The name “ARTitude” was the result of a typo as Suz and Helga excitedly emailed each other about their creative brainstorm. And what a perfectly lucky typo it was! It turned out to be our manifesto as well as our brand name, because you’ve gotta have a little sass, a bit of artful attitude, if you’re going to let your creative self loose on the world. ARTitude Zine quickly became a place where people felt comfortable sharing their wonderful ideas and artwork among a community of like-minded folks who simply “got it.” As one reader put it, “When I discovered ARTitude Zine, I knew I had found my tribe.”
Every issue includes several how-to projects in media such as collage, assemblage, bookbinding, metalworking, beading, polymer clay and many more. There’s also a sheet of charming vintage images that you can use in your own artwork, as well as an inspiring Gallery of artwork sent in by our readers. Each issue spotlights one or two accomplished artists who share about their creative processes, inspirations and even occasional roadblocks. And there’s always at least one essay to identify with, something introspective and inspiring.
I call it an independent magazine because ARTitude Zine had a staff of only two (or sometimes three, and eventually one!) and was always “just” a hobby for all involved, and yet it was designed with the utmost care, with well-written articles and lots of photos to support the text.
ARTitude Zine is a professionally printed magazine measuring 8.5” by 11” and ranging from 40 to 48 pages per issue. Issues #1 through #4 were entirely in black and white; beginning with Issue #5 we added more full-color content each time, although even at the end there was still a block of b/w content in each issue because color printing is really expensive!