This is a personal essay I wrote about doodling, the fallibility of memory and the act of making home, for a conference about collecting. I gave it as a story-telling style lecture/presentation here in the fall, and decided to sandwich my slides and story together in print form.

It’s 20 pages, and 1/4 sized. You can order it from me for 2$+postage. Email bitsofstring (a!) yahoo(dot)ca

Some comrades have been kind enough to pass along a translation of this text which contains the appropriate italicizations, and some other minor changes. You can download the updated versions here.

theses_print_revise

Theses_Read

“It Is A Pleasure To Meet You”
colors: Turquoise and Black.
size: 5.5in x 7in
due: Try to have these in by January 22, 2010.

Here are some things to keep in mind:
- The artwork needs to be drawn.
- You must include the words of the theme.
- Scan your work in at 300dpi or higher. Make sure the file you send me is at least 300dpi.
- This will be screen printed, so if you know about the process, you can send me the artwork split into two solid black layers – what you want turquoise and what you want black. At the very least, try to send me a file where the turquoise is on one layer and the black on another.
If you still can’t or don’t want to do that, no big deal, I will just split it up when i get it.

This is an OPEN CALL for submissions. I want everyone to doodle something and send it in, but understand that not everyone that sends something in will make it into the final print version.
ONLY 16 artists make it in. That is, until I start selling enough of these to get a bigger budget.
If your artwork does get selected, you get a free artist proof of the book. (It looks exactly the same, it is just one of the ones printed first).
And you can then make a donation, if you feel so compelled.

So there you go!
Please start submitting right away.
Send files to randrenfrow@gmail.com OR testeverythingpress@gmail.com
Send your questions and concern there as well. AND PLEASE TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Test Everything relies on awesome people like you spreading the word!

thanks,
~rand renfrow

PS: Visit the store for new zines! Sign up for the newsletter by clicking on the link in the column on the right. There has already been one giveaway via the newsletter (winner announced soon) – who knows, you could be next.
Also, Test Everything has a twitter now, if it is easier for you to keep track of us there.

I was really impressed when I happened upon this humble little art publication – Good VS. Evil Magazine

It’s got a decent roll call of small-time artists and illustrators showcasing whatever aggressive perversions, disturbances, congenital psychoses and pathological gross-out weirdness they care to sketch out.

MMMMmmm.

Go take a look HERE, or check out their BLOG (which I’ll also be adding to my ‘Illustration Links‘ section on the right).

Take a look at what I just got in the mail, yesterday: The new Craftleftovers Montlhy!

Kristin have been publishing this smart zine for about 2 years, already.
Not only is it about using, you guessed it, your “craft leftovers”, but there are also a lot of general art and craft inspiration. Stories, recipes, craft tutorials and much more!

For this issue, I’m happy to announce that I’m one of her first collaborator, along with Leo Babauta.
I heard that Kristin was looking for someone to make a tutorial for a Spa Gift set and, since I already had experience in cosmetic-making, I jumped on the occasion! I also made a special illustration that could go with the tutorial.
(Bottom left illustration, #17)

There’s even a Crochet Loofa Sponge tutorial next to mine. It goes so well together!

I love how everything turned out! The printing is great and the new design is so neat.
There’s even an interview with Claire Chambers from Absolutely Small which is a neat addition the zine. She makes awesome Chickenpants plushies which are adorable!

***

So I didn’t put “Giveaway” in my post title for nothing, right?
Kristin has generously donated some issues to me and I decided to give 3 of them to my blog readers.

All you have to do is answer this question in the comments:

“What would you like to see more on Artvscraft.net?”

Is it webcomics? Freebies? Tutorials? Drawings? It can even be something you haven’t seen here yet.

I will draw 3 winners randomly this Monday, December 7th. Good luck!

I liked the concept.
Graphic&typographic design? Not so much.
Tell me what you think.

“Gym Class Magazine is a zine for the guy chosen last. What does that mean? Well, it’s a zine for the underdog, the black sheep. Remember your high school gym class? The bit where two kids were made captain and took turns choosing who they wanted on their team? Well, Gym Class Magazine is a zine for the guy chosen last.”

Here you can find a flip-through of Gym Class Magazine #4:

GCM #04 flip thru from Gym Class Magazine on Vimeo.

Visit their website.

Subscribe to The Wonderland by Email

This is a shirt you can buy from Urban Outfitters. It pretty much sums up what we’re trying to do with D&S. Enough with all the ♥ing of NY. More ♥ing of Tucson.

Ironically, the shirt is from somewhere far away. The fine print nestled underneath the Y in CITY indicates that this is New York kindly but sternly admonishing the rest of us to be citizens of our own cities, not piners for the Big Apple.

So pick up a copy of Tucson Weekly. Head down to a show and buy a painting made by someone who lives here or listen to a band made of people you know. Bypass Starbucks and buy your coffee at Avenue Coffee or Caffe Luce or Raging Sage. Eat a Sonoran hotdog from El Guero Canelo or a vendor in a vacant lot with some folding chairs set up under a tarp for an awning.

♥ Tucson.

first issue is DONE!

want a copy?

give us your address.

if you don’t feel comfortable leaving it here, you can email it to quackhouse@me.com (morgan’s email)

ps.

Dry Ice Dreams, the first book/issue of the bookazine series, Bumper Sticker Shine, by A.P. Fuchs is now available at the following on-line retailers:

Paperback:

Amazon.com
Amazon.ca
Amazon.co.uk
Barnesandnoble.com
Other On-line Retailers

eBook:

Amazon Kindle
Drivethruhorror.com
Mobipocket

Synopsis:

Mined from independent publisher and writer A.P. Fuchs’s archives comes a collection of horror fiction, essays on independent publishing, poetry, self-publishing questions, a new 21-page comic written just for this book, and more.

Not only will you be entertained, but if you’ve ever considered independent publishing but didn’t know what to make of it or how to go about it, Dry Ice Dreams contains insights from the man who made a career out of it.

A must-have book for anyone who wanted to get a glimpse into the world of a do-it-yourselfer but wasn’t sure where to look.

Also by A.P. Fuchs: Blood of the Dead: A Zombie Novel

The last Coscom Entertainment release: Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers

For our full list of books, please see: www.coscomentertainment.com

Digg it! Stumble It! FacebookMyspace

if you are curious of scale,  here it is,  take a regular piece of computer paper.  fold it in half along the horizon.  cut it.  then the two rectangles ya got, fold them in half and youre looking at a sample.  so these are 5.5″x4.25

- phil jasen

pdf of artist’s book – txt pix

Here is another book.  This one drawn in green ink.  Cleaner imagery, less punx, more hip.  Less d.i.y. zine, more clean design stuff.  Which kinda relates into its cover design even.  The stitching is hidden by being glued to a spine which is covered in paper.  some time ill get  a photo of these books all finished and update.

phil jasen

This 20 page zine was produced for me by the people at MuseumsQuartier to coincide with the opening of the 10 Days piece. It includes a nice text about my work as well as coverage of what I did while in Vienna last May (including the 10 Days painting and stuff from the streets).  I’ve also got a few available that are signed and numbered (out of 100) and include an original ink drawing inside. You can read through it online here.

unsigned – 5€

with original drawing, signed and numbered – 25€

Prices don’t include shipping which will be around 3-5€. To get a copy Email me at ripo.visuals@gmail.com or leave a comment here. l can accept paypal.

It’s been a little while since my last update! Here’s the latest:

- My postcard story ‘Prototype’ is part of the zine anthology ‘Coming out Femme’ put out by the Femme Family NYC, which you can order through them for 5$ (+2$ shipping). My story is about one of my first memories of being able to see femme.

- The Toronto Small Press Fair is coming up on Dec 12, at the Gladstone Hotel (the apparent nexus of all small press events). The Gladstone is @ 1214 Queen West, and the fair’s from 10-5. As far as I know, admission is free! The Small Press Fair, from my previous experience, is like a quieter Canzine, skewed a little older and more towards lit stuff than crafts.

- I’m working on a split zine fiction project which is (so far! ) about alienation in the city, with Dave Proctor of Wooden Rocket Press. We’re planning to get it out for the Small Press Fair. Details forthcoming.

- I’m also planning on printing a very short run of my collectorama lecture, complete with illustrations, for the fair, as well. I’m hoping to print them this week or next. You can also order a copy from me by email, if you missed my talk at OCAD and can’t make the fair: bitsofstring [at] yahoo [dot] ca

- Do You Like What You See? gets a shout-out on the fight boredom! blog

- You can download the new Hostage Life album here, for free. I’ve been going to punk shows again, lately, and trying to find new bands of that ilk to listen to, as I only have my old coterie of regulars from when I was a teen. (Bad Religion, anyone?) A friend of mine and I hit up the final show for these guys before they broke up, and it was an epic, sweating scream-fest. Very fun.

- Lindsey Markel has an amazing poem by WS Merwin posted on her blog.

zine reading!

I have a new issue of Brainscan and I’m doing a zine release accompanied by and open mic in Portland, Oregon.

Thursday, December 3, 2009 7pm at the Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC)

For more information about Brainscan #24 &25 go here.

We’ve heard enough D&S readers ask about subscriptions lately to make us move from wondering* about how and when we would set up subscriptions to figuring out the necessary particulars to make it happen.

Here’s what the deal will most likely be: Somewhere in the neighborhood of $12 will get a Dove&Snake subscriber four issues. We’ll do some more math to narrow that neighborhood down. Instead of calling it a year’s subscription like most print publications, we’ll say four issues because the nature of this particular beast** requires a flexible view of regularity.

We’ll do our best to publish four issues in the four quarters of a year. If we find we must adjust our schedule, subscribers could rest assured that they would still be in line for a quartet of issues, whatever they may be****. One of our goals is to be creative in publishing. We promise to be interesting, and a subscription would just guarantee that you receive the benefits of our creativity and curiosity over a sustained period of time.

We also have this thing about making issues special. No.1 included custom doodle and short-short edition, and several copies of No.2 were either stenciled or screen printed by local artists Keegan Rider or Reflective Collective. We would continue that trend with subscribers in mind, so you never know what surprise your issue would carry with it to your mailbox.

In short, the time seems right. Subscriptions would begin with D&S No.3, parts of which are either ready or getting there. Once we nail down the final details, we’ll post them here.

Right now, we’d love to hear if you’d be interested in a D&S subscription. If so, please let us know by commenting below, informing us on our Facebook page, or sending an email to doveandsnake@secondmi.org (feel free to ask questions or explain your excitement at the impending arrival of your prepaid D&S issues in your mailbox).

*We’ve always wondered about it. Yes, from the beginning. We just want to make sure we can do it well.

**Original content from people who don’t consider themselves writers*** but whose stories are interesting and unknown and local. Edited by someone who cares about writing and reading enough to add running a zine onto a day job as a Writing educator.

***Don’t get the wrong idea, though. They are good. They’ve studied it, even. They wrestle with words and they write pages worth reading. They are also people who just needed a nudge to get those words flowing. We are in the business of nudging people.

****Current plans include an immigration issue as well as an issue comprised of photographs by local photographers. Our goal with both: perspectives (stories on immigration from educators, volunteers, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, and more; photos from all over Tucson from students, amateurs, and professionals).

finally finished

available for free or a trade! get in touch

Check out the biggest tiny zine about Borrowers you will ever read. My A5/half-size Borrowers zine has been retired, and replaced by a 34 page accordion folded micro-zine, plus additional 8 page introduction. The text is equally tiny, hence the miniature magnifying glass included, which also fits into the box (while stocks last).  I thought the reduced scale was more appropriate to the subject matter!
Click here for more information & additional photos.

I have also added some special editions of Enchanted Times, with Intuition Doll kits in green or red, instead of the standard black & white.  There’s only one of each left (the blue was snapped up yesterday) so
click here now
for your chance to buy this limited edition version of E.T. #1.
Great colours for Christmas!

Who would have thought being a car mechanic and a stripper had so much in common.

Work Funnies is by Constance from Columbus and is a high-quality, black-and-white, photocopied 28 pages. It reads quickly because it’s strong start to finish and hard to put down.

The jokes comment on observations relevant to nearly all jobs: simple ones often overlooked or would insult your coworkers. They’re pessimistic in a good way (especially the kid’s section), and not a depression-waiting-to-happen Debbie Downer. You know, just quirky enough to get you through your shitty job.

For more information or purchase visit microcosm.org or myspace.com/bigcavecomix.

Our upcoming issue number 15 has the theme “Smells like…”  It will include a spread by one of our best buds Rich Weaver.  He had so many great iamges that we wanted to build the anticipation for the upcoming  issue by posting some outtakes.

The zine will be available at our release party (and 2 year anniversery!) on Dec 12, advance tix available above.