This woodblock print depicts the characters Simon and Gurren Lagann from the anime “Gurren Lagann.” This specific design was adapted from the show’s eyecatch/bumper art (appearing before and after commercial breaks). I recreated the original image using the Japanese woodblock technique.

This was my most ambitious woodblock print to date. Not only does it have more colors, but it is also larger than than my previous prints. This was carved on 8″x12″ blocks, whereas all my previous prints were carved on 6″x8″ blocks. In addition to the key lines, there were 23 color areas; requiring 25 total impressions (the text required two separate gradations). The video below shows the color separation and build up of colors:

The key lines and color areas were carved on to 12 block faces (6 physical blocks, front and back), which are shown in the gallery below.

Carving and printing took place between September 2024 and April 2025.

As for the wood, the key lines were carved in American Cherry, which my default wood for key blocks; but for the color blocks, I experimented with some new (to me) materials. Some color blocks were carved on solid basswood boards that were glued to a plywood core (similar to the cherry blocks), while other color blocks were carved on basswood plywood.

The solid basswood was pleasant to carve–very soft compared to cherry–but it seemed to have some issues during printing. It seemed that it had some soft or porous spots that would leave a particular pattern of darker colored dots. The grey areas above Simon’s head, and the skin tone around his mouth were particularly troublesome; but overall, I think it turned out decently. Overall, it wasn’t too bad, but I think I’ll switch back to using Shina plywood, which is readily available off-the-shelf, without having to glue up your own blocks, and is pretty close in terms of price.

During printing, I struggled a bit with registration. In some of the block photos, you can see that I have temporary registration marks taped to the block. I also struggled a bit with maintaining a consistent moisture level in the paper. Because of the large number of colors, the paper spent a lot of time going in and out of my damp pack, causing it to dry out over time. I think this moisture issue might’ve contributed to some of the registration issues–the paper shrinks as it dries. I think the larger print size also contributed to some of my registration issues.

For the colors/pigments in this print, I also experimented/upgraded with some new materials. In my previous prints, I used watercolor paint tubes for my colors, which worked reasonably well, but it was a bit difficult to get super rich/deep/saturated colors using the watercolor tubes. However for this print, I used the “Pigment Paste” product from Holbein, which definitely seems to have more “oomph” compared to watercolor tubes, and helped me achieve some more saturated colors in the print.

PS: I have a few copies of this print available for sale in my shop.

Bonus block pics: