DIY Zine-Making Workshop

In this free community workshop, Jasmina Charleston will demonstrate how to turn a single sheet of paper into a charming 8-page zine. It's easy, accessible, and fun! Zines have a rich history and are created using a wide range of scrappy materials and techniques – e.g., collage, stickers, found objects, simple pen drawings, hand-lettering, and so much more. 

Workshop attendees will be able to play with a variety of art supplies and recycled bits-and-bobs in order to make their pocket-sized creations. This method is especially good for photocopying and sharing (if desired), since each 2.75" x 4.25" zine uses a single letter-sized (8.5x11") piece of paper!

More about zines

A zine (pronounced "zeen") is a small, self-published booklet or magazine. Zines are typically distributed in low numbers and used by individuals or communities to share niche interests, personal stories, political viewpoints, or art outside of the mainstream media. Zines are usually inspired by interest and passion and are often self-published by the writer/artist/creator.

In short: Zines provide a voice for all. They tend to feature topics outside of the mainstream and give a voice to the alternative or the fringes of society.

Zines were once an amateur press movement where publications were created and distributed to people by mail. Science fiction fanzines were popular in the 20s and 30s. In the Beatnik 50s era, zines would promote poetry. Dadaists self-published manifestos in their zines. In the 70s, punks were easily attracted to the marginal nature of this artform. The Riot Grrl movement in the 90s also took to zines full force. Today there are even zine libraries and art exhibits!

In the age of the internet and social media, zines almost seem outdated and the antithesis of modern culture... but they are needed now more than ever. Something about their simplicity and tactile form makes them even more indispensable as we seek community and connection.

Venue & reserving seats:

This workshop will take place inside Crescent Beach Community Gallery at 12160 Beecher St, Surrey, BC. Parking around the gallery can be a challenge, so please leave yourself plenty of time to find a spot or use public transit (you can map out your trip using TransLink’s Trip Planner).

We have 10 seats available for workshop attendees and kindly require RSVPs to make sure we don't run out of chairs or supplies. (If the workshop fills up, you'll be prompted to join a waiting list if you'd like to be notified if someone else cancels.)

Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Questions / contact:

Please email ArtAllAlong@gmail.com if you have any questions or accessibility requests.

Meet the facilitator

Jasmina Charleston was born in 1978 and is from the unceded traditional Musqueam territory (Vancouver, BC). Her father is from Bosnia and Herzegovina and her mother is from Honduras. As immigrants, her parents gave her a unique lens to see the world as they mixed Muslim and Catholic cultures, as well as the Bosnian and Spanish languages. Jasmina’s first love (besides animals) was putting pencil to paper. Her kindergarten teacher noticed this and wrote she had a “special ability in art.” There were a lot of detailed stories and flourishing imagination that needed to be shared by this shy child.

Jasmina realized when she was older that she could make a vocation out of her creativity. After years picking up knowledge from UBC, the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, and the Art Institute of Vancouver, she launched her career as graphic designer by working in print shops, design studios, and eventually freelance. A more uninhibited and imaginative pursuit was bubbling under the surface, however, when in 2023 she expanded her art to be more of a reflection of nature, animals, and things organic. Additionally, she has incorporated themes of identity, narrative storytelling, and her internal world. Her current medium of choice is drawing with ink on paper and digitizing her drawings in Adobe Illustrator.

Currently based in the unceded traditional Semiahmoo territory (South Surrey/White Rock), Jasmina enjoys walking her dog through the forest, drawing nature, and watching movies with her husband and four children.

Jasmina is one of six BC-based artists showing work at Crescent Beach Community Gallery from Nov. 21–Dec. 14, 2025, in a free art exhibition and workshop series titled ‘It’s Been Art All Along: Women Making Sense/Cents Through Art in a World on Fire.' You can read more about the show at bit.ly/ArtAllAlong.