HANDMADE BOOKS & ZINES

What happens when a book becomes more than a container for pages? Handmade books and zines offer endlessly versatile ways to explore ideas, tell stories, gather fragments, reinvent existing artwork – or simply play with images, colours, textures and materials.
Over three days, we’ll explore how content and book structure can work together, beginning with making quick, simple zines that take the pressure out of making. You might arrive with a fully formed project, a germ of an idea, a collection of material you’ve never quite known what to do with – or no idea at all.

We’ll experiment with ways of shaping content and generating ideas. You might catalogue quirky objects, record everyday observations, tell a personal or universal story, explore a place through photographs or drawing, build something from colour and collage, or give forgotten artworks rescued from under the bed an entirely new life. You can work with a clear idea or discover what your book is about through making it.

Alongside this exploration of content, you’ll learn a range of straightforward, adaptable book structures and basic binding techniques. We’ll consider how different formats can expand an idea: what happens when pages fold out, sequences change, images are concealed and revealed, or the physical structure of a book becomes part of the story?
Monica will introduce examples from the diverse worlds of artist’s books, zines and journals, alongside books from her own collection, to show just how broad the possibilities can be.

As the course develops, you can choose how you work. Develop one idea in greater depth or work quickly across different formats, experimenting with possibilities to continue at home. Perfectionist or not, this course will suit you. There’s room for precise measuring and beautifully resolved work, but equally for uneven edges, improvisation, experimentation and happy accidents.

By the end of the three days, you’ll have experimented with a range of book forms and had the opportunity to develop one idea further. More importantly, you’ll leave with practical bookmaking skills, new approaches to developing content and plenty of possibilities for continuing your own handmade books and zines.

No previous bookmaking experience is needed – just curiosity and a willingness to experiment.