Thank you postman

Boo, my camera memory card is mislaid, which means I can't take decent photos of the THREE envelopes waiting for me when I got home today. Hurrah for laptop cameras, although I'm sorry I can't do these proper justice. Here is a rundown of the zines I have happily devoured tonight.

Pixelated, issue #3, by Brandy
I answered a call on etsy to contribute to this zine, the theme is My Favourite Thing. It's thread bound, zig-zag format (probably a proper name for that), the cover is a sturdy, chocolate brown card. Inside are contributions in the form of poems, drawings, an encrypted message (love it!) typography, collage... a beautiful and whimisical addition to the zine box by the bed. Thanks Brandy, and it's great to see my work in someone else's zine . That's one of my new year resolutions fuflfilled by February. Please go here to get yourself a copy.

Deafula, issues #1 and #2, by Deafula
This is a lovely zine. It's written by a young deaf woman in Philidelphia, USA. I've finished issue 1 and am working through issue 2. The inside is a mix of type, drawings and collage, and I learnt a lot about being deaf, it was friendly and so informative. My Grandfather has gone deaf recently and as a family we have had to adapt to that- the chief priority, I think, has been making sure that he feels included at family gatherings, and remembering to speak up. Anyway, it really got me thinking about a lot of other things - Grandad, our health service, attitudes to deaf people and how I will behave when I next meet a deaf person. Thanks Deafula for your brilliant zine! She sells her stuff here.


The Ken Chronicles
This is a perzine from Ken in Philidelphia, and it kind of reads like a journal. There's plenty of content, he puts my zines to shame. I was really interested to see that he mentioned an album I have, Mumford and Sons, I think I bought it in 2009, and I agree with him it's a small dose album. He also mentions Just My Type, a book a work collegue lent me recently. Small world sometimes. Photos, quotes, reviews... my natural nosiness is satisfied in this zine, I love glimpses into other people's lives. It was great to read something by someone who is so obviously experienced in making zines, especially for a newbie like me.

In other news: I was so excited to be reviewed here by Carlos Palacios Hidalgo on his brilliant blog. He's a really nice guy and it felt wonderful to have feedback on the web. Please visit his blog, I love his reviews and because of him have been exposed to some great new music and other jumbly bits. Thank you Carlos!

Latest new stuff

I've been busy lately with a handful of commissions, as well as getting my new zine, Any Old Iron, out into the world. I've had some terrific,, encouraging feedback which has really put a smile on my face, and issue #2 is already underway. In the meantime here are some of the things I've been working on.

Preliminary sketch for a new colouring book for The Green Backyard, Peterborough

I was very fortunate to be asked to do the branding and overall 'look' for the Fenland Poet Laureate. The awards are this Friday night. This flyer is one that I developed alongside Atelier East. They wanted a definite 'fenland' look, so I used the huge skies as a background. I also developed the title font, great fun.

This is a little sneak peek of an unfinished flyer for a local competition. I'm having tons of fun along the way working with a new client. I'll post the final image when it's done.

I'm also going through the first steps in supplying some of my cards to a shop, very exciting, although I don't have a clue what I'm doing, so it should be interesting!

Hooray!

It's out! My new zine, Any Old Iron, issue #1! (Champagne cork popping sound)

Aaaargh...

...my blogging has really suffered lately, what with other bits and bobs going on. Ironically I'm almost certainly less busy than I was in 2011, due to the fact that I gave up a couple of regular commitments in order to empty my week and start new hobbies. I haven't started any new ones yet, but I'm not too worried about that, as I'm often busy to a fault, and it can't hurt to have slowed down a bit.


This past month I have: attended a zine meet in Coventry (loads of fun, big shouts to all those who were there), been to Prague with friends, written and finished the first edition of Any Old Iron, my new zine, and had a friend to stay from the United States. He's studying in London and wanted to see British life outside the capital, and I'm pleased to say I think we managed to oblige. I cooked him a proper English breakfast and took him to some of the finest pubs Peterborough has to offer, as well as our stunning cathedral. It was great to see a visitor's perspective on familiar sights, and to have him leave with good memories.


My online shops have been as quiet as the grave this month, dead as a doornail, no sales whatsoever. It's probably not unusual for this time of year, but slightly disconcerting nonetheless, it makes you wonder if your stuff is worthwhile to anyone. Mind you, it was doing okay before Christmas. Plus I don't depend on my shops for an income, so I have to remind myself that these shops are simply a good way for me to 'test the water' as to what's popular.


I'm getting more and more into zines lately, I've now swapped a fair few with people around the globe. One of the main reason I love zines is that they are mainly produced with no thought of profit or promotion, in that way the work is pure and very creative. I've found zine making to have revitalised my personal creative process, which has leaked into my work. I've been feeling the need to refresh my style and approach for ages, I just didn't know how to do it! Here are some of my recent buys/swaps:

'Larry' by Lee Taylor. http//wemakezines.ning.com/profile/leetaylor

This zine is full of Lee's beautiful line work and his gentle musings on life. He's a great writer and formidable artist. A zine that gets you thinking and examining your life, as well as having a peek into his.

Jumping the Shark by Sammy Borras. http://sammyborras.blogspot.com/

Sammy's comics are funny, bright and skilfully drawn, her characterization is just enviably good. 

Coloring for Creeps

I swapped this zine with a girl in Nevada, the images are dreamlike and, I'm sure she won't mind me saying, pretty creepy. The flowing line makes the strange creatures within seem almost fluid.

The Runcible Spoon by Malaka Gharib: http://therunciblespoon.info/about

I bought this one off Etsy, it's a riot of colour, based around food and recipes, with anecdotes, instructions and quirky collages throughout. A lot of the recipes are new to me so I'd like to try them, in the privacy of my own home of course, as my cooking is, well, pretty terrible, sadly.