Zines are like miniature magazines and can be on any topic that you want. They were originally developed as an alternative to main stream media and they have been in and out of popularity ever since. There are even zine events around the world. Zines are a way for anyone to share their story or their voice with other people. They can be made of anything and be of any quality, that freedom really appeals to the creative in me.
I have seen zines at various art fairs but I have never really looked at them properly. I honestly had no idea what they were until I watched a Youtube video by Holly Exley that really encouraged me to look more into it and to focus more on my artwork than on social media which is taking up more and more of my time.
After watching the video I ordered some zines from Folksy and Etsy from UK based artists. I also received my first zine from an art subscription box, Scrawlrbox.
I have had a great time receiving real post with the most amazing zines in, from creators and artists across the UK and I feel like this is something that I will continue to buy from now on. These are the ones that I have received so far.
I absolutely love them. They are all so different in size, in topic and in how the artists voice comes across loud and clear. They are all formatted differently from informational zines to stories and zines with no text at all. The freedom of zines is what has really struck me as special. It is amazing to receive such beautiful post, you can really feel how much care and attention has gone into each one. I would personally recommend every one of the five pictured zines, I was not disappointed by any of them. I am hoping that the artists will continue to create more zines in the future.
I discovered zines in my attempt to get off of social media more and really discover more about the artist that I follow online. I am happy to say that I have spent more time sat looking at all of these illustrations than I ever would of whilst scrolling through my phone and I will look at them over and over again. It has really helped me to feel more connected to the artists work that I have purchased from. It is also super exciting when they come with extras like stickers and badges which I was not expecting.
Feeling incredibly inspired and hoping to spread my own art work a little further than the social media algorithms will allow, I have worked on my first ever zine, Once Upon A Time. It is like a glimpse into my brain when I am trying to create, it is full of colour and makes next to no sense. I have collected watercolours, digital, pop-ups, sketches and photographs together to create what I hope is an explosion of excitement. My zine is now available for sale in my Folksy shop.
I also decided to add a little dino washi tape into every single zine by hand so you won’t know which dinosaur you are going to get.
I have printed a limited run of 50 and I will not be printing more of this zine but I really do want to make another one, so I am hoping that you will enjoy the artwork that I have compiled into Once Upon A time.
If you have a zine yourself or a recommendation for a zine you have enjoyed, please do let me know, I am on the search for more to increase my collection.
Thanks for reading,
Samantha x
By Samantha Webb 