'Zines' – and how to integrate them with urban sketching

'Zines' are a raw, sometimes confronting, but truly democratic art form that is thriving in Wellington. Every year there is a mid-winter market, and a Zine Fest (in November), plus at least a few other zine-related events. I've been making zines and sketching at a number of these over the past two years so thought I would share something of the 'zine scene' with you...

Short for 'magazines', zines are self-published booklets that can be made by anyone cheaply from simple folded or stapled paper, then photocopied and distributed to carry whatever message you want to put across. Zines I have known include the educational 'How to save an Albatross'; the random 'People who sit in Chairs'; the whimsical 'Shower Hairstyling'; the surreal ‘An ode to the suburbs' and the completely out there 'Fat Mermaid Shaving Fun' (whose author is pictured below left)....you see, anything goes! 

Wellington zine events attract a lot of people keen to buy, swap and collect. The makers and crowd are generally very colourfully and creatively turned out, so great subjects for drawing! 

Zine-making flourished with the proliferation of copy shops and photocopiers in the 1970s. Sci-fi and band ‘fanzines’ were early forms and many famous series were created by feminists and punk artists. Zines are now studied at universities, feature in many NZ libraries and are collected by the National Library of NZ. 

The local zine scene ranges from established artists who have published their own graphic novels, books and comics, to people of all ages who make zines as a hobby. 

Some of my zines featuring urban sketching (left and centre) and a selection of zines by other artists including the best-selling 'How to Save an Albatross' by fellow Wellington Urban Sketcher Sharon Alderson. 

Zines are obviously a great way of sharing urban sketching too: I've made zines with sketches of local events such as the Youth Climate Protest held here in March 2019 and our Wellington Urban Sketchers meet-ups. Access to Adobe Photoshop or similar certainly makes it easier but you can also make zines using completely 'old-school' technology – just paper, art materials and access to a photocopier. Remember to always keep your 'master' safe and make copies from this. Here is a video on how to make a simple folded zine:  make an A4 zine. Have fun!