Nyx – Page 118

November 23, 2019

Call for Submissions: Paper Currency

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November 22, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 22: Friday Night Highlights: Show Off/Write About Your Progress

Hello and happiest of Fridays, zine friends! What do we have on for today…

Friday Night Highlights: Show Off/Write About Your Progress

This week has been a bit of a kerfuffle, so I’m going to switch things up and put the focus – or highlight, if you will – on the other people who are participating on ZineWriMo.

https://www.instagram.com/violett_komplett/
https://www.instagram.com/bydhiyanah/
https://www.instagram.com/dungeon_maven/
https://hadass420.wordpress.com/
https://echopublishing.wordpress.com/
https://www.instagram.com/gothcupcake/
https://www.instagram.com/14thframe/

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

The list can be an easy thing to miss once you’ve grown used to seeing it, so why not give it a little extra sunshine today? 🙂 Check out the awesomeness happening with these other zinemakers (if you haven’t already/recently). Also remember there is a ZineWriMo Facebook Group as well as the hashtags #zinewrimo and #zinewrimo2019 that you can check out on Instagram and/or Twitter.

That’s me for this fine Friday, zine friends. Reach out if you can. Make connections if you’re comfortable.

…and spread a little sunshine.

November 21, 2019

Zine Review: Free Size #1

Free Size #1: Fill Your Mind, Fill Your Belly, Fill the Streets
Shea Witzo
sheawitzo@gmail.com

Free Size is a US half-fold, black and white handwritten (and drawn) zine about fighting for people’s dignity no matter what their size.

Free Size opens with a very heartfelt, passionate dedication to Antioch Radicals that is about social justice and the impact of living amongst people who are trying to make the world more just. From there and without a single iota less of that passion, Shea launches into zine about fat, stigma, sizest culture, and so much more.

With a collection of sketches of beautiful bodies of all sizes as well as written pieces, Shea tackles a number of issues around stigma and sizism – all the the unflinching strength of written voice that people who have self-image issues will appreciate. Clothing, cat calls, and a huge number of inappropriate remarks – Shea approaches everything I consider to be a huge wall in regards to being fat and swats it away with confidence. She’s writing style fills me with confidence (albeit a shy confidence) about what I deserve.

As someone who is fat and has been struggling a lot with body image and body acceptance, this zine read like a call to arms – in defense of myself. There is a ‘challenge’ page in the middle of the zine in which Shea asks you to think about and write down responses to four different prompts. The first prompt is ‘Name 5 things you can do to love your body’ and I about broke down crying. But then I thought that just goes to show how much I haven’t been loving me and how important zines like this can be.

I do have one nitpick about this zine, and I hate to even mention it because I don’t want anything putting you off finding and reading this zine if it sounds like something you need/want to read. However, it is not a bound zine. The pages did go slipping a bit a couple of times for me, so I do need to mention it. That being said, it’s something that can be remedied easily enough by my stapler.

All the parts of this zine make me feel like I’ve been called to action and Free Size is the zine to help me take my first steps. Along with powerful pieces to get the reader fired up, there’s also the aforementioned challenge to get you thinking as well as a resource list. Also, because I love the little things, there’s also a sweet thank you to round out things that began with a lovely dedication.

I think Free Size is one of those zines you will be fairly sure whether you want to check out or not. I really hope you do. Free Size also included a call for submissions. I’m not sure how old the zine is, but I truly hope that it took off.

November 21, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 21: Be Inspired! Read Zines

Hello and happy Thursday to you, zine friends! Today is a day for one of my faaaavourite zine activities…

Be Inspired! Read Zines

In a lot of things in life, we’re told to immerse ourselves in that thing to get inspiration and to learn. Whether it’s learning a new language or finding inspiration for that next painting, it’s good to experience parts of that art – whether you end up enjoying it or not – to find your own voice and style.

The same, of course, applies to zines!

There’s so much to learn about zines from their topics to their making. I still get surprised even after so many reviews. I’m all about diving right in and discovering as many zines as you can to both enjoy as well as figure out what kind of elements you’d like to bring to your own zine.

So what zines did I read today? You’ll find out one later in the zine review to come…

Until then, make some zines and spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 20, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 20: Work in Progress Wednesday

Hello and welcome back to ZineWriMo in that midweek time during which it’s…

Work In Progress Wednesday

Today is a day for working toward the goals you set during the beginning of the month, catching up on prompts you may not have had the chance to do before, and all sorts of things.

For me, it involved scanning some pages, cleaning them up a bit in Photoshop…

…and then putting them into InDesign after I decided earlier that I wanted to do most of the next Missive from Murray Bridge on the computer.

Oopsie. Such is life sometimes, though. We’re allowed to change our minds and do what feels right creatively. With the way things are going and with the state of the zine cave, I feel more ‘at home’ creating the next Missive on the computer. (Especially if I want to have any chance of sending it out before the holiday mail onslaught really picks up!)

So that’s where I am today. How about you? Your work in progress can totally be your own mental health, by the way, so it’s still a day’s success if you needed to take the day for yourself. Be well, be kind, and take care of you.

Until next time, make some zines and spread a little sunshine…

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 19, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 19: Warm Up: Collage It Out

Hello, zine friends, and welcome to – gosh, is it only Tuesday? My days are all flavours of mixed up together. So what’s on for today?

Warm Up: Collage It Out

Collage is defined as “a collection or combination of various things”. In the zine world, I see it used often as backgrounds with washi, scrapbook paper, stickers, and more coming together to create beautiful textures and wonders for the eyes.

I have a weird relationship with collage. I really love it and love seeing what people combine to create something altogether new. But doing it myself? I feel a little intimidated. It’s a freeing sort of art process, and yet it’s one of those strange things where it’s like the overwhelm of the blank page.

However, earlier this year I made a 24 hour zine based on prompts from others, and I found myself more inclined to make collages. Maybe not quite as ‘collage-y’ as other things, but I’m trying not to judge myself. Especially when I’m still pretty pleased with pages like this…

A collage of blues? A collage of waves? I’m not sure. In the end, I’m still pretty happy with it.

Did you try making a collage today? Are you one for collages? Let me know, and be sure to check out the other participants as well.

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 18, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 18: Make a Mini-Zine: Prompts From Friends

Hello, zine friends, and welcome to a new week in this ZineWriMo month. Today’s prompt is to…

Make a Mini-Zine: Prompts From Friends

As yesterday was about trying our something new (how can we know what we like and don’t like if we don’t try things?) in regards to zinemaking, today is about challenging yourself and having a bit of fun by asking people to ‘prompt’ you for this zine. Maybe it’s answering a question or making a page based on a theme. Who knows? It’s all up to what people suggest and what you decide to take on.

If you’re a bit more prepared than I am, then you collected prompts from friends (and strangers maybe?) earlier to make your zine today. Unfortunately, I’m not nearly so prepared.

So if you’d like to suggest a prompt for me to put in a mini-zine or perhaps in another future zine, be sure to leave your prompt idea in the comments!

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 17, 2019

ZineWriMo 2019 Day 17: Try Something New With Your Zinemaking

Hello and happy Sunday, zine friends. Welcome to day seventeen of ZineWriMo. Today we adventure into some variety with our zinemaking with…

Try Something New With Your Zinemaking

One of the many reasons that zines are so wonderful is that they are so versatile in their making. There is no one way to make a zine with even more ‘traditional’ forms varying in their size, shape, and binding. From the type of paper you use to the way you reproduce them (if you make copies), zines can take you in a number of artistic directions.

Do you usually staple your zine? Sew it? Do you usually use scrapbook paper or create zines entirely on computer? How about printing – laser, inkjet, riso? There are also elements which can be digital, hand drawn, hand stamped, written, and more.

My latest adventure in zinemaking has seen the binding of my zines go from being handsewn to bound by a sewing machine. It’s definitely a time-saver, that’s for sure, but I’m still not entire sure how I feel about it. No judgement to those who do, of course; I’m just missing the relaxing quality of sitting down and sewing something by hand.

These are only a few different ways you can creatively experiment in your zinemaking. Did you try something new today? A new art style? New backgrounds? New bindings? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time, spread a little sunshine.

Other Participants:

Novice Zinester
Herinza Syadza

November 17, 2019