PLANET: ZINE
AN INTRODUCTION & EXPLORATION INTO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF ZINES
Welcome to Planet Zine! Here you will be introduced to zines and how you can make your own! At the end of this page you should feel somewhat empowered to create your first zine and/or expand your prior knowledge and collection of zines.
WHAT
What are zines?
A zine is a D-I-Y small circulation self-publication of original text or images that cover a specific topic.
I love this video but it doesn’t consider and highlight the black American voice as it relates to zine history and culture. I am currently working on a piece to supplement for that. :)
WHO
Who can make a zine?
Anyone can make a zine. You don’t have to be a professional artist, printmaker, writer etc. to create a zine. All you need is an idea and the will to bring it to life. Zines can be made for a plethora of reasons:
tool to bring ideas to life
educate
share art
reflect on the state of the world
Self discovery
WHY
Why should we care?
The internet isn’t forever, but your work can be. Everyday we are seeing archives, websites, social profiles etc. be stripped from the internet Zines can be a great way to preserve your digital work and say something directly to your audience and community that they can connect with in the physical world. (After all, you are competing with over 5 billion voices online)
WHEN
When do we get involved?
Now! When you’re young, broke, and hungry! (lol) No but seriously you don’t have to wait at all! Making a zine can be as easy or as complex as you want. Here are a few things to consider when creating your zine:
Types of zines:
fine arts zines
fan/obsession zines
collection zines
literature zines
interview zines
bio zines
illustration zines
poetry zines
photography zines
political zines
Comics
There are so many types of zines, check out our Pinterest board for inspiration HERE
WHERE
Where can they go?
There are so many ways that you can get your zine out there. We touched on it briefly in what you should consider when crafting your zine, but here are a few places your zine can go:
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In the lab we are pro-print but we acknowledge not everyone has access to a printer. If you must/choose to distribute online and want to do it beyond social media you can do it through:
Google Drive (public link)
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If your main goal is getting your zines in the hands of people I would consider trading with other zinesters and/or participating in swaps.
Art/Zine swaps can be a great way to get direct feedback on your work, start conversations, and learn more about what your peers are currently creating.
You can host your own swap or research events happening in your local community.
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If you are interested in getting your work out there through the zine community I would look into participating in a zine fest or art fair. A zine fest is a market style event where artist and publishers table their work.
There are many annual zine festivals and new ones that pop up every year, check out Printed Matter Inc.'s list HERE to get familiar with the different places that host!
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Little Free Libraries are sharing boxes with free books located in neighborhoods all across the country. Anyone can take and donate from them & for you it can be a great way to share your work.
Because you'll be "competing" with books, I would recommend putting more than one inside, or getting creative with your packaging so that they stand out & won't get overshadowed.
Find your nearest Little Free Library HERE
How
How can I get started?
In attempt to not overwhelm you let’s start small.
Here’s a tutorial to make a no-staple mini zine from a single piece of paper:
Whatcha mean, what's a zine? : the art of making zines and minicomics
As you grow in your zine journey, you’ll want to create more and find new ways to do it. The publisher describes this book as one that is, “for anyone who wants to create their own zine. It's for learning tips and tricks from contributors who have been at the fore front of the zine movement. It's for getting inspired to put thoughts and ideas down on paper. It's for learning how to design and print your own zine so you can put it in others' hands. Whatcha Mean, What's a Zine? is for anyone who has something to say.”
This book can be an amazing tool for you to expand your print projects.
MORE RESOURCES
Before you go off into the world of zines, here are a few helpful resources:
Explore digital versions of the zines we’ve created in The Soular Lab Library:
happy zine making!