published! woo hoo!

Months (and months) ago the Cloth Paper Scissors publication Pages had a call for mini zines, the little folded-from-one-sheet-of-paper booklet things. I'd made a few recently so I sent in pics or a sample or whatever it was they asked for. Never heard a word back, but then a couple weeks ago my San Diego friend Julie emailed me that pics of my work were in a magazine. I couldn't even think what she was talking about, so she emailed a photo and said "the current issue of Pages!".
Well, my work friend Amy had just given me that magazine for Christmas and it was sitting right next to me on the coffee table as I was looking at the pics Julie sent me. What are the odds?
I snatched up the mag, turned to the right page and went WOO HOO!
Too funny that I'd had the magazine for a few days but hadn't paged all the way thru it yet.
I was never contacted that my submission was accepted, and maybe that's how they do it, but seems like it'd be cool to let you know, ya know?
Anyway, here I am. And I'm including a clean scan of the original file so that you can print it out and fold it up and have your own copy of my published zine. My little gift to the cosmos, or at least to that part of it who read this blog. Print at full bleed onto 8.5x11 paper. Fold and cut as per here or here. Fold so that the cover "Life in" is at the front. Ta-da. Go forth and make your own. Fun to do with kids too.

Mine is the bottom photo here and the left hand one below.

zine

Well, this was meant to be for the MMSA swap but I got started late and just don't feel like rushing around to get copies made in time. So I have the original which I'll keep and one good copy all folded, glued and ready to go. I'm sure one or another of my mail art buds will speak up when they see this and swap with me.

I was looking thru art books trying to get inspired, and it struck me that in so many portraits of women, their eyes are downcast. Thus was born Ladies Looking Down. The images are in order - first the cover, then the first spread, etc. I added a goofy caption to each painting and some doodles.

 

MMSA zine swap

A zine (/ˈziːn/ zeen; an abbreviation of fanzine, or magazine) is most commonly a small circulation self-published work of original and/or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier.

The above is compliments of Wiki, the dictionary of the 21st century. 

Mandy's original painted paper

Karen at MMSA comes up with some really fun swaps. I vaguely knew what a zine was, and when the swap was announced, I thought meh. 

I had this idea that zines were mostly comic-style little books that kids - ie all you lucky people still under 25 - were into. But after I got all caught up on the swaps that were due before this one, I checked it out a little more and ended up doing one after all. Old dog, new trick! Yay. 

For the base paper I used a lovely hand painted (by Mandy) paper that I'd gotten in a previous MMSA swap. It had all sorts of great markings and needed no further embellishment from me. It's just busy and colorful enough to be a great background without detracting  from the images.

I have a stash of old magazines and since I like vintage stuff, I chose random images and words from two 1947 issues, an American Home and a Popular Science. After gluing everything in place, I did some doodling and added words here and there.


I was quite pleased with it when I was done but then about had a heart attack when I thought that my printer doesn't print full-bleed - edge to edge - but it does so I printed off one copy, folded and cut it, then very carefully glued it to make sure it turned out all right. It all worked, so I made the rest of them and will send them off to Karen tomorrow. 

PS can't believe I haven't posted since June 30. Where DOES the time go?