Szechwan Gyotaku

I just got back from the opening day of ArtBreak 2007.

I made a photo of three girls taking their turn making Gyotaku.
Gyotaku [gyo meaning “fish” and taku meaning “rubbing” or “impression”] was used over a century ago by fishermen in Japan who were able to keep a record of their catch by pressing rice paper onto a fish coated with ink or paint.

Today the students were using a flounder and blue paint to make their individual pieces of art.

I shot the same thing at ArtBreak a few years ago. I found the technique very interesting so I saved the "idea" and later used it in the following photo illustration a few months later, only with a Trout.

I painted the top of my grill with black paint then pressed it over the fish already coated with several different colors. It took me about a dozen or so attempts to make the final version.
After a little touch up work in Photoshop and I had my illustration for a story about the many different ways to grill fish

Today the only "idea" that I came back to the office with was how good an order of Szechwan fish from Ming Garden sounds...............