Zines! An Introduction

  

This is a three-class project. 

==> Day One, Feb 14: We introduce the project, brainstorm, and make a plan. 

==>Day Two, Feb 19: We make the zines. Students will need to come with all materials prepared.

==> Day Three, Feb 21: We read, enjoy, critique, and install the zines. Yeah!

So, you might be asking, "What is my zine going to be about?" Good question. The door is wide open, as long as it's about something to do with art and design and it includes writing. You just need to supply the text (your writing) and the images (your art). Your text and images should work together.

Here is a great short video about zines. Explore internet resources. There are endless examples.

You can write a poem or a series of short poems. You can write a fictional (or real) diary. You can write a miniature biography of someone important in your life. You can write a love-letter, a short book of recipes or jokes. You can write ____________ (fill in the blank). The only thing you can't write for this assignment is fan-fiction. You also can't recycle old writing. 

As for the images, they can be drawn, photographed, collaged, etc. You can use color or you can leave it black and white. 

The word "zine" is an abbreviation of magazine, so it's pronounced zeen not zighn.

Why do people, especially young people, make zines? Sure, it's fun, it's cheap, and it's immediate. In this respect, zines are kind of like blogs: they are spaces of radical freedom. They give voice to marginalized and under-represented people. Check out this article to see what I mean. 

There are dozens of ways to make a basic zine, but we are following one particular format. All you need is copier paper, a copier, glue/tape, scissors, and a stapler.

To make your zine, you will need 6 to 8 "mini-pages" measuring 4.5 inches by 5.25 inches. On these "mini-pages," you will tape or glue your art and your writing. You will then tape or glue your mini-pages into the book form. This is not as complicated as it seems, but it does require patience and concentration. Yes, you can choose to make your zine directly in digital format, but the old-fashioned way tends to work better. 

I'm going to leave a big box of student zines in the new student lounge. See how other students approached the zine assignment. Pay attention to the wonderful zines and also the horrible ones. You can learn about what to do and what not to do by studying the highs and the lows. 

Questions:  csmith@dcad.edu