Zine Feedback

TYPED UP THE FEEDBACK SO I CAN EASILY REFER BACK TO IT

HIGHLIGHTED IN GREEN = MY RESPONSE TO THE FEEDBACK

First Impressions:

Different colour stock is interesting - feels like a mini newspaper. Paper really adds to the craft of the book.

Really well crafted - love the textures and noise of the book.

Like the mix media. 

Dark atmosphere mixes well with naivety of characters.

So expressive! Love how the collaged bits come out of the shape - like the bird's beak out of the circle - makes it 3D and dynamic. Really good storytelling and sequence.

Shapes around the images add a lot.

I am pleased with how the collage worked too, to be honest it was really just me playing with shapes, trying them one way, turning them around and glueing them down once I'd decided how they looked best. A PROCESS OF TRIAL AND ERROR - maybe not the best process but in this time frame it worked for me.

Lots of character.

Really love your puppets although I'm not sure if they worked so well to convey the life of your chosen author.

That's okay because I wasn't aiming to convey Poe's life. I wanted to discuss his storytelling, his melancholy world.

AMAZING ZINE! Love the page with the boy holding the bird.

Very interesting method of imagemaking.

Aesthetic:

Very interesting incorporation of shape through vignettes! Also V moody and lovely.

Intriguing cover, enjoyed the paper used.

Interesting interpretation of the raven!

Like the mix of photography and collage. Maybe could have tried more varying images though?

Great use of media and monochrome, getting an old school b/w effect.

Paper and printing style - very tangible.

Maybe needs a title/front page image.

Perhaps play with adjusting brightness to make it clearer. 

A bit more tonal contrast to break up big areas of black.

Good framing of the images - composition could be stronger.

Really like the model making - not too sure if the drawn element of the bird 100% works - maybe start making animals as well?

Images need to link together more - the handdrawn element seems not to blend that well with the images.

I did want to make the bird but drew it instead because of the time constraint. I do agree that they clash and don't really go together. This feedback seems a bit more harsh than last year but I am glad because it is honest and constructive. Even though I'm a little disappointed that people commented on these flaws because it makes me feel bad about my work, I'm glad they did because it shows me what to improve on for next time.

Concept:

Perhaps develop a bit more dialogue, story. More info on author.

Could maybe add some text to direct the story.

No idea what it's about.

I agree! I was trying to decide whether I needed text or to keep it vague. I now think it needed at least a title! I'm not sure if I want it to be obviously 'Poe' because then it gives the whole game away. It's spoon-fed and blatant - I wanted my zine to be a bit more spooky in its ambiguity e.g. no title, no words, no artist and unidentifiable characters.

PEER ZINES

Zines I saw around the studio and loved:

Kat's beautiful storytelling. She looked at Shakespeare and had lots of text in her zine but it worked well with all her lively illustrations! A mini book rather than a zine but that's why I liked it. An obvious admiration of her author too, and a synthesis with her author's tone of voice through her appropriately Shakespearean, humorous character drawings.

Sophia's approach to documenting her author - she also did Shakespeare but her focus was on the performance. He was a playwright and Sophia celebrated this by illustrating the actors, the stage and the audience. An all-round theatrical zine.

A couple of really sweet ones about Leonora Carrington making me wonder if I should have studied her further - a sense of adventure and feminism in these bold zines. Suits target audience of and current zine culture.