(DC) (Smithsonian Associates) Delightful detailed prints on paper can be made using real fish. Using direct printing and water-based printing inks, create realistic-looking schools of fish or a single artistic print simply by inking a whole fish and pressing it to paper.
The result is a gyotaku, a term derived from the Japanese words for fish (gyo) and print (taku). Before cameras, Japanese fishermen used this technique to document a big catch when they were out at sea: they applied sumi ink to a fish, pressed it to newspaper, and then rinsed the fish in the water so it could be eaten.
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