Happy Zine Day -- Carol Henley

A while back, I posted about a zine that I created. A zine is a fully hand-made magazine about a subject of your choosing. You can see where I described my zine here. I call my zine "Paint/Paste," and showcase painting and collage techniques for mixed meda artists.

I was inspired to create this zine for a swap -- meaning, I created 10 zines and received 10 different zines back from other artists. I'd like to show off the zines I received here, and I'm starting with the zine "Wrandom Writings," by Carol Henley. Her art is created at her Swallowcliffs Art Studio.


Her zine includes excerpts from some of her journals. It seems that she is quite the journaler, and has kept journals for years. Her zine is the size of half of a standard sheet of paper, meaning it's folded over. She has stitched the side binding and it has 18 pages plus the front and back cover. All the pages seem to be color copies; each page is a new treat of beautifully colored art.


Carol is opening up the pages of her private journals for us to see. She freely gives her motivation for journaling, and how it makes her feel. I think she is quite bold and should be commended for her generosity.


Her journals are visually appealing as well. She's used water colors, stamps, drawings, to enhance her pages. She's included some of her soul collages, and you realize that she's a talented artist, not afraid of placing unlike things together in interesting ways.


For those who haven't started a journal, Carol gives us many reasons to try, and then tells us how to do it. I especially liked when she says you should think about the purpose of your journal. I can't just write to write. I always need to have a purpose for writing. Do you want to analyze your personal finances, she asks? Why not make that a topic for a journal. How great -- I never would have thought of that one. I will say that I have journals for different purposes: project ideas; blog post ideas and first drafts; business plans.


One of the fun things about making your own blog is you can include pull-outs, pockets, and freebie gifts. Carol has included a handmade blank book, so the zine reader can start her own journal. She has used a cut-down cover from a used book, and stitched in blank, lined paper for writing. What will I put in my new little journal? She's definitely inspired me to create some artistic journal pages.




You can visit Carol's blog and see more of her wonderful art on her blog, Swallowcliffs Art Studio.

I have a few of my zines left, and you can buy them through my Etsy site, which is my online shopping area for Blue Sand Studio. You can find them here.