the art of gyotaku...

gyotaku is an art that can be practiced by everyone...it can be as simple or as complex as you wish for it to be...
i recall first making fishprints in kindergarden class...it was a fun and simple project that all of the students were able to enjoy...
about 10 years later, while attending a summer marine biology class at the university of hawaii, we made fish prints on t-shirts with some of the fish species that we studied...
and now, about 10 years later, although the idea of taking a fish, painting it, and putting a paper over it is generally still the same, i have discovered how much can be done with such a "simple" idea...

i learned how to make gyotaku from countless hours of trial and error, and from carefully observing the work of master gyotaku artists in Hawaii such as Naoki Hayashi and Shane Hamamoto...being a fisherman i was amazed and inspired by their art...i decided to try it out myself originally with the purpose of giving it away to friends as gifts...i found that gyotaku was an enjoyable hobby and soon began to experiment with various fish trying to position them into an underwater scene...as time progressed, people would ask if they could purchase some of my work...eventually i was encouraged by my friends to try and sell my prints...i find the most joy when i get to see the finished product and when people ask me, "how do you do that?!" ...and like every fisherman i love to tell the story behind the catch and to share with others a small glimpse or snapshot of what i see in the ocean everytime i go diving and fishing...

"so...how do you do that?!"

whenever someone sees my gyotaku for the first time, accompanied with the "oohs" and "aahs" is this question, "how do you do that?!"...even though i have explained the process a thousand times, i don't mind explaining it once more just for you...if you would like to try and print a gyotaku yourself, here are some tips to get you started...
click here to learn>>>

"so...what do you use to make your gyotaku??..."

i try to use only top quality stuff...
click here to see>>>