Amazine

Anyone who knows me knows I like a good zine, in fact I think they are amazinge! (get it? sorry…)

Toc and I have now run a couple of workshops incorporating urban sketching with zine making and they have been so much fun I thought I’d write a few words about the experience here.

Firstly though, what are Zines? They are simple books, comics, folded posters, stapled pamphlets or anything that involves paper, ink, thoughts and ideas. They evolved as a quick, easy and cheap way to produce and - importantly - reproduce publications. Zines are how people who find themselves outside the world of traditional publishing distribute their work.

We planned our workshops with urban sketching in mind and we designed an A3 map that could be folded in such a way that it became a six page sketchbook. Using water soluble ink pens and water brush pens we took the artists on tours of the areas around Hope Street and later, the Fabric District.

The walks were very easy going, plenty of stops for coffees, lunch and comfort breaks, we saw some fabulous views, including some that will no longer be around soon as the regeneration of Liverpool continues.

The results were spectacular! Each artist ended up with a zine filled with a personal visual record of the tour of the area. The workshops also included a session practicing folding techniques along with a little bit of typography.

We have more of these workshops planned, including one which will take in a visit to the Zine Library in Salford. Watch this space!

Andrea