Be introduced to, or improve your skills in the fast growing art of fish carving. Since 1996, fish carvers from across the continent have taken advantage of Clark`s workshops and seminars with dramatic results. His students have gone on to win top awards throughout North America including both Best of Show in the Novice and Intermediate levels at the World Fish Carving Championships and also World Champions in both the Natural Finish and Miniature Divisions.
Clark`s studio, near Billings, Montana is located in a relaxed setting within a few hours drive of some of the most renowned trout streams in America including the Bighorn, Yellowstone, Boulder and Stillwater Rivers, all of which sustain healthy populations of Brown and Rainbow Trout. Also, less than 1 hour away is the Absaroka- Beartooth Wilderness area in the famous Beartooth Mountains which rise to an elevation well over 12,000 feet. These spectacular and scenic mountains hold hundreds of backcountry lakes and creeks that sustain large populations of Cutthroat, Golden, and Brook trout as well as Grayling. If you`ve never been to the Beartooths, you owe yourself a day or two of fishing and sightseeing in these fantastic mountains. They are truly spectacular and the late Charles Kurault labeled the Beartooth highway, "the most scenic drive in the Lower 48".
Clark's workshops focus on all aspects of carving a fish, with an emphasis on:
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Collecting References including Study Casts Fish Reference Photography
Anatomy Concepts and Accuracy Composition and Design Pattern Development and Design Selection of Woods Power carving with a flexible shaft carving unit and/or hi-speed carver with and explanation and demonstration of these power tools, bits, etc. Carving With Accuracy Color, Paint and Air Brush Techniques Advanced Finishing and Detailing Techniques Burning and Burnishing Techniques Habitat Carving and Construction Interpretive or Natural Finish Carving |
| | | Typical fish carved and painted in a five-day workshop. Habitat/base may require extra time. | Individual, one on one, "hands on" fish carving workshops are tailored for each individual's level of experience. Each step of the process is demonstrated and then the student will actually perform the task (carving his own fish, etc.) while having all questions plainly and thoroughly answered. These workshops can be scheduled for whatever time is convenient for Clark and yourself. The instruction can be directed at any area you wish to learn, including anatomy, habitat, casting, painting, etc Usually in a five-day workshop, students will have the time to carve and paint an accurate fish of your choosing from start to finish. Fins can be carved out of the same block of wood as the body or for added strength (and when necessary) fins can be inserted using Clark`s blue ribbon "no fill" method of fin attachment. A large emphasis is placed on anatomical accuracy and how to correctly portray the "essence of the species" which brings the fish to life. Texturing, scaling and airbrushing with acrylics will be covered along with how to make your own study casts. If carvers are not quite finished with their fish carving when it is time to paint, an optional carved fish casting will be available for painting and/or purchase. Again, the beauty of one-on- one instruction is the student has the ability to control and steer the focus of the workshop and depending on the difficulty of the project, a lot of other various areas can be demonstrated and/ or discussed to fit his/her own area of interest. Feel free to let your desires be known. Travel For those arriving by air, Billings has an international airport and transportation can be provided to and from the airport and a car will be provided for the student for the duration of their stay. For those driving in, Click Here for directions. Housing For your convenience, Clark can provide housing, free of charge, in his log cabin studio and this includes the night before your workshop begins as well as the night after it finishes. The private room is furnished with shower, sink, refrigerator, telephone and bed with linens. RV space is also available or, if desired, major motels are located within 10 minutes of the studio. Food Breakfast, lunch, coffee and snacks will be provided and you're on your own for dinner. Many restaurants are within 10 minutes of the studio. Materials All wood, paint, glass eyes, paint schedule, pattern, etc that is needed to do the agreed upon project will be provided by the instructor at no extra charge. Tools and Equipment Upon registration for workshops, you will be sent a list of suggested tools, etc that you should bring, a list of items we provide and a detailed list of bits, burrs and paints. You may bring your own airbrush and/or test-drive one of Clark's Badger 100G's or the new Renegade Velocity's. "Wildlife Colors" brand acrylic airbrush paints will be provided by Clark or you may bring your own. Available for Purchase at Clark's Studio All carving bits and burrs used in the class Badger airbrushes type 100G and the new Renegade Velocity Fish paint schedules Fish carving patterns Fish carving study casts Pricing on Workshops 1 day - $350 2 day - $640 3 day - $950 4 day - $1220 5 day - $1475 and additional days beyond 5 are $285 per day. Registration For One-On-One Workshops and Classes To secure your dates and register for a one-on-one appointment with Clark, please call first and work out the dates that are convenient to both yourself and him. After agreeing on a time, please send a $50.00 deposit to Clark Schreibeis Wildlife Art. Upon receiving the registration deposit, an informational packet will be sent out along with a suggested bit and tool list. Balance is due on the first day of class. If you have any questions just let Clark know. These one-on-one workshops are first-come- first-serve, so please register early for the best dates. | | | Bluegill carving class on paint day at Ronny "the Agin' Cajun" Leger's shop in Durham, California | 2009 Group Workshops at the Clark Schreibeis Wildlife Art Studio west of Billings
Group workshops in Clark`s studio are also "hands-on" and class sizes are usually small, providing plenty of individualized instruction. In all classes requiring an airbrush, you may bring and use your own or test-drive one of Clark's Badger 100G's or the new Renegade Velocity. "Wildlife Colors" Brand acrylic airbrush paints will be used and provided by Clark or you may bring your own. All carving bits and burrs used in the class will be available for purchase. To secure your place in a workshop, please send a $50.00 deposit to Clark Schreibeis Wildlife Art. Upon receiving the registration deposit, an informational packet will be sent out along with a suggested bit and tool list. Balance is due on the first day of class. If you have any questions just let Clark know. The price for classes includes wood, all materials such as glass eyes, paint schedules, all instructional materials and lunch/ snacks. Major motel chains are within a 10-minute drive of the studio. Lunches will be provided for a fee and you are on your own for breakfast and dinner. RV`s and tents are welcome and you may use the bathroom and shower in the studio.
Clark will be teaching these group workshops at his studio west of Billings: Sept. 14-18, 2009 Carve and Paint a 12 inch Rainbow Trout $350.00 In this 5-day class students will carve an accurate fish with the centerline fins carved on the fish while the tail and paired fins will be inserted with a large emphasis placed on correct anatomy and "attitude". Texturing, scaling and airbrushing with acrylics will be covered along with how to make your own study casts. If carvers are not quite finished with their fish when it is time to paint, a carved fish casting will be available for painting and/or purchase.
Sept. 22, 2009 Ultimate Fish Reference $95.00 Lots of wood carvers know how to carve a fish if they have a pattern but are hard-pressed to get their information from the true source-the fish itself. In this one day-class, I will show you how to start with a fresh fish, photograph it for reference, make color notes, make an easy bondo and resin study cast using alginate for the mold and draw an accurate carving pattern. As the title of the class says, this is the ultimate way to achieve an extremely accurate fish carving. With these methods of attaining your reference, all fish are now possible for you to carve assuming you have a suitable real specimen. You no longer will have to rely on other people`s interpretations of what a fish looks like (patterns, carvings and paintings) and will have the knowledge to create all your own accurate references. Ultimately, the best fish to use for this project is one that is as fresh as possible, so, doggone it, I`ll have to go fishing. For those interested, on, Monday Sept. 21, I`ll be heading for the favorite local fishing hole for some fishing. You`re welcome to come along with me or if that`s not your desired destination and you`re not familiar with the area, let me know and I can steer you towards the type of water and choice of species you would like to pursue. Usually by August the rivers are cleared up, they`re good for floating or wade fishing and the fish are hungry. Also, if you`ve never been to the Beartooths you owe yourself a day or two of fishing and sightseeing. These mountains are truly spectacular and hold hundreds of backcountry creeks and lakes with native Cutthroats, Grayling, Goldens, Brooks, and of course, Rainbows and Browns. br> October 6-7, 2009 Airbrushing and Fish Painting Techniques $175.00 This will be two days devoted totally to painting, both with an airbrush and an artist`s brush. First I will explain and demonstrate the use of different types of airbrushes and also their cleaning, maintenance, and troubleshooting. You are encouraged to bring and use your own or if you are new to airbrushing, you can use one of the airbrushes that have been provided by Badger. My two favorite airbrushes are the Badger 100G, for all around airbrush work, and the new Badger Renegade for the extreme fine details. The good people of Badger Airbrushes have been kind enough to furnish these airbrushes to the class for whoever would like to use one. We will also explore the use of brushing on powdered luster pigments, Shiva sticks, stencil paints, charcoal pencils, Treasure Gold Waxes and Jeff Lumsden`s "Liquid Scales" as well as other scale tipping methods. We will paint a fish casting or two with the species being of the class`s choosing. I will show you how to "read" reference photos and mentally breakdown the colors, spots, shapes, patterns and placements to determine the order of application of all the different colors and features without being held captive to other people`s paint schedules. Hopefully you`ll come away with some new ammo in your painting arsenal and are encouraged to confidently tackle that hard-to-paint fish you have been avoiding. br> Oct. 12, 2009 Fish Texturing: Scales, Fins, Etc. $95.00 A one-day, hands-on class to investigate the myriad of ways to layout scales on a fish, from small pressed-in trout scales to burned half dollar-sized scales and from quick methods to competition grade scales. Also, we`ll look at texturing fins, from how to layout the fin rays to the final texturing. Bring your burners and tips and I`ll do my best to answer your questions and help you gain a few new tricks for your fish carving bag.
Additional Group Classes may be added soon. Let Clark know if you are interested in a particular subject or species that is not listed and would like to see a class on that topic. Also, let Clark know if you would like him to come to your location to teach your carving club or group. |