TEN TOP TIPS

Rice paper is best, eg Whenzou rice paper rolls.

Sumi black ink is best, eg Kuretake. Also, any inks and watercolours can be used.

Use a decent-sized fish. Whitebait won’t really do.

People also use octopuses, shrimp, prawns and crabs (but as I mentioned before, I would rather leave those in the sea).

Examine the rice paper and what it will tolerate, it is delicate.

Be prepared to waste paper.

Trial and error is necessary to test the dilution of ink/paint that is best to go on the fish. If it is too thick you will not get enough detail on the paper.

If it is too wet it will create irrelevant and blobby messes. If it is too thin or faint the impression will be weak. After several attempts you will work it out.

To get the five images presented here I made 20 attempts.

Blot out the eye area with a tissue, once you have painted the fish, to get a circle around where the eye is; then paint in the eye later.

Throw the fish out after four days and deodorise your fridge.