Project 1: Work Play Work
I’ve chosen the text ‘The Giant Turnip’ as the base of the Work Play Work project.
I started by reading through the text and drawing some story characters quickly. I didn’t think too much, so these were done with a pen and a grey marker in a very short time. I wanted to create something that keeps some original elements from the text and does not illustrate the whole story.
Research：
Soon, I started doing the research. The zine is defined as a cheap magazine, a small self-published work usually reproduced via a printing machine. Austin Kleon inspired me a lot by his works of the zine. I like how he recreates the images and texts, by cutting them and reforming them.
Along with the research of Austin Kleon, I’ve also been introduced to the artist Hollie Chastain. I like how she weaves different images together. Her use of vintage color is also inspiring.
Below are example images that I collected. I like the collage design from the cover. I also really like the style of the third zine, it looks clean and simple. This is something that I am interested to do in my own zine.
Zine 1:
I started by making the cover. I decided to use black paper as the background, adding some letter collages as the title. A quick idea sketch based on the text ‘Turnip’will be the cover image. This is the result and I am happy about it.
Below is the video of the final outcome. I wasn’t pleased with this zine. My binding skill was bad, the pages were wrinkled. I wanted to improve that in my next zine, and I want to produce more pages.
Zine 2:
In part 2 of the project, I swopped with Rachael Wu and recreated her zine. I planned to make some colorful collages instead of quick sketching.
Idea Generation:
- Origami – Cover
- Use magazines, and photocopies
- Cut and reorder
- Print and recreate
- weaving images
The Final outcomes:
Please follow the links to a PDF file of photos>https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11Zk7GlLuyODSrBZmh8pd4Gv1ihCUU4Qw6udH0ur_FsA/edit?usp=sharing
Below I’ve attached the video link of the zine.
Comparing my first and second zine, I can see some progress and improvements however they are not perfect. These works don’t build a good connection with my research, they don’t really represent well. I want to discover more works from Hollie Chastain in the future.
Reflection:
Unlike the online lessons, going to campus gives me more time to discuss the work with students and teachers. It also brings me more confidence at the same time. At the beginning of the project, I was really worried about making a zine. It was a new thing for me, and I had never tried it before. Along with gaining more help from professors, I realized that it’s ok to make mistakes. Making mistakes is not a bad thing, it is a way to discover more ideas. I am more confident working with the zine and I feel that I can continue to learn new techniques. I think I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone and given some nice try.