Zine Making 101 with the Cycle Touring Festival
Hi. Everyone my name is Abby and I'm really and together you might know us as gears for quitters on Instagram and Twitter and such so, we were going to be running a zine workshop at this year cycle touring festival. Instead. We've decided to make this video and. We're going to teach you how to create a page, for a collaborative cycle, toing zine as. Part the online festival and, all from our wonderful living room and coffee. So. We're going to take you through a couple of exercises to, help you with any creative, block you might be feeling and. Then we're going to give you instructions on how you can create a page or two which. Will then collate, into this digital scene before. We get started I guess I'll introduce a bit about us so. We're a queer couple who started, cycle touring in, 2016. I would, be no complement, of long European Tour's and we've, also done lots of bike packing trips around our home in Scotland. We. Run, the Edinburgh zine library which some libraries use based in Edinburgh and we, started making jeans and I'm aware that I'm using the word zine a lot and some of you might not know what that is and that's fine Abby, is gonna give us the lowdown in a second but. We started making jeans when we got back from our first tour the. Things were probably best known for our is, our recipes, for wild vegan series, this, is a set of scenes, all about, cycle. Coumarine about, pan stove cooking is, no tips and tricks this got hilarious, stories, of things we did wrong and these, things actually turned. Into our first book which. Is out on June 4th, it's four gears Footwear's and it's, available to pre-order for all good book shops. When. We're talking about scenes um we, are talking about self-published. Handmade, DIY, booklets. A little. Like the ones that Lilly is modeling, right now. Scenes. Have a really long history in, radical, and alternative, culture. Um some, of you may. Have heard of them or perhaps. Even remember getting them from gigs, in the 80s and 90s. Where. There were lots of fanzines, about, bands, and, about music, a fan scene is literally, what it sounds like hipster a zine, made by a fan of thing, and. These fundings, have sort of expanded, now so you get fan scenes about sort of books and films and TV and, Gordon. Ramsay and. Anything. Anything, you can think of really um and. Then we also have persons, persons, are another really common form of scene um they're. A bit more like a diary entry or. Sort. Of like a personal, experience written, down or drawn in Avene. These. Are great because they, really open, up a space for, marginalised. Groups, and, voices. On. Top, of that they can be a great place for sort, of cathartic, or creative. Expression. Scenes. As well it. Can be made individually. Just by one person or they can be made by whole group some. Scenes, literally take. Submissions. From all around the world so you end up with a fantastic look. Like, a particular topic from like thousands. Of people maybe not thousands. But. Like hundreds of people but. We're gonna be focusing on collaborative themes today. Seems. To really be about anything like Abby was saying in, their zoo library, we've got scenes from all sorts, of topics we've, got ones that are entirely drawing, we've got ones that are completely text, and just written and, we've got scenes about cats who don't see it's about TV shows because. These they're comments, or recipe scenes, witchcraft. Manuals one, about Bruce Springsteen's, but carpentry. Jeans and a great one about crypto, currencies. That's. Just a few. Really. The important. Thing about seams is that they are super easy to make you. Don't have to be an artist or a writer um. You, don't really have to be good at anything like some of the best scenes are just like. Poorly, drawn and, terribly, written but really like focus. On the subject and a full, of like passion and, enthusiasm. And. They're, also just a great way of sharing, experience, and skills and knowledge which is why they're, a great thing for a secretary festival, yes. So we want to make a zine with you about your, experiences. Of cycle touring this. To be your best effort, or it. Could be your tips and tricks for newbies it could be recipes, it could be bike packing, so it could be deer setups, or just like an awesome, collar to pictures from your tool we. Want you to get creative and think of, ways to make your page stands out and really use, your own voice and, share things important, to you you, could write some poetry you could draw a comic you could make a collage you could write instruction, manual and basically anything goes. Like. A bee says you don't need to be an artist or a writer to, contribute, to the scene we, want as many stories, as possible, and because it's a zine the pages don't need to be perfect and they don't need to be polished so.
Some, Of you might be feeling it a little, bit worried, about, creating. A page I, know. Especially, sometimes. A blank page could feel really intimidating, because I have no idea what, I'm going to go on to it so, we're, gonna play a game, with you that we play in a lot of our workshops, which is just about getting your creative juices flowing, you, know battling, that sort of creative block and get you comfortable with, putting pen to paper. We. Call this exercise, reckless. Scene which. Is after the popular wreck this journal' that came, out like ages, ago. All, you need is, one. A four or a 3d piece of paper we have a three just because that's all we have it's probably easier on a floor you. Need a pair of scissors and, you. Also need a writing. Implements, or a pen or a pencil doesn't. Matter what color what's, like just any writing implement so pause, the video right, now and go. And get these things and. Then come back once you got them and we'll get started, okay. So you've run off and wrote your paper and what we're gonna do is make something called, a mini zine and. A mini zine is normally. Made up of one sheet of paper and. This. Is an example of one that I made in actually, another virtual zine right shop and, it's, because, it's made out of one single sheet of paper it's really easy to focus properly and distribute. So. Let's. Grab our paper so, first. Thing we're gonna do with our paper is fold it in half, hamburger. Style I think if the Americans, fooled us but. Like a book don't. Worry about being too precise, with your faults. Honestly, do not and. Then open it up so. We folded it just. Side. To side like a book and then, we're gonna take each edge and fold it into the middle. So. We're doing pretty much the same fold but with only half the paper that's. One side. That's. The other side so, I've now got my two flaps. And. My page is divided into four parts. Now. We're going to fold it lengthwise. So. Our patron, should be divided. Into. Eight. Even. Segments. Now. This is a bit you have to pay attention up so, I'm folding it in half like. We did right at the start and I'm. Taking, the edge that's the folded, edge so. That's the open edge and, this. Is the folded edge, and. Then having it faced me, and. I'm taking my scissors and I'm gonna cut from. Here, to. Here. Yeah. Remember. This is that your folded, edge so, that's my own edge still that's. My folded edge right. So. I should have a hole in the middle of my paper now what. I'm gonna do is fold it in half lengthways. Like, we did before so. The, next thing I always say um when we're, making. Our magazine and, I normally say the see younger audience. Members is that I really want to see you in, your Z and then I, do this, I say I really want to see you and I start looking at them through the. Hole as I'm looking at them through the hole and pushing, the. Two ends of my paper together. So. I should have made it, I'm. In the Neyman do you think and. Then all I'm doing is flattening. This out all, I'm doing then is flattening. This. Completely. So I've had my diamond, and I flattened, it and. Then. I'm folding this in half. Along. The. Curved. Seam and that's. My mini zine when it's a series of pages. Awesome. So you've got a magazine and now we're gonna play the game so. The game works like this um for each page you're going to be giving a prompt which is gonna probably, pop up up here it, will pop up up here um. And, one minute to, complete, the prompt or the task. Try. Not, to pause, the video whilst, you're doing it the point is is that we want it to be quick and we. Want you to not think too much about being pen to paper this, is supposed to be a sort of quickfire, thing. So. One minute is plenty, for each task after. You doing the first one we'll be turning to the next page and doing the next task so eight tasks, all together eight minutes okay, so first of all we're gonna turn to the inside page so, note, your front cover the, first page, on. The, left okay. So, the. Task number. One we've. Got one minute and. We want you to close your eyes no, peeking and with. Your eyes closed, draw, a pitch, of a cat riding, a bicycle, we're, gonna do it with you we'll, be closing our eyes to you and. Let's. Start.
I'm, Having. Trouble. In the sense that we've just watched cats the movie. Creepy. No. Human. Cats. It. Was good lockdown activity, was it like I don't. Really know where it's all supposed, to be I shouldn't have taken my pen off the paper yeah, I'm going for a pen, on paper but, I. Rode. And. Some trees I. Guess. So, yes. Because, I have no anything. Cool. Okay. Okay. No, Matt's, not, that right. Um Taslima to this, page just here. So. For. This page in one minute we, want you to draw or, describe. Even use words your, ideal, camping, spot. I. Can't. See my drawing skills the fact that sticker, in there well you've only got a minute so they don't need to be good drawings. I try, to go for by the sea but it looks a bit like tsunami. That's time, this. Is mine that's, nature all around there's. A tent with me in it, fire, flat. And soft grass nice, a, marshmallow, tree and. Mountain, okay I just went for the sea and a grassy, flat pitch, but. I mean I like that we both will just like blah blah. Okay. Okay. Turn the page um be. Careful you don't wanna be doing on like inside, pages if. You've never done, anything before. Okay. So for. Number. Three we. Want, you to draw. A map of a bike route you know really, well. Which I'm going to fit this alone. Cool. Oh interview. Elephant quite a literal. Map idolize hisses from our house past, the duck pond to the train station, the TradeStation pretty much the. Most common area I didn't, it should be added no I'm sorry. I'm sorry I went from more expressive. The. Beautiful, sweep in downhill, from, our house to truster. I used a word and the. Horrible, painful hills. We're. Both from the fens like, we don't deal with Scotland very well, right. So. Our next page on this, page I want, to see a list of all the, places on, your cycle, touring bucket, list. I. Mean. If we're doing imaginary. Things slow, I definitely couldn't actually there in real life. Trans. Come tonight. Okay. And, when I could go on forever I doing about yeah yeah well if you've got so, I've got Mexico and South America I'd, send them the Faroe Islands, Silk Road golden, coast I think it's that one look at those hands in Australia, the, toward a freak the Transcontinental. I mean be the dream.
The. Iron Curtain trail which is one of a common point euro bellow that is and, the Outer Hebrides I feel like there's a lot of overlap, because we're like married, yeah, so, I've got the Silk Road obviously. Pepra, DS MRI flown nice Island. Yeah and, it's evokes they feel like but, there's a places we've not explored, I brought Uruguay, in South America, generally yeah, I'd, like to finish the little jog with you we're so close. Tripping. Away and the NCN one I just I would like to say. Something. Right. Next, page we'll. Try not to chat so much. People. Here for the chat that's, true okay, so this. One's a little bit more abstract. What, we won't need to do is, take, your line on a bike, ride around, your page and, so. Draw a continuous, line and don't let your pen leave the paper so, make. A mess basically and. Question. Is are you going to let the line, overlap, so. I don't know I didn't think of that. No. Try. And fill up all the paper I'd say oh that was way too strained. Okay. If you've got 40 seconds. Ones. Just looking like horrible. Switchbacks. The. End of mindless like when you're trying to get up to like a certain number of kilometers be very sure destinations, you're just like I just get back and forth. Until. I, reach it. I'd. Already smelled an enema it's a bit I thought. I was doing well cuz I only had like seven, seconds left when I got that but, yeah. Pretty good yeah so, on, the, next page I want, you to design, a, piece, of cycle. Touring or camping, equipment, that's like would, would be invaluable would, make your life a hundred times easier but, like doesn't, exist not yet or you don't you don't own so, just like something that would just like radically, improve, your. Life. Are. We going to do the same thing well you can draw or write it. Inevitably. But does I know what I'm going to do. Yeah. I guess we can't do that well I'm gonna do it so good luck okay. All all invent my own you. Couldn, t do that one you know I did invent it offensive. Something. Useful, I. Mean. This. Was a terrible idea. Now. I've finished I just sort of like some really good ideas but I went for like rocket-powered. Like. He'll, mostly. Force whistles okay, yeah, you like it, just, drop it yeah, I went before we discussed this a lot on the last tour reusable. Inserts, for. Cycle shorts when your cycle touring on your period why they its, particular mystery. To me right. So on the back page now. What's. Up so, in fact page. What. We want you to do is we want you to swap, into your non-dominant. Hand I mean, if you're happy dexterous, you're gonna be like saw it for this one um and. We want you to draw a self-portrait. Go. Oh, God. That's. Time. Yeah. I mean I'm quite impressed by yours and, I broke, my right hand if you remember my boy, and, got quite good at drawing a pedestrian. Poll show specifically. Yeah right. Last. Thing last minute, and. We. Want you to give, this zine a title. So I have a flick through and think about what would this zine be called. Feel, free to draw as well. What. Did you call us the. Optimism, tour it's the great scene that ever was notice. I called mine soft. Flat and grassy, a cycle, tour in Z okay it's, all of you have made your scene and congrats that this was your first scene they're, now officially as in stir we. Hope you feel creative and ready, to make. Some more stuff some. Of you might be wondering okay this, is how I make a zine but, what am I gonna write about so. We're gonna do a quick exercise that we do during a lot of Zee workshops, to really get us thinking about something that we could maybe put into a zine, so.
I'd Like everyone, to either, close your eyes if you're comfortable or, just, relax your gaze don't. Focus your eyes there nothing in particular if, you've been sitting in front of a computer screen I must, do this or your phone just, turn away for a moment and. Just listen to my voice and, I'd like you to think about a moment, on. A tour on a bike tour on a bike trip a specific, moment and it, can be a moment that was particularly happy. It. Could be a particular morning that you woke up the beautiful sunshine it, could be a campsite, that you loved that you remember sitting in it could be a lunch stop, it, would be a stretch of road and a place that you've stopped a view that you saw, or. It, could be a moment that was that, was terrible, and miserable it, could be a punch, a missed ferry it could be. You. Cruel end to the balance of the Rhine which, is a veritable bowel syndrome it, could be a day filled, with flying, ants. Any. Moment, that really sums, up a. Tour. For you something that's really really. A powerful, and strong memory is attached to either a really happy, emotion, or already, miserable one. And. I want you to think about that. Moment, and I want you to think about what. Did you see around, you. What. Colors, were things was, it was, it daytime. Was it light was the Sun out was. At night was, it dark, was it dusk or. Was the Sun just rising. Other. People that you can see are you on your own can you see water. What. Can you hear can you, hear the pattering, of rain on a tent can. You hear that familiar clunk, of a bike wheel, where. The tires deflating. Can. You hear someone screaming, at you because you took the wrong, turning. Can. You just hear birdsong. Can. You hear water. What. Can you smell is, it. The smell of a, campfire, or, the smell of a gas, canister when you just screw, in the. Little nozzle head and. Can you smell food, can. You just smell fresh black grass. What. Can you feel are. You sitting down in, this memory or he's standing up can. You feel the earth beneath your feet are, you wearing shoes are you wearing any clothes in this there's, uncomfortable. And restrictive, for an array something that's really soft and nice. So. I want you to just take a moment, to. Really relive. That memory to, see, yourself in it to, remember how it made you feel good. Or bad. And. Just in a few moments, I'm going to ask you to start moving your eyes and, return, into the room and.
Then. I want you to just take a minute and I. Want, you to write everything, you can about that moment, down. Just. On a scrap of paper it, could be somewhere in your zine any, words. That come to mind any things you could pause the video and if you're doing this is someone else you could talk to the memory with the person you're you're sitting with anything. To really just remember, that moment. So. That, memory. Is a could, be a starting, point for a zine page for you you could make a zine page that is entirely, about trying to capture that. Moment at all the, amazing thing about jeans they can be really, factual and for those lists, it. Can be really broad or. They can be really specific and they can just be about that one moment of joy or, pure. Desk, I'm sorry you. Know I don't know where you got those examples, from no. Excellent. So, now it's time for you to, go away and, make your own zine page, or. Two if you want we, are, looking, specifically, for a five pages so, half the fee of a for. One. Or two of them potentially. Three but we want to fit as many in as we possibly can um. We're. Particularly keen to, see stuff based around the theme of this year's festival which was a cycle touring close to home. Obviously. The great thing about opening, this up digitally, means that we might not just get things from the UK but there might be things from all around the world so we, sort things close to your home whatever, country that might be, once. You finished you can email either a PDF or a page to, live, and Abbey at gmail.com. You. Could scan your page in but obviously we know not everyone has access to a scanner so there was some really good scanning apps you can get on mobiles or otherwise. Just a really well-lit picture. Of your page should be. When. You send it to us please make sure you include anything, you want us to include, in the scenes so your social media handle or your name, and. Any other information your, age whatever, like whatever. You fancy it goes. Without saying that, we won't include any inappropriate, content in the zine and that includes anything that we consider. Offensive, derogatory or discriminatory, this. Local true festival is a family-friendly, event, and so else it's completely. Okay to make zine pages that deal with whatever topics you want so like mental health or periods or whatever please. Do bear that in mind and know not-safe-for-work. Images. Please. Also, and, when you're making pages. Um or when, you've made your magazine, post. It to social media attack. The sly Praetorian festival and tag ups where. Gears for queers on twitter and instagram and we really, want to see the work that you've made and if you don't want to use your images use for the zine just.
Say So on your post or give us a little message, otherwise. We might include, some of the tagged social media images in zyne we. Can't wait to see what you come up with really, looking forward to it, we plan to post finished it'll seen by the beginning of June so you have a little bit of time to work on it and it will be free and for everyone today we. Hope you enjoy making a scene with us today and. We, hope you enjoy the rest of the cycle touring, festivals. Awesome, looking online program, we'll. Probably see you in some of the zoom webinars. We. Hope you take care stay, safe and happy, Zenon, enjoy. You.
2020-05-15 08:06
