, but everything you need is on this site.

One tip I have is, water based paints will be more forgiving and lacquer paints will give better results. Practice will give you the best results.

At the same time you posted this question, you also posted a question about copying baits with a duplicator (even though you were just asking if there was a machine that could do this). Please tell me you are going to copy your own original designs.

Painting tips...

Paint a light color primer.

Paint the bait from the bottom up and from lighter to darker.

Paint the eyes last.

Color tints or pastels are achieved by adding white and shades are achieved by adding black.

[Bester]

Yes I would be copying my own designs. Thanks for the color wheel.

[BobP]

Some guys have proprietary schemes developed after many hours of trial and error. Everyone experiments to some extent. I try to keep a basic array of white, chartreuse, greens, blues and browns on hand, plus some pearls. For intermediate hues, I mix as needed. Any "formulas" I've seen pertain to specific brands and colors, of which there are thousands. It's a long shot that I'd have the brands/colors on hand that another guy uses anyway. In the end, you'll only be happy with your unique interpretation of a color scheme. My advice is get a basic array of colors and then check out some of the companies that sell "wildlife colors" for taxidermists if you want pre-mixed natural fish hues. Many of the "classic" patterns have nothing to do with "natural". The only real arbiter of color is the fish who's eyeing your bait. All else is vanity.

[braveviper]

I was hoping for a "try spraying this on the side and maybe this on the bottom." Just looking for a little help. If this post bothers you(which it seems to) don't read it.

Fellas...Its Christmas......

[BobP]

I wasn't trying to jerk anyone around, I just don't use "formulas". From your list, firetiger's the only one that I know is a fairly standard pattern using straight non-mixed paints. Spray a white basecoat. Spray the sides and belly chartreuse, then spray the shoulders and about 1/3 down the sides bright green. Spray an orange stripe along the belly. Make a cutout template for the black splotches and spray black splotches over the green and chartreuse sides. Finish with black over the back. Red eyes are traditional, I use 3D stick on eyes set in drilled recesses. A dark brown can be substituted for the black for "Brown Tiger".

For Gold Shiner, I foil the bait with heat duct tape, then shoot transparent yellow over the foil to get a nice gold tone effect. Medium brown shoulders and head shading and it's done.

[Bester]

Thanks Bob. Good info.

[dampeoples]

I'll read/respond where I want to, thanks, but you've gotten the same response as I've given, just sugar coated. Put forth a little effort, you'd be surprised at what you can come up with. If all you ever paint is Bob's scheme, well, you'll forever be one step behind him. Like Palmetto said, it's a basic understanding of colors. If you're not interested in doing any footwork for yourself, you're supposed to be handed the answers?

Take my response how you want, but it's the only method to becoming adept at painting, or, well, anything.

[Bester]

wow you really told me.

[mark poulson]

Bester,

This forum is a real give and take affair, and it takes a while to get to where you are able to give anything worth while. It helps to give before you take. I know, I'm still waiting to know enough about lures to contribute.

Meantime, I've found the best policy is to lurk, read, and ask general questions. PM someone for some special advice. I've had nothing but generous responses from those I've PMd.

But if you don't try yourself first, and are asking for everyone's "special" colors, or formulas, or shapes, or anything else, you're going to get a lot of, "No comment". These guys (and gals, if you're there) are really good at what they do, they have put in countless hours learning lurecraft, and it's asking a lot to expect them to give it up, just like that. It's like a friend of mine and his partner. They have won six tournaments at one of the local lakes this year. They're really on the fish good. But I would never think to ask them how or where. That's for them to volunteer, if they want, or not. I know for a fact they both put in countless hours figuring the fish out, and I would be embarrassed to ask.

I know I'm kind of long winded, but, what I'm trying to say is, take it slow, don't ask for the moon right out of the gate. Think of it like dating. Get to first base first.

[Bester]

I hear ya but whats the use in having website like this if people don't want to share with others especially newbies? I was a fishing guide in one of the great Musky fisheries in the country. I have no problem telling people where I fish, what i use, how I run it, etc. Thats just me. If more people become involved and are successful at the sport then its better for the sport IMHO. I was just looking for some advice on where to start.

[Vodkaman]

Mr Bester, welcome to TU.

I'm getting a touch of the de-ja-voux here (excuse my french, I don't have any). Question, what makes the lure wiggle? Answer, make some firewood and find out yourself?!!!

Obviously paint recipes are a touchy no-go area of lure design, you only have to read the 'hard bait cookbook' to understand that, 2 pages and some chitchat in three and a half years! I think it is time to un-stick this sticky and let it slip away into obscurity, either that or start adding to it.

I hope this thread slips away too. This is not the message we should be giving out.

Merry Christmas to you all.

[blackjack]

I don't think D.P. was ragging you for the question, I think what he meant was that there is a wealth of information that is available at your fingertips, just type the right question in any search engine, or the search engine on this site and you will find the information that you are looking for. I don't profess to be an expert but when I started with an airbrush I had no art training, 90 percent of the knowledge that I have gained over the years has come from copying what is out there in production lures, Trying to figure out what colors were used to produce your favorite production pattern is all the fun. Then you can add your own creative flair. There certainly is a learning curve when it comes to matching paints but in the long run it will make you a better painter. There is no shortcut. As long as you have a color monitor and are not color blind, the sky is the limit(and it is also blue at times!!)

[Vodkaman]

Maybe, it's certainly totally out of character. Normally one of the most helpful and supportive members on the site. But I read it the same way as Mr Bester.

Just a simple leg up into the mystical world painting is all that was asked for. Secret recipes? Just keep them secret!

[BobP]

If I built for sale and had a catalog of paint schemes, it would behoove me to develop very specific paint recipes. I don't and I haven't, and most hobby builders on TU haven't either. If you follow the "normal rules" of painting from the bottom up and layering darker paint over lighter, you'll usually be on the right track. I guess there are 2 schools of thought about paint - the doofuses and the "engineers". Some guys just wanna hit it with paint and see what happens. Some want to perfect it via wavelength analysis and use numerically controlled robotic airbrushes to produce colors "within tolerance". Most of us fall somewhere in between. There, I've taken my annual shot at engineers before the New Year! Doctor, I feel so much better! Merry Christmas, guys.

[mark poulson]

Bester,

The only paint "secret" I have is a recipe for an avacado green that I made to give a trout bait a lighter colored back.

All Createx transparent water based colors.

10 drops tan

2 drops bright green

1 drop bright yellow

As you can see, it's not rocket science. For me, it's not even art. I just started with what I thought might be a good base, the tan, added some green drops one at a time, stirring well, and then added a drop of the yellow to give it a little lighter green color, and came up with avacado.

I didn't know beans about color, and still don't.

My sister is an artist, and she can paint or do anything in art.

Sometimes talent skips a generation. In our case, it skipped me, period.

I just fumble around and try stuff.

But there is no wrong in paint, just new colors that do or don't work.

Working from the bottom up is a really good process.

After you seal your bait, and prime it, use a base coat that will be the foundation of your bait's color scheme. For me, it's either pearl white, or pearl silver.

Look at any fish, the bottom is lighter than the top, so, looking up, they blend in with the sky, and, looking down, they blend in with the bottom.

Try to keep your bottom foundation color clean up at least 1/3 of the side, then start with you secondary color, like, in the case of rainbow trout, a hot pink. Typically, I spray the back from the side, and the overspray goes down part way to the bottom, giving me a misty hot pink stripe, and a solid hot pink on the back. Then I use the avacado on the top of the back, and let it overspray down the sides a little. Idealy, there will be a hot pink mist line, and then the avacado begins from soft to solid on the back. I may spray a darker green down the middle of the back, and highlight the head with translucent tourquoise. But light on the tournquoise. I use a hair dryer to heat set the colors after each spray, and I clean my airbrush between colors.

After I've heat set/dried the final color, I use a water based red sharpie to highlight the gills, and a little red regular sharpie under the chin, and then a black water based sharpie to make the trout dots. Either I make a whole bunch of small dots, or less, but more definate, larger dots.

I try to bear in mind the whole time that the basic color of a rainbow trout is silver. I also bear in mind that, in my case, I'm making a reaction bait, and the impression of a trout is what I'm after. Also, something that's a little different that what other's are throwing.

After I let the bait dry for a day, I put it on MY NEW DRYING WHEEL ( ) ), and coat it with Envirotex Lite epoxy. After 24 hours, if it's set and dry to the touch, I put on a second coat, and, Voila!, I'm a genieass! )

Now you know my entire secret paint scheme collection. I'm new to lure building, so I don't have a big library to share. But I can copy like a champ, and that's what my test board is for. I sprayed both pearl white and pearl silver on a piece of sealed, primed plywood, and I just try different color combinations on it to get close to what the guys in the gallery have done. I haven't screwed up enough courage to try stencils yet, but, compared to the rattle cans I started with, my airbrushed lures make me happy.

And I have a few of my buddies trying to bum them off me. Now that's a rush!