Concluding yesterday’s 24-page, 24-hour zine, I learned a lot. (Here’s the link to the printable zine: 24-hour zine download.) I’m still not sure if I’m going to try a second one for this challenge. Probably not. (If I had more time, I might. With just two non-weekend days left in the month, it’s probably not…
Category: Art in the Mail
Art in the mail – snail mail and email: Zines, artistamps, mailart, digital art, swaps, and more.
Zines – My 24-Hour Zine Thing Diary
Today, I’m starting the 24-hour zine thing. (Yes, that’s what it’s called.) This may be quite a challenge! What is a 24-hour zine? If you’re not familiar with it, here’s the basic idea: Go from concept to completed/printed-and-bound 24-page zine in 24 hours. My general plan is to start it around 1 p.m. today. I’m…
Swaps and Documentation
Some swaps say, “Documentation will be provided,” or something like that. Here’s what that means: The person organizing the swap will provide a list of everyone who participated in the swap, mailart call, or whatever. In some cases, that list may be just people’s names. In others, it’s each person’s name and address. (If you…
Swaps and Postage
When organizing an art swap of any kind, postage can be a Very Big Headache. Here are some tips to keep the postage problems to a minimum. Different people send items that are varying sizes and — more importantly — different weights. Even in a cloth doll swap, you never know who’ll embellish their dolls…
Doll Swaps – How the Numbers Work
When you’re participating in a doll swap through an online group or community, the numbers may confuse you. Here are some tips to help you understand how doll swaps work. Aisling’s note: I posted this explanation at the WildArtDolls group at Yahoo Groups, where — in the past — people regularly swapped dolls. As of…
Art Swaps – How the Numbers Work
When you’re participating in art or crafts swaps through an online group or community, the numbers may confuse you. Here are some tips to help you understand how swaps work. (These tips apply to swaps exchanged through the postal mail. For a typical digital swap example, see my article, Artistamps – digital swaps.) EQUAL-FOR-EQUAL When…
Disneyland Tribute for My Mom (Fantasyland game)
Disneyland is celebrating its 55th anniversary. I’m commemorating it with an artistamp design featuring art by my mother, Muriel Joan Bernier (1919 – 2010). The artwork at left, which was also on the Fantasyland board game, was based on my mother’s art. She freelanced for Disney in the 1950s. I remember her drawing lots &…
Artistamps – Digital swaps! (2010)
It’s 2010. It’s time for an artistamp swap. Swaps are such fun! Update: In 2010, I attempted some digital artistamp swaps at AJ (ArtistsJournals community at Yahoo Groups). It wasn’t a huge success. I’m not sure that people understand what artistamps actually are. Artistamps are faux postage… totally made-up, fake postage, often from your own…
How to Make a Simple, Single-Sheet Zine
There are as many ways to create, modify & embellish a single-sheet zine as there are artists. How to Create a Single-Sheet Zine Here’s a very simple way to create one: 1. Take any white sheet of paper. Pull one out of your desktop printer, or rip one out of a notebook. (Think of the…
Single-Sheet Zine Layout – 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….