What is Gyotaku 

  

  Gyotaku, or fish printing, was originally used as a means for Japanese fishermen to accurately record their catches. Traditionally, the print is made with black ink on rice paper. More recently, Gyotaku has developed into a form of fine art. Often, artists choose colored acrylic paints instead of ink. Also, a wider variety of papers suitable for printing is now available. Although there are many variations to the process, all incorporate similar steps from start to finish.

 

First, a fish is selected. The fish must be in good condition to ensure a detailed print. Some fish lend themselves better to printing than others. We use fish that we have just caught and use non-toxic paints so the fish is still edible and is therefore not wasted.

 

Next, the fish is prepared by carefully drying and removing the protective slime layer. Sometimes, the eye of the fish is removed. The fins are carefully pinned in the correct position to ensure an accurate print.

 

Then, the skin of the fish is painted. For some prints, colors true to the fish are used, other times the color varies to suit the artists eye. Sometimes only black paint is used and colored washes are added later.

 

While the paint is still wet, paper is laid upon the fish and carefully pressed down to transfer the paint from the surface of the fish to the paper.

 

The first print is often used solely to remove excess paint from the fish (this step can also be done by dabbing the fish with a clean cloth after painting it). The second print will then display more of the details and intricacies of the fish. Multiple prints may be done with one fish by repainting between prints.

 

 

 

 

The paper is then hung to dry. Later, the eye is hand-painted in. Each print is different. Some are beautiful exactly as they are. Sometimes, we choose to use the print as a foundation to build upon and explore the many different textures and colors of the fish we are representing.