Bristol Zine Fair...

On Sunday I ventured into Bristol for what was a very rewarding Zine Fair. It was small but special. I met a really lovely Illustrator there, called Jess Bradley, who writes and illustrates these great Zines for children (see below). She was incredibly kind and generous with her methods and she talked to me for a while about how she went about making and printing everything she produces (among other things sticker books, badges, key rings etc.). I like the fact that she plays around with her paper, she doesn't have a tried and tested method that she sticks to. You can't tell from the photo's but each of the Zines below are all different paper: gloss, matt and recycled. I like them all.

http://www.jessbradley.com/

I talked to Jess about my ideas for Piccolo and she was very enthusiastic - her positive response was a real boost and she also very kindly said she'd be happy to help with any questions I had putting it together - people are grand.

This is another Zine I picked up - it's aimed at adults but it's doing the same sort of thing I want to do with literature and poetry (it's also just really gorgeous so I most likely would have got it anyway!)

It's made by sisters Jemma and Katie Green, they've included work from writers and illustrators they both know - a fabulous collaborative project.

Happily I discovered that Katie is also the author of the Green Bean Zine (see below) which I've already bought in the past and have been keeping an eye on. I love her simple style and I can see both Zines helping form a style I'll end up using for my own.