They're all available to trade! (I'm happy to trade for small art or mini zines, if art cards aren't your thing. I'm based in the U.S. and will send mail anywhere in the world. 🌎)

Please contact me if you're interested in trading.

Hand drawn and hand painted with watercolor, acrylic paint, and ink.

I've made ATCs in the past, so technically these are not my first ones. But they are my first ones in a while. 😃

Earworm series

(See number references below.)

1.  "All I Really Want" by Alanis Morissette

All I really want is a wavelength

2. "Overboard" by Sail North

Treading water, shipwrecked and free
I could leave by all I know is
I'm in too deep

3. "Lore" by Dom Fera

Then you held your phone like a rosary

4. "Karaoke Downtown" by Dom Fera

But please, I'm trying harder now
And the linings on the clouds
Put colors in my eyes
I've never seen

5. “Marked” by Dom Fera

There’s fate and there’s moving like you’re marked

6. “Over” by CHVRCHES

Keep me in the dark
Then fast-forward to the part
With endless nights and neon lights
I'II be beautiful and starry-eyed

Nine pages held together with a fish paperclip (it’s cute!), inside a decorated Altoids tin. Each tin was decorated a little differently, and the stamped fish page varied. But the zine was the same in each tin.

This was a limited edition. I made 6 (and I kept 1 🤭), so 5 copies were available exclusively at Lancaster Zine Fest in 2026.

Details:

• 8 pages (including covers)
• All text is typed
• Printed in full color, double-sided, on white paper
• Finished zine measure 5.5 inches high x 4.25 inches wide
• Folded by hand (French fold)

This zine is organized and produced by Pocket Thoughts. Copies are available on Etsy.

I have contributed pages since 2021 (issue #3). Check out my pages below.

Issue #3

I made this astronaut illustration.

I wanted to go for a collage look, but still where I made each part of it. This is what the elements looked like, before I put the page together.

I started with black cardstock and a white gel pen for the stars in the background.

I drew the astronaut on white cardstock and the cloud thing on black cardstock with a black fineliner and white gel pen. Then I cut those out.

The white strips on the left of the photo are pieces of white cardstock.

I printed the text using my Phomemo printer. It’s so handy for little things like this!

Then I glued everything into place. To send it in for the zine, I scanned it, so I could send a jpg.

Making this page took a while since I created each element separately, but I’m really happy with how it came out.

Issue #4

I continued my astronaut theme from the previous year. Hand-drawn astronaut. Text added in Canva.

Issue #5

I made this collage by hand with scrapbook paper and stock photos. I added the text in Canva.

Issue #6

I drew this illustration by hand and then added text in Canva.

Issue #7

This was a page I made for Spaced Out. I converted it to black and white for Pocket Thoughts Annual.

Issue #8

This is a digital collage I created.

Here’s a rundown of my process for making this page:

1. Searched for images on Unsplash. (See image credits below.)
2. Uploaded the muse image to Canva to convert to black and white and edit the background. Downloaded as png.
3. Opened the edited version in Affinity to add the texture image. Downloaded as png.
4. Went to Pixlr and opened the edited image. Added the glitch filter and adjusted settings. Downloaded as png.
5. Uploaded the edited version to Canva. Added text. Downloaded as png.

There are definitely other ways of making a digital collage like this. Probably with less jumping between apps. But for this collage, I went to the apps that I knew could do the work I wanted. Streamlining the process wasn’t my priority.

Images credits:

1. Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry 1798 Charles Meynier (French, 1768–1832) France, late 18th-early 19th century oil on canvas Overall: 275 x 177 cm (108 1/4 x 69 11/16 in.) Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2003.6.4 (public domain). Photo by The Cleveland Museum of Art on Unsplash
2. Blue, red, and yellow abstract painting (free to use under the Unsplash License). Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

Details:

• 16 pages (including covers)
• Finished zine measure 5.25 inches high x 4 inches wide
• Covers are printed in full color on white cardstock
• Pages are printed in full color on white paper
• Folded by hand and bound with staples

Issue 2 includes three pieces of bite-sized fiction: “The Flame,” “Rain Check,” and “Downtempo.”

Zine details:

• 8 pages (including covers)
• Finished zine measure 4 inches wide x 5.25 inches high
• Printed in full color on 32 lb white paper
• Folded by hand and bound with staples

The zine encourages you to have your own space on the internet, away from mainstream social media platforms.

Details:

• 16 pages (including covers)
• Finished zine measure 5.5 inches high x 4.25 inches wide
• Printed in full color on white paper
• Folded by hand and bound with staples

A digital version is available in my Ko-fi shop (free/pay what you want).

Issue 1 includes one story, “The Accident.”

Emily recently discovered she has special abilities related to weather and nature. A truck accident forces her to choose between keeping her abilities a secret or revealing them to her friend, Mark. (This story originally appeared in a podcast episode for VLASINDA’s Desolate Library.)

Zine details:

• The zine cover is a handmade collage
• All text is typed
• 8 pages (including covers)
• Finished zine measure 4 inches wide x 5.25 inches high
• Printed in full color on 32 lb white paper
• Folded by hand and bound with staples

"How I Keep a Journal" is a zine about my journaling habit. It includes a short background on my journaling style, how I set up my notebook, and how journaling helps me. I wrote everything by hand, which is not my norm for zines with a lot of text. 😅 But it fits the journaling theme.

The zine is​ printed in color, double-sided, on white 8.5x11-inch paper.

Images of each page are below. You can download a printable PDF version in my Ko-fi shop (for free/pay what you want).

I had a zine listed in the Summer 2025 issue, and I was excited to see what other work was included!

This zine celebrates physical media. Pages feature photos of discs and text about how the graphics connect to the TV show or movie.

The zine includes history about developing food for NASA missions. The back side of the zine (when unfolded) shows vintage Tang ads and a list of sources.

If it’s giving Bill Nye episode, that’s my intent. 😉

I made a collage using space imagery for the background of the zine. All text is typed.

See below for photos and full text of the zine.

Astronaut food

What do astronauts eat?

Freeze-dried food was first used in NASA space missions during Project Gemini in the 1960s.

Since freeze-dried foods are shelf- stable, lightweight, and don’t require refrigeration, they’re an excellent choice for taking into space.

Astronauts use on-board water to rehydrate food in its vacuum-sealed package. Then they cut the package open to eat.

Every food package includes some liquid to hold the food together, so small food particles do not float away in zero gravity.

Food quality and options improved during the Apollo missions.

In the 1970s, Skylab, the first U.S. space station, included a galley with a table, trays, and heating elements to warm up food. The station also had a refrigerator for frozen foods, including ice cream. Yes! Regular ice cream is safe to eat in space. Just not on a cone, because crumbs could float away and get into instrumentation or irritate astronauts’ eyes.

An example of a food tray on Skylab

What about freeze-dried ice cream?

Astronauts don’t eat freeze-dried ice cream in space, so why was it made in the first place?

To sell in gift shops!

Freeze-dried ice cream was a way to excite people about space exploration, by giving them a similar food experience to astronauts.

The original and most popular company that makes freeze-dried ice cream is Astronaut Foods.

You can find freeze-dried ice cream treats in museum gift shops, amusement parks, and online.

A piece of freeze-dried Neapolitan ice cream

Did NASA invent Tang?

Tang, a powdered orange drink mix, is usually associated with space missions, but NASA did not invent Tang.

Tang came out in 1957 and was marketed as a breakfast drink full of vitamin C. Since Tang is a powder, it’s shelf-stable, which makes it convenient at home...and also
in space.

Tang was first taken into space in 1962, when John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth. After that, Tang became popular as a
space-age drink.

Because of zero gravity in space, astronauts can’t mix Tang and water in a glass. Instead, they have a vacuum-sealed pouch containing the powder. They use a needle to squirt water into the pouch. Then they shake the pouch and insert a straw.

Tang is still popular around the world and comes in additional flavors, including pineapple, mango,
and lemon.

Sources

What Really is Astronaut Food?
https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/what-really-astronaut-food

Former NASA Astronaut Explains How Food Is Different in Space
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E36F4XG5zcY

The History of the Most Polarizing Novelty Treat of All Time
https://www.seriouseats.com/astronaut-ice-cream-history-8687966

Freeze-dried ice cream
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeze-driedicecream

Freeze-Dried Foods Nourish Adventurers and the Imagination
https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2020/cg_2.html

Vintage Space Fun Fact: Tang in Space
https://vintagespace.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/vintage-space-fun-fact-tang-in-space/

Tang, the retro orange drink mix that astronauts & Florence Henderson liked
https://clickamericana.com/topics/food-drink/tang-orange-drink-mix

Tang! The space-age drink that’s still a worldwide staple
https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/01/world/tang-space-age-scn-wellness/index.html

Illustrations were hand-drawn in black and white, and color elements were added with space-themed washi tape. All text is typed.

Details:

• 12 pages (including covers)
• Finished zine measure 5.5 inches high x 4.5 inches wide
• Printed in full color on white paper
• Folded by hand and bound with staples

Spaced Out is available in a digital format on Ko-fi (free/pay what you want).

Here are some of the pages:

Process

I drew the black and white illustrations by hand. For all the parts in color, I used washi tape to make collage elements.

Here's what that looks like, step by step.

Draw in black and white. Simple black pen on standard printer paper.

Lay a piece of tracing paper over the drawing. With a pencil, outline the area where washi tape will go. For this page, I wanted a curved shape around the planet.

Use washi tape to cover the area outlined in pencil. I kept even lines of tape but you could overlap pieces or rip the tape into smaller pieces.

Flip the tracing paper over. Use scissors to cut along the pencil line.

Glue the washi tape piece onto the drawing.

I like experimenting during zine-making events, so this style is very different from the zines I usually make.

The images are pretty random. 😂 I was looking more at colors and patterns, with less regard for items in each image. Text is inspired by old card catalog entries (cards were on the tables, among archival materials available to use).

This zine encourages you to work with the materials you already have and not worry about what people will think of the finished work.

I drew the background by hand with markers. Layout and text in Canva.

Full text in the zine

Front cover

Left-brained art

Page 1

If you are a left-brained person (like me!), sometimes making art feels difficult.

You want there to be order. You want to sort out all the details from the start. And if you can’t do that, you feel stuck.

Here are some things I try to remember so I don’t get stuck.

Maybe these will be helpful to you, too.

Page 2

Simply start

Easier said than done.

Try making something (anything) before you decide on what the end result will be.

One idea might spark another idea..and then another.

Page 3

What’s “good”?

Don’t get hung up on what’s “good.”

Whatever is trending or popular for the moment doesn’t matter.

Make what interests you.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt

Page 4

No plan is okay

You don’t have to plan everything. (It feels uncomfortable. I know.)

Figure it out as you go.

You can take it one step at a time.

Page 5

What you have

In most cases, you don’t need special tools to start a creative project.

You can start with what you already have.

“The best camera is the one you have with you.”
-- Chase Jarvis

Page 6

You, first

Make stuff for yourself.

If other people like it, that’s a bonus.

If no one else likes it, you’re still learning and growing.

Either way, you win.

The finished zine is 36 pages (including covers); 4.25" wide x 5.5" high; printed in black & white; and bound with staples.

Urban Legends is available as a digital zine. You can download it for free on Ko-fi (or pay what you want).

Check out a few of the pages:

The zine is available on Ko-fi for free (or pay what you want).

The PDF is sized to print on one sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch paper (standard U.S. letter size).

This zine is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which means you’re welcome to distribute and share copies for non-commercial use.

If you don’t know how to fold this kind of zine, search for “how to fold an 8-page zine” on YouTube to find tutorials.

For Issue 1, I submitted a handwritten page about what I do to get back in the habit of writing.

Here's the text from the page.

Out of Practice

I've been keeping some kind of journal for over 20 years but not consistently. I go through phases where I write a lot and then very little. Here's what I do to get back into a daily writing habit.

1. Keep is simple - I keep myself organized, but there are times I feel spread out, with notes in several places. When that happens, I go back to one notebook and one pen.
2. Keep is loose - I'm not strict about what I write in my notebook. Any topic, any format will do. I try not to worry if I'm writing something "good" or interesting. I just focus on writing something.
3. Keep is low pressure - I don't set minimums for time, word count, or page count. I don't stress if I miss a day. Some days, I just write a bullet list, and that's okay.

My current setup

Main journal - A5, dot grid, hardcover (Leuchtturm1917 or similar)

Favorite pen - Uni-ball Signo Ultra Micro 307, black ink

I made the background for this zine by hand. I diluted blue fountain pen ink in water. Then I painted the ink on to watercolor paper. After the paper dried, I drew an abstract design with a dark blue marker and white gel pen.

This kind of line drawing is a technique I learned from Katie Gebely. First you draw dots on the page, at random. Then you connect the dots with straight lines. That’s what I did with the dark blue marker. Then I added shorter lines in white gel pen.

Process notes

I made the background for this zine by hand. I diluted blue fountain pen ink in water. Then I painted the ink on to watercolor paper.

After the paper dried, I drew an abstract design with a dark blue marker and white gel pen.

This kind of line drawing is a technique I learned from Katie Gebely.

First you draw dots on the page, at random. Then you connect the dots with straight lines. That's what I did with the dark blue marker. Then I added shorter lines in white gel pen.

The zine is available on

Ko-fi for free (or pay what you want).

The PDF is sized to print on one sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch paper (standard U.S. letter size). No access to a color printer? No problem — the zine looks great in black and white, too.  

To fold the zine, you can follow the instructions directly on the PDF. Or if you prefer video instructions, search for “how to fold an 8-page zine” on YouTube.

This zine is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), which means you’re welcome to distribute and share copies for non-commercial use.

This 8-page mini zine is printed in black on bright yellow paper and folded by hand. The finished zine is 4.25″ x 2.75″. Designed and laid out in Canva.

A lot of my zines start in a notebook page. Here’s where I started writing out what I wanted to include in this zine.

The finished zine is 8.5″ x 5.5″, 28 pages (including covers), and printed in full color.

Everyone who contributed to the zine received a complimentary copy. The rest of the copies sold out, mostly at Lancaster Zine Fest. So, no more physical copies but you can download a digital version from Ko-fi for free or pay what you want.

Note: The digital version is a PDF meant to be read on a screen. The PDF is not formatted for printing and folding a paper copy.

This zine measures 5.25 inches high x 4 inches wide. The cover is printed in full color on white cardstock. The interior pages are printed in black and white on 24 lb. white paper. Designed and laid out in Canva.

Here's the full text from the guide.

Tips for making zines by hand

1. Simple is good

If you've never made a zine before, mini zines are a great place to start! Google "how to fold an 8-page zine" to find instructions. All you need is a plain piece of paper, scissors, and something to write with.

2. Draw, collage, or write

Make the pages in whatever way works for you. You can draw pictures, glue down magazine clippings, or write about something that interests you. Your zine can be about whatever you want.

If you're making a mini zine with the paper unfolded, note that one row is upside down relative to the other row.

3. Stay way from the edges

Most printers can't print all the way to the edge of the paper. If you plan to photocopy your zine, leave about 1/4 inch of blank space around the edge of the paper. Or, at least don't put anything important near the edge, so you don't risk it getting cut off.

4. Embrace the imperfections

Handmade zines aren't going to come out perfectly, and that's okay! Don't sweat stuff like text or images being a little off.

5. Share your zine

Zines are a great way to connect with people! Post photos of your zine online and give (or sell) copies to people. Making copies at the library or a local print shop works great if you don't have access to a printer at home.

Unless you want your zine to be anonymous, include a way for people to reach you—A social media handle, an email address, or a website URL.

Here's the full text of my essay.

Five ways the Barbie movie uses visuals to share information about the world

The Barbie movie starts with a reference to the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and that’s how I knew that visuals would be important in this movie.

Barbie isn’t the first movie to share so much information about the world through visuals, but it’s the first one I’ve seen in a while to do it so well. Pleasantville (1998, directed by Gary Ross and starring Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon) uses color and 1950s sitcom tropes to share information about the world.

Let’s take a look at how these movies use visuals.

1. Saturated colors are positive

In Barbie Land, colors are saturated and bright. The color palette leans heavily on pinks (so many shades of pink!). The sky is a perfect shade of blue, and the grass is a perfect shade of green. Nothing is out of place. 

When Barbie and Ken go to the real world, colors are not as saturated. They feel more grounded. The outfits that Barbie and Ken wear while rollerblading have neon colors and busy patterns. They stick out immediately in the real world, even though the outfits would have been normal in Barbie Land. 

In Pleasantville, David and Jennifer are transported to Pleastantville, a black and white 1950s-style sitcom. When everything is normal in Pleasantville, objects and people are in black and white. As Jennifer starts influencing the town, objects take on saturated colors, starting with a red rose. Characters appear in color after they express themselves or reach their potential. 

Barbie uses colors to differentiate between Barbie Land (vibrant colors) and the real world (grounded colors). Pleastantville uses the transition from black and white to color to show changes in the sitcom world and characters.

2. No liquids in Barbie Land

There aren't any liquids in Barbie Land to fit the concept that there aren’t any liquids in Barbie playsets. Barbie takes a shower, but no water comes out of the shower head. She gets a carton of milk from the fridge, but the carton is empty. Barbie can walk across the pool because the surface is a sheet of blue plastic. And even the beach doesn’t have water, which is why Ken bounces off a rigid wave when he tries running into the ocean. 

Pleasantville does have liquids. There's maple syrup at the breakfast table, and characters drink soda at the diner. But one thing Pleasantville is missing is toilets. In one scene, Jennifer goes into the bathroom at the diner and pushes a stall door open. It’s an empty space. This is a reference to TV standards in real life. In the 1950s and 1960s, American TV shows did not show toilets. It was considered bad taste.

3. Vehicles are props

Barbie knows how to drive but her car seems to go on its own. In one scene, she waves to other Barbies and even takes both hands off the wheel. The car continues on a perfect path on the road. Also, the car’s rear-view mirror is a sticker, playing into the idea that it’s there for show instead of function. The car is a toy and Barbie doesn’t actually need to look in the rear-view mirror while she drives.

In Pleasantville, the firefighters drive the firetruck, and they know how to use the ladders to rescue cats. But they don’t know what the hoses are for, since there weren’t fires in Pleasantville before. The firemen are surprised that the hoses work, because they never needed to use them before. 

4. No one uses the stairs

All the dream houses in Barbie Land have stairs, but no one uses them. Barbies appear on one floor and then a different floor, much like how a child would move a doll from one floor to another in a dollhouse. 

A similar thing happens in the sitcom world in Pleasantville. Scenes take place upstairs or downstairs, but we do not follow characters up or down the stairs. This adds to the construct of sets for TV sitcoms. 

5. Physical appearance isn’t natural

Barbies in Barbie Land move in realistic ways, but details remind us that Barbies are dolls. When Barbie steps out of her slippers, her feet stay on tip-toes, as if she’s wearing heels. When Barbie walks, sometimes she poses her hands with straightened fingers (much like a Barbie doll's hands), instead of relaxed hands. There are moments when Barbie sits up or stands where her upper body moves as one, reflecting how Barbie dolls bend at the waist but otherwise have limited upper body movement. 

After Barbie has thoughts about death, she loses some of her doll-like features. On the beach, she notices her feet are now flat. When she’s talking to Weird Barbie, Barbie notices she has cellulite on her thighs. These two examples show Barbie connecting with the real world. 

In Pleasantville, there aren’t body changes, but there is a notable shift in how people look and carry themselves. Early in the movie, characters conform to each other. The women are in cardigans and poodle skirts with perfect makeup and hair. The men are all clean cut in tidy clothes. Everyone has good posture.

As the movie progresses and colors seep in, we see variations in their outfits and more relaxed body language. 

Barbie and Pleasantville use visuals to tell the audience about the world. Both movies deliver visual information through colors, deviations from objects in the real world (liquids, vehicles, and staircases), and physical appearance. All these visual details enrich the characters and stories in Barbie and Pleasantville.

Printed in black on teal paper. I drew this zine by hand and then adjusted spacing and layout in Canva.

Here’s the full text of the story:

It’s like playing cat’s cradle,
but we aren’t using string.

I do one thing.
She does something else that feels like…
an extension. A continuation.

And then we swap.

She does one thing—
says a phrase, draws some lines, moves her arm
just so.

I extend—
a line of poetry, a floral doodle, a yoga pose.

And then we swap.

The training protocol doesn’t specify how to teach.
Just that I’m supposed to.

I report progress back to the team.

And then we swap.

I designed this in Canva and printed it through Mixam. (Not an ad, haha. I like sharing how I make stuff.)

I wanted the interior pages to be a mix of typed text (the actual song lyrics) and handwritten notes (the words I hear). This way, the pages look like they’re annotated.

The zine is inspired by Sisyphus, a figure from Greek mythology who is tasked with rolling a boulder up a mountain, only for the boulder to roll back down every time he reached near the top.

Page 1 has a summary of the story of Sisyphus.

Page 2 lists chores that are repetitive: washing dishes, doing laundry, dusting, and vacuuming. At the bottom of page 2, there’s an illustration of a man rolling a boulder up a hill.

Pages 3 and 4 list tasks that are repetitive: making the bed, replying to emails, mowing the lawn, taking out trash, and paying bills. At the bottom of the pages, there’s an illustration of a man rolling a boulder up a hill.

Pages 5 and 6 list positive things that are repetitive: listening to favorite songs, making a cup of coffee, saying good night to loved ones, cooking favorite meals, celebrating holidays, and spending time on hobbies. At the bottom of the pages, there’s an illustration of a man rolling a boulder up a hill.

The zine includes background on Zany Brainy, my favorite toys from the store, and what happened to Zany Brainy after the company declared bankruptcy in 2001.

I made a digital version that is available on Ko-fi (free or pay what you want). You can download the zine as a PDF to read on your favorite screen. Note: This is not formatted for printing and folding a paper copy.

I had a lot of fun collecting info and reminiscing about Zany Brainy while I made this zine. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Each page includes small illustrations relating to playground activities.

I drafted this zine by hand and then I made it in Canva. The popcorn bucket on the front is modified from Terrance Barksdale’s photo on Pexels.

Text is printed in black on red paper.

Pages 1 and 2. The left page is an introduction with a disclaimer that the movies on this list are not necessarily bad. The right page is about District 9.

Pages 3 and 4. The left page is about Annihilation and the right page is about Jupiter Ascending.

Pages 5 and 6. The left page is about 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the right page is about Tron.

Maybe you’re like me and small talk drags you down. And maybe, like me, you have to put up with it anyway. Hopefully this zine can help.

This zine is printed in full color. I made the background pages using blue, purple, and red inks. Some pages have digital illustrations. All the text is typed.

It might be difficult to tell from the photos, but I tried a new page size for this zine, and I like it! A 12-page zine, printed double-sided on one 8.5x11-inch sheet of paper. The finished zine is about 3.5 inches high x 4 inches wide and bound with staples. And these dreamy cotton candy colors are on every page.

Glorious.

In 2022, I made a collage with a bit of text I’ve been waiting to use somewhere.

The background is photocopied aluminum foil. I simply cut a piece of aluminum foil and made a copy of it. Then I crinkled the aluminum foil a bit and made another copy. That became the background for this page.

The woman’s face and hands are stock photos taken by Ospan Ali, available on Unsplash. The text is something I wrote a while ago and hadn’t found a place for…until now. 😉

This collage is a very different style for me, and I really like how it came out! The great thing about submitting to zines is that there’s room to experiment. It feels like low stakes, since it’s only one page.

I contributed a collage to volume 2.

The moon, clouds, and pumpkins were paper stamped with a variety of ink colors. The spiderwebs were white gel pen on black cardstock. The house was cut out from black cardstock. I used yellow acrylic paint for the windows.

• Why timers are important to time travelers
• Tips and warnings for traveling through time
• Time travel methods

Pages were made with a combination of hand-drawn illustrations, digital elements, and typed text.

The zine measures 5.5 inches high x 4.25 inches wide (quarter-page zine). The cover is blue cardstock. Interior pages are printed in black and white on 24lb white paper. The zine is hand-folded and bound with staples.

A PDF version is available on Ko-fi (free/pay what you want).

I contributed a poem about time to Volume 1, Issue 3.

Here's the poem.

Artificial time

Astronauts floating around in space
as they go through their daily routine

Eating their rationed, regulated breakfast
Checking temperatures in the hydroponics lab
Making sure the telescope is snapping photos

Sometimes astronauts need a break
from floating
from weightlessness
that starts to feel like nothingness

So they turn on the artificial gravity field

And their feet touch down, stay down
For a little while they feel grounded.

Time travelers need that, too.

When you spend days in fast-forward and reverse–
Cyber future robot war
and medieval plague darkness–
Sometimes you need to rest
To stop running
To stop floating through the time stream

So they turn on the artificial temporal field

And they stay put
This city, this time
For a little while they feel grounded.

They find routine in artificial time.

Does that sound like a dream? Something we haven’t invented yet? 
A method to hold down time, and hold us to it, and let it pass.

Does that sound possible?

Because consider this:

Each year is counted by the Earth going once around the sun
Each month is counted by a set of moon phases
Each day is counted by the moon and sun, taking turns in the sky

But what about the week?

Seven days counted by…nothing. 
Weeks are man-made
Nature doesn’t determine how long a week is
We do.

Our weeks could be 4 days, 6 days, 9 days long
It doesn’t matter, really. But we chose 7.

Weeks are artificial to create routine, to hold us in place.
We control them
and we could change them.

I made the backgrounds with scrapbook paper, and I added some details with fineliner pens. Then I wrote the text on white paper, tore out pieces, and glued them over the scrapbook paper. I like how all the colors and patterns came together.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The zine is 16 pages long with 4 original stories and hand-drawn illustrations inspired by nature and magic. It’s printed in black and white. I couldn’t decide on a blue or white cover. so I made both versions.

The stories in this zine started as a series of tweets I wrote a few years ago. My original idea was to write 10 tweets in a thread and have that be one story about people in Camelot. I never finished that, but I took the ideas I had for Merlin, Arthur, Morgana, and a messenger and fleshed them out into these vignettes.

I drew the illustrations by hand using black and gray markers and pens. I wasn’t sure which illustrations would go with which stories, so I drew each page individually. Here are a few of the original illustrations.

When I finished all the illustrations, I scanned them so that I could do the layout digitally.

I used Canva to lay out the text and illustrations. I made many of the illustrations semi-transparent so that the text over them was readable. In some cases, I put white boxes behind the text, so that the words stood out without adjusting transparency on the illustration. Here are two of the pages in Canva.

After I laid out all the pages, I did a few test prints to see how everything looked on paper. I made a some adjustments, and then printed several copies for my Etsy shop.

It’s a quarter-page zine and 20 pages, which makes this the largest and longest zine I’ve made to date! The zine is printed in black and white and mostly hand-made with some digital elements.

It took me a while to make this zine. I knew I wanted to focus on photography, but beyond that, I didn’t know what to include. I knew I didn’t want it to be a how-to guide or lessons on photography. You can google all that and nothing I make would be as extensive or informative.

Instead, I thought about things that stuck with me—concepts and memories—and that’s what I made pages about.

I love how the colors, text, and illustrations came together. If you want to read about my process for this zine, keep scrolling after the images. 🙂

Process notes

I started with a white sheet of cardstock and used blue and black stamping inks to build the background colors.

The blue ink is distress oxide ink, so it reacts with water. After the blue and black inks dried on the page, I sprayed the blue area with water and used a clean brush to move the water around and add some texture. Then I let it dry completely. I drew the seaweed and everything else in the blue area with Tombow dual brush pens.

I drew the stars and moon in the black area with a white gel pen.

To create the text, I used a Phomemo thermal printer with sticker paper.

To make the background for this zine, I started with white cardstock paper. I used distress oxide inks (3 shades of blue) and blended them on the paper with a sponge applicator. This ink reacts with water, so I used a gear stencil and traced the gear shapes with a brush and plain water. That's what made the sort of ghost-looking gears.

I used watercolor brush pens with the stencil to create the darker blue and purple gears.

The blue and orange clock faces (most of the cover page and the clock faces on the inside pages) are scrapbook paper that I happened to have and fit perfectly. 🙂

This fictional zine is a handy guide for what to do when you meet your doppelgänger (whether they're a clone, from an alternate universe, or a time traveler).

The idea of finding music you like through people around you expanded into the pages of this zine.

I tried something new for me—monochrome. Only gray and black pens and markers in this zine. I like how it turned out.