I've had a lot of fun over the past week designing my very first collectible mini art "zine". A zine is usually described as an inexpensively produced (often photo-copied), self-published booklet with a circulation of less than 5000. Originally, they were in the format of underground comics but now cover all kinds of topics and styles. You can find lots of original and creative zines on Etsy.com.
I made my first one using my latest artwork "The Garden Shed". It is a single piece of 8.5 x 11" paper (100 percent recycled) that is folded, then strategically snipped in one spot...then re-folded into a little 8-page booklet. I also made a matching envelope for it!
The trick is to first divide the page into eighths and lay out your pages in a certain order so that when finished, they are in the right order.
Then there are a series of origami-like folds...
and one strategic snip:
Then re-folding like this:
And voila! You have a mini zine!
Want to try it for yourself? There are lots of tutorials on the internet, but here is my favorite from The Crafty Chica :
Copies of my very first art zine edition "The Garden Shed" are now available in my Etsy shop at a very special introductory price at this link: Susan's Very First Art Zine!
They make great little gift inserts or can be sent as a greeting card. The story ends with the message "Summer is here! Let's Celebrate!" Surprise your favorite youngster, cat lady or garden goddess with this cheerful story about the joy of backyard gardening!
Enjoy!
