Skip to Main Content
Research Guides@Tufts

SPN22X: Viajar Comer y Bailar - Experiential assignment

Scope

table of various zines

Clunie, Moira. "alphabet city table." Flicker, Mar3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/moirabot/5500874103/in/photostream CC BY-NC-SA 2.0DEED. Image unaltered.

What's a zine?

A zine, short for magazine, is a form of self-publishing typically printed on a single sheet of paper that is folded and physically circulated.  Zines typically have a DIY aesthetic and originate from circulation outside traditional print shops similar to pamphlets.

You can learn more about zines and the SMFA zine collection on the Zines and Alternative Publishing guide.

For this assignment you will need to take photographs before, during and after your experience.  You can take photos using your phone or equipment available for checkout at Tisch Library.

To help with understanding the scope of work, at minimum you'll need to photograph the following:

  • Start of the experience (photos that show your location, time of day...)

  • Photos that break the experience into several steps to guide us through the event as well as your reflections.

You'll also need additional supplies such as markers, glue, scissors, and the printed photographs.  If needed, you can find these supplies at the Digital Design Studio, room 303 Tisch Library.

Taking photos

Taking photos can seem like a simple task but you will only have one time to document your experience!  Try to anticipate the various ways you can share your experience visually.  Consider how you can build a story by taking photos with different angles with varying degrees of proximity to your subject.  

Types of shots

Consider how far or close your camera will be from the subject and how that impacts your story.   Having a variety of shots will help you share your experience in a more engaging way.

     Establishing shot                            Wide shot                              Medium shot                          Close-up

Example of wide shot. Sky, full exterior of building, and front lawn are visible. Example of a wide shot. Foreground has flowers and a path. Trees are cropped so only bottom half is visible. Example of medium shot. 3 foot flowers are visible in bloom. Example of close-up. Flower in bloom.

Process

  1. Consider what you want to share about your experience and brainstorm which photos you want to include as well as the order you will arrange your photos.  It's highly recommended you make a draft zine to figure out how you want to arrange the various elements.
  2. Select a zine template. Print out the zine template, the folding instructions and your photos. 
    • You can use the free, web-based application Photopea to put all of your images onto one document for printing.  Make your project 8.5x11inches at 300dpi.  Drag your images onto the canvas and select the individual layers on the right Layers tab.  Ensure the "transform controls" is checked at the top of the application and use the move tool to resize.  Hold the control button while resizing to constrain the porportions.  
  3. Fold and cut the template as indicated in the instructions.
  4. Cut out your photos and glue them on to the appropriate pages on the template.  Remember to leave space for you to write your thoughts and reflections!
  5. Add additional elements to your zine include drawings, glitter, stickers, designs or any other elements that help share your experience in zine form.
  6. Hand in!

Collaging


First image from https://blogs.library.duke.edu/blog/category/east-campus-libraries/, Second image from 11 Intersectional Feminist Zines and DIY Guide (with Template)

Consider how you can decorate, embellish, cut out, layer, college, color, etc your images to add to your story.  How can layering one image over another speak to the layers of your experience?  Try handwriting your reflections rather than printing them out in order to have the text more organically wrap around your images.

Zine materials art bin

The Digital Design Studio as an art bin with materials for you to use for creating your zine that includes glue, multicolored paper,stickers, markers, whiteout and scissors. You can access this bin anytime the library is open. It is located in the Digital Design Studio, room 303 in Tisch Library. When you walk into the space, to the right is our Digital Scholarship bookshelf. The bin is on the bottom shelf.