Zine Making 101 Mini-Guide
Here’s our mini-zine on zinemaking 101 if you are looking for a creative project while self-isolating.
You can work on these on your own or with family members, and you will definitely have materials around the house right now to make them. The zine you create can be about any subject you like.
What are zines?
Zines are self-published, non-commercial, DIY booklets. A zine contains a collection of text/and or images. It serves as a creative space to share feelings, opinions, ideas and artwork. Zines can be made by anyone and are easily reproducible in printed format or shared online. They offer the opportunity for connection, community, and networking. Zines offer an alternative outlet for niche topics ignored by mainstream media. They are a vehicle for marginalized voices who want to share information and express themselves.
From ZINES: A Mini How-to-Guide, you’ll get an overview of:
What zines are
What they can be about
How to design your zines
Materials for zinemaking
How to reproduce your zine and
How to share your zine.
What can your zine be about?
Journal entries
A collection of collages
Drawings or mini-comics
Illustrated recipes
Poetry
A manifesto
Historical research
Photo zine
Fanzine
How-to guide
To assemble the guide:
Download the file and print on an 8.5 x 11” sheet of paper.
Fold the sheet in half, then fold in half again.
Open the sheet back up and cut down the middle only between the four middle panels lengthwise.
Fold the sheet back together like an accordian to make a mini-book with 8 pages.
We first provided these at our After Work Club last October, printing them up on our Risograph machine. We’ve been also distributing printed versions in the space, at artist book and zine fairs, and as part of our workshops off-site at schools and meetups.
Feel free to share this resource with any who you think is interested. If you make any zines, feel free to also send us photos!
Here’s a few examples of zines we made with the students at Ashbury College and The Element High School: