The Zine Fair Evaluation.

Last year I felt as if the students of Contemporary Art History were overlooked within the School of Art, and their unit was badly planned with Unit X. I am glad to say I have enjoyed Unit X this year so much more than last year, and feel I have really excelled in this college. I have found the lectures and workshops guided me, and inspired me when making my zine, whilst allowing me the freedom to produce something that I liked and wanted to make. 

I worked on my zine alone, and although I knew that we were encouraged to work in groups, I decided against it as I joined this fair a few weeks after everyone else, and so everyone else already had their groups with clear ideas about what their zines were going to be about. As I had a clear picture of what I wanted to work on anyway, I felt confident that I could successfully produce what I envisioned, and was comfortable working alone. 

Although I have engaged with unit and enjoyed working alone, I feel as if I could have become more involved by working with others in different ways, perhaps by submitting some of my own work to other people's zines. One of my main concerns when in the Craft Fair was how discouraged Contemporary Art History students were to join, and the discomfort felt when working in a unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar people. Although I worked alone in creating the zine, my collaboration with other students when helping to organise the event removed me from my comfort zone and familiarity, yet I dealt with the uncertainty well, becoming a team member with people I didn't know.  

I responded to the information that we were given in workshops and lectures, and kept a sketchbook and diary. Although I didn't always get a chance to use the skills I learned (such as the risograph, which I liked the effect of), I know that I can use these in the future if i need to. I also taught myself new skills whilst working on this project. I had not used Microsoft Publisher before but managed to successfully make and print my zine (even if it did print upside down to begin with). I have also not drawn much or used Photoshop for a while and I found it difficult to remember how or what to do to create something. 

As for the content of my zine, I am happy with the outcome. I put a lot of research into each piece, and enjoyed the process of writing them. Given more time, I had planned to write about how to make your own bunting, how to make your own floral wall hangings, and to attend and write about 'Crafternoon Tea' at Whitworth Art Gallery. However, given the time spectrum of the project I am happy with the results, and perhaps I could use these ideas in the next issue of Crafty.

I feel as if the fair was a success, and constantly had a steady stream of visitors all day. I feel proud that I had a helping hand in the organisation of the event, and feel as if it was good experience to have when planning future events. 

Production

I produced my zine using the articles I have previously written and posted on this blog. I have also kept a handwritten diary and sketchbook throughout this project. In this sketchbook I have made some quick sketches and drawings, which I scanned and included in the design. 
I then produced some images for the front page of my zine using my limited Photoshop knowledge. I made these using photographs, scanned drawings and online fonts. I also edited my simple ink wash page, which had my Haiku on it, using a filter on Photoshop. 
I then put the zine together using a booklet template on Microsoft Publisher. I printed the zines on a regular laser printer on a4 paper, folded, and attached fold back clips to keep the sheets together. 

Distribution

After the lecture on the best way to distribute your zine, I saw the benefits of making a digital version of my zine a available online. 

I decided to make my zine into a PDF file and upload it to the website Issuu http://issuu.com/paulastatham/docs/crafty 

This also means that even if the physical copies become lost there is always a copy of my zine available online. Archives it online. 

I also signed up for Etsy, to begin to sell my handmade jewellery items that I have started making since writing this zine, as well as my zine. 

I have also put a copy in the Salford Zine Library in Nexus Art Cafe. 

Jewellery Making- The Bead Shop

So, I got a little excitable in Affleck's Palace's, The Bead Shop and ended up buying a lot more than I originally planned. There was so much on offer, and so many ideas kept popping into my head, I just couldn't resist. And next thing you know I have a bag full of trinkets and slightly less in my bank account.

 

The first idea was obvious really. Earrings. With so many beads and charms to choose from, choosing the right one is probably the most difficult task when making earrings. These cost 50p each. The earring hooks come ready made, use a jump ring to connect the charm and the hook. Voila. And a bargain cost of £1.20 to make.

I found these charms in the shop saying 'handmade' or 'made with love'. These really seemed to encapsulate what craft was about. 

Next i moved on to making bracelets, using the 'made with love' charm. To make this is bought some strong, thick thread. Using three colours I plaited them together, making sure i left enough room to tie the clasps on at the end, and added the charm half way along. The Bead Shop has a range of clasps of various designs, I chose this variation on the T bar clasp. Securely tying a jump ring in the thread, I then attached the clasp, and cut off excess thread from either end. 

Just visiting The Bead Shop will inspire you to create your own individually styled pieces of jewellery, and adding those ever-so-cute 'handmade/made with love' charms can be perfect when presenting someone with their handmade gift. 

Wallpaper Art Collage

Do you remember 'backing' your books when you was in school? You could cover them with wallpaper, magazines, posters, stickers, patterns, anything really. I always thought this was a really cool way to show your personality and creativity. 

I've seen this practice being used recently in those hipster bars around Manchester as a form of decoration. It's cheaper than buying wallpaper and its a fun collage activity which can reflect your personality. 

You can use anything to make these wallpaper art collages, magazines, newspapers, old books, flyers or posters. It is a great way to make use of those pages of books, magazines etc which are really just too interesting to be kept hidden inside a book or magazine cover, and shouldn't be thrown away.

Making a collage can be fun and really doesn't take up that much time. First of all, find your images. 

You can have images with a similar theme. Pages of fashion models pulled from Vogue. Images of singers and bands pulled from NME or Rolling Stone. Comic strips pulled out of your favourite comic books. 

Or you can mix it up and have a range of photography, text, and drawing prints together in your collage. 

Make sure you cut plenty of images, and don't be afraid to cut in a non-quadrilateral shape. Cut around the body shape of a person, follow lines in the image. 

Fitting the images together- it's not a jigsaw. They might not fit perfectly but that is the delight of collage. You can plan where you want the images to go if you like, but it is also quite fun to work on a trial and error system. If one image doesn't quite fit, simply cover it with another image. 

And if your landlord isn't crazy about the idea of you covering the walls with magazines/comics/newspapers, maybe make your collage on a large board which can be hung on the wall and taken down when necessary!

Kirsty's Vintage Home- Book Review

Kirstie's Vintage Home includes 30 simple guidelines for handmade projects to do in the home. Embracing your love of everything vintage can sometimes make your home look like a bric-a-brac shop. Using inspirations from times gone by is a sure way to give your home a look which will never go out of style. 

Kirstie Allsopp is recognisable face from our televisions, but does this mean we trust her to successfully craft in our home? Well, I'm going to suggest you should trust her. Many of the projects are practical as well as aesthetically pleasing. Just flicking through the book, makes me pine after every so many items of furniture and fashion. 

Nowadays, I feel as if the word 'Vintage' is just thrown around without a second thought to the actual meaning of the word and if it is being used in the right context. At the moment, 'Vintage' just seems to mean a type of fashionable look which may have once been popular a few decades ago, but the item itself can be brand new. Bought from Topshop. That's not Vintage if you ask me. Who cares? It looks pretty. For now, Vintage is FASHION. 

Kirstie seems to embrace the contemporary interpretation of Vintage; all the project ideas are cute, quirky and have a touch of kitsch about them. However she doesn't let the reader forget that in her opinion, the word vintage is 'just a smart way of saying second-hand', and she regularly encourages the reader to shop second-hand, to give life to an old something special. She even gives tips on where these gems might be hiding, and how to look past the grime to recognise the attractiveness of a piece.
She gives a low down on popular styles and inspirations from various era's, making sure the reader is well informed, and able to choose what kind of style reflects their personality. 

The book is packed with ideas of how to pop your personal and unique stamp on furniture, decoration and more. Picking up only a few ideas from this book will amaze your friends and have visitors envious of your individual style. You can't buy individuality from Ikea after all. 

'Ultimately my message is this: the past and crafts go hand in hand because they're both about seeing the potential in things for your home and giving them a new lease of life... You are creating a beautiful home who reflects who you are and what you are about.'

That is what I like about this book, the element of craft is ever present and the book shows many photographs of Kirstie herself taking part on creating these projects. They are do-able and stylish, using materials that won't break the bank and give that personal touch that a home needs. 

So despite my apprehension, prejudice and slight cringe of anything being described as a 'Vintage home', Kirstie has amazingly got it, spot on. Her ideas are original, she doesn't encourage you to convert your home into a shrine or museum dedicated to the 1930's, just to embrace the beauty of an item soaked in history and charm. Read the book, go forth, and craft vintage. 

Mean Miss Mustard's helping hand

In Natalie Bradbury's lecture about The Shrieking Violet she mentioned how she always liked to include a recipe for the reader. This gave them a reason to keep the zine and meant whilst following a recipe, reading the zine wouldn't be a passive experience. 

I liked this idea, and although I had already planned to have instructions of a different kind in my zine I felt as if cookery  and craft were ultimately a related practice, and so I should include a recipe. 

Then my thoughts led to Mean Miss Mustard, a girl and blogger I knew who regularly blogged with her own creative recipes, frequently made from left over ingredients resulting in an experimental culinary surprise. I had enjoyed reading the story that always seemed to go along with the blog and so asked her if she would like to join forces and create a recipe especially for the first issue of 'Crafty'. 

Crispy Gnocchi With Lemon and Chilli Broccoli and 99 Cupcakes recipes will be included in my zine, along with the amusing northern witty story which accompanies the food. 

http://meanmissmustard.com/ 

Zine Fair Organising Committee

After joining 'The Zine Team' a tad later than the rest of the group, I really wanted to get involved and talk to people from other courses also involved with zine fair. I wanted to find out what kind of content of work people from other courses were producing and what kind of design and procedure they were using for creating their zine. 

Unit X seems very focused on collaborating with others, bringing you out of your comfort zone and dealing with uncertainty of new situations. With this in mind, I decided to throw myself in and sign up for the zine fair organising committee. As the only person from my course on the committee, not knowing anyone else, I have begun to make new contacts and working together with the other members of the organising team in order to bring the fair together. 

After the first meeting, clear roles have been set and I have volunteered to assist with marketing alongside Tom and Steph. The ambitions for the zine fair are as follows- 

• The event would now be a Zine and Print fair at 2022NQ on 16th May between 12-3pm. 
• We aim to have an exhibition of the zines displayed during and after the event for people to come and browse. 
• Catalogue of all the zine groups.
• Posters to be made and distributed to make people aware of the event.
• Special  invites to be made.

My tasks includes-

• Setting up of a facebook event.
• Keeping good contacts with the design group for updates on logos and the poster.
• Change the twitter name and info of @MMUnionART1 which I have used for marketing previous events.
• Contact specialist sites and organisations to promote the event, i.e. Manchester Print Fair, Manchester Wire, Manchester Confidential.
• Sending the invites to independent galleries and artists studios, i.e. Hotspur House, Islington Mill, Rogue Studios.
• Sending invites to lecturers, tutors and guest speakers who have been involved with Unit X. 

Through assisting with the organisation of the event I have collaborated with people from other courses, and prepared for the fair in a way in which allows each person to work to their strengths. 

I am also learning skills of professionalism when writing up the description, event invites and requesting promotion assistance from other established organisations.

Haiku

Writing Haiku's can be an interesting way to break something down and really think about what it is. Sticking to the traditional rules of the 3 lines, and 5-7-5 syllables, I have written this Haiku poem about the process of crafting and why people do it. The Haiku will appear in my zine. 

An activity

Handmade Creativity

Personal Keepsake

Candle Making

In order to write instructions on how to make things and get involved with craft practices, I needed to myself make the things. I started by making candles. 

You will need:-

• Paraffin Wax
• A candle container
• Wick holders
• String
• Borax 
• Colourings and scents
• An old tin can

Step 1: Making The Wick
Cut some string so it is long enough to stand in the candle holder. Dissolve 1tbsp of Borax in water, and leave for one hour. Allow the string to dry overnight. Soaking the string in Borax will help the wick burn for longer. Attach the string to the wick holder. 



Step 2: Melting The Wax
To avoid ruining your pan you should do this in a double boiler. Boil the water in a pan, and use the old (but washed out) tin can to pour the paraffin beads into. Add any colourings and scents and wait while the wax melts to liquid. 




Step 3: Pouring The Wax
Dip the ready made wick into the melted wax and allow to dry. Glue the bottom of the wick holder to the bottom of your candle container. To pour the wax, I suggest picking up the tin by clipping a tin opener to the edge of the rim, as not to burn yourself. Pour the wax into your container and leave to set. 




Step 4: Finishing Touches
You might need to tie the wick to prevent it falling back into the container of liquid wax. Allow up to 6 hours for the wax to settle and any trapped air bubbles to rise. Then your homemade candles are ready to enjoy. 

Manchester Craft And Design Centre (Northern Quarter)

Hidden in a quiet, but ultimately hip sector of the Northern Quarter, Manchester Craft and Design Centre is a quirky little find for those ever-so-individual shoppers without travelling far out of the city centre. I first came across this little gem after getting a little lost whilst trying to make my way back to Shudehill bus station from Oldham Street- needless to say, i missed my bus. 

Their leaflet boasts: "In the heart of the city's creative Northern Quarter, Manchester Craft and Design Centre is home to some of the finest designer makers in the region." And they're not wrong. 19 studios filled with a range of original works including textiles, photography, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, lightings, ephemera, and paintings- all waiting eagerly for browsers and buyers to pop by. 

Since that first chance stumble upon the centre, it has aided my shopping trips countless times- especially when searching for those special and personal gifts. 

There is always an exhibition to see even if you may not be the shopping type. At present, 'Every step: The Design Process of Joseph Hartley' presents the work of the winner of the MMU Graduate Exhibition Award. Joe's work is eye opening to the procedure of creating, exploring the materials, use, and reasoning of objects. 

Joseph Hartley is also leading the upcoming 'Throw with Joe' workshop, where Joe will teach how to throw clay on the wheel and share his creative practice secrets. Workshops are regular events hosted by Manchester Craft and Design Centre and the designers. Sewing and embroidery workshops take place all year round, as well as 'Make Your Own Wedding Rings' workshops- a wonderfully personal touch for the perfectly romantic couple. 

The centre also has a popular cafe with 'lovingly made' food and drink, where visitors regularly escape the noise and rush of the city and can sit and relax in a welcoming environment, watching the artists work and the world go by- and they regularly do just that. 

If the metropolitan life is getting a little too much for you, a trip to Manchester Craft and Design Centre is in order- indulge in the homemade and personal touch. It's homely feel is just what you need. 

Manchester Craft and Design Centre              Open Mon-Sat

17 Oak Street                                   10am-5.30pm

Northern Quarter

Manchester

M4 5JD

Writing About Art- Holden Gallery

In our Writing About Art workshop we was asked to try to write a small quick review of the exhibition at  the Holden Gallery. This is my response:- 

The title of the exhibition- ‘Creation/Destruction’ blocks the view to the open gallery space, keeping the content hidden until you venture inside. Situated in the heart of the Manchester School of Art, the Holden Gallery is an artistic hub for students.

The distraction of people passing through, the students relaxing and chatting in the café area adjacent to the art, and the general hustle and bustle of university life can interfere with a person’s perception of the work.  Although this initial change in gallery atmosphere can interrupt the work, after sitting and absorbing the environment it seemed so obvious to hold an exhibition on ‘Creation and Destruction’ in a gallery with such strong links to the newest contemporary artists- the students, whose work is constantly related to the creation of art, and in doing so the destruction of the materials they use.

One of the main striking yet overwhelmingly simple pieces of the exhibition took the form of a plinth with burning candles of various heights, Untitled (Black Candles), and the frame of decaying flowers, Preserve (Chateau) both by Anya Gallaccio. The candles being given centre stage in the middle of the room, and the flowers in the middle of the back wall. As a student regularly visiting the space it has been interesting to see them gradual decay of these works.

(Courtesy of Holden Gallery website)

All the work seemed to carefully link to the name of the exhibition, and had clear themes throughout, showing the relationship between creation and destruction, always portraying the links between the two thinks rather than creation and destruction as two separate things. The exhibition is running from 12^th April- 23^rd May 2013 from 10am-4pm, and although may not be a usual commercial gallery to visit, it is a must see.

Writing About Art Lecture

Reasons to write about art:-

• Contribute- To be an active viewer and not passive. 
• Dialogue- Responding to and evaluating art, which can be part of the process of creativity.
• Archive- Exhibitions and shows can just disappear and be forgotten about, writing about the event can record what is important. 
• Think- Writing to work out what your think and form your opinions, to develop as a creative. 

What is criticism? Fault-finding? Judgement? Negative? Discrimination? Appreciation? Taste? Cultivated? 

Art Criticism can be very London- centric, and can focus on the big, established exhibitions- often overlooking the ones at smaller venues and by lesser known artists. 

Examples of where writings about art may be found- Art Monthly, Freize, Creative Review, A-N newsletter.

Arty- a fanzine. Written by fans of art. the critical friend, this will take contributions of articles. 

Things to include when writing about art:-

• Admin- Name of the exhibition, the artist, venue details and dates etc. 
• Description- Recording the work/exhibition and what took place. Using senses to describe surroundings and occurrences. 
• Research- Familiarise yourself with the artists work, understand themes and ideas. how does it relate to other work the artist has previously done?
• Context- How is the work being shown? Intentions of the curator? Does it relate to current or past exhibitions?
• Evaluation- Do you find the show interesting and why? Does it effectively do and achieve what the artist aimed for? Do some bits work better than others?

The Shrieking Violet

The Shrieking Violet is an alternative magazine about Manchester, written by Natalie Bradbury. 

Examples of some of the articles and themes she includes in the magazine:- 

• History of street names
• B of the Bang sculpture
• Creative writing and stories
• Feminism stances
• Reminiscent stories from born and bred Mancunians. 

Natalie started making the zine after completing her degree, using this project as a productive pass time whilst unemployed. With her interests lying in journalism, she was not so much interested in the the design and artwork of the magazine, but the content. She also blogs but finds the blog layout limiting as the newest post is always at the top of the page. 

Design: Natalie showed us some of her earlier issues, and explained how the design and production of the magazine had changed and improved in the later issues. She used boxed in writing and photographs behind the text, often making it illegible. 

Content: Since those earlier days of the Zine, Natalie has learned to collaborate with other artists and writers, bringing a range of perspectives which has helped to shape the design and content. Each issue has a different artist who designs the front cover. Images and drawings feature throughout the zine. Each issue also has a recipe, which Natalie includes in hope that this gives the reader a reason to keep hold of the zine. 

Inspirations for The Shrieking Violet came from her father's collection of Punk zines. 

Distribution: Always leave some zines at The Cornerhouse, at least one for Salford Zine Library and then distribute to various cafe's and bars around the city. 

Also make a PDF file and have an online version of the zine. 

My Zine Idea- 'Crafty'

I have decided that my zine will be focused on a mixture of review writings and articles focused on the word 'Craft'. 

I aim to produce a zine focused on craft practices, with reviews of craft exhibitions, fairs and books. I will include how-to instructions and ideas of simply making things in the home. 

So far, the contents of my ideas are:-

Candle Making

Jewellery Making

Manchester's Craft and Design Centre review

Bunting Making

Baking Recipe

'Kirsty's Vintage Home' book review

Homely Wall Hangings

Haiku's 

Special Collections

On Thursday 11th April we went to Special Collections to view the assortment of Zines and prints that MMU had collected over the years. 

From this visit I saw how the culture of making Zine's had flourished in the movement of Punk Britain, with it's cut and paste, anti-establishment style.

Many of the themes of the Zine's from this era were focused on music and social change that may happen through making people aware of issues and informing them of certain events. One 

such event that interested me was Rock Against Racism, in Moss Side's Alexandra Park- featured in the zine, 'Temporary Hoarding '. After researching the event afterwards I found that it was a massive success with acts such as The Fall, Buzzcocks, and John Cooper Clarke. I also found that Temporary Hoarding was published for over 10 years- this displayed the impact that a Zine can have, and how a following can be made. 

I noticed that there was a wide range of materials, content and design that entered under the heading of a Zine. There seemed to be no uniformed look or design. Some were in the form of a hardback book, others a case for a CD, others a print of an illustration alongside a poem. 

Some were handmade with drawings and ink stamps and prints, and some had a sleek finish using photography and professional binding. 

From this visit I saw how broad the range of Zines can be in design, production and content.  

Salford Zine Library

Now that I had decided on creating a zine I took a trip to Salford Zine Library at Nexus Art Cafe. This wasn't my first visit but this time i took note of designs, ideas and themes of the zines. 

 I liked the stained paper, and thread detail in this zine.

In this zine, i liked how it was rushed yet simply planned, and the use of minimal colour on white background.

I noticed the use of finished look when using black and white photography.

I liked the mix of various forms of illustration in these zines.

From this visit I began to piece together an image of how my zine would look and the style of its design.

Initial Thoughts- Craft vs Zine

I initially started out in The Marketplace college of Unit X on the craft fair. It soon became apparent that although I had interests in craft practices, as a Contemporary Art History student who doesn't regularly partake in art practice, this didn't necessarily mean this was where my strengths lay.

As the craft fair outlined, I looked to The National Trust Collections for inspiration. Amazed at the vast size of the online collection I became interested in homeware, decoration, jewellery and textiles, especially with personal or handmade touches. I had ideas of home decoration and trinket making. 

However, my aims and desires for Unit X was to encourage others to take part in craft, collaborate with others groups and to inform people how they could do this, rather than particularly making the objects myself. I then decided that a zine about craft would provide a good platform to express my interests in craft practices whilst building on writing and research skills that I already have.