Broken Pencil: The magazine of zine culture and the independent arts. issue 97


Broken Pencil Issue 97 (Horror Issue)
The magazine of zine culture and the independent arts

Publishing Info:
Ontario, Canada 2022
A4 printed indie magazine
68 x pages

Description:
Welcome to Broken Pencil! Since 1995, we have been a mega-zine dedicated exclusively to exploring independent creative action. Published four times a year, each issue of Broken Pencil features reviews of hundreds of zines and small press books, plus comics, excerpts from the best of the underground press, interviews, original fiction and commentary on all aspects of the indie arts. From the hilarious to the perverse, Broken Pencil challenges conformity and demands attention. (From website)Issue 97 is a horror issue to celebrate Halloween and all things ghoulish. With features about art, future, zines and the best haunted bookshops. (from Magazine website, Oct 2022)
This is the horror issue to align with Halloween, all things ghoulish, zine reviews, literature, art, and haunted bookshops.

Link to Magazine’s Website: https://brokenpencil.com/



Cage Before Beauty

Cage Before Beauty
This Place Gives Me The Creeps

Publishing Info:
Portsmouth, UK 2022
A7 black and white laser print on Day-Glo card
Single sheet foldy 

Description:
A series of ‘tart cards’ from the author’s collection. 



Yip Adventures


 


























Yip Adventures
Michael Dynock

Publishing Info:
Portsmouth, UK 2022
A5 colour laser print
20 x pages

Description:
An illustrative narrative sequence that is set on a mystical island. Son of a gnome, Yip (a mer-teen) is helping his father by taking their catch of fish to market. He experiences bullying and then loses confidence in himself. The narrative visualizes his fear as he battles against it.

Link to artist's Instagram: @dymk.illustration

Bunny & Bat


Bunny & Bat
Jody Arthur

Publishing Info:
Tacoma, WA, USA 2022
Printed at Letter Box Studio
7cm x 10.5cm portrait
Single folded sheet
Letterpress on pink card, edition of 58

Description:
Small single sheet folded zine of bunnies and bats. Letterpress (vandercook press) zine including typography and cut out shapes.
Jody Arthur is a book artist, printmaker and writer currently residing in Hawaii. Her transitory life inspires her work, which is concerned with travel and migratory patterns.

Link to artist's website: https://www.jodyarthur.com/

Heroically Found




Heroically Found
Manifest Zine No.9
Jen Payne

Publishing Info:
Branford, CT, USA 2022
13cm x 17.5cm portrait
24 Pages, colour laser print
Three Chairs Publishing Co.

Description:
This zine is part of the Exchange Project including five artists. The challenge was to create something to promote 'curiosity and precarity, to ignite the spark of possibility and to introduce new ways of seeing things.'
Found images, photos, poems, drawings and writings explore the mindfulness, creativity and storytelling.



Catalyst (Self Made Hero Graphic Anthology Programme)


Catalyst - Self Made Hero Graphic Anthology Programme
Edited by Ayoola Solarin / Cover art by Sajan Rai / Designed by Txabi Jones

Publishing Info:
London, 2022
Paperback with flaps, 112 pp
19cm x 25 cm

Description:
Stories by Asia Alfasi, Charlotte Bailey, Jason Chuang, Dominique Duong, Catherine Anyango Grünewald, Shuning Ji, Pris Lemons, Sonia Leong, Calico N.M., Tyrell Osborne and Woodrow Phoenix.
Collecting stories from a range of artists of colour across the UK, this comics anthology unites their voices under a single theme: 'catalyst'. In one story, the accidental witnessing of a horrific scene turns a regular day into a nightmare; in another, the truth of what it really took to put a man on the moon is revealed. From tales of misplaced memories to battles with the id, Catalyst offers a look at the consequences of big and small acts alike. Showcasing a mix of established and emerging artists, this collection imagines the myriad ways in which a chain of events might end in either euphoria or catastrophe. Sometimes both. (excerpt from publisher's website)

Link to Publisher's Website and artist's socials:  https://www.selfmadehero.com/books/catalyst

Mashu (The): An Observers Guidebook


The Mashu: An Observers Guidebook
Matt Farmer

Publishing Info:
Portsmouth, UK 2022
A5 print-on-demand, perfect bound

Description:
This was the outcome of Matt's MA Illustration project, to create a humorous book, The Mashu: An Observers Guidebook.
This book provides information and observations about a species of small creatures called the Mashu who like to explore and play, presenting the fictional creatures as if they were a real part of the world, with the aim of reminding adults to take time to have fun and look after their mental health which is particularly important during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
It is an A5 book with text alongside field sketches of the Mashu and photos of them in their natural habitats. These were created by photographing sculpted models which were then manipulated in Adobe Photoshop.
Matt Farmer is a freelance illustrator based in Portsmouth, UK. His work endeavours to bring playfulness and imagination back into adult life.



Handout, issues 1-6



Handout, Issues 1-6
Editor Joel Chaffee

Publishing Info:
Charity Case Publishing, Issues 1-6 (2008-2013)
Brooklyn, NY, USA and New York, USA
A4 black and white on various lined paper stock
Saddle-stitched separate sheets between 10 -20 pages for each issue.
Edition of 100

Description:
Zine covers topics such as fiction, essays, short humour, visual art, interviews, and poetry. Mostly by Brooklyn-based artists.


My Favourite Chunky Pencils For Dark Line Work

 If you enjoy all things stationery then you are one of our people.
Here's a look at some beautiful chunky pencils for getting a gorgeous dark line in your drawings.


Madrid


Madrid
Ahava Evie Fridel

Publishing Info:
London, 2017
A5 colour 
8 x pages

Description:
Short narrative about two young women who visit Madrid. The narrative suggests that the protagonist is revisiting a familiar place from childhood. There is an undercurrent of grief throughout the story with the protagonist revisiting places that were once shared with another. The illustrations are expressive pencil drawings and the use of colour and black and white to emphasise 'now' and 'then' is beautifully handled. A story about grief, memories and emotions with touches of humour.

Dog and The Cat (The)


Dog and The Cat (The)
Dominique Duong

Publishing Info:
London, undated c.2021
A5 full colour printing
32 x pages

Description:
Lovely illustrations with a narrative that builds slowly about the growing connection between two women.
"A short queer fantasy romance comic I self-published, based on the myth of the Cat and the Chinese Zodiac. A slowburn romance story of a betrayal, the rebuilding of trust and delicious food." (author's website)

Link to Instagram:   @domduongart

I Really Don't Know Where I'm Going...




I Really Don't Know Where I'm Going...
@recovery_doodles

Publishing Info:
London (?), undated c.2021
A5 black and white with colour cover
34 x pages

Description:
Selection of captioned doodles all about the author's mental health. The back of the zine has this quote ' Tales from my neurodiverse soul; told through pictures. The drawings visualise emotions such as fear and hopelessness including a dog,
cake and a tortoise.

Link to Instagram:   @recovery_doodles

2-Minute Zines 'Animal Welfare'

 Two Minute Zines is a collection of short films that showcase various issues within our collection. We'll focus on content, materiality, illustration or other themes but only in two-minute chunks.
These were originally created for TikTok and are in vertical format

This is our first example: Animal Welfare Issues compares A Foul Egg and Monkey Trapped




Mouthy Queers


Mouthy Queers
Rachael House

Publishing Info:
Made on a  residency at Cornwall Zine Library, Fish Factory Arts in 2019
Mini-zine (A4 foldy)
16 x pages (folded)
Printed in red on yellow paper

Description:
Described as a celebration of people who have something to say, including writers, artists, performers, teachers, cartoonists etc. LGBTQI+ zine that introduces many inspirational characters.

Link to Instagram:   @rachaellhouse



The Who Knew Nothing Man / Paula / Anger: is not Brown Enough

 

The Who Knew Nothing Man /  Paula / Anger: is not Brown Enough
Nathan Walker

Publishing Info:
2014-2015
Set of three B&W printed on tinted papers
Saddle-stitched
Between 8- 12 pages A5 portrait

Description: Newspaper headlines collaged and rearranged to create absurd sensational headlines.
see also; Strike War Bullies, No Cameron and Bake Off Killed My Star Hubby.
The same words are re-arranged and arranged again to create new meanings.

Sketchbook #1

 



Sketchbook #1
Hugo Douglas-Dean

Publishing Info:
UEA, UK 2016
A5 colour laser print
20 x pages
Saddle-Stitched

Description:
A collaborative zine featuring pages from different artists’ sketchbooks: Emma Wellington, Jack Douglas-Dean, Lauren Rice, Ashland Larkin all compiled by Hugo Douglas-Dean. The artists were all students at UEA at the time of publication.



Fleur

 


Fleur
Sophie Chapman

Publishing Info:
UEA, UK 2016
A5 colour laser print on newsprint
12 x pages
Saddle-Stitched

Description:
A zine about flowers and poetry that includes photos of flowers and photographs of the flower tattoos on the author’s body, plus scans of pressed flowers she has collected.




All My Love

 


All My Love
Dana Mauritis 

Publishing Info:
Farnham, UK 2022
A5 colour laser print
20 x pages
Saddle-Stitched

Description:
A short, dark narrative about an unspecified figure/emotion visiting the narrator in their home.

Instagram: @danamauritis




Cool Schmool #2

 


Cool Schmool #2
Holly Casio

Publishing Info:
UK 2017
A5 saddle-stitched
20 x pages
Black and white photocopy with pink card cover

Description:
Comic episodic narratives illustrated through line drawings.
“A diy comic about being sober, being fat and eating in public, Eastenders, feeling sad, Harry Potter and the EU referendum, lads and friendship breakups.”

Link to website: https://coolschmool.com/

Repository of the Undercommons, (en)countering crisis and re:making futures


Repository of the undercommons, (en)countering crisis and re:making futures Issue No.1
Coillective zine from curatorial residency

Publishing Info:
26cm x 23cm 
24 pages
Colour print on newsprint

Description:
Collective zine including artists: Layla-Roxanne Hill, Nosheen Khwaja, Chris Manson, Fadzai ‘fudge’ mwakutuya, Nalini Paul, Jamie Temple, Verbene Blue Collective (VBC). Artists are from different areas such as curation, writing, design, visual arts, poetry, printmaking, theatre arts.

Website: https://www.enough.scot/creative-response/


Reserve and Renew: The LIS Mental Health Zine

 


Reserve and Renew: The LIS Mental Health Zine, Issue.4

Editors: Annie Pho, Abigail Williams, Liz Cheveney, Marisol Moreno Ortiz, Kelly McElroy, Nicole Gustaven, Violet Fox, Kate Deibel

Publishing Info:
USA 2021
A5 saddle-stitched colour laser print
42 pages

Description: 
A compilation zine with submissions from people who work/volunteer in libraries, archives, and museums (or are working towards A library degree) exploring the intersections of mental health, mental illness, and libraries/archives work. Profits from this zine donated to Mental Health First Aid (public education program).

No Jobs for the Arts


No Jobs in the Arts No.6
Editors: Chloe Williams, Charlie Collins, Ryan Boultbee

Publishing Info:
UK, 2022
A6 foldy, 6 pages opening out to poster on the reverse
Riso Printed in green/pink and yellow/purple on white cartridge paper.


Description:
A small foldy that contains interviews and visuals by five artists; Adam Coleman, Camille McCrawley, Harry Martin, Josh Nicholson, and Lily Holywell. The zine is funded by the Arts Council UK and is part of a series exploring how early-career creatives are navigating the world and their practice.
“The work in #6 is a guide of sorts, one of patterns and prophecies, of puzzles and pauses. It has settled as acts or instructions for confusion: meditations, diagrams, meditation and vanishings.” (Text from back of zine)
Instagram: @jobsinthearts


Ravember vol.1 and 2


 

Ravember vol.1 and 2
Jake Pond

Publishing Info:
UK through November 2020-2021
A5
20 x pages, black and white.
Perfect bound

Description:
Daily drawings through the month of November documenting Rave. The drawings follow the planning, setting up and event through it’s stages. The zine describes itself as part drawing exercise, part anthropological document, part colouring book. “…some kind of attempt to make a record of an underrepresented and underground scene before it’s gone fro good.”

Link to Instagram: https://instagram.com/jakepond23


Curiosity





Curiosity
Hannah Graves, Amber Jones, Khloe Windsor, Conor Clements, Rachael Brown  with facilitator Ceri Amphlett

Publishing Info:
Portsmouth, UK 2022
A5  two colour laser print on tinted papers
12 x pages
Saddle-stitched
Edition of 7

Description:
Collaborative zine created during a drawing/bookbinding workshop on MA Illustration at the University of Portsmouth, UK
Ceri Amphlett delivered the workshop and images were drawn/collages in black and white then laser printed in red/blue on white and yellow paper. The subject matter was the choice of the illustrators. Completed in a couple of hours.

Link to course Instagram: https://instagram.com/pompey_illustration


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