Zines

* Zines are self-published booklets about any topic you can imagine. (The name comes from the last syllable of the word “magazine.”) They’re part of the D.I.Y. (“Do It Yourself”) movement. They combine writing, comics, artwork, sampling, photocopy-craft, bookbinding, and other skills to produce uniquely expressive and personal publications. Like comics, they’re hard work AND they’re incredibly fun to produce.  >> Read all our Zine Workshop blog posts.

Put your imagination into print and on the web!

Drawing comics is a lot of fun and hard work… and so is publishing them, either on paper or online.  Most working cartoonists nowadays have websites where they can share their work and ideas with readers, editors, and other artists.

Here are some online resources for making and publishing your own comics and zines*:

MINI-COMICS Advice:

• BIGTIME ATTIC: Tips and Tricks: How to Make a Minicomic
• CAPTION.ORG: Making Mini-Comics

Blog & Homepage Sites:

• http://www.blogger.com/ = Basic blogging, with lots of controls.
• http://wordpress.com/ = More advanced blogging, with posts AND pages!  (You’ll have to do a little more programming here, though)
• http://www.livejournal.com/ = LiveJournal is a kind of blog, but with more of a social focus… and with a more calendar-like setup.
• http://comicsinternational.ning.com/ = Our new social network for students, teachers, and artists… comics & comics education from around the world!
• http://www.comicspace.com/ = Page hosting and galleries for comics creators!
• http://sage-comics.com/ = Apply for an account, post your comics, and develop an online community of readers…

Resources for Making Comics:

• Trees and Hills Comics Group
• Trees and Hills’ Resource Page (a long list!)
• Lynn Johnston’s “The Making of a Comic Strip”
• … email your suggestions to Marek!

Resources for Zines, D.I.Y. projects, and more:

• D.I.Y. Kids
• CROQ Zine
• “Zine” on Wikipedia
• The online page for “Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine?”
• INTERVIEW: Zinester David Lasky, on making zines and comics
• INTERVIEW: Marek’s comics interview at PackRat, on comics and zines and the power of self-publishing.

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