anglercory Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 i Have People Come To My Apartment All The Time And Look At My Work In Progress As Well As My Finished, And Lures I Have For Sale...they All Tell Me Im An Artist And How Special And Unique My Lures Are. I Started 1 Year Ago. After Finding This Website About 6 Months Ago, I Just Logged On This Month Again, And After Looking At All The Quality Lures I See You Guys Making, Mine Look Like Hell. I Dont Get It. I Dont Get The Patterns, The Colors, And The Lifelike Appearence Of These Lures I See. I Feel So Behind. I Paint Everyday And Dont Come Near You Guys Quality. The Pictures I See Of Tu Members Lures Are Unbelievable. If I Could Do What You Guys Do I Would Ask 50.00 A Lure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaraal Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Just keep on doing them lures. Your creativity will boost when you practice every day on painting and so on. Dont compare your lures with others builders, just concentrate on your own development. Get ideas from others but do your own thing from those ideas. Dont give up, just keep on. From Jaraal Sweden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Hang in there Cory, if you're getting those kinds of compliments, then you are doing pretty well for only having done this for a year. Evolving as a fishing lure craftsman does not happen overnight, fortunately, for all of us who have enjoyed learning this multi-faceted craft. I know you're anxious to "arrive", but you should allow yourself to enjoy the journey. For myself, I'm not just painting a piece of wood on which I can catch fish; I'm creating a piece of the puzzle that interlocks my entire fishing experience with the sport I love the most. Mastering all the crafting techniques that go into a custom lure allows me to share with whomever uses one of my lures, some of my fishing experience. This is what the best custom luremakers put into their lures; it shows obviously in their work to any well- rounded experienced fisherman. Keep fishing, and studying the behaviour of everything in the ecosystem of the fish in order to best understand and create your own expectations of how your lures should look and act in that environment to best fool and entice a fish. Research and practice all the nuts and bolts stuff you need to build lures, and experiment endlessly in the water. You'll be on your path to creating effective baits, and typically form will follow function, as most forage has that magical beauty of aquatic life. Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jawjacker Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 cory craftsmenship comes from years of practice and patience dont get depressed because something doesnt work or turn out the way u thaught it would just sit down and think about what you did to the crankbait and see what you can do to solve it whether its the crankbait or the paint scheme it can be altered to make it look or do whatever you want it to do this is what seperate good crankbait makers from the others its the ability to make a crankbait do what you want it to do and knowing how to make it do that specific task this all comes from time and patience take it from one who has been building close to 20 years i learn something everyday in my shop and i am greatful for that since it will improve everything that you do from then on so if you are getting compliments now just imagine what they will look like 20 years from now i think thats what they call evolution? keep up on the good work and post some pics in the gallery and see if you dont get some good comments from the craftsmen on tu you may just be pleasently suprised Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeeter Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 I was watching Miami Ink the other week and the girl that does the portrait tatoos made a statement that really hit me. She was talking about getting better at her work. She said "Getting better is hard." No matter what level you reach, you should always strive to be better. But enjoy it as you work at it. That is the most important thing. Skeeter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaPala Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Well said Dean. Lure making is a culmination of fishing experience and craftsmanship. Nothing can be gain in a day or a year and like Skeeter said, there is always room for improvement. So push on Cory, you will have "arrived" one fine day if you keep at it. Then it's ur turn to push the limits. It never ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoodaddy Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Cory, Do'nt get too discouraged because each and every builder on this site and others has been where you are now. Just let the love of your art and sport take over and all things will come together in time. There are a lot of different levels on here and to say that one is better than the other is just from time devoted to your craft. The compliments you are getting should tel you something. If nothing else you're on the right track. Keep on pluggin and It'll all come together.Like someones signature says.....if it was easy everyone would do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozak Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Cory I know how you feel man, I just started a week ago and am dissapointed in how mine come out, not like im surprised lol. I'm just going to keep working at it, it's more of a winter wasting hobby for me, too much ice to fish so why not make lures for the upcoming season! Just enjoy making them and remember that most of the people with those amazing lures of which I'm very jealous of have been making them for yearSSS. Stick with it if you enjoy it, if you feel like it's a hassle and not enjoyable then there's really no point Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Dean McClain For myself, I'm not just painting a piece of wood on which I can catch fish; I'm creating a piece of the puzzle that interlocks my entire fishing experience with the sport I love the most. Dean, excellent post. Just excellent. Cory, Stay tuned to this website. There is a spirit of sharing and comraderie here that is nothing short of amazing. You'll learn more in a few months than you might in a few years about how what you've seen is actually done. Be patient with yourself. Most of all, enjoy the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 I was watching Miami Ink the other week and the girl that does the portrait tatoos made a statement that really hit me. She was talking about getting better at her work. She said "Getting better is hard." No matter what level you reach, you should always strive to be better. But enjoy it as you work at it. That is the most important thing.Skeeter I agree 100%. I feel there is always room for improvement, especially with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VANNDALIZER Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 Have you heard the saying "practice makes perfect" This is not true. "PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT" Keep this in mind and you will accomplish all your goals as a lure builder! MAV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiverMan Posted February 25, 2007 Report Share Posted February 25, 2007 First of all the Miami Ink Gal is hot! We all have times when we are down, I certainly do. I have literally spent a solid month working on an idea only to finally realize I had to abandon the concept. The other thing is that right now guys are really into "realism".....carved fins, liips, heads, etc. Although these things look really impressive keep in mind the amount of time folks are spending on them. And really, whether a lure has lips or painted fins probaby doesn't make one bit of difference to the fish. Try to make things look better at all stages of the build and you will find that it pays off in the end. Make sure the body is perfect before priming, the prime is perfect, the paint is perfect, and then the clear. Slow down a bit, look at your baits and see which part of them you think most needs improvement and work on that part of the building and then go forward. And foremost, make sure your lures swim well. jed v. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Maxwell Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 I agree with the winter wasting part. I tried ice fishing the other day. Started early in the morning. By the time I chopped a hole big enough to launch the boat is was almost dark. Keep at it, and i agree "enjoy the ride" Tony When in doubt, jerk & shout Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longball Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Sorry to hear about that Tony. It's 70's here in Ms. the only ice we have is keeping the beer cold. Hows the metro of New Miami going? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lure--Prof Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 I agree with the winter wasting part. I tried ice fishing the other day. Started early in the morning. By the time I chopped a hole big enough to launch the boat is was almost dark. Now that's funny! Dean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philB Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Hi Cory I have not been making lures very long, only around 4 months now but every one seems to improve with practice. I have realized that probably the best luremakers in the world subscribe to this forum and it will be many many years before I can get anywhere near the quality I see here. Also I dont think you should be so critical of yourself cos even a really good lure can be a dissapointment if your expectations are set too high:yay: . Just keep up the good work and then just maybe. philB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anglercory Posted February 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Thanks alot guys...I feel welcomed by you all, and am grateful to have gotten such a fast and honest response from so many of you....I'll post some pics, and let you guys see some of my work...again thank you all! Cory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskydan666 Posted February 27, 2007 Report Share Posted February 27, 2007 Hi cory!There is a thing that I can be sure!!!Your at the right place to learn how to make a very good and nice looking lure!!!But!!First!You need some good tools to start!if you have a 40$ air brush for a example it is tuff to do good!!5 years ago I started with nothing,a 40$ air brush,zero knowledge about what kind of wood to use,what kind of sealer,primer,clear coat and paint!!!!the first year I made about 6 prototype crankbaits!!Not even one of those could swim!!!!lol!!!!And now!5 years later I am making my cranks whit hard resin,With a mold,I have 2 deepdiver models,one shallow is on the way!and I am catching some muskys on them!!even sold a few on e-bay!!!all that to tell that with some help,practice,practice and some more practice!!!good tools and the most important of all I think is to be passionate!!!!!You will end up with a very nice looking product that you will be proud of!!! When you want,you can!!!Whe say that in french!!lol!!!Cheers.Muskydan666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snax Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 I'm a realist when it comes to the topic of this thread. Some folks are just naturally good at doing this while others will take years to get to the same level. Compare your work now to when you first began and not with your peers. Now you have a realistic source of comparison. I've been lucky enough to progress quickly but I never stop trying to outdo my last paint job. It's about being pleased with your own level of growth at the end of it all. Enjoy the ride my man, enjoy the ride. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallard Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Another point to remember, what you see posted here is the best of the best, not the hundreds of mess-ups that were thrown out along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philB Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Mallard is right on the button there. Maybe it would be fun to start a thread with pictures of the worst lures everyone has ever made I know I have a few knocking around. philB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 1, 2007 Report Share Posted March 1, 2007 Just wait until I get back to UK and my camera, I'll make you feel better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfingers Posted March 1, 2007 Report Share Posted March 1, 2007 If this doesn't make you feel better nothing will: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodkaman Posted March 1, 2007 Report Share Posted March 1, 2007 Nice technique! I've been practicing the 'finger smudge' for some time, had some success, but obviously, I have a long way to go. What wood sealer did you use? Did you prime? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR KNOW IT ALL KIND OF Posted March 1, 2007 Report Share Posted March 1, 2007 Dont get down.. If your artist you need to be a fisherman.. The more you fish the better your work will be.. Dont know if you fish my guess is you do..LOL.. But I am a fisherman first..Sports nut 2nd..Junkie food junkie, Skoal dipping.. Loving on my wife.. playing with my kids...watching espn..fool...Art is about 1,000 on my list... I guess what I am saying is.. I fish so much I know what the colors should looks like by the bait in the water.. if you want your fish to look real!!! PAINT THEM REAL!! Has anyone ever seen a pink minnow.. I sure as heck havent... Stick to natural colors.. make the lure look like a fish.. Somes simply but hard to do.. Sometimes I paint on the same lure for 5 hours.. Just to get the look I want..If you got skills you will be fine.. I picked up a airbrush for the first time in my life last month and now I am selling lures and making 500 bucks per week.. I have sold some lures for over 120 bucks per lure..I am getting orders from as far as Scotland... Keep up the faith buddy you will make it.. The Rookie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
