Trying to match a lucky craft male bluegill pattern. It seems to be all green except for the orange on bottom. I think its got light green sides, dark green back, and medium green stripes, but Im color blind. Makes things real tough. I looked at bluegill images online and they seem to be all green, with a orange throat. Can anyone back me up on this? Also, how do you achieve a matte finish?
From all of the photos I have downloaded and studied, I can pretty much say bluegills come in a lot of different shades (especially if they are hybrids, the time of the year, male or female...etc, etc). For a basic, all-around bluegill, I have settled on pearl white bottom, silver sides, light purple over the shoulders and back, irridescent green above that then a dark green across the back. Put some blue on the outer gill, a little irridescent green over that and then the dark green over the eyes and nose. For the stripes, use the irridescent green (or any green that is lighter than the back...depends on what you want). A couple shots of blue on the tips of the anal fin and tail, and just below and to the side of the pectoral fins, and then a bright orange on the breast. When you blend all of the side colors, they really reflect off one another and shift colors a bit (especially if you are using scales). The photo joshimoto attached to his bluegill post really looks more purple than it is, it was just how the light was hitting it. Move it over and the silver and pearl white really pops.
As for a matte finish, that is a tough one. You can get the matte colors by using opaque paints, but once you put a clear coat on it, well, bye bye matte finish. I have read about using pure talc mixed with your clearcoat, but it (apparently I haven't tried it) turns the finish more "milky" than matte. Other people have tried scuffin the clear with 400+ grit sandpaper, but the minute it gets wet, it becomes clear and shiny again. Good luck. If you find something that works for you, let me know because I'd like to find an easy way of doing it.