Here’s Calcifer from the Studio Ghibli classic Howl’s Moving Castle! I printed this eraser carving in red ink, and added some additional yellow and orange with watercolor pencils.

Makerblock designed and 3D printed a holder for carving erasers, and sent me one to try. This was my first go at using that. It works really well!

The Fabriano Unica printmaking paper I have been using for most of these eraser prints bled a lot with the red ink. I experimented with the Strathmore printmaking paper and some plain bristol. The impressions are sharpest on the bristol – unsurprising as the clay coat surface doesn’t let the ink sink in much at all. The watercolor pencils, however, need to soak in a little to get the best saturation and vibrancy. So, I went with the Strathmore paper for the final prints.

A white rectangle of paper imprinted with Calcifer, a stylized flame with two eyes and a mouth. The print has also been colored in with yellow and orange watercolor pencils. The print is signed with a small A and is resting on a background of crinkled brown paper (momigami).
Calcifer Mixed-Media Print (eraser print embellished with watercolor pencil)
Calcifer (a stylized flame with two simple eyes and a mouth) printed in red on two pieces of rectangular white paper. The plain print is in the upper left. The print in the lower right has yellow and orange added with watercolor pencils. The eraser that made the prints is laying face-up at an angle in the lower left.
Calcifer Eraser Prints and Hand-Carved Eraser
A hand-carved Calcifer eraser (a stylized flame with two eyes and a mouth) in a black 3D-printed holder designed for carving erasers rests on a surface covered in crinkled brown paper (momigami).
Calcifer Eraser in MakerBlock’s Carving Holder
Angled view on a hand-carved Calcifer eraser (a stylized flame with two eyes and a mouth) in a black 3D-printed holder designed for carving erasers rests on a surface covered in red paper. A carving tool and part of a print made by the eraser are visible.
Calcifer Eraser in MakerBlock’s Carving Holder
Three prints showing how the red ink interacts with different types of paper. Clockwise from top-left and progressively crisper details: the Fabriano Unica paper, Strathmore printmaking paper, and Bristol.
Three prints showing how the red ink interacts with different types of paper. Clockwise from top-left and progressively crisper details: the Fabriano Unica paper, Strathmore printmaking paper, and Bristol.
Comparison of finished mixed-media Calcifer prints showing that the added watercolor pencils are a little more vibrant on the Strathmore paper (right) than the Bristol (left).
Comparison of finished mixed-media Calcifer prints showing that the added watercolor pencils are a little more vibrant on the Strathmore paper (right) than the Bristol (left).
Cleaned off hand-carved Calcifer pink eraser stamp. Calcifer is a stylized flame with two simple eyes and a mouth.
Cleaned Calcifer Eraser Stamp

There is a 1.5-minute video with some carving and commentary on using the different papers on YouTube.

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A rectangle of white paper imprinted in blue with the older child totoro character from the animated movie My Neighbor Totoro. It has a stout, round body with a big round white patch on its stomach. There are three chevrons on its chest. It has stubby legs and arms, long pointed ears, and big oval eyes. It is holding a leaf with a long stem as an umbrella. The carved eraser that made the print is laying at an angle on the upper left corner. The eraser and print are both sitting on a sheet of handmade grass green paper with long fibrous inclusions in different shades of green.
Totoro Hand-Carved Eraser Stamp
A couple of white rectangles of paper are imprinted with an image of long fuzzy cartoon creature wrapped around a cord suspending a ball with a four-pointed star. The image is reversed out of the ink making up the print. There is one print in an avocado green and another in black. The carved white eraser (stained with green ink) rests face-up on the corner of the green print. The background is crinkled purple paper (momigami).
Brushbuddy Hand-Carved Eraser Stamp

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