Zine Making Basics

Zines are an accessible, easy to assemble publishing format with a rich history of activism, counterculture, and creativity. They can contain writing, artwork, and collage on any subject and have been embraced by communities as wide ranging as science fiction fans, comic book artists and feminist punk movements.  

This introductory workshop is open to anyone in any discipline curious about zines and zine-making. In addition to playing with the analogue processes involved in traditional zine-making, we will also explore ways of integrating emerging technologies like the tools available in the Technology Sandbox.   

Have a specific idea for a zine you want to make? That’s great! If not, we’ll have some prompts ready to help you brainstorm ideas. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to plan your zine’s layout and combine a mix of media techniques to create its contents. You will be able to start the process of creating a zine that can be completed in the workshop or continued afterwards.  

Materials for creating the content of zines will be provided, but we encourage participants to bring their own collage supplies, decorative paper, printed texts, stickers, and other materials should they wish to.  

You might also be interested in our Notebook Making Basics workshop (January 23), where you will learn basic book binding techniques that you can then use to bind your zine and add covers!