(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-DlIVSUwRo7g/VXfVKpFn0YI/AAAAAAAAF2o/ixLYUeohhro/w1281-h869-no/Croaker%2B2.jpg)
Gyotaku (魚拓) is a method for Japanese fishermen in the old days to keep a picture of the fish they caught. Ink is painted onto the body of the fish, and then a sheet of rice paper is placed over the fish and carefully rubbed to capture a print of the fish on paper, hence the meaning in the name Gyo meaning fish and Taku which mean rubbing. I like that with Gyotaku, I could make a graphic image of the true size of the fish, (including its smell) – something a photograph is not effective in reproducing.
https://gaspinggurami.wordpress.com/2015/06/10/gyotaku-now-anybody-can-have-original-artwork-at-home/
Best,
LL
Thanks for sharing. I really must try this someday.
Good stuff! One of our members here ( Steve-o) showed his a couple of years ago, he did a great job.
Youtube has some nice instructional videos, I might give it a shot myself.
Thanks for sharing.
Sal
Thanks, Sal, for the plug. I have enjoyed doing fish prints and actually sold 8 pieces plus give them away to fellow anglers. Dominick and I traded fish prints for jigs made by William - aka - Saltydawg.
The Croaker print above is nothing short of superb. The one thing overlooked was stuffing the gills with tissue so they don't ooze when you press the gill plate. Not that I'm any kind of expert at it yet. Takes years and lots fish printing to pull off great prints at will. I'm not there, yet.
Last fall, in Alaska, I printed a nice Silver Salmon and in 9 consecutive efforts....every single print went into the bin. I quit and did the rockfish and Pacific Cod which did come out good enough to stamp. This is one I'm proud of but look at the top stamp...it's upside down. What a goof!
That is very nicely done. I would love to have that on a shirt.
Do you use an airbrush to apply the paint?
I have a friend here in HI that likes to mess around printing some of the rarer longline-caught fish species. He sells prints and T-shirts. He has a website if you care to check out some of his work...
http://www.hawaiigyotaku.com
And here are a couple of other guys&Gals that do it here...
http://www.takeogyotaku.com/
http://www.gyotaku.com
http://gyotakumaui.com
http://www.gyotakuhawaii.com/OurStoryPage.php
http://heatherfortner.com
http://fishprintguy.com
http://www.firstfridayhawaii.com/d/d/naoki.html
There are a few other sites, as well as 'how to' videos available if you google it. This is pretty popular here in HI.
Quote from: Newell Nut on June 10, 2015, 06:50:51 PM
That is very nicely done. I would love to have that on a shirt.
Dwight, every time I see those Mangos you and Elli are hauling in, I'm thinking " now how can I get one of those beauties in my hands to do some gyotaku with it?"
The easy answer to get one on a shirt is learn gyotaku.
Another option is what I did. Took a high res image of this very pic and and printed it on to iron on transfer paper, then ironed it on to the back of my Columbia fishing shirt.
I'll take a pic of the results and post it later. If you like that option you can send me a shirt and I could do that for you.
for me to get a Mango? I suppose I could find some excuse to book a trip down there and catch my own.....or less spendy....head to some local fish mongers and buy a fish.
Just tossin' out some ideas.
Oops! meant to add. No airbrushing involved on my part. The fish is thoroughly cleaned and dried then traditional lino block ink is applied or acrylics. There's a very fine balance between too much and not enough ink/paint. It's a blob or it's too faint. Just right is obvious.
Naoki of Hawaii is my inspiration and another dude who's name escapes me ATM.
When the fish is bigger than the shirt. And the Alaska rockfish prints.
I have one of Steve-O's Gyotaku fish. I have it hanging in the closet. I am going to mount it on a board and have it framed. Steve I love that Columbia shirt. I'm not sure I understand the iron transfer. Dominick
I know someone who does those he just cuts the gills out before inking-easy/fast no mess.
Quote from: Steve-O on June 10, 2015, 05:31:38 PM
Thanks, Sal, for the plug. I have enjoyed doing fish prints and actually sold 8 pieces plus give them away to fellow anglers. Dominick and I traded fish prints for jigs made by William - aka - Saltydawg.
The Croaker print above is nothing short of superb. The one thing overlooked was stuffing the gills with tissue so they don't ooze when you press the gill plate. Not that I'm any kind of expert at it yet. Takes years and lots fish printing to pull off great prints at will. I'm not there, yet.
Last fall, in Alaska, I printed a nice Silver Salmon and in 9 consecutive efforts....every single print went into the bin. I quit and did the rockfish and Pacific Cod which did come out good enough to stamp. This is one I'm proud of but look at the top stamp...it's upside down. What a goof!
Nice print, Steve! I especially like your stamps.
I've also stamped one of my best prints upside-down before. Till today, I still shake my head when I think of it. Hahaha. Now, I make a mark on my round stamp that helps me align it better.
That croaker was only 4-inches long. It was one of my most difficult prints because of its miniature size - every mistake comes out clearly!
Best,
LL
Thanks, Lawrence! the stamps are kind of rough carved soapstone. I really should practice and produce some stamps of much better quality. My name in kanji did not look good so I just used Gyo Taku and the fish skeleton.
This print in on my office wall. Same fish as the other one ...only different side, ink and cloth.
Quote from: Steve-O on June 11, 2015, 05:06:32 PM
Thanks, Lawrence! the stamps are kind of rough carved soapstone. I really should practice and produce some stamps of much better quality. My name in kanji did not look good so I just used Gyo Taku and the fish skeleton.
This print in on my office wall. Same fish as the other one ...only different side, ink and cloth.
Do you have another stamp? This one is a male stamp while the other is a female.
Best,
LL
No, but I can make one. I just refined the designs on the others. A project for this weekend ... after fishing. ;D
Here's a print me and the girlfriend did last year. Our first try at gyutaku on a nice bonefish she caught.
(http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag194/gmina808/20141012_170007_zpsbe31j2cj.jpg)
She did the initial print and I painted in the details. It's now proudly hanging in our living room.
(http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag194/gmina808/20141013_171518_zps8c7c3zc8.jpg)
Wow, That turned out great. Looks like you got the hang of it pretty quickly there.
What he said! ;D
Really does look good. Ready to swim off of the print.
Can we see a pic of the print on the wall, please?
You people never cease to amaze me whodathunkit.
Picture of it today. Paper has warped a little since then, I'll have to smooth it out and reframe.
(http://i1368.photobucket.com/albums/ag194/gmina808/20150620_160306_zpsfc0xm4rt.jpg)
Wow! Those are some serious gems you've got there. Have you upgraded all the guts on those as well?
Quote from: Germ on June 21, 2015, 02:53:07 AM
Picture of it today. Paper has warped a little since then, I'll have to smooth it out and reframe.
Looks great! Gyotaku prints get that way and it's not really a detractor to the print. If you do decide to flattened it out, a red stamp would look great on it. Doesn't have to be authentic, fancy or even soapstone material...some folks just carve a raw potato into the classic shape and cut their initials or other something into it - in reverse, of course - then add red ink or paint and stamp it. Just a thought.
Oh and the reel collection is Super Deluxe!
wow... super nice work
one silly question, can you eat the fish after you put all that ink in the skin?
Quote from: steelfish on June 22, 2015, 06:11:01 PM
wow... super nice work
one silly question, can you eat the fish after you put all that ink in the skin?
I don't think bonefish are touted as good tablefare...but don't quote me on that.
Otherwise, use water base non- toxic inks or paints and just rinse it well afterwards. Then freeze or cook it. ;D
Here's one i just did this week.
I use acrylic paint that is labeled as water-based and non-toxic. After the print, the paint easily washes off. As for bonefish, here in Hawaii, we mainly eat bonefish by scraping the meat with a spoon and making fish cakes.
Quote from: Germ on June 23, 2015, 05:32:58 AM
As for bonefish, here in Hawaii, we mainly eat bonefish by scraping the meat with a spoon and making fish cakes.
Hey Germ how about a recipe for fish cakes? Hopefully with instructions for using fish other than bonefish as they are not readily available in my area. dominick
In my part of the pond, we swear that fish cakes and fish balls made with the Yellowtail Fusilier (http://www.fishbase.org/summary/919) taste the best. And the Teochew Chinese make the best fish balls.
If you dare to try, I can try giving you grandma's recipe.
LL
Quote from: LLCC on June 24, 2015, 09:10:32 AM
In my part of the pond, we swear that fish cakes and fish balls made with the Yellowtail Fusilier (http://www.fishbase.org/summary/919) taste the best. And the Teochew Chinese make the best fish balls.
If you dare to try, I can try giving you grandma's recipe.
LL
Please post the recipe in the recipe section. Thanks. Dominick
A little 4-5 inch Bluegill. Makes for good practice printing. Thinned ink resolves details way better than Lino Block ink.
:)
Steve, that is very nicely done. Great job.
Printed a fish tale....err...tail. This is from a recent catch. Nearly a meter long 27# White Amur or grass carp.
Only got 4 tail prints and three full size as the 58" per print off my roll depleted my stock quickly. Another ten meter roll is on the way for my Alaska Trip Gyotaku printing. I also carved another stamp for practice and will make one more to get closer to what I want for my chop.
This print is now on my office wall and is about 12 inches square.
I have a couple that a local Philadelphia Artist did in exchange for me providing him some fish.
The Mahi Mahi one is huge but outstanding!
I'm enjoying this thread, thanks guys. Steve, I just realized the stamp has your name, I'm guessing the artist makes his own?
Capt Ahab, post some pics if you can, I would love to see them and I'm sure so would everyone else.
x2 I'd like to see 'em
INSPIRING!
X3! Would love to see a pic of the Mahi prints.
You can see the variety of sizes I catch. From 5" Bluegill up to who knows how big. I hope to print some Halibut tails in September as well as other species before I fillet them. The dollar is for scale = 6.125"
Yeah, I thought a seal better than 'gyo + taku' kanji is in order. My name in kanji looks dumb so I went for a stylized grafitti look of SteveO. Maybe one more chunk of soapstone to get it more acceptaple before I have some folks in China do it for me via ebay.
Here's an interesting fish that I have yet to get an ID of other than knowing it belongs to the group of fishes called Wrasses and Tuskfishes. We got it at Pulau Besar off the East Coast of Peninsula Malaysia on James Chai's boat. When it first came on board, it was a pale colour with yellow spots and rosy blotches at its flanks, transparent dorsal fin, green eyes rimmed with yellow, yellow yellow cheeks and turquoise coloured teeth.
After it's brain dead, it changed to a rust colour with yellow spots along its flanks, black eyes with matcha-coloured socket and the teeth turned white. After freezing, it stayed this colour. What is interesting is that it appear to have two rows of lateral lines, half at the top, in line with the eye until above the anal fin, and another below, from the middle of the caudal peduncle to where the top lateral line ends.
Here's how I drew in the eye.
https://gaspinggurami.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/gyotaku-the-eye-make-it-come-alive/
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d04H9tC_QsM/VcxrFKFnFTI/AAAAAAAAGIk/XHTJoDYUypY/s720-Ic42/IMG_9081.jpg)
Nicely done. Those are some neat colors on that fish and would look nice on a shirt.
Outstanding job Lawrence-never seen anything like it anywhere.
Cheilinus chlorusus....common name... Yellow dotted Maori wrasse.
Interesting how quickly and dramatically it color changed. Similarly, the Mahi Mahi and marlin lose their vibrance almost instantly and right before your eyes upon expiring.
Mr. Lee, the eye painting technique is very skilled and educating to me. Thanks, for sharing.
Steve
PS - and thanks to your blog I am now making oshizushi and enjoying the speed and ease of it. In fact my rice has come out much better thanks to you. The vinegar recipe is excellent.
Quote from: Steve-O on August 18, 2015, 05:50:13 AM
Cheilinus chlorusus....common name... Yellow dotted Maori wrasse.
Interesting how quickly and dramatically it color changed. Similarly, the Mahi Mahi and marlin lose their vibrance almost instantly and right before your eyes upon expiring.
Mr. Lee, the eye painting technique is very skilled and educating to me. Thanks, for sharing.
Steve
PS - and thanks to your blog I am now making oshizushi and enjoying the speed and ease of it. In fact my rice has come out much better thanks to you. The vinegar recipe is excellent.
A million thanks Steve-San! Your ID was spot on! Now I can work on touching up what I've missed — the long trailers on the Pelvic fins and the Lyre Tail which I was suspecting that to be as I had a shrivelled piece of skin at the two tips of the tail.
I'm glad you liked the taste of the sushi vinegar. I made it stronger (more salt and sugar) in taste as I wanted the rice to balance the Smoked Salmon. Also I wanted everything to be able to last long enough for the party/picnic without having to resort to refrigeration. If you are making Oshizushi with an ingredient that is plain (eg boiled crab, or grilled beef), you can use less sugar and/or salt with the vinegar so it won't overpower the ingredient. Likewise, if you are making ordinary sushi with raw fish, you can cut down on the sugar by half so it won't distract the subtle taste of the fish.
Best,
LL
an original Japanese piece. done here in Okinawa.
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i214/katguy/saltyrods%20yellowfin_zps4ypc6ujt.jpg) (http://s73.photobucket.com/user/katguy/media/saltyrods%20yellowfin_zps4ypc6ujt.jpg.html)
Lowprofile -Super good job of capturing the Yellowfin in gyotaku! 170cm comes out to a 5 foot 6 and a half inch fish for us Yanks.
LL- You're very welcome for the fish ID. i recognized it as a Wrasse right away but there are only a few which I know as the more familiar ones like the cleaners and Humphead, etc. The Wrasse family are among the most beautiful of the tropicals.
Regarding Osizushi: I have used Smoked Salmon (self caught and smoked) and Poor Man's Lobster Recipe Halibut in my oshizushi thus far and modified the vinegar recipe to taste each time. Always less salt for me since it is used in cooking the fish and I don't care for salt anyway. Plus even low sodium soy sauce is too salty for my tastes and I use it sparingly.
Fishing - your blog's micro jigging section was also intriguing so while learning more about that and the Japanese style of fast and slow pitch jigging, decided to give it a try next month in Alaska with a newly purchased Major Craft CROSTAGE Light Jigging Rod, #CRJ-S64SLJ.
So it my turn to reply with 'thanks a million', Sensei Lawrence-san!
best fishes,
Steve
Here's a recent fish print effort.
This is a White Amur aka Grass Carp.
38 inches and 27 pounds. Not the biggest I've caught but a decent one. The largest capture so far is 40 inches and 34#..but no prints from that one.
My youngest daughter and I pulled a few prints in the garage on a folding table and this was good enough, IMO, to have dry mounted on foam core board.
It now hangs on my office wall and measures 27 X 52 inches.
My progress on achieving good eyes is slowing getting there.
The dollar bill is for scale.
I've been enlightened again...cool stuff! 8)
this is a great thread, nice work all! Not sure about the blog, but Mr.Lee, can you share this method of food preparation in the AT food forum?
thanks!
John