1. S:UWPublic4H-Youth DevelopmentCamp TaPaWingoLesson PlansFish Prints.doc
THREE FISH SWIMMING ON
YOUR WALL
Activity Plan
Project Skills:
Youth experience an art form art
by using an animal from the
surrounding environment as a print.
Life Skills:
Decision Making
Academic Standard:
Art and Design Education A.4.3
Learn about basic styles of art from
their own and other parts of the
world
Grade Levels:
Grades 3-8
Time:
90 minutes
Supplies Needed:
Whole fish
Rubber fish prints
Muslin
Craft paint
Foam brushes
Dowels/Sticks
Glue
String or cord
Pennies
River rocks
Sharpies
Do Ahead:
Prepare a sample wall hanging
Cut muslin with pinking shears to
15” by 21”. Place a stick or dowel
of at least 17” one inch below the
top. Fold over, glue, hot glue or
sew. Glue or hot glue three pennies
or washers to the back so that it
does not flop around in draft areas
(optional). Tie a cord both ends and
hang by the center of the cord.
Prepare Gyotaku Fish Prints for
Handing Out to Youth
Print out and laminate pictures of
Gyotaku fish prints from the
internet. See links at end of page.
Have at least 4-5.
Make an actual unlaminated
Gyotaku print from actual real fish
on paper. This will be a dry
example you will have available to
show. Make sure that scales remain
on paper.
BACKGROUND
Gyotaku (guh-yo-tah-
koo) is the Japanese art
of fish painting. It was
developed centuries ago
by Japanese fisherman
as a way of recording
the fish they caught.
They painted the fish in
ink (sumi), covered it
with a sheet of rice
paper, carefully pressed
the paper on the fish until paper was smooth with the skin of the fish and the ink bled
through the paper. They then removed the paper and a copy or a “print” was made.
As time passed, Gyotaku became more than a way of recording a fish. People were
impressed with its details and its aesthetics. Artists began experimenting with different
colors of ink, paints, paper and even cloth. Some even tried different aquatic animals
liked octopus and sea cucumber. This art has grown and has travelled around the world.
It has been shown in museums large and small.
Famous Gyotaku artists sign their works Japanese characters they have carved into
block of wood. The dab the wooden character block into red ink and press it onto the
paper, to make another print, much like they have done with the fish.
What inspires each of us about Gyotaku no one for sure can say. For some it is
capturing every detail of an animal on a piece of paper. For others the colors and the
medium they are on, such as a light piece of paper or a piece of cloth hanging in a light
breeze captures how the fish actually seems to move. Still for others it reminds them of
their own fish stories, of the first time they caught a fish, of the fish they watched under
a log in a stream, of the fish they sold at their father’s market.
WHAT TO DO
Activity: Awareness and Demonstration of Fish Prints
Show examples of Gyotaku fish prints from print pictures.
Ask you to think about how the pictures were probably made. Take answers.
Demonstrate with real fish and cloth. Paint fish, using foam brush. Color areas
of the fish differently. Make sure to use broader strokes to glaze the fish with
a thin coat rather than trying to heap the pain on.
Press down a piece paper or cloth with hands. Remove quickly in one motion.
Show the youth the print and give quiet pause.
Tell youth that many fish have scales. Ask youth if anyone can find a fish scale
on the print.
Down East Magazine, November 2011
2. S:UWPublic4H-Youth DevelopmentCamp TaPaWingoLesson PlansFish Prints.doc
Prepare Art Stations for Youth
Have rubber fish from Acorn
Naturalist or other nature
companies set out on a table at
different station with paints and
foam brushes. Test to make sure
that the paint is thin enough to go
on the fish with enough color, but
not too thick, otherwise it will
blob.
Make sure rinsing station for fish
and hand washing station is
available.
Have a drying table that will fit all
of the muslin cloth in an area with
tub of river rocks to weight them
down while they dry and a few
sharpies so that youth can initial
them. Warmer sunnier areas of
room work best. Should be area
that can be wiped down in case
paint bleeds through muslin.
Have enough sticks/dowels, muslin
cloths, and cords cut to size, with a
few extras in case of extra students
or accidents.
Created by:
Matt Welter and Kevin Palmer,
4-H Youth Development
Educators, Manitowoc County
2015
Sources:
Gyotaku; the art and technique of
the Japanese fish print, Hiyama,
Yoshio, 1909-
Catch a Fish-Gyotaku (Dead Fish
Art), Ashley Pomplun, Kim
Westover, Megan Wecker;
CYFAR Project, Waushara County
Extension, 2010 Reviewed by Barb
Barker, 4-H Youth Development
Agent
Adopted for:
Activity: Let’s Make a Wall Hanging
Shows the youth the different kinds of rubber
fish, identifying each and asking youth if they
know anything about these fish (ie have you
caught them, ate them, do they live in lakes
or rivers, what colors they are, etc.)
Show a completed wall hanging. Be sure to
show front and back.
Ask about the parts of the wall hanging.
Direct the youth to the three areas of the
room: The fish printing stations, the drying
station and the finishing station.
Tell youth about the stations they will be
visiting to complete the wall hanging.
Suggested Script
“In order to complete your Gyotaku fish print you
will need to print three fish on one sheet of muslin. These three are in a row, but
you can make them up and down, you can make them overlap, you can make them
swim off the side of the sheet.”
“It is a good idea to plan out what kind of fish you want and where you want them
on your muslin sheet. You can use your hands to map out where the fish may go.
You will also want to make sure not to print below one hand from the bottom or top
of the cloth as that may be too low or too high on the cloth. Remember you will be
folding over the cloth at the top.”
“When you get to the stations, pick the three fish you want, cover them with the
colors want, drape the cloth over them and press each one down starting with the
top and working to the bottom.”
“Once you have done all three, grab the top two corners and quickly lift up the
cloth towards you.”
“Bring the finished print to the drying station and lay it down face up and place
four stones in four corners so it doesn’t blow away. Make sure not to overlap it with
someone else’s. There is a sharpie available. Please make sure to put your initials
on the bottom of the cloth.”
“Once we have completed this we will be doing another activity while they dry and
once they are dry we will be adding the dowel, cord, and counterbalances
(pennies).”
Distribute muslin cloths and have students form lines to take turns. Direct
students and monitor time.
To avoid problems and boredom have multiple fish printing stations and assign
older youth not printing to be fish rinsers.
Playing the sounds of the river water in the background and occasionally
announcing guided imagery during the activity can inspire creativity in
youth. Here is a link to 11 hours of a stream.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmar4gh5nIw Announce imagery to the
group every few minutes like, “Imagine you are a fish in the quiet stream
running past the camp.” “Imagine yourself swimming from rock to rock in
search of food.” “Imagine looking up to see a dragonfly sticking its tail into
the water and seeing the tiny eggs go shooting into a slow part of the stream.”
Another game that can be while waiting in line is to name fish. One person
starts with “Trout.”, says a different fish. No one can repeat another person’s
fish. If they do they are out. Whoever can last the longest gets to over.
3. S:UWPublic4H-Youth DevelopmentCamp TaPaWingoLesson PlansFish Prints.doc
It is good to have a variety of at least three or more fish. However with some fish,
especially with ones with too much paint, 2-3 prints can be pressed from the same
fish. The second and third print can sometimes even be better than the first one,
with finer detail and fewer smudges.
Another good strategy with this activity is to work in pairs. One person is the rinser
and one person is the printmaker. When one youth finishes their three fish on their
piece of muslin they set it up to dry and then exchange roles.
Drying time could be a game or could be collecting natural items to decorate the
wall hanging (see suggestions below).
After drying time show students how to complete wall hanging.
Suggested Script
“Place your picture face down and in front of you like a card. Make sure the top is
above and the bottom is closest to you. One inch from the top place the dowel across the
cloth. Run a line of glue a finger’s length below the dowel all the way across.
Fold the top of the cloth over the dowel and hold it down on the glue. You will want to
use your river rocks to leave it in place while it dries and you work on the rest. The
dowel should be able to slide from side to side.”
“Measure out a piece of cord that is twice the length of the dowel. Tie one end twice
next to the muslin picture. Tie the other end twice to the other end of the picture. Make
sure there is at least two inches of cord hanging down on each side of the picture.”
“This last part is optional. The counterbalances need to be there if you don’t want your
Gyotaku picture to blow around. Some people like this , others like theirs to ripple in a
breeze. If you want a counter balance. Glue three pennies to the bottom. One in each
corner and one in the middle.”
“If you collected things along the stream you can tie them to the extra cord.”
TALK IT OVER
Reflect:
Did the amount of paint you used affect your product’s turnout? Why?
What would you recommend to others doing a project like this?
If you had to start this project from scratch, what would you work on first?
Simple or more elaborate, which one makes you feel more comfortable?
Which project would you choose? If you like the simplicity of this project or
how this art looks, tell us why. If you want to add more tell us what. Let’s
take turns.
Application:
What other items in nature could you use to print designs of?
Where do you think you are going to put your wall hanging? Why did you
choose that spot?
Think of a place that would not be a good for your wall hanging? Perhaps it
will get ruined there? Perhaps it doesn’t match? Perhaps it’s something else.
Tell us where and why.
ENHANCE/SIMPLIFY
Enhance for Older Children:
Have students use paper instead of muslin and try out different forms of paper
to find out which type works best (newsprint, woodblock paper, magazine
paper, rice paper, cotton rag, construction paper.
Have students add acquatic plants to dry on paper around the fish.
Have students teach younger students the process.
Have students use actual ink an pen to label different parts of the fish.
Enhancements for Younger Children:
