Mad Paper Crush

Have you made a zine? It’s been a while since I made one, but I decided to make one with a Carnival or Fair theme – since it’s that time of year here in Pennsylvania.

I’ve been working on ways to boost my creativity and increase the time I spend in intentional creating with paper, and when I saw my friend, Michelle creating Zines on her YouTube channel, I knew this would be a fast and easy way not only get my hands on some paper, but use up some scraps and challenge my creativity. I have a new kit called Photobooth out and thought this was the perfect starting point for my zine.

Using some Carnival themed illustrations I brought the photos and pictures together to create a fun zine that takes me back to vacations at the shore! But let’s dive a little deeper into zines if you aren’t familiar with what they are.

What is a zine?

A zine (short for “magazine” or “fanzine”) is a small, self-published, and often handmade or photocopied publication. They can cover any variety of topics – really whatever you can think up, and can take various forms, including booklets, pamphlets, or even mini-comics.

Most zine’s are created by individuals and reproduced in small print runs – or even one at a time. Because of this, they make great collectible items. Having a variety of zines on hand make it easy to do exchanges with pen pals or even be sent as happy mail.

Why make a zine?

Zines are a way of expressing yourself. This can take the form of sharing your thoughts, creating a collection of stories, poetry or art, or simply your own art expression in the form of a booklet. They can focus on themed niche interests, personal memories, or simply a way to use up scraps!

Making zines is also a great way to have a stash of artwork ready to trade with friends. Because you make one and make copies of the original, it’s a great way to share your artwork over and over again.

What do you need to make a zine?

Paper.

Ok, while that’s not very specific, it’s pretty true. The background is made from paper. This could be copy paper, scrapbook paper, a page from a ledger or a book. Any fairly sturdy background paper will work. Just remember that most of this page will get covered up. I use US letter size paper in my tutorial below, so anything similar will work. The final folded booklet ends up being 1/8” of the size of the original, so you might want to consider this as you think about mailing your zine.

More paper! Now is where you can dive into your stash of scraps. Embellishing the inside of your zine can include matching papers, or not!

Your zine can include more than just papers, though. Washi tape, stamps, bits of fabric, stickers, and other vintage elements are perfect to decorate a zine.

Ok, let’s start making! Check out the video below to see how to make a zine. Once you have the base figured out, you can make any kind of zine!