HOW TO MAKE A ZINE (A MINI MAGAZINE OR TINY BOOK)

THIS IS HOW TO MAKE A TINY JOURNAL IN LESS THAN A MINUTE

WARNING: MAKING ZINES IS ADDICTIVE!

WHAT IS A ZINE:

"Short for magazine or fanzine, zines are self-publications, motivated by a desire for self-expression, not for profit" - About Zines | Barnard College

A zine can include anything arty that you want to express. The original idea behind a zine is to express your thoughts, art, intentions in some form of leaflet/pamphlet type ‘book’, so that it may be easily replicated and shared. However, they are also perfect for mini journals.

The best thing about a zine is the way in which the paper is folded. So you can create on one side of a sheet of paper and when folded there are no blank pages. This also means that you can easily, create your zine, unfold it, scan it, print it out multiple times, and give it away as a unique gift.

I use zines as mini journals. As a vessel that I can quickly bring to life and create in. They are entirely for me, for my own self-expression, and as a way to capture important little messages on a particular self-care theme that interests me at any given time.

I like to create my zines using a ‘ready-made background’ and by this, I mean creating from a sheet of paper that is not blank. It could be a magazine page or a printed sheet with artwork I have previously made and scanned in. Once I have folded the zine, I then paint and write over the original artwork again, I like the layered look it gives and the fact that I am not starting from a blank sheet of paper, which always seems to make things slower to get started.

THIS IS HOW TO MAKE A ZINE:

MATERIALS NEEDED:

1 x sheet of A4 paper (blank, with a background or from a magazine etc)

1 x scissors

(You can get the sheet I use in this tutorial here )

Start with your sheet of paper

2. Fold paper in half

3. Fold in half again

4. Fold in half again so that you have 8 little rectangles when the paper is unfolded

5. Fold the paper widthways and cut halfway across the middle from the fold

6. So it looks like this

7. When unfolded it should have a slit in the middle, like this

8. Fold paper lengthwise (along the crease that has the slit) and hold the paper at either end, then push the ends in toward each other.

9. The paper should ‘close’ into this 4 page shape.

10. Choose which page you want as your cover and close the zine up and press firmly along the ‘spine’

Your zine is complete and ready for creating in!

Making zines for journaling is just one of the ways I tap into my creativity as a form of self-care. I tend to use them as a way to leave little notes and messages to myself about a particular subject or theme (this one below is all about mindfulness and being kind to myself).

What will your zine be about?