Hi, there.

Carp… are you guys familliar with it? I saw them in the dirty river, "Kanda-river" in Tokyo downtown where I was raised. 

Carp is die-hard fish. It can live in such a dirty. It originated in China

This kind of carp tasted good for boiled(?)- sashimi, called Koi no Arai ("Arai" means washing) . Here’s good site for carp recipe in English

Nishiki-goi, colourful ornamental carp, are one of items which reminds us of Japanese cerebrity life, was creative breeding work in sixteenth century in Niigata pref., the northern area in Japan.

Nishiki-goi swims gourgeous like kimono girls. very fun to see.   

Some might hear about Chinese old saying, carp turns out dragon climbing the waterfall. We say To-ryu-mon, literery climb, dragon, gate, for the new comer contest. American Idle is kinds of to-ryu-mon of artists. 

I draw this inspired by the old sixteenth carp painting which I bought in London. The wild carp shapes not like glamorous body of nishiki-goi but dull bullet streamline. So does this carp.

Tips:

1. Two barbels

2. Eyes are small but there are circles around eyes.

3. Pectoral must be depicted precisely, because this is the key point of carp. Imagine the wing of birds.

4. Scales…. your choice. precise or smoothing. I say, just line it. then drip sumi-ink over.

Please click the imaeg above for other sumi-e works