Fish Prints

The Japanese call it gyotaku, an ancient technique fishers used to record their catch. You can use previously frozen and thawed fish for this project, but don’t plan on eating the fish after printing. 

What You will Need: 

• 1 whole fish, skin on Juice of 1 lemon Paper towels Baking sheet 

• Water-soluble block printing ink 

• Shallow plate Brayer (a roller, for 

• spreading ink) Sumi rice paper 

A clean fish allows the ink to stick better. Begin by removing the slime from the side of the fish you want to print, using the lemon juice and paper towels; pat it dry. Lay the fish on the baking sheet. For full ink coverage, spread the fins and place wadded-up paper towels underneath them to raise them up. Squirt some ink in the shallow plate, and roll the brayer back and forth across it to cover the roller in ink. Roll the brayer evenly over the body and fins until one side is lightly covered. Place the rice paper over the fish and gently rub the paper with your fingers. Peel off the paper. There it is, a beautiful fish print! Discard the fish, and wash the brayer and plate with water for a simple cleanup.