Make a Gyotaku (Fish Print) Postcard with Molly Painter

Gyotaku is the Japanese art of fish printing. Recently I've been making postcards of esoteric non-press print techniques to send to my very fancy bookbinding friend Rory Sparks. Fish printing is a minimally invasive way to document a catch before tossing it back. Traditionally, sumi ink, (which is water soluble), is used to coat the fish and then soft but durable rice paper is rubbed on top of it to create the mono-print before the fish is thrown back into the water. Here instead I'm practicing on a couple rubber fish (which turn out to be readily available just for this purpose and were gifted to the artist as a birthday present) and "dunnage" or the brown packing paper that often comes as packing material in Amazon orders.

🛠 Supplies You’ll Need

For Fish Printing:

Rubber fish or (gasp) a real fish! (You can also print flowers, hands, anything with a soft but firm texture this way)
Sumo Ink Paint Brush
Rags and/or paper towels
Cup of water For

Postcard Collage:

Chip board (I use a cracker box)
Ruler Box Knife Gel Medium or White glue (anything that dries clear)
Stickers Pen
US Postage Stamp (I always use Forever Stamps even if I'm overpaying by a couple cents)

👩🎨 Meet the Teacher:

I grew up in the Eastern Washington desert—criss-crossed by rivers, punctuated with nuclear power plants, surrounded by a loving, auto-didactic family full of natural history collectors, gardeners and teachers. I developed a desire to recreate in expansive, pseudo-scientific ways by re-appropriating materials. I reside in Los Angeles in a ramshackle apartment bursting with plants and pieces of esoteric furniture- pigeons and parakeets on my shoulders, humming tiny tunes. missmollymacmacmac.org

👣 The Step by Step Project

Step 1: Assemble your supplies! You will need a water cup, some sort of generous paint brush (2" house painting brush in this case), a non-porous surface (or a surface you don't care about), ink, a cup for ink, a large stack of relatively thin and durable paper, and whatever you are going to print. Though I am using Dick Blick's assortment of rubber fish, you can also use A REAL FISH! Make sure it is cold, wiped off so that it feels pretty dry to the touch and that you don't plan to eat the skin. Remember- you want it to stay cold! A warm fish not only smells, but also doesn't print as well. You may want some ice on the side! You can also experiment with printing just about anything with texture- flowers, feathers, fabrics, the back of your non-dominant hand, you name it! Prepare yourself to make 10 prints for every 1 print you like- this process is all about your aesthetics and figuring out your personal ink style. If you don't like getting inky hands wear gloves! And it should go without saying that you should wear clothes you might stain with ink.

Step 2: Generously paint your "fish" with sumi ink. This initial ink up can be used for at least 2 drastically different prints, and after you can begin to add ink more strategically. You can also wipe some ink away with a damp rag, or even rub some into denser parts.

Step 3: Place your paper over your "fish" and rub from the middle out (you can and should use both hands). Find your fish's eyes and fins with your finger tips. Really explore your fish.

Step 4: Some ink might come through the paper and onto your hands. The cheaper and thinner (or more recycled) your paper the more ink may come through. Be gentle- thin papers pick up more texture but also mush around and tear easily.

Step 5: Experiment with how much ink you want on your fish. Different textures will come naturally with different inking styles.

Step 6: Try changing fish, or plants, or whatever you're printing as you get the hang of it.

Step 7: Pretty soon you'll have a stack of fish prints. I like to clean my brush on the outsides of my prints for added texture before I lay them on the garage floor to dry. This often takes awhile, depending on how much ink you've splooshed around. Come back the next day!

*** If you are using a live fish don't be cruel- limit yourself to 2 or 3 prints. If you are using a real but dead fish and plan to eat it be sure to wash all the ink off and skip the skin! Sumi isn't very toxic, but why risk it? Also, real fish eyes don't print, so be careful of ink around the eyes.

Step 8: The next day find yourself something stiff to make a postcard from (I use cracker and beer boxes almost exclusively). Cut yourself a 4"x6" rectangle (the standard size for postcards in the US).

Step 9: Strategically position your rectangle on your favorite print considering where you want the main information (the front) and the overlap to be then tear or cut down your print accordingly.

Step 10: Pre-fold your print around your rectangle, then paint the "wrong" side of your card stock with gel medium (or white glue) flip over and adhere it to the back side of your print.

Step 11: Immediately flip your print over and adhere the fold over parts of your print and then coat the back side with more gel medium. Your postcard might buckle! Don't worry! After it dries on the back and you flip it over to coat the front it will (probably) flatten out as it dries.

Step 12: I chose the begin my collage at the wet stage by laminating a piece of tissue paper on the back. Only add papers etc. to the wet phase if you want them to blend into the background!

Step 13: Once your back is dry flip your postcard over and trim any excess papers or edges and decide how you want to collage!

Step 14: Enjoy making your collage! Draw into your fish! Add stickers! Use stencils!

Step 15: Blot more gel medium onto your front initially to keep stickers in place and preserve any drawing elements. Once this blotted layer is dry you can (and should) cover it again with more medium.

Step 16: Feel free to collage your back as well! Just remember to clear coat any added elements- you don't want them escaping into the mail system! Add a stamp and take it to your mail box! You CAN send a fish through the mail!

‼️Important Notes, Tips or Tricks

If you are worried about your collage getting messed up in the mail system prominently write "HAND CANCEL" on your postcard.
Use your fingers to blot apply gel medium- they keep pens from smudging and do a superior job of getting the corners of things.
Don't send collages with lots of bits hanging out - it will gum up the machines and your work will end up at the Dead Letter Office (yes, that is a real place).

💬 Join the Fun & Share!

Did you try this project? Do you have your own Gyotaku technique to share? Drop a comment below with your tips or show us what you made! We’d love to see your projects!