Single-sheet zines – Expanded
Single-sheet zines can be easy or complex. In my earlier article, Single-sheet Zine Design – Basics, I showed one of the simpler ways to create a zine.
Now, let’s talk about a more complex approach… that still uses a single sheet of paper.
But first, a little history:
In 1977, I published my first zine. It was one piece of paper, photocopied, folded, and sent out with someone’s name & address written on the outside, with a stamp.
In time, I graduated to two or three sheets of paper, and I started embellishing my zines with rubber stamps and glitter. Each one was hand-decorated.
Then, I began experimenting with artistamps (faux postage that I created for my imaginary country) and other forms of mailart.
Since then, I’ve tried nearly every possible zine format, from paper to fabric to zines-on-CDs to… well, lots of stuff.
So, if you have a question about zines, I can probably answer it or point you in the direction of someone else who can.
From what I’ve seen, the majority of people who swap or sell zines take a bunch of letter-sized printed pages (8 1/2″ x 11″) and fold them in half. Each sheet of paper is four pages of the zine.
Here’s how a single-sheet zine would look:
See? This can be really easy!
You can print a free zine — a variation of the single-page zine — at Free Zine #1. (Warning: I wrote that around 2002, and included several topics that were popular/trendy at the time. If the mention of Feng Shui offends you, skip that link.)
An average zine (major oxymoron!) is five to 15 sheets of paper, meaning 20 to 60 pages.
In swaps, most zines are at the small end of that figure. Many of them are just a sheet or two of paper, printed (and sometimes cut) and folded/stapled to make a zine.
Once you’ve made a few classic, single-sheet zines, you may want to try something more complex.
If you’re a purist, you’ll love this. If you’re on a budget, you’ll also love this: It’s a 16-page zine created with one sheet of legal-sized paper, period.
I don’t count the cover as a “page” when I number my zine pages, so my own version of this is 12 pages plus an outside cover & inside covers. Here’s how it fits on the paper:
Cut on the solid lines and fold on the dotted lines.
Staple in the center. One staple is usually enough.
One stamp on the envelope is enough to mail one of these zines. (You can tuck them in with your bill payments, with your notes to friends, with your swaps, with your orders to catalogues, and so on!)
You can also scan your zine, uncut, and put it online so others can print their own copy, cut & assemble it. Easy!
This zine won’t hold much info unless you write small enough for a magnifying glass, or you find clever ways to expand the available space, such as adding fold-out pages & stuff.
However, this 16-pages-from-one-sheet-of-legal-paper is generally regarded as the classic zine, if we’re talking all kinds of zines, including poetry, fanzines, perzines (personal zines), and so on.
There are many other ways to make zines. Look at books about making handmade books, for the best inspiration. The concept is the same, but zines are usually smaller & more informal, that’s all.
If you want to create a zine that’s a work of art, that’s fine. If you want to get wild & crazy with design, have fun with it!
Remember that a zine can be one piece of paper, b&w, printed on both sides, and folded in half. That’s a four-page zine. I have several in my collection, and I think some of the simpler ones are better than a few larger ones I’ve seen.
So, put your art & soul into your zine, and don’t worry about the size or technical stuff. I love almost every zine I see; size and expertise often have nothing to do with how enthusiastic I am about a zine!
If you’ve wanted to create a zine for fun, just do it!
Give them to friends. Sell them (at your website or Etsy, for example). Hand them out on the street or at school.
Or, you can join a zine swap or launch your own, on- or offline. They can be tremendous!
In addition, if you swap, you’ll receive fabulous zines that you might never see if you hadn’t swapped.
Zine-related links (at other people’s websites – they open in a new window)
Zines101.pdf – Some basics and suggestions, not just about art zines.
Wikipedia: Zines – So much information, it’ll make your eyes glaze over or your pulse race… or both.
Zine Resources - from Underground Press. Useful & worth bookmarking or sharing.
Zine update – Sketchcrawl theme
After considering various topics for my first/continuing zine issue, I’ve decided to make it about sketchcrawls. (If you’re not sure what a “sketchcrawl” is, visit Sketchcrawl.com or see my examples at this website.)
So, I’m looking for articles and sketch samples — in b&w, or color images that also look good in b&w — for this zine. Every contributor selected for this issue will receive a free copy of the zine, in the mail.
Your article can…
- Describe a sketchcrawl you’ve been on, with sample sketches.
- Share art tips for a successful sketchcrawl (or travel journal), such as how to deal with wet media.
- Offer ideas to make a full-day sketchcrawl fun, such as ways to avoid blisters or tiredness, what snacks to bring, and how to cope with crowds.
Articles should be a single 8.5″ x 11″ page, unless there’s a really good reason to make it longer. (Two pages are the max… ask me, first.) If it’s easier to make your page 8″ x 10″, that’s okay, too.
The articles should be sent to me in PDF format.
The best way to do this is to write the article in DOC format, in Microsoft Word or in Open Office, or something like that.
Please use 1″ margins on all four sides of each page. Use a standard font that came with your computer. (If you’re not sure what’s “standard,” use this list: Common fonts…) The font size should be between 10 and 14 pt, though the headline can be up to 18 pt.
Scans of your artwork should be at 300 dpi, but no less than 150 dpi, and they should be part of the PDF, not separate.
Be sure to include your name and your website URL (or Flickr account URL) on the page, so people can find you and your art, online.
Then, save it (or “print” it) as a PDF.
The first sketchcrawl of 2010 is February 27th… now you have another good reason to get out and sketch on that day!
My current plan is to publish this zine in March 2010. February has sort of flown past me. My mother — an artist and a lifelong inspiration for me — was rushed to the hospital earlier this month and — as I’m writing this — she’s still in Intensive Care.
Though her odds of surviving her illness have nearly doubled in the past week, I’m still in anxiety mode, and everything’s taking me longer than usual.
So, assuming that everything goes as planned (dangerous words, I know!), I’ll need all of the art and articles by March 10th.
Send them to email at aisling dot net.
Questions? Use the contact form linked at the top of this page.
The Return of the Zine
The zines are returning in 2010.
They’ll be in three versions:
1. Paper copies (“old school” b&w) for previous subscribers.
2. B&w digital copies – free or very inexpensive downloads
3. Digital copies in color – downloads available for a fee to cover bandwidth
The first/new issue
If you’d like to be included in the first zine — the theme is sketchcrawls, so anything related to that is fine — see that page for details.
This first issue will be 8.5″ x 11″ pages… letter size.
Stay tuned for news about the issues that will follow.
What’s ahead
In the future, I may be interested in half-sheet articles (8.5″ x 5.5″) with color illustrations that will also look okay in b&w. I need graphics at 150 dpi or better. (If you have no idea what that means, just send me a photo. Most digital cameras take pictures large enough to print well.)
For later issues, I’ll be especially interested in:
- Journal pages
- Gluebook pages
- Sketchcrawl examples
- Dolls/figures: cloth and assemblage
- Shrines & mini-shrines
- ATCs and ACEOs (artist’s trading cards – including art cards editions & originals)
- Fabric art (quilts, wearables, etc.)
I’m planning to focus on paper & fiber arts, and perhaps some fine art (watercolors & oil painting) and dimensional work… but mostly paper & fiber arts.
I’m interested in art-related topics, too, particularly about being organized as an artist.
In addition, since this is primarily intended as an “old school” style of zine, I’m interested in anything with a vintage or antique theme related to arts & crafts. Funky fun or serious re-enactors’ stuff… I’m very interested.
Keep it “office safe”
All art and text should be “office safe” (that is, if your boss catches you looking at the zine online, during a break, he/she won’t sputter and raise an eyebrow).
Avoid religious & political controversy, too. (Yes, I’m passionate about both, but I want this zine to encourage creativity, not turn people off because they shift into left-brain mode over some statement-as-art.)
Please don’t think your work “isn’t good enough.” Generally, I prefer art (visual, written, photos, music) that is raw and unpolished. When it gets too polished, it’s a yawn for me. So, send it anyway.
You’ll receive a free paper (b&w) copy of the zine with your work in it, and the digital downloads, free, as well.
Past subscribers
If you’re a past subscriber to my zines or “creative somethings”, please update your address at this form. [Link]
Important: That request is ONLY for people who were paid subscribers in the past. This is NOT a freebie.
In late February 2010, I’ll be sending out postcards to previous subscribers, to confirm your postal (snail mail) address.
Previous subscriber?
A long time ago — between 1977 and about 2001 — did you subscribe to my printed zines or to my “four creative somethings”?
This is not a freebie. It is only for people who paid for printed/mailed-with-stamps subscriptions in the past.
It’s not for those who purchased the digital zines, or the zines-on-CDs. If you’re among those customers, sign up at New Freebie Adventure.
If you were a former, paid subscriber to my printed zines or the “somethings,” I’ll need your email address (for digital products) and your postal (snailmail) address for physical products.
Please use the following form so I know where to send your treats.
Have a question? See my notes below the form, before you send it.
[contact-form 2 "Untitled"]
Notes:
*Postcards were sent to former subscribers during March 2010. If you didn’t receive your postcard yet, please let me know! I need to know which subscription you’d purchased, your full name when you subscribed, plus your current name + mailing address.
*This list is not for people who bought my artwork in the past… unless they also bought a subscription to my zines or “four creative somethings.”
*I’m not accepting new subscribers. When the first issue of the zine is ready, digital versions will be available.
*It doesn’t matter how many issues/treats you received in the past. If you paid for a year’s+ subscription between 1995 and 2001, you belong on this list.
*If you’re not sure if you ever subscribed, send me the info on the form anyway, and tell me that you’re not sure. I’ll check your name against the existing lists, and reply as soon as I can.
*A whole lot of people have sent me their names and addresses as if they were once subscribers. 80% of them were not on my lists, and they’re names I don’t even vaguely recognize.
So, I’ve edited this post, hoping to make it clear that this offer is only for people who have paid for a subscription to my printed zine prior to 2002, or to the “four creative somethings” around 2000.
This form is not offering a freebie. There are lots of freebies here, and everyone can sign up for the New Freebies Adventure.
Free Zine #1
A few years ago, I put together a single-sheet zine as a sample for my students in my ‘Make the World Your Art Gallery’ workshop.
It’s not an absolutely fabulous zine, and it’s not even much about art. It’s just a series of random pages. You could probably put them together in any order, and this zine would make equal sense.
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The page that says ‘Tour’ at the top is the front cover. When you print this back-to-back, the page that talks about travel should be on the back of it. (That is, inside the front cover.)
I had this online as a JPG, but that’s not the best choice for printing. It’s now a PDF, and it’s a 1MB download.
You may need to adjust the size or shift the paper so that the pages line up correctly, when printed back to back. But, when it’s assembled, it’s an 8-page zine from one sheet of 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper.
Here’s the link. You can right-click to save it to your hard drive, or you can simply click and open it as a PDF, and print it immediately.
