10 Free Whimsical Fish Printables for Ocean Crafts, Journals and Wall Art

If ordinary fish seem just a little too well behaved, allow me to introduce the Peculiar Fish of the Briny Deep.

This free printable collection contains ten richly textured, wonderfully eccentric ocean illustrations. Some of the fish are elegant, some are mysterious and at least one looks thoroughly unimpressed by the entire arrangement. Together they form a strange and story-filled underwater world in luminous shades of teal, turquoise, sea glass, coral, cream and warm gold.

The pages are designed to be versatile. You can print them as quirky wall art, reduce them for handmade cards and postcards, or use them as colourful focal images in junk journals, scrapbooks and mixed-media projects.

What Is Included In The Free Peculiar Fish Collection?

The download includes ten individual high-resolution JPG files plus a convenient ten-page printable PDF.

Each design is:

• US Letter portrait size, measuring 8.5 x 11 inches
• 2550 x 3300 pixels
• Supplied at 300 DPI
• Full-page artwork without added wording or branding
• Ready to print at home or through your preferred printing service

Among the curious inhabitants are an extravagantly finned fish with a decidedly superior expression, a magnificently grumpy pufferfish, a long patterned swimmer, a timid lantern fish, an ornate fan-tailed character, a five-fish expedition, a geometric boxfish, an ancient whiskered bottom-dweller, a moth-wing fish and a peculiar wanderer balanced on impossibly long fins.

Print Them As Quirky Ocean Wall Art

The easiest way to enjoy the pages is simply to print and frame them. Choose one favourite creature for a small statement print, or hang three or more together to create a wonderfully eccentric ocean gallery wall.

The collection works particularly well in a bathroom, reading corner, craft room, hallway or coastal-inspired room. The artwork has plenty of playful character, but the layered mixed-media texture and restrained colour palette keep it suitable for grown-up spaces too.

Try combining a dark teal design with two of the paler sea-glass pages. Mismatched vintage frames, aged brass, painted wood or simple cream mounts all complement the artwork beautifully.

Make Handmade Greeting Cards

Reduce the illustrations to fit the front of a folded card, then mount them on torn handmade paper, textured cardstock or stitched fabric scraps. Add a fine gold border, a small shell embellishment or a length of natural twine.

The characters can suit all sorts of occasions. The pufferfish is ideal for anyone who appreciates a mildly disapproving birthday card, while the flamboyant and fan-tailed creatures make lovely celebratory designs. Leave the outside without wording and add your message inside so the card can also be framed as a miniature print.

Create Printable Postcards

Scale the images to 4 x 6 inches and add a postcard back in your favourite editing program. They can become imaginary souvenirs from the Briny Deep, happy-mail inserts, pen-pal gifts or decorative cards for a travel or ocean journal.

For an aged finish, print on heavyweight matte paper and lightly ink the edges in teal, brown or muted coral.

Build A Peculiar Ocean Junk Journal

These pages make striking journal covers, dividers and fold-outs. Smaller printed versions can become pockets, tuck spots, journal cards, tags and artist trading cards.

Mix the fish with ledger paper, map fragments, handmade paper, dyed fabric, shell motifs and curling botanical shapes. The common teal-and-coral palette helps all ten designs work together while the different fish personalities keep every page interesting.

You could even give each creature a name and write a short field note, journal entry or entirely unreliable scientific description. Nobody can prove that a stilt-finned wandering fish does not exist. It may simply be very good at avoiding marine biologists.

Try A Layered Underwater Shadow Box

For a more dimensional project, place one illustration at the back of a deep frame and add cut-paper seaweed, coral, bubbles and shell shapes in front. Foam pads or folded paper spacers will create depth between the layers.

The shy lantern fish is especially effective for this project because its warm glowing light creates a natural focal point. Translucent vellum circles make lovely bubbles, while touches of metallic gold add shimmer without overwhelming the artwork.

More Creative Ways To Use The Printables

• Create artist trading cards or mini art cards
• Decorate scrapbook layouts and altered books
• Make journal covers, dashboards and dividers
• Add focal images to collage and mixed-media canvases
• Create tags, pockets and tuck spots
• Print miniature art for dollhouses or tiny galleries
• Use the pages as decorative backgrounds for personal craft projects
• Make ocean-themed party decorations or table displays
• Create handmade stationery and envelope liners
• Assemble a curious cabinet-of-wonders display

Printing Tips

For crisp colour and visible texture, use good-quality matte presentation paper, smooth art paper or heavyweight cardstock. Select the highest-quality setting available on your printer.

Choose Actual Size or 100% to print a full US Letter page. If you want a smaller image, adjust the scale in your printer settings or place the JPG in a document or design program before printing.

Colours can vary slightly between monitors, printers, inks and paper types. A test print is always useful before committing your most treasured sheet of speciality paper.

How To Download The Free Printables

The collection is offered as a Pay What You Want download. You can enter $0 in the amount field to receive it completely free, or enter any amount you choose if you would like to support Print Blossom and help fund future printable collections.

Click the download button below, complete the simple checkout and save the files to your device. The ZIP contains the ten individual JPG files, and the PDF provides a convenient way to print the entire collection.

...

I hope these peculiar little residents bring some colour, curiosity and gentle nonsense to your next creative project. I would love to know which fish becomes your favourite.