Category: Featured Zinesters

Kevin Uehle, of Kevin Uehlein Comix, first exhibited at the Portland Zine Symposium in 2013 and is now returning for his second year at LBZF. His illustration, comics and sketchbook zines feature dense psychedelic art, funny comics, and darker dramatic comics. Each are handwritten and drawn, photocopied and digitally edited, then printed folded and simply stapled.

When did you start making zines … and why?

2007- I started work on my first minicomic. My friend Alex and I decided to put out our own books for Stumptown Comics Fest in April of 2008, since we were both interested in writing/drawing our own comics stories. I had done some terrible comics in college for my friends, a school newspaper, and the few classes I had that breached comics, but I had never published anything until that. Also in college, I saw a mini-comic that my friend Nate had made, and that was a big epiphany moment that led to an interest in self-publishing.

What was your first zine called? What was it about?

Guardrail #1- the main story was about insurgent mice fighting against an oppressive regime of frogs, which was loosely based on a fever dream I had as a kid. There were little backup comics; one was an anthropomorphic heart kicking the shit out of me (oh, the subtle metaphors) and an exaggerated tale of me backing up a toilet at a party and flooding the whole place.

How do you create your zine content?

I draw and letter on paper, either sheets of bristol board or in a sketchbook. I pencil with regular 4h pencils, then ink with Rapidographs and a Pentel brushpen (usually- sometimes I try out the old nib or brush). I use photoshop for cleaning up stray marks, splicing in replacement elements that I screwed up the first time, and sometimes coloring. I have also colored with acrylic paint, watercolors, and pencils.

Why do you make zines?

I like to have a finished object that someone can flip through, it feels like my time working adds up to something. I also want my work to be seen by as many simpatico eyeballs as it can.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start making zines?

Make something you would want to pick up and read.

Connect with Kevin Uehlein

• kevinuehlein.wordpress.com
• Twitter
• Tumblr

Third Woman Press is run by a collective located in San Antonio, Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago.

Core collective members Mariana Lui, Audrey Silvestre, Daniela Jiménez, Sara A. Ramírez, Kim Tran, and Brenda Rodriguez publish poetry, spells, essays and artwork by feminists of color, with a special emphasis on queer writers and artists.

The Third Woman Press Zine is a series covering topics of love, experiences, feelings, and personal affirmations. Each zine is handwritten and drawn, cut-and-pasted, and digitally edited before being printed and stapled into the final product.

The collective is currently finishing up Third Woman Press, a traditionally bound book, and recently has expanded their online repetoire with a new podcast.

When did you start making zines … and why?

Third Woman Press began its revitalization in 2013 with a call for submissions for a new anthology due to be published this year and a call for donations with which to fund the anthology. We saw so many excellent voices around us and wanted to be able to publish more quickly and in a more nimble format, so the Third Woman Press Zine was born.

What was your first zine called? What was it about?

#TRANSLIVESMATTER is our first Zine issue and it features writing by Trans Feminists of color and a beautiful artpiece. It is not easy to condense what it is “about” because the pieces all explore different subjects from a first-person perspective. It is a beautiful first issue and I must say that it features some of my (Mariana’s) favorite poetry from all of our zines.

How do you create your zine content?

It depends on the pieces. The first zine was a heavily cut-and paste version which received a lot of love and care from Richard Giddens, who was working with the press at the time. You rock, Richie! The design was then tightened up digitally. The later versions were also created in the same way.

Why do you make zines?

We love being able to amplify voices that are not often voiced in the mainstream. Even though you hear a lot more about queer issues in the news, the voices are very rarely queer people of color. We are so honored to be trusted by so many creative people to feature their work. We just want to make these voices heard!

In addition to zines, what are you passionate about?

We are passionate about media! In addition to finishing up our first anthology as Third Woman Press, which is a traditionally bound book, we are working on media online. We have a literary journal at thirdwomanpulse.com which can be more broad in presentation. We recently published our first episode of Teeny Tiny Radical Seeds hosted by our interns, two amazing Women’s Studies undergraduate students from the University of Texas at San Antonio, Angelica L. and Itzel A.. It features an interview with artist Julio Salgado.

What is your favorite part of making zines?

Providing a medium for people of color to stop being spoken about. We can speak for ourselves and our voices are beautiful.

What is your biggest challenge in making zines?

Printing costs, haha. We are a non-profit organization and we don’t make any money at all from the press. It is completely a labor of love and proceeds from the zines just get rolled straight into the next publishing venture. We make sure that the Zines are priced really low. We want to provide beautiful, full color zines to everyone who wants one. We just love publishing!

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start making zines?

Don’t wait for it to be perfect. Just publish it. It’s a Zine, it’s not a job application. The only one setting limits on it is you (and maybe the printing costs).

Why are you tabling at Long Beach Zine Fest?

A few of our collective members met at Cal State Long Beach, and we love the community. We are so stoked to be coming back for a Zine Fest! We can’t wait to see where the creativity goes.

What else do you want people know about you or your zines?

Everyone is welcome to purchase and read them. In fact, if you don’t identify as queer, feminist, or a person of color we would like for you to definitely jump in and read what we have to say!

Connect with Third Woman Press

• thirdwomanpress.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Tumblr

 

Sophia Zarders publishes MikaMoo Comics, an multi-volume illustration zine that she hand-draws and then manipulates digitally. Her printed zines are folded and stapled in the classic zine style, covering topics like mental health and happenings in her daily life that she feels are “intimate and (hopefully) relatable.”

When did you start making zines … and why?

I’ve been an artist my whole life, but I didn’t realize comics were my passion until college. Throughout adolescence, I experimented in different storytelling media (film, animation, script writing) but I really began exploring comics and graphic novels in college. Then, in 2015 I went to LA Zine Fest and fell in love with all things zine. That spring I tabled with some fellow artsy fartsy kids at Long Beach Zine Fest and now this year I’m tabling by myself at both LA and LB zine fests.

What was your first zine called? What was it about?

My first zine is called “MikaMoo Comics: Volume 1.” It’s a collection of comic strips from 2015 about mental health, job interviews, and punk shows. MikaMoo started as a comic diary for myself to post online every couple of days, and it certainly has been a great outlet for me to voice my feelings and frustrations with life in a creative way. I’ve been working on Jesus Freak, my online graphic novel, for 4 long years. There are about 60 pages up.

How do you create your zine content?

I make a comic strip whenever I get a good enough idea that I can kinda visualize. All of my strips are drawn out on Photoshop, which is actual hell. Then I post them on my tumblr and hope some people like it. I picked out about 20 of my favorite strips for a single zine, and now I have 2 volumes available in print. Thanks FedEx for being open late and having an extra long stapler.

Why do you make zines?

My MikaMoo strips are sometimes funny and always intimate. I often make them as a window into my depression and anxieties. However, through creating and posting these comics, I’ve realized how universal and shared these mental processes are. I also just enjoy making very weird strips too, which people seem to enjoy just as much. Creating MikaMoo Comics has definitely helped me learn to cope with my wrinkly pink brain and connect with people who have similar silly thoughts to mine. I really love sharing and selling my comics to an audience who I know will appreciate my art, passion, and identity. Comics and zines have become the most passionate and accessible outlet in creating my art.

In addition to zines, what are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about almost every art media: drawing and painting, music, film, animation, dance, etc. Film and animation are huge sources of inspiration for me, specifically in the storytelling and visual aspects of Jesus Freak. If I’m not working on comics, I’m painting people who influence my art and my politics.

As a member of the punk scene, I’m involved in making posters, going to shows, and dreaming of performing on a tiny, christmas light-lit stage. I’m working with some talented music-inclined friends at the moment, so who knows when that will manifest into a DIY band.

What is your biggest challenge in making zines?

The hardest part is by far staying somewhat up to date with creating strips and posting them online. My vulnerability as a creator is always a hurdle. There’s a part of me that constantly doubts my abilities as an artist, but I just have to burst through every time. I think that internal resistance is necessary. It’s also hard not getting feedback and attention toward your work when you want it. Sometimes my strips are a hit and sometimes they’re under the radar. I’m not always going to make hits and realizing that is tough stuff.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start making zines?

Making zines is so, so, so, so easy, and I don’t think many people are aware of that. You can make a zine about anything that tickles your fancy or ruffles your feathers (or both like me!) If ya got a creative wrinkly brain, choose your favorite medium and go for it!

 

Connect with MikaMoo:

• mikamoocomics.tumblr.com

The CSULB Photo Kids are scattered between Simi Valley, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, but “collectively our roots as artists were connected in Long Beach, as graduates and current students of CSULB.”

The crew is comprised of Alyssa Bierce, Mike Lewis, Candace Wakefield, Colin Thompson, Mckenzie Stribich, Juliette Angulo, Romana Vera, Marlene Tafoya, Natalie Bouroumand, Alexis Chanes, May Roded, and Shelby Roberts.

The CSULB Photo Kids’ zines are handwritten/drawn, photocopied, screenprinted, and digitally created, with stapled and hand-stitched binding. Their collective zines fit into every genre of zine–memoir/perzines, social/cultural, political, photography, and illustration–with topics covering everything from the California landscape, the prison industrial system, suburban living and art school to families, bodies, and culture.

LBZF16 is their first zine fest, so stop by their table and show them some love!

When did you start making zines … and why?

Some of our crew have been making zines for years, others are just beginning to translate our work into zines and other handmade publications. As a loose community of makers, we have enjoyed the opportunity to create in a way that feels intimate and tactile.

In addition to zines, what are you passionate about?

We all come from a background in image making, as graduates and students of the photography program at CSULB. Digital photography, large format, screen printing, and photograms are all home base, and serve as a foundation for how we view image making and consumption. We are passionate about our work and the growing power of images.

What is your favorite part of making zines?

Making zines feels immediate and intimate. For many of us, the transition from art school students to real-time art practice has been a funny thing, and the hardest thing for many artists is making the leap between idea and product. There is something about working with zines that frees us up to just do.

What are some of the zines you will be featuring at Long Beach Zine Fest?

• Me, 47 Times
• The Worst Shit I Made Did in Art School
• Forms
• Girls Night Out
• Art School Graduate Anxiety
• IDs

Why are you tabling at Long Beach Zine Fest?

We are excited to be at LBZF to connect with the larger community of art and artists in Long Beach and beyond. This city and our university have helped nurture us as artists, and we look forward to representing that.

Connect with CSULB Photo Kids

• Instagram

Dana Jazayeri makes primarily photography and illustration zines about visual art via photocopying, screenprinting, digital, and risograph. His zines run the gamut of binding, including folded, stapled, saddlestitched, hand-stitched and perfect-bound. He is also passionate about art and books, which is evident at “as issued”, his gallery and bookstore in Orange County that opened in 2001. as issued’s table will feature various zine collectives from across the globe and self-published zines.

When did you start making zines … and why?

1998. Because the internet wasn’t so evolved as it is today. It was a method of interacting with each other through small printed bits of matter.

Why do you make zines?

I believe in the tangible interaction through art. Be it in person with the art or a documentation of that art. The digital platform has opened our doors to what is available out there but it lacks that personal connection. A zine or a book is a piece of that person.

What do you like about your local zine community?

Zine communities are always small and bonded by paper. Which is cool. The almost archaic approach to sharing information via folded pieces of paper.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start making zines?

Educate yourself on how you can produce zines by your own hands. Learning about paper weights and qualities, size formats, printing methods and binding techniques.

Why are you tabling at Long Beach Zine Fest?

I am a store that produces our own zines and carries zines from collectives across the globe. The opportunity to display these zines from people that wouldn’t be able to attend continues the idea of sharing knowledge and awareness of not only your local community but global as well.

Connect with as issued:

• asissued.com
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram