Behind the Screen Print : Stone Wizard

10 Jul

Written By Thom

The Stone Wizard, what more can we say. Friend of the studio and one of the best tattoo artists in our fine city - he had to be part of our 2023 Imprint series. Stone Wizard aka Alex Payne, is a tattooer and folk artist based in Norwich, England. His work is steeped in folkloric character with a strong focus on the prehistoric monuments of Britain.

We produced a one colour screen print onto Woodstock Betulla 270gsm, Limited Edition of 50 at A2 (42 x 59.4cm). Such a satisfying design to work on.

As screen printers we can often think of more layers making a better print but sometimes one layer / colour is enough! Alex’s print requires nothing more and nothing less to be nothing short of gorgeous.

Due to the fine detail of this work we need to take certain precautions as printers. If it’s a large edition over the course of printing it, the ink can build up and start to block out detail that was otherwise present at the start of the edition. We opted for a 120 mesh screen in order to put down less ink, this reduces the build up (intermittent cleaning of the screen is still required) meaning the level of detail remains consistent the whole way through the edition.

After discussions with Alex we agreed it would be ideal to separate this print work from his tattoos by using a blueish graphite like grey instead of a black. Alex came by the studio to mix up the colour himself to get to the tone of his dreams. We also chose the paper stock Woodstock Betulla to give the work its most neolithic look. It is a substrate that really gives the best of both worlds. Incredibly smooth finish perfect for finer details, while also retaining a speckled look that you would hope to see from a recycled natural style paper.