What is Gyotaku?

Gyotaku (guh-yo-tah-koo) is the Japanese art of fish painting. Its origin dates back more than a century ago. First developed by local fishermen as a way to accurately record the size of their prized catch. 

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There are two preferred methods of fish printing. One is the “indirect method” where the paper used is wetted and then pressed over the body of the fish and inked/colored from the top using cotton/silk ball.

The second method, the one which I used to create my prints, is the “direct method”. In this method, the fish is directly painted/covered in ink. Once the fish is completely painted, a piece of rice paper is then placed over the fish and gently rubbed to allow the ink to transfer to the paper. Once done, the paper is carefully lifted to reveal the print.

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The resulting first prints is what I call the “fossil look”, as the print look so much like a fish fossil. Details, such as the eyes and fins, are added later to finish the print.

My goal is to capture the motion,personality, and life of the fish.