Found Objects #7: More Zines!
I'm starting a zine subscription for those who love getting mail.
On this rainy summer day, I spent a few quiet hours printing a new mini-comic on the risograph (a digital screen printing machine), featuring “the monster in me” devouring books. This comic was inspired by a prompt from Susanne Reece’s Comics Poetry class, which I just started last week. For some reason, when I received the prompt, I imagined myself as the Cookie Monster, devouring stacks of books scattered around my apartment. I never have time to read throughout the semester, so for the past month, I’ve been binge-reading as if the library is closing tomorrow. It’s silly and nerdy, but this zine is dedicated to all the book lovers, and bonus if you love bright colors and risograph textures.
Here’s a video of the entire zine, including a poster on the inside, where you can fill in your favorite books.
This lovely morning in the studio prompted me to consider something I’d been thinking about for awhile— starting a zine subscription.
I love print and experimenting with form, and this new endeavor will motivate me to make more short, stand-alone comics and connect with those who love getting mail.
I will create six zines a year and mail them to subscribers once every two months. “Summer Reading” is the first issue in this subscription, but future zines will vary in media, form, and size. They may include one-page mini comics, multi-page saddle-stitched zines, tiny books, accordion folds, sets of illustrated postcards, and small posters. They may consist of short stories, autobiographical comics, history comics, illustrated books, and comics poems. Materials may range from gouache to colored pencil to risograph prints to digital painting.
Here are some zines that I’ve made in the past few years.
A zine subscription is $50 for a year or $5 per month, and you can cancel anytime. Later this year, I plan to format some of my gouache paintings into a zine, create some more poetry comics, and delve into more historical research. (Among many other ideas that will surely come.)
Although I’ve been imagining this for a few months now, I was initially inspired when I met Caitlin Cass at Crosstown Columbus in October. Her zine subscription, The Postal Constituent, features stories from women’s history and the Western canon. It’s fantastic, and I encourage you to check it out.
If you would like to be part of the Found Objects zine subscription, please sign up below, and email your physical address to saraheshaw06@gmail.com . (Substack doesn’t seem to collect physical addresses.) Subscribers have until June 25th to receive the first issue.
Also, I will send the first five subscribers an original small gouache painting of a wildflower!
Here’s an example from my last post about my summer sketchbook.
I plan to keep all my posts free for readers, and I will continue to post about once a month, perhaps more in the summer. If you would like to support my work and are not interested in receiving mail every two months, you are still welcome to subscribe.
Thank you! I look forward to drafting new stories, printing more zines, and sending them out into the world.
Lastly, what have you been reading this summer? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Thank you for the seashell zine - so tiny and beautiful! I love it and I love the box you made for it too 💙
Hooray! So excited for your zine subscription.