A few years ago I discovered the art of the zine (pronounced 'zeen'). Short for 'magazine', a zine is a short-run publication that usually follows a certain theme or concept, and may involve the work of a single individual or a collective of contributors. Many of the zine projects to which I have contributed are 'fan zines,' and contain original artworks that focus on one or more existing characters from movies, TV shows, books, and other media. Fan zines usually accept artists through a vetting process where applicants must demonstrate their skills and propose their concepts with sketches. If accepted, the artist coordinates with one or more moderators of the zine over the course of several weeks or months to create their assigned zine content, and the moderators compile all completed work into a digital and/or physical publication. Many zine projects and associated merchandise (like stickers, keychains, buttons, etc.) are sold to the public through social media channels and fan communities, and oftentimes any profits generated from the sales are donated to charity.

I have had the privilege of contributing to many zines over the years as both a merchandise designer and illustrator. While these projects are not necessarily financially lucrative, the experiential benefits--being able to draw my favorite characters, meeting people from around the world who are excited about the same things as I am, creating artwork that both makes people happy and results in a donation to charity--have been very important to my personal development as an artist. I think that it is incredibly important to remember that creating art for fun and personal fulfillment is a valid use of one's time and skills: not everything has to be 'for the hustle' or serve as a means to an end, and I hope to be able to demonstrate to my students that it's okay to express themselves in whichever ways that suit them. 

So, with that: here are some of my favorite contributions to zine projects over the years!