Both were successful at catching fish--which is really the point. 1.5s

Agreed...at the end of the day, if it doesn't get bit its not worth much to a fisherman. You nailed 'em both....bream and bass. Top one is very nice...really pops...like the gill plate colors in particular. You have the "Bass" coloration down pat. Lateral line effect is good. No criticism here, just thinkin'... if you feel like experimenting around, very lightly mist some pearl gold thru mesh over the upper parts of the bass....not too much...just for shade not color. Both are great just as they are. Keep up the good work and post more pics when you get 'em.

nicely done. if you dont mind sharing, what were the color schedules you used on them?

I don't mind sharing, I'm just not sure I am able. I'm a fine arts painter, and so I just mix paint until I get a color I like. So, that habit continues with the airbrush.

I can tell you that pearl white was used on the belly of both. Pearl gold on the sides and tops, and there is a wicked yellow (maybe starburst that I like) that was used on the sides of the sunfish. And then it gets a little hazy as to what I did. Mostly mixed blue, green or black (sometimes all three) with the pearl gold until I got a color I liked, sprayed it, and added more color. I use a toothpick dipped in opaque colors and add it to transparent colors to get slight color variations (like the blue hue on the cheek).

Bottom line is that I'll never get another one to match what I've done, but I'm okay with that. No 2 fish look alike.

oh and the dots on the lateral line of the bass is a sharpie.

Looks very nice sir, I mix colors alot too. I do keep a small notepad on my bench to write down mixtures though so if I really like how something turns out I can replicate it.

Thanks for the compliments. I'm having fun with it. I have discovered it would be much more fun if I didn't have to clean it all up when I'm done.

sw. i just shot two 2.5's with the pearl white/pearl pineapple/pearl gold triad and that may become my new favorite combination. those three together look fantastic. planning on finishing up those two tonight. i used detail sepia on the back to deepen the gold and for the stripes. sepia is another one of my go to's. it's a great non-color that can perfectly tint so many colors.
the other great combo is turning out to be bone base with just about anything. brad has been leading the way on trying different colors with the bone. they all look good.
feel free to post pics of any other stuff your working on. i love all these new ideas.