GS6 Gyotaku (fish printing)

I will try and get newsprint that is pretty cheap and great practice material.

I will donate $ to participate. Shirt size - Large. Thx for putting this on. See u there!

Peace!

Me, Lisa and the kids will be into this - $ from the Stockwells, and I'll try to bring some old shirts too.     Small x 3, XL x 1

I'm in to help and buy a few shirts.

Dan and I are looking into buying some plain white t-shirts bulk. (-:

I still have some textile paint from the Albion fish printing I'll bring along. And a big batique for a prize.

I'll supply the kid!

I have a roll of butcher paper to donate. This sounds like fun!

Domenic

I had no idea what Gyotaku was, so I looked it up at: 

http://www.kondogyotaku.net/main.htm

WOW.  I am totally super psyched on this!  I really want to learn how to do it so I can bring by the knowledge and do it with my family.  It will be a good excuse to get them on the water and I think my kids would LOVE printing their own fish after they catch them.  After that, I plan on demo'ing to my wife's school class (she's a teacher)

Please let me know what I can do to help, if its just a $$ donation or if I can run out and purchase any supplies to bring.

I had no idea what Gyotaku was, so I looked it up at: 

http://www.kondogyotaku.net/main.htm

WOW.  I am totally super psyched on this!  I really want to learn how to do it so I can bring by the knowledge and do it with my family.  It will be a good excuse to get them on the water and I think my kids would LOVE printing their own fish after they catch them.  After that, I plan on demo'ing to my wife's school class (she's a teacher)

Please let me know what I can do to help, if its just a $$ donation or if I can run out and purchase any supplies to bring.

I do that exact thing with my kids...They LOVE it. I even made one and took it to their school. They have asked me every day to come do it. I told them I need a run to the local asian market and get a whole tilapia (its about all they are good for IMHO). As you can see she is ready to go...

I personally have only attempting gyotaku a couple of times so I am looking forward to refining my fish printing skills! From the link Roughster provided (Thank you!!) I will make a couple of copies of the info below to have at the event too.

 
Source: http://www.kondogyotaku.net/main.htm

here are the steps, and some tips on making gyotaku...the actual printing of the fish takes only seconds...however, the total process from start to finish can take as little as 1 - 2 hours or as much as 10 - 15 hours (not including time to catch the fish), depending on the size and amount of fish you are printing...for myself, the time that it takes to make a single gyotaku that i am satisfied with usually spans several days...
1) it all starts with a nice fish... if your fish is bus' up, your gyotaku may turn out that way too...
•  if you plan on catching your fish by means of fishing... care must be taken when gaffing or netting the fish and also when transporting in a cooler, so as to avoid loss of scales...(however, i suggest placing priority on getting the fish in the boat versus worrying about the gyotaku, otherwise you'll end up with a "fishing tale")...
•  if you catch fish while spearfishing... avoid the "gut shot" and try to "stone um'", this will give you a good specimen to work with...also, avoid putting tako (octopus) on the same stringer as your fish, as an angry tako will sometimes grab the fish and rip out its scales (i have learned this the hard way)...
•  or if you plan on catching your fish at tamashiro's (your local fishmarket)... pick out a fish the same way as if you were buying it to eat...(after all, you will probably end up eating it after)...look for freshness...make sure that the eyes are clear and not milky looking, the gills are still bright red, and the flesh is relatively firm...
•  you can freeze your fish if you want to print it later, but i suggest that you not clean the fish to keep the original shape and size of it...i have found the best way to freeze a fish is to wrap it completely in saran wrap, and then to cover it in foil (you can also wrap it once more with newspaper for an additional protective layer)...
2) cleaning and prep work... this step is the most tedious and time consuming, but is the key to making good gyotaku...
•  start by removing the slime on the body and fins of the fish... gently rub the fins and body of the fish with hawaiian salt...be careful not to remove scales...when cleaning the fins, watch out for sharp spines that poke you (this is the fishes' payback for spearing him)...the cleaning process can take anywhere from 5 - 20 minutes depending on the size of the fish...thoroughly preparing the fish will mean the difference between a nice gyotaku and a mediocre one...
•  spread open and support the fins... position the fins so that they are fully extended...carefully insert pins through an inconspicuous part of the fin and body so that it stays open...do this for the dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and anal fins...using blocks of wood, or anything that you don't mind smelling like fish (old magazines work well), support the fins by placing them underneath...
•  cut out the eye... this part is not necessary if pulling out the eyeball of a fish freaks you out...however, to get a nice print i suggest doing so, otherwise the eye ends up looking like a blob...by removing it, the result is a blank space that you can paint a detailed eye in later...
•  fill in all open holes... use paper towel or cotton swabs to plug the fishes butt, gills, eye, and any spear or gaff holes...
•  to me, the fins are the most important part of the gyotaku...you can get the most detail out of the fins, and a fish with nice fins looks healthy and alive...therefore, by paying special attention to preparing the fins the gyotaku captures a moment in the ocean and not just a picture of a dead fish...
3) get materials ready... mix your ink and cut the rice paper to the desired size...
•  if you are using traditional sumi carbon ink, you need to grind the ink block into powder, and then mix it with water... i prefer using a dark ink that is not diluted too much...if the ink is too watery, it will be more likely to run and make blotches on your gyotaku...
•  to make life easier for those who are new to gyotaku, use a paper that is proportionate in size to that of the fish you are printing... if you are only printing a small fish, a good rule of thumb is to cut the paper the same size as a picture frame that you would use to frame it...this makes the paper manageable, and gives you more control of how the print comes out...
4) apply ink and print the fish...this step is very quick, it takes only seconds to make the print...
•  using a brush, apply the ink to the fish and then wipe off the excess...try to make sure that there are no dark or light streaks and that the ink is applied evenly...
•  take the paper, and place it on the fish...starting from the head, rub the areas where you want the ink to show up on the paper...make sure that the fins get printed nicely...you often need to to rub the fins a little bit more to get a good print because the ink on that part of the fish dries out the fastest...
•  usually, you need to make several prints to get a nice one...the good thing is that if you mess up, you can try again...you can keep making prints from a single fish, as long as the fish stays cold so it doesn't go rotten...(you have to eat it when you are pau...you catch it, you eat it)...
5) add final details... sign and frame...
•  you can use a brush to paint in the eye and add color to the fish...then, add your signature, and use your hanko to stamp your name on the gyotaku...
•  pick out a nice frame, and mount your picture in it...i spend a lot of money making sure that the framing is done well...by dishing out a little bit more money, you end up with an unbeatable final product that you can be proud of...the frame and mat can either enhance the gyotaku, or detract from it...i take my gyotaku to be professionally framed and mounted, so they give me the option of flattening the rice paper so that most of the wrinkles are taken out...however, i prefer leaving them because it leaves the gyotaku in its original form and adds character and authenticity to the artpiece...
so do you feel like making a gyotaku now?? i hope that this information can help you to get started in doing so...i suggest for everyone to try it at least once...it will increase your appreciation of the art and of the ocean...
when you find how difficult it can be to make a really nice one though, check out my gallery and buy one!!!

Awww man Quinn is going to love this!!!  Thank you guys so much!!!!

I will see if I can snap a pic of the Tshirt we did at Albion for my girl (and me)

Dan and I are looking into buying some plain white t-shirts bulk. (-:

Brandi,

I'll be able to provide some plain white t's, small to 2xl in adult sizes and small and med in youth sizes, a dozen of each size.

If there's any special size need: 3xl, 4xl, or kids' small, med, large (usually for ages between 2 to 6 yrs old) please lemme know so that I can bring that for ya

Looking forward to seeing y'all at GS6!!

Dan and I are looking into buying some plain white t-shirts bulk. (-:

Brandi,

I'll be able to provide some plain white t's, small to 2xl in adult sizes and small and med in youth sizes, a dozen of each size.

If there's any special size need: 3xl, 4xl, or kids' small, med, large (usually for ages between 2 to 6 yrs old) please lemme know so that I can bring that for ya

Looking forward to seeing y'all at GS6!!

That is AWESOME!!!!!  Thank you!

Okay folks, let dpshim know if you need additional sizes in addition to what he's bringing