Mallards to blacks

[giantkillertate]

I was woundering if anybody had any ideas on how to make mallard hens into blacks? I have been looking a the ghg blacks it dosent look that hard, what i guess i really need to know is what kind of paint works best, do you need to prime, what kind of brown to use on the bodys, and should i leave the light brown on the head and just put the dark brown streaks on the head? Any help would be great

Thanks
Chris

[Woodiez89]

i dont know anything about black ducks, but i would leave the head andmake a darker body, maybe with flat paint of some sort...at least that how the GHG blacks look if memory serves me right...

[Montauker]

Paint the body all flat black, then take tan or beige paint and add feather detail. Real thin strokes. I do this by simply making check marks with the brush. Don't worry about the wing spectrum.

For the head I would leave it same color and on some of the them I'd add a black mohawk. I think this does two things, adds a little variety and realism and I feel that it gives those heads the appearance of movement as the birds circle overhead.

Most of black duck decoys that I use in my black ducky spots are hand painted all black with black heads that I then add add beige/tan pinpoints to.

[Goose-Down989]

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/9705/quicksetfbblackslscagofew8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Shot with Canon EOS 20D (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=Canon+EOS+20D&make=Canon) at 2007-07-26

[Killer Miller]

If I'm not mistaken, Michael Reed custom paints his GHG's....just touches them up I guess. I believe he painted some of his fb mallards into gadwalls so maybe he could help you out. I'd shoot him a PM.

[giantkillertate]

Thanks guys ill post some pics when i get done