Creating a Zine

One of my favorite classes that I have ever taken in college was Contemporary Literature. I was lucky enough to take this class through Zoom in the worst part of the pandemic. The class was so fun and refreshing! We read and studied everything from Ghost World by Daniel Clowes to All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. For our final project, we did a "Zine," or magazine. The Zine was to contain each of the authors that we had covered in class and have at least 10 pages – but these were the only rules! The rest was left up to our creativity. I went to the craft store, grabbed my Fiskars, and began creating!

What you will need to create your Zine:

-Construction and/or craft paper

-Scissors

-Magazine cutouts of things you love (that are related to your project)

-Glue (stick glue and liquid glue)

-Glitter glue

-Pens, colored pencils, and markers

-Paint and paintbrush

-Sheet protectors (to put the pages in)

-String (to bind the Zine)

First, you will need to decide on a cover page and title. I chose to title my Zine “Mainstream” because the class that I was taking was Contemporary Literature. I chose to paint the title directly onto the construction paper, outlined the letters in glitter glue, and then layered another piece of construction paper below it. I decorated the cover page by cutting out different shapes and gluing them on. Sometimes coming up with a title can be difficult, so just remember that your title can be clever or funny. The most important thing is that you have fun!

Second, you will need to decide what content to put in your Zine. I chose to write some poems on the construction and craft paper and outlined each one with glitter glue. On most of the pages I used my scissors to cut out odd shapes and glued different colors of construction paper together to create layering. The result was a fun and unique look! In the content of my Zine, I included a picture of Monica de la Torre, a picture of a black stallion (to relate back to All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy), and pictures from the cover of Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. I used colored pencils and markers to create shapes and color for the different pages. I also included the poems that I had written throughout the semester that related to the class and the Zine. When you create content for your Zine, just create what you enjoy. Include anything that comes to mind that relates to your theme!

Lastly, you will want to create an “ending” page, or final page, that will be the conclusion of your Zine. For my final page, I used a glittery piece of craft paper. I used my scissors to cut out a picture of a pair of rose-colored glasses that related to one of the poems that I had written and included in my content. I glued the glasses onto the glitter paper and wrote “Produced by” on another sheet of paper. Finally, I wrote my name on some construction paper, cut out some funky shapes and different colors, and layered them together under my name. I glued my name to the glitter paper underneath the words “Produced by.”

All in all, my Zine was 20 pages long. Your Zine can have as many pages as you like, as long as you have an even number of pages (so that when you bind the pages, it will fit together like a book). I took all the pages, put them in order, and after the glue and glitter glue had dried, I put the pages inside the clear, glossy sheet protectors. I put my cover page with the title in the front, then added my content, and finally put the “ending” page as the last page of the Zine. I cut up a shoestring and used it to bind the sheets together! The result was a beautiful, fun, creative way to express what the class had meant to me and what I had learned. I am so happy that I was able to do this project, and I’m sure that you will love creating your Zine too!