Making a zine: The Mini Geek Process
Every Derek and Irene adventure begins with an idea, and then a sketch and then a zine; the zine then informs what products I make for that collection.
The zines I create all have a central theme, from visiting space and going on a walk, to making snacks for board game night and being sucked into a video retro game, each stand alone adventure is written with a clear topic in mind.
As an example, the Merry Adventures of Derek and Irene, I undertook a lot of research, from discovering more about Robin Hood and his legacy to learning how stories were written in medieval times (spoiler: it was a long process), I decided that I would create the zine with little to no digital editing except to create the zine itself.
Depending on the theme of the collection I will use a variety of traditional and digital methods of illustration. Issue 8 and Issue 10 were created digitally to reflect the Video Game Aesthetic (I created the keyboard on the front cover of Issue 8 completely in graphics software using shapes!)
During the research and design phase of any collection I use notebooks and sketchbooks to keep all my ideas together. I also use a piece of software called Milanote, I use it to create mood boards, other folks might use Pinterest, but Milanote is much more dynamic.
The next step in the zine is to thumbnail the layout, the first 11 issues of the adventures are 8 pages long, that included a very short story, an activity page and a colouring page, but I was told these were too short and needed more, so from issue 12 onwards the zines are now 20 pages long! This allowed for much more content and I have been able to collaborate with my eldest This Goblin Makes, they contribute a fantastic one or two page comic featuring their character Star Jester.
When the zine is completed I create a PDF and send it to my favourite printer, Fistful of Ink where they print them onto good quality paper that is suitable for drawing and colouring on.
I love writing about Derek and Irene's adventures, each one is a joy to create and has challenged my skills as an artist and illustrator.
Which adventure is your favourite? And where do you think Derek and Irene should go next?
