Zine Making: Communicating with Graphics

POINTS
1

MODE
Workshop

TYPE
Doing

KIND
SoCIETIE KNOT

THREAD
TD Interactive

Summary

This is a hands-on workshop where we’ll use drawing, comics, and zine-stylelayouts to explore how to express complex ideas in simple, creative ways. Noart skills or design background needed — just a pencil, some paper, andsomething you care about.

Whether your research involves lab work,archival digging, or everyday experiences, we’ll help you sketch out amini-zine page (or two) that communicates what it’s about — or why it matters. Alongthe way, we’ll explore how words and images work together — not just tosimplify ideas, but to express their depth and nuance differently.

What we’lldo

  • Learn the basics of what makes comics and zineswork
  • Look at examples of comics that do research(yes, that’s a thing!)
  • Try short, playful drawing exercises to loosenup
  • Break big ideas down into visual scenes andsimple steps
  • Make at least one zine page based on somethingyou're working on or curious about
  • Share your work (if you want)

Preparation

There is no extensive prep-work needed. Please come with paper and things to draw with. Sketch pens, colour pencils, and crayons work great. Please also think back to the last comic you read, and to your favourite comic (if you have one).

What participants will learn

· How to use simple drawings andlayouts to explain an idea or tell a storyHow comics and zines work — what makes them clear, fun, or powerful

· How to combine words andimages to express something that’s hard to say with just one or the other

· How to break big or complexideas into smaller visual moments

· How to explore researchquestions creatively — through storytelling, not just explanation

· How to experiment withoutworrying about being “good” at art

· How to give and get friendlyfeedback that helps you see your work in a new way

· How to make a zinepage from scratch

Completion

Complete a one or two page comic as a part of this exercise.


Written by
V. Chitra
Created by
V. Chitra