Fanzine and Self-publishing Lab

In this course, you will lose your fear of the blank page and immerse yourself in your sketchbook to generate content, regardless of whether you already have ideas or not. You'll quickly see how you don't need a concrete vision to start working! Become your own editor and select content from your sketchbook to make your first fanzine: a publication created by only you, without an editorial middleman, that you yourself can sell or give away.

Learn the steps to making a fanzine; from editorial and production theory, to what to do with your zines once they're complete, with Alfonso de Anda, Mexican illustrator specializing in fanzines and self-publisher of more than 25 books and zines.

You will begin the course getting to know Alfonso, what has formed him as an artist and how he ended up making fanzines. You will also be introduced to the project for this course.

Alfonso will tell you about the history of self-publishing and fanzines. You will examine the different parts of a fanzine and review some interesting examples. You will see why it is a good idea to publish printed works nowadays and then begin with a quick exercise to break the ice between you and your future fanzine.

Through sketchbook exercises, you will explore and generate ideas; you will spend a lot of time drawing no matter what the subject is. The idea is to generate content for your fanzine without compromise - let your ideas flow.

Finally you will become the editor, selecting the content you created in your sketchbook. You'll notice that making a book is not complicated once you understand its makeup. Once printed, you will combine your fanzines and staple them (as well as understand why cutting guides are very important).

With your fanzines assembled, you will see how to make simple alterations and how to distribute them.

You will create your own twelve-page fanzine print with your own drawings, inspired by explorations made in your sketchbook.

For people interested in drawing and publishing fanzines manually and independently.

You will need paper and drawing material such as pencils, markers or pens. Additionally, you must have scissors or an X-acto knife, any kind of paint and a flat brush.

You will also need a computer with Adobe Photoshop and basic knowledge of the software, access to a photocopier and a stapler.