There's No 'Ctrl+P' in This Studio

First off, let’s get one thing straight. There’s no big, humming machine in the corner of my studio that I just feed paper into. Every single screen print I make is a hands-on, physical process. Each colour in a design requires its own separate screen, which has to be prepared, exposed, and washed out. The ink for each layer is mixed by hand to get the exact shade I’m after. Then, I line up the paper, lay down the screen, and pull the ink across it with a squeegee. It’s a proper workout sometimes. If a print has five colours, that’s the whole process repeated five times, for every single print in the edition. It takes time, a steady hand, and a lot of focus to get it right. It’s a craft, not a button-pushing exercise.

It’s All About That Feel

Here’s something you can’t appreciate on a screen: the texture. With digital or giclée printing, ink is sprayed onto the paper and soaks in, becoming part of the surface. It's flat. With screen printing, the ink is a thick, tangible layer that sits right on top of the paper. You can see it, and you can definitely feel it. It gives the artwork a depth and a presence that you just don't get from other methods. The colours are also something else. They’re incredibly vibrant and solid because the ink is so opaque. A block of colour is a pure, solid block of colour. It’s got a punchiness that’s really hard to replicate any other way. That tactile quality is a huge part of what makes a screen print a genuine piece of art.

What You're Actually Taking Home

When you buy one of my prints, you’re not just buying a piece of paper with an image on it. You’re buying the time, the skill, and the decision-making that went into creating it. Because it’s a manual process, each print in a limited edition is ever-so-slightly unique. There might be a tiny difference in the ink texture or the registration that shows it was made by a human, not a robot. Those aren’t flaws; that’s the character. That’s the proof of its origin. You're getting something that someone has laboured over, obsessed about, and put a bit of themselves into. It’s a piece of my studio, my process, and my passion, all rolled into one.

So, at the end of the day, a screen print isn't a disposable poster. It's a durable, high-quality, and handcrafted piece of art that’s made with care and built to last. It has a story behind it, and a soul that a mass-produced digital print just can’t touch. It’s an investment in real craft, made by a real person.

But don't just take my word for it. The best way to understand is to see one for yourself. Have a proper look around the shop at olifowler.com and check out the detail in the prints—you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.