My Second Zine

The second issue of my mixed media art zine Paint/Paste is hot off the presses. The theme for this one is Scraps. My zines describe and show some of my favorite mixed media techniques, and are completely handmade. When I thought of the Scraps theme, I knew that I would use some kind of a scrap, or re-used paper, for the cover. My first issue, which had the theme Words, had a hand-painted cover, and each cover was different. This time, I used the pages from an old mixed media calendar. I gave credit to the artist who made the calendar page on the inside back cover. I also cut and paste papers onto it and jazzed it up with paint pens.


I've called my zine Paint/Paste because I want to focus on painting and collage techniques. With the theme of scraps, I used a two-sided scrapbook paper for some pages, and old green ledger paper for another, and old maps for another.


I showed examples of different paint techniques over scraps, and different adhesives you can use for scraps.


I included a how-to for making a mini-book out of a single sheet of paper, and included an example of a book made from a magazine page. I also included a bonus handmade book in a little pocket. By the way, I always use old envelopes for pockets. I try not to buy too many brand new art supplies, and re-use things as much as possible. I grabbed a stack of large flat mailing envelopes, cut them in two lengthwise, and used half an envelope per zine. The envelope is folded in half and stitched into the binding. If there was an address on the envelope, I obscured it with a rubber stamp or sticker.


I cut cardboard boxes to use as bases for ATCs, handmade books, or other art. I included some examples, cut from a mac and cheese box, moon pie box, Christmas cards, and photos. (Sorry, but I very much enjoy the Christmas photos I get from friends, but I don't save them. They're nice sturdy pieces for art.)


I also included some obscure scraps that I've collected over the years. Stationery from hotels, recipe cards, old over-sized photo negatives, really old photos, bingo cards, dictionary pages.


The planning and construction of a zine is a challenge you should attempt. Pick a theme that goes with the type of art that you do. Don't be stingy with your inserts -- what are you saving all that stuff for, anyway? I'll be announcing another zine swap in this blog soon, so stay tuned.

If you'd like to buy one of my zines, you can find them in my online shop here. I have a few left and will sell them until they're gone.

Future blog posts will tell you about all the other zines that I received in my recent swap. You'll be amazed by the creativity of the other ten artists!

Zine Swap

Three months of planning, gathering materials, creating inserts, and then one crazy week of assembly = my second zine. I love every part of the process. A zine is essentially a self-published magazine. You choose the topic and the contents. It's more than just writing articles, though, because you make the pages, the cover, and inserts. You make a lot of decisions in the planning stage:
-- Will I write all original articles or have guest writers?
-- Do I want to include a page of links or sources?
-- Should I do a how-to article, including examples?
-- Will I type the text, hand-write it, cut and paste it?
-- What size will the magazine pages be and how many will there be?
-- What material will I use for the cover? Will it be all handmade?

I don't know how you plan projects, but my initial planning is all in my head. In fact, I can plan an entire jewelry piece or ATC in my head. For the zine, after I've done the initial planning, I start to mock up the pages. I use 8 1/2" x 11" pages so I can type most of the text using Word. I'll take 5 blank pages, and fold them over, and write the heading for each page and the table of contents. I'll include other notes, like if there will be a pocket, what kind of inserts, and if I'll add handwriting to the typed words.

I think inserts are key to an engaging zine. It's fun to pull out examples of handmade papers, or ATCs, or mini-books. The theme of my zine is always mixed media art, so those are the kinds of inserts I include. I think the reader likes to see and feel the examples.

I'll tell you more about my zine in my next post, but here's a sneak preview of what it looks like.


I hosted a swap, and ten other artists made zines as well. We made one for everyone, they sent their boxes of zines to me, then I split them up and sent them back so they have a full set. Now we're all spending our free time reading these wonderful works of art. Check out my blog again, and I'll show you each of the 11 zines individually.

Why Make a Zine?

First of all, what is a zine? The word comes from magazine, as it is a self-published magazine. Usually one person writes all the contents, draws or takes the pictures, designs the cover and format, types and assembles the publication. It can be quite personal. It can showcase you as an artist, writer, poet, illustrator, thinker, or political mind. The creativity can be in the content and also the format and construction.


The purpose of your zine can be to promote yourself or others. It could be simply a vehicle to get your thoughts or creativity out to others. In my case, it was the challenge of creating all aspects of a project. It wasn't about control, but about the planning, execution, and accomplishment.


Zines can be folded over, stitched, or stapled 8 1/2" x 11" paper, the simplest format. That's how I made my zine, Paint/Paste. They can be elaborate, glossy pages, put together through a website, such as lulu.com or blurb.com. I wanted to go with the complete hand-made style.

Some zines are a showcase of many artists' or writers' work, not unlike a literary magazine. Do yu have any examples you can tell me about? I'll list them here.

Zines are usually pretty inexpensive to sell. $1 - $12 is normal for handmade zines. The professionally bound zines can be $20 - $40. If you're making it yourself, keep in mind that you probably aren't going to make money on them, so just think of it as a labor of love. You can find zines on Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and in some independent bookstores. A place that sells only zines is called a Distro (as in, distribution). You can do a google search for these.

I'm hosting a zine swap. If you'd like to challenge yourself to make a zine, then trade with other zine-makers, check out my tab at the top of my blog. There's still time to sign up.

Happy Zine Day -- Judy Merrill-Smith

For my final review of the ten zines I received in a zine swap, I present Judy Merrill-Smith's zine called Something Extra Number 3: The Invitation. The cover of Judy's zine is 6" x 12", and is collaged with book pages, painted, and she hand-stitched lace pieces and edging to the paper.


When you open it, you see that Judy has re-purposed a 12" x 12" calendar page for the cover. She kept the back side of the blue stitching exposed, which is a nice touch. The pages of the book are folded over 8 1/2" X 11" pages, with typed text and full-color photos.


Judy's first article is about "guerrilla art," and how she recently created some of her own. She explains that guerrilla art is free art placed in public places, often anonymously. The fun for the viewer is stumbling upon it and wondering about its source. She tells a story about being on vacation, and becoming so moved by news of a death, that she decides to create a piece of art as a memoriam. Amazingly, she spies the family of the victim as they discover this art. It really is a beautiful story, and she's a beautiful woman for creating it.


Judy has written a how-to article as well. She picked up some vinyl street signs that were destined for a landfill, and created beautifully painted flowers. That's a great example of making beauty from trash. Her step-by-step instructions are detailed enough, with accompanying photos, that most readers would be able to re-create the flowers. I only wish she included a photo of the original signs so I could get some perspective on the starting point.


Her next story starts with the question, "Ever heard of a zine library?" I have, and have been to one in Portland, Oregon. I haven't found one in Florida yet, but Judy discovered one in her hometown of Spokane, Washington. What a great story to include in her zine! A lot of us in this zine swap are creating zines for the first time, and many have never seen one in person before creating their own. It's great to know there's a whole world of zines out there. Be aware, though, some zine subjects may not suit your tastes. If you find a library, just put the oddballs back and keep looking, because you'll see there's a wide range of topics and zine styles.


Her last story is about her practice of writing "Morning Pages," a ritual popularized by Julia Cameron in her book The Artist's Way. I know this is huge with many people, but I've never been able to keep up with it. She's quite brave and includes a couple in her zine.


I don't want to forget the nice little gift that Judy included with her zine. She's generously given the zine reader their own embroidery floss, fabric, and edging so we can incorporate them in our next project. If you like what you've seen of Judy's art here, please be sure to stop by her blog, Cheery Tomato Productions.


I hope you've enjoyed my reviews of the zines I received. You can go back and look at my complete list of posts at the end of this one here. I'll be hosting my own zine swap this Spring. You can see the details by clicking on the "Zine Swap" tab at the top of this blog.

Happy Zine Day -- Deborah Boschert

Deborah Boschert calls her zine Inspired by ... Architecture, with the tag line "A little zine with images, ideas and thoughts about creativity." She's right -- it's little in size, but filled with wonderful photographs of architecture from all over the world.


She's hand-painted her 4 1/2" x 6" cover, using brushes, stamps, and scratching into the paint. She's cut out a little door and a window so you can see through to the first page. All of her pages have full-color photos, all taken by her during her travels. She must always have her camera with her, and she has a real eye for details from her surroundings.


Even after Deborah's taken a picture, she still notices more details when she looks at it. In one photo, she points out that she is shown in a reflection in one of the windows. That's something I probably wouldn't have noticed.


Photography runs in Deborah's family, because she says her husband takes a lot of photos when he travels with his work. She includes one from Africa. I think it's base housing. It's a simple repetition of buildings. What a fine example of government formality.


Her final picture is a bit of an art quilt that was inspired by one of the photos. That final page is what made me want to visit her website where you can find many photos of her art quilts. I'm glad I stopped by. You can see her website here and visit her blog here.


I have one more of the zines I received in a swap left for review. You can see the complete list of zines at the bottom of this previous post. I'll be hosting my own swap. If you're interested in joining, click on the Zine Swap tab at the top of this page for more information.

Happy Zine Day -- Pam Crawford

Pam Crawford has created a zine that is so colorful and full of pockets and samples that you immediately want to pick it up and thumb through it. I wasn't sure what her title meant until I read her introduction. Her zine is called The Dollar Store Zine. She explains that she lives in Presque Isle, Maine, far from any craft or fabric stores. The dollar stores are her local source for art supplies. I love that! Practical, and frugal, too.


Pam gives the timeline of how she created her zine, which is great for anyone wanting to create their own. She takes the mystery out of the creative process in her detailed descriptions of her brainstorming of ideas and her many uses of dollar store finds.

Her zine is a stack of bags that she stitched down the center. Each bag holds a finished project or items you can use in your own projects. She's typed the text and glued it on the outside of the bags.


I just have to tell you about what Pam has done with playing cards. Who can't afford a $1 deck of cards? Or who doesn't have a deck with a missing card or two? You now have a stack of up to 52 craft supplies. She gives an example of an ATC with a card base, an altered playing card, and my favorite -- a mini book. I love the mini book: how simple, but so cool. It helps that she found a deck of cards with a colorful butterfly back.


Pam groups her zine by the departments within the dollar store. The kitchen/home goods department yields paper towels, waxed paper, and freezer paper to paint, with suggestions to grab coasters, chopsticks, and paper plates for future projects.


While checking out the hardware department, Pam found a foldable wooden ruler. She's cut it into 3/4" pieces, and has made a charm for the zine owner. I can see creating a cutie pie charm bracelet for some lucky girl from your dollar store finds.


Pam has included a few how-to projects for you, with examples. This zine gives so many ideas, it could keep you busy for a month. Thank you, Pam, for a well-thought out and generous zine.


You can see a list of all the zines I received in the swap and the blog posts I'm doing about them here.
I'll be hosting my own zine swap, and you can see the details on the tab at the top of this page.

Happy Zine Day -- Kara Klein

Kara Klein recently took a vacation to Japan, and invites us to join her in her zine she calls Japan Dreams. The color-copied pages are brilliant with color, and cut in various widths for added interest. The cover is shades of orange and pink on cardstock, using tape strips with rubber stamped letters for the title.


This zine is a travel journal with memories of her trip as well as tutorials for little projects. Each page is loaded with background colors and scraps that she picked up in Japan. She uses postage stamps, stickers, photos, Japanese writing, origami, and includes a little packet of scraps for the reader to use.


Kara has stitched together a folder to hold the zine, that is probably made from a brown paper bag. a fabric scrap gives it a nice edge, and it is closed with a button and thread.


I've seen rubber stamps that people have carved, but she describes how to make one from a photo. She's used a photo of a lotus pod that she took in Tokyo. Using photo editing software, she has altered the image to use as a guide for carving a stamp. I never would have thought to do that. I think the idea of carving a stamp free-form is intimidating. This technique takes the stress of where to begin out of the equation.


Kara has adapted a technique called laminated collage to make her cover. She describes it at the end of the zine. Her description makes it sound so simple -- I'm definitely going to try it. If her zine doesn't make you want to visit Japan, you will at least be inspired to record your next trip in words, and scraps, and colors.


You can see my reviews of all ten zines I received in the zine swap here.
Carol Henley -- Wrandom Writings (1/6/11)
Irene Prior -- How to Use Markers to Create Colorful Works of Art (1/19/11)
Cris Peacock -- Words & Art Zine: Making Poems (1/24/11)
Lori Garver -- Brown Paper Bag Art (1/29/11)
Barb Nelis -- Left-Brain Heart (2/4/11)
Heather Simpson-Bluhn -- Journal Play (2/15/11)
Kara Klein -- Japan Dreams (2/24/11)
Pam Crawford -- The Dollar Store Zine (2/28/11)
Deborah Boschert -- Inspired by ... Architecture (3/4/11)
Judy Merrill-Smith -- Something Extra Number 3: The Invitation (to be posted on 3/12/11)

You can read about the zine that I created here or you can purchase extra copies of my zine in my Etsy shop here.

Happy Zine Day -- Heather Simpson-Bluhn

Heather Simpson-Bluhn created a colorful zine she calls Journal Play. She color-copied bright collages for most pages, and machine-stitched the binding and cover.


She describes how to do a gesso resist with rubberstamps, inserting an example as a half-page in the zine. Abruptly, she gives a journal prompt on page 3 of the zine. This little prompt is attached with fancy tape to a piece of textured paper.


I'm getting that Heather is a lover of paper. Her collages use magazine bits, insides of envelopes, origami paper, and book pages. She's created an envelope from plastic by stitching the edge and binding it into the zine. This packet contains paper scraps we could use in our own collage.


For all of us who also have a scrap collection, Heather has included a how-to article for turning your scraps into paper flowers, which she calls "tattered blooms."


Heather extolls the virtues of listmaking, and urges us to list words as our own journal prompts. I find myself wanting to write in my journal, yet I don't want to stop reading her zine. She's also listed some mixed media tutorial sources on YouTube. When I'm done with a journal page, I'll be sure to hop on the internet to check out some of these videos.


If you'd like to see more of Heather's art, you can see her blog here.

You can check out the zine that I made for this swap here. I'll be posting more reviews of all the zines I received from the swap in future blog posts.

Happy Zine Day -- Barb Nelis

As I go through each of the 10 zines I received in a recent swap, I'm struck by how different one is from the last. We all received the same guidelines for the swap -- handmade, at least 20 pages, include a how-to article, and some goodies for the recipient. Beyond that, they can be any size, reflect any medium, and have any construction.

Barb Nelis's zine, Left-Brain Heart, is a colorful feast for the eyes.


I think most of the pages are construction or scrapbook paper, each one a different color. The size is 5 1/2" x 8", with a stitched binding, but it is so chock full of inserts and examples, that the side is about 2 1/2" thick!


I don't think Barb has a blog where I can see her art, but she's included many collages in her zine. She's obviously a lover of words and quotes, colorful scraps, and stamps.

Most pages have some kind of a pocket or attachment for scraps and goodies. She's included how-to's for a folder pocket, a bookmark card, and of course colorful examples of each.


She's generous with her enclosures, including a large scrap of fabric that may inspire you for a future project, a couple of crocheted pieces, and a mini paper pad.


She's included one article about de-cluttering your life. As I read it, I couldn't help but wonder: is she talking about physical clutter, or mental clutter? She's proved she is also a very good writer.



To see more reviews of mixed media zines, check out my blog again. I have five more to go!

To see the zine I made for this swap, check out my blog post here. You also may buy one online at my etsy shop here.

Happy Zine Day -- Lori Garver

We now enter the world of recycling with the next zine, Brown Paper Bag Art, by Lori Garver. The cover of her 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" zine is made out of a brown paper bag. She has stitched the binding, as well as the title, which is rubber-stamped letters on frayed fabric. The cover also has some pretty colored flowers, which I discover later she has described how to make.


Lorie starts with a nice introduction about her love for brown paper bags. She points out that they are plentiful, usually free, and can take many mediums well. That's beautiful music to the ears of many mixed media artists, especially in this economy.

Her how-to for making paper bag flowers didn't disappoint. She gave a few techniques from different artists and included a few samples.


Lori has discovered an artist who hosts a brown paper bag art swap each year, and she's included an interview with her. She's also researched links to other artists who use brown paper bags. This is a fun inclusion in a zine. I haven't gone through all the links yet, but it will be a fun thing to do on a rainy day.


Lori seems to like to try new things, and that's all the good for us. She shows you how to make waxed paper bag dolls, textured paper, paper beads, and just for that time when you're relaxing and reading your favorite zine, some brown sugar cookies. (Yum -- I have to try these!)


I love how a handmade zine can open you up to an artist's world. I can see that Lorie likes to sew and work with fabric; re-use materials; play with rubber stamps; and she has an attention to detail. I am enjoying "meeting" other artists through the swaps that I do. You can meet the next artist when I review Barb Nelis's zine on February 3rd.

Check out the zine I made for this swap here. If you'd like to "meet" me, you can buy my zine online at my Etsy shop here.

Happy Zine Day - Cris Peacock

I'm posting reviews of the zines I received when I created 10 of my own and traded with 10 other artists. You can see the zine, or small, self-published magazine, that I created, here.

Today I want to tell you about Cris Peacock's zine, called Words & Art Zine: Making Poems. Cris is an artist living in Maui who makes jewelry and other mixed media art.


Her zine is 4 1/2" x 5 1/2" and is spiral-bound. It looks like she painted the pages and maybe did some sun prints of flowers. She sent photos of the pages through PhotoShop, altering them to make her own paper. I counted 20 pages with the covers, but that doesn't give you the full picture. Many pages fold out, fold open, or include pockets. Some pages are cut down, others have deckled edges. I bet she had fun putting this mini-book together.


The opening line for her zine is "Ideas for making simple poems to mix with your Artwork." I'm all about including words and stories in my art, but for some reason, I haven't braved the poetry waters. I don't know why -- I wrote hundreds of poems when I was younger. I think when we get older, we feel less free to express ourselves. I'm definitely expressing myself artistically in many ways; perhaps this little zine will encourage me to try poetry again.

Cris starts with a poem by her favorite poet, followed by a book recommendation. She talks about words -- and did I mention that the text in her zine is all handwritten? She's definitely studied calligraphy. I think words read better that way, especially when they are poems.


Cris describes a few easy poem forms to get you started: haiku, acrostics, then leads to poems with a more complex structure: diamonte, cinquains. She gives an example of each.

Once you've written your poems, you can follow two techniques for presenting them. She describes how to make a plumber's tape repousee' and to make paste paper. She includes examples of each.


And finally, her book ends with a little envelope of goodies. I think that's the unwritten rule of zines: include some goodies. And it makes it so much more fun when you pull them out of an enclosure, like you're opening a present.


You can see more of Cris's art at her website and her blog.