Zines are magazines not created by a company or publishing house, but instead by one person or a small group, and sold nontraditionally. They are often handmade with glued on photos and art and hand written paragraphs or phrases. Zines became popular for their lack of censorship and attention to detail. They are often used for activist movements, by small artists wanting to spread their work, or as a piece of fan work for a separate piece of media.

The Start

Zines were originally created in the early 20th century with the amateur press movement. Small printers would buy their own printing presses to make magazines that were more specific to one central idea. They were originally known as “little magazines” and were often overlooked. However, in the 1920s, black artists started using zines to share their work and promote the black community. Ten years later, zines started getting picked up by science fiction fans by creating “fanzines”. These were used to share theories and opinions on their favorite stories. This subsection of zines eventually expanded to other fictional media such as comics, music, movies, fantasy, and horror. This also paved the way for the first fanfiction zines to be made in the late 60s, early 70s, by house wives who were fans of star trek.

Activism

Also in the 1970s, with the invention of the photocopier, zines expanded their popularity because they were easier to mass produce. Zines became very popular in the punk music scene of the 1970s and 1980s for several reasons. The main one being that the movement was built on the foundation of anti-establishment and a rejection of mainstream media and corporations. So, the zine allowed them to stick to that mentality while also promoting and advertising their events and music.

Pigging backing off of the punk scene movement was the “Riot Grrrl” movement of the 90s. The movement focusing and discussing sexism through the lens of punk and alt music and art. Zines were a crucial part of this movement and were used to talk about discrimination in a way that wouldn’t be censored and allowed for creative freedom. As the movement evolved, so did the world, and some of the women of the movement moved their zines online to reach a wider audience and be easier to access. The new electronic version of zines, known as e-zines, is still used to this day.

Our zines

Today, zines are used in a myriad of different ways. Fanzines are still popular but have become more of a charity focus product. Many fanzines’ revenue goes to a charity of the author’s or authors’ choosing, with the extra set aside for any popular guest artists. Zines are also still used in the punk and activism circles to share stories, art, news, and event times. These zines, especially the punk ones, lean more into the craftsmanship aspect of the zines and will make fewer zines just so each zine can be made by hand.

Zines are a creative and incredibly specific and personal form of art that highlights the author’s feelings using several different art methods in one media. It is extremely accessible and easy to make. If you have a spare moment, try making a zine and expressing yourself. You’ll be left with a magazine that’s a tiny part of your soul that you can read and view yourself through fresh eyes.

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Sources cited:

https://lva-virginia.libguides.com/c.php?g=1332410&p=9812968

https://www.sheridan.com/magazines-register/a-brief-history-of-magazine-publishing/

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Art history usually favors men in the field of art while women don’t share as much of the spotlight.

Women have long had a role in artistic endeavors- whether as collectors or patrons. Young women also face difficulties due to their gender. They may not have access to training places and cannot showcase their work. Another unique facet is that they must deal with the societal and gender implications.

Fun fact: Dibutades is the first well known female artist, tracing an image of mythology.

During the late twentieth century, women entered the art field to the feminist movement. They would purchase artworks, which would later be studied. Goddesses such as Athena and other Greek and Roman mythology incorporate female characters as well. Women have not just been spectators in the art field though.

The classic painting Portia Wounding Her Thigh signifies that women do have value just as much as men. In this painting, a woman is holding an object in front of a mirror. She has the same courage and strength as a man, based on the reflection of several men in the corner.

Another painting that shows the women in male dominated fields is the Nameless and Faceless. This painting depicts a woman not taken seriously as an artist, while men stare at her. There is contempt in the man’s faces, as they are not seeing the painter’s value. 

Surrealism is the form of art that women have dominated the most. And it goes to show that women are not only the objects in the paintings, but can be the painters as well. Just as underrated and diamonds in the rough, female painters can express admirable talent but must bear the gender inequalities.

Learn how bias affects our understanding of history here. Celebrate Women’s History Month with these GirlSpring articles: Women in Civil Rights and Influential Women from the Past Decade.

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I’ve always wanted to sail. Imagine gliding on the water with the sail snapping in the wind! The views would be amazing! I really like how the sun glows. I wish I could figure out a better way to render water than simply blurring a reflection. My waves look like lines when I try.

I finished this just in time for pi day. I impressed myself with the trees and especially the lighting! The grass and the treetops glow golden! This is probably my best painting as of yet. I’m still relying on blur for the water, but it looks more natural here. The beavers are really cute. I really want this lake to be real because it looks like a dreamy spot to fish and sail.

It’s been almost one year since I’ve started learning digital art. I was bored and wanted to use my free time productively and creatively. I can’t use my time 100% efficiently, but its nice to take a break from the grind to escape into art instead of doomscrolling. Every time I start a piece, it feels like an adventure because its scary and I don’t know if I can figure it out. Some of my pieces end up being epic fails, but I discover my strengths and weaknesses to develop a style in the process. I’m definitely continuing with landscapes, but I hope I can also draw detailed figures (especially people) and draw from my imagination one day. We’ll see how much I progress next year!

Follow me on Instagram @TopGao720 to see more of my art!

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I know it’s past Valentine’s Day, but love lasts all year.

I’ve always knew that the swan boats in the Boston Public Garden were perfect for a romantic scene, but they also have connections to some of my favorite childhood love stories.

In the Trumpet of the Swan, trumpeter swan Louis is mute, meaning he can’t mate with other swans. He steals a trumpet and becomes a famous musician so he can find his voice and confess his love to his crush Serena. He plays on the swan boats to repay his trumpet. After travelling to Philadelphia and rescuing Serena from the zoo, he serenades her with the trumpet and wins her over. Now that’s W rizz!

You might not associate Make Way for Ducklings with love, but a story of familial love and sacrifice is just as beautiful. Finding the perfect home is an exciting and nerve-wracking experience for many couples. Mrs. Mallard takes her ducklings on a journey through dangerous Boston streets (I can confirm, the traffic is crazy!) to their forever home in the Public Garden. They lived happily ever after- if you visit today, there is a statue dedicated to the Mallard family and so many ducks in the pond! 

In real life, love is more complicated than our daydreams and cute lovebird stories. We fantasize about perfect moments and finally being accepted by the one! But it’s the struggle that makes love worth it. The uncertainty, the sacrifices, the heartbreak. And I think it is better to face rejection than not having tried at all. 

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Wreath

1. Draw a dark green circle. Make it thick, but it doesn’t have to be perfect.
2. Draw lighter green pine needles pointing in 1 direction around the circle
3. Add lighter and darker pine needles for a fuller wreath.
4. Color in accessories like pinecones, berries, and a ribbon
5. Shade the accessories with lighter and darker hues. Add a festive message on the ribbon or around the wreath.

Now, I just realized that my tutorial looks like the Olympic Rings. Wreaths are popular and versatile decorations year round, so you can use this technique to make cards for many different occasions.

Snowman

1. Draw 2 or 3 big, white-ish circles. The color doesn’t have to be perfectly white, it can be grey, bluish, or pinkish. The circle on top is smaller. It can sit on a mound of snow.
2. Shade the circles. Where is the light coming from? In general, the bottom of the circles is darker than the top. Use different shades of the same hue and a gentle circular motion to shade.
3. Color in the snowman’s features and outfit. Think beyond the traditional snowman and go all out with the fashion! Mine is going skiing.
4. Shade and add texture to the snowman’s outfit. Short strokes achieve a nice, knitted effect. Blurring in strokes works for fur.

Christmas Tree

1. Draw a dark green triangle for the base of the tree.
2. Draw pine branches in layers. Use a lighter green and decrease the thickness and you go up.
3. Shade where the layer gets overlapped and highlight where the layer sticks out.
4. Color in ornaments and tree decorations. Shade the ornaments with different textures. Use small dots for a sparkles and shades of the same hue for a shiny, metallic finish.

Winter Landscape

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can tackle a winter landscape. You can start out very simple with the sky and snow and work your way up to the mountain-scape or the ski resort of your dreams.

James Julier (James Julier Art Tutorials on YouTube) helped me get into landscape drawing and his tutorials are very thorough. I was able to independently draw landscapes after watching a few of his videos.

I hope you liked these holiday card ideas. Happy drawing!

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This artwork was made with a photo, and a digital pen to show how books can create stories and educate others about different fields. When you think about education you usually think about books. Books are how we retain stories that aren’t going to be remembered by memory years later. They allow us to educate ourselves and understand many different concepts or learn different morals from tales and stories. Overall, books are an important aspect of learning, thus being why I chose to illustrate it to present education. These stories, memories, and lessons are what a book holds.

If you liked “What a Book Holds”, check out more original artwork and photography here!

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Title: Beauty is in the Garden

Medium: Colored pencil

Artist: Serenity Johnson

If you liked this piece, browse our artwork section here!

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This drawing was created with a pencil. I was inspired to draw it because love is the main thing that can make you happy. Love comes from feeling in your heart and other emotions combined together. Thus leading me to illustrate love blooming from the heart with flowers. Flowers bloom during different seasons, but at least one flower will always bloom during winter or fall. Everyone does not feel happy or loved simultaneously, but this reminds us that at least one person feels love and can spread it to others.

If you liked Love Blooming, check out more original artwork here.

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I drew this the day after AP bio to celebrate my hard work, but I decided that it would make a better graduation post. I also consider this one of my better sketches. I spent a considerable amount of time correcting the pose to look natural. The block letters aren’t exactly master calligraphy, but I like the cute, nostalgic Dollar Tree vibes. Remember the times when everything at dollar tree didn’t cost $1.50?

I also wanted to create something special and substantive to end my year on a high note-maybe an epic sunset to represent peace and finality. I could experiment and figure out the lighting like I usually do, but I decided to watch my first art tutorial in a long time. I felt a bit guilty whenever I used art tutorials because it felt like I was copying someone else and my work wasn’t as good as the video, but I decided to give it a go. I found a video teaching you how to paint a red sunset with dramatic clouds that I liked.

At first, my art didn’t look good. The clouds didn’t blend in with the sky; they looked like random patches of grey. When I drew the sun, the stark yellow and white looked jarring. However, after some blending and highlights, I took a step back and gasped. My sun looked like it was glowing! My clouds were on fire! It suddenly looked good!



Of course, my work wasn’t as realistic or precise as the tutorial video, but I was proud with the result. With enough practice and a good understanding of the techniques, I could draw such epic pictures without the tutorials. I still have a long way to go, but hopefully, that day will come.

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