The OCAD Zine Library is a really great resource for anyone interested in getting into zine-making. When you’re new to the form there’s lots to consider, even if you already know what you’ll be putting on the pages — like how many copies will you make, and how will you print, bind, and distribute them? Although there are great books out there to guide you (and we’ve got two of them!), there’s nothing like handling some live samples to spark a good idea.

When it comes to binding, there’s lots of options ranging in style from crude to refined. Of course, which method you choose will probably depend on what tools and materials you have, how many copies you’re planning on making, how thick the zine will be, and what your intentions are with the finished piece. If you just want to share with your friends the comic you drew on a napkin last night, then you probably don’t want to spend more than a minute or two binding each copy, and the standard staple-in-the-middle (a.k.a. saddle stitch) will do you (assuming your stapler is long enough — and if it isn’t, just bring your stuff down to the Learning Zone and borrow our long reach!). On the other hand, if you’re making an artist catalogue, you might choose a binding that looks more finished and professional.

Five (Easy!) Ways to Bind a Book by Sharon

In addition to zines, the OCAD Zine Library includes two books about zine-making: Stolen Sharpie Revolution by Alex Wrekk and Make a Zine! by Bill Brent and Joe Biel. And we also have a zine about zine-binding! Five (Easy!) Ways to Bind Books lays out in short tutorials some of the most common binding methods: two which use scissors only (the 8-in-1 and 16-in-1), one using staples (saddle stitch), one using needle and thread (pamphlet stitch), and one using glue (perfect binding).

Right now in the Learning Zone we have a selection of zines on display that use the 8-in-1 method. This method is a long-time favourite in the zine community because it allows you to make a book-style zine from a single sheet of paper (that’s the “in-1” part) without having to print or copy on both sides; you also don’t need any staples or thread, although you do need to follow exact instructions about folding and cutting. The end result is a double-sided 8-page zine (there’s the “8” part). Most 8-in-1s are pretty small (an eighth the size of an A4), but you can make yours bigger by starting with a bigger sheet of paper. Depending on how much care you put into cutting and folding, you can go rough or elegant with it. And instead of leaving the second (hidden) side blank, you could use that space for a poster or hidden messages. Really, it’s a super customizable binding, constrained only by its length — but then, if 8 pages isn’t enough for you, maybe you’re ready for the next step up: 16-in-1! To find out about that, you’ll just have to come in and read the tutorial in Five (Easy!) Ways to Bind Books (call# I14XS).

So come on down and browse through our 8-in-1s! We’ve got fancy ones and messy ones, tiny ones and bigger ones, funny ones and serious ones — we’ve got all sorts! Right now we have some on display above the zine shelves, and some are hanging on the walls; but if you’re reading this after-the-fact, just mouse-over the images below for the call number, and that way you can find them anytime! (And, as always, if you need help finding something in the Learning Zone, just ask our friendly staff!)

A Small Sampling of the OCAD Zine Library’s 8-in-1 Zines

Wanna learn more about the OCAD Zine Library? Check out Zines for Lunch, the OCAD Zine Library blog! Wanna learn more about zine binding? Check out Bookbinding for Zines, a compendium of resources complied by Marta, the Learning Zone librarian!

The annual Great Grange Event exhibition ended last Friday, March 22nd. For those who had missed the exhibition hosted in the Learning Zone, here are a small selection of watercolours from Diane Pugen’s Nature & Culture: Drawing class.

Enjoy!

Hey, wow, it’s a new video in External Space!

This Goes Out to All My Girls is the fifth and final work in a series of “unassuming, documentary-type videos” from emerging Canadian artists curated by OCADU grad Jennifer Simaitis. In this video, a young woman (Elise Boudreau Graham, the force both in and behind This Goes Out to All My Girls) dances just like Beyoncé in Run the World (Girls) — only, by decontextualizing the choreography and peeling away the fashions, makeup, backdrops, charismatic acting, and production values, Graham’s performance is strikingly bare and mechanical. In her exhibition precis, Simaitis writes:

This Goes Out To All My Girls uses pop culture and its tropes as access points to interrogate mediated or purposed identities, and the implications of pop icons as paragons. […] The visual glitz and glamour of [Beyoncé’s] original video is stripped away, resulting in a tension between an awkward fan video and an empowering critique of prescribed gender expectations in the twenty-first century.

Elise Boudreau Graham is in her final year of a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. On her art blog, she describes herself as an interdisciplinary artist who “works mostly with paper & fabric & found objects” and who “likes to read non fiction & watch bad television & dance.” Graham has been exhibiting in Halifax since 2008, but This Goes Out to All My Girls is her Toronto debut!

This Goes Out to All My Girls will be on exhibit until April 23rd. You’ve got a whole month, but don’t procrastinate — stop by the Learning Zone and check it out!

grOCAD Hanging Garden Workshop

Saturday March 30 1:00 PM hosted at the Learning Zone

RSVP by March 28 to ocadgrows@gmail.com

Since January, Mondays at the Learning Zone have been all about the moolah. Bones, clams, dough, cash; whatever you call it, it’s money, and that’s what Money Mondays are all about!

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Love it or hate it, we all need money to live (barring some extreme cases!). Money management and financial planning are especially important when you don’t rely on a steady income — a situation sadly familiar to many artists. There’s no time like the present to learn about money because the longer you wait, the more of a mess you can get yourself into.

At this point, we’re already seven steps into the ten-step program, but don’t let that get in your way! You can still register for the last two sessions:

1 April — Step 8: Protect Yourself and Your Money
8 April — Steps 9 & 10: Get Help & Stay Financially Fit

For more information, visit the Financial Matters: Info Sessions page on the OCADU website.

Actually, it’d be a good idea to check out that web page anyway because Start Your Professional Practice Now! 2013 is coming up at the end of the month. With two days of presentations from artists, designers, and educators — like Budgeting for Artists & Designers (so you can catch up on what you missed at Money Mondays!), and Alumni Panel: From Classroom to Career — this is a great opportunity to learn from those who’ve been there. So take a well-earned break from studying, and study up on your future!