"George Adams" wrote in message
...

Great advice from the others who answered. One more tip regarding
materials. I
find that teal and pintail flank feathers are generally easier to use than
mallard or wood duck , as more of the feathers have the required shape.
Also
teal has better defined markings, and I use it exclusively for smelt
patterns.
Pintail, (although hard to find), has lighter markings, and could be used
instead of wood duck.

All I currently have is mallard and wood duck. Guess I'm going to have to
look into that teal flank feather thing.