Alleyways and Tunnels

Change is as good as a rest, so they say.

I feel like I've been revamping my blog for a while, but just starting to see changes.
Behind the scenes, I've been adding more photos to older posts, designing a new header and generally pottering about. I should have been adding new blog posts at the same time, but there is always a price for creativity!

Anyway welcome any new readers I've picked up, thanks for visiting!
My blog is about being a city dweller- things that I've seen and my random experiences. I always find myself in alleyways and tunnels, hence the name.

My new header was shot when exploring an underground World War 2 gun emplacement above Karori in Wellington, N.Z. If I'm without my camera, I try remember the atmosphere and small details, it could end up as a collaged perspective!

I can draw with a ruler, so rely on collage to fill in the details. Any snippets I use I try to disguise their origins with colouring pencils, ink or by photocopying to fade the details.
For my efforts, I have many blunt coloured pencils and several overflowing shoe boxes of cuttings. Photoshop is the icing on the cake as it makes the image cleaner and stronger in contrast.

When I'm not being creative, I write articles, do fact research, bit of retail, blog and study lighting. What a crazy year 2009 has been so far!

Zine Scene

Independent publications such as zines never went out of popularity it seems. I've been thinking about them for a while, looked up blogs about them and generally wondered how does one get into the zine scene.

I love the homemade nature of a photocopied booklet with ramblings, writings and general outside art.

They retain their DIY aesthetic by multiple photocopying and hand-drawn illustration. But really they are a platform for whatever you can think of -articles, art, collage, interviews- after all your the editor, reporter and publisher!

I went in search of zines in Hamilton to get ideas before I took the plunge. I only found one at Auter House. I've seen a couple in Wellington and know there is Cherry Bomb comics in Auckland, that sell zines. Must have a look next time I'm up.

So I decided to give it a try, make my own personal zine as its only a couple of A4s. But I wasn't sure what topic to write about, which is also true of this blog!

I joined the zinesters website http://www.wemakezines.ning.com/ just to give me an insight. There is lots of help out there from old-hat zinesters to noobs (newbies).

Its called 'Transmission', but I have hardly included any articles in it, even though I'm a journo. Think I wanted to see if solely imagery and a brief cartoon would carry the zine.

My family like it but I pay them well.
The next step is sending it on to a 'zine distro' and spreading my message to the world. But since there are hardly any words, my message isn't exactly loud and clear.

I was thinking of doing another 8 page zine about the hot spots of Hamilton after all the positive feedback.