Blog Post 9
For my Zine, I decided to focus on guinea pigs, mostly because people really don’t understand how much goes into taking care of them. Everyone acts like they are super easy pets, but they actually need a lot of attention, the right setup, and daily care. There is so much misinformation out there, so I wanted my Zine to be more on the informational side, something that teaches people the things they actually need to know before getting a guinea pig, and how to take care of one the right way.
Since I already have my own guinea pig, I’m not starting from the bottom. I know their little sounds, their personalities, and how dramatic they can be when they want food. I know how easily they get stressed, what veggies they like, and how important it is to pay attention to their behavior. But for my Zine, I want to make sure everything is accurate, not just based on what I’ve learned from experience. So I’m planning to use information from small animal vets and animal organizations, especially about things like proper diet, cage size, safe vs. unsafe foods, and everything people don’t think about until they already have one.
For my cover, I wanted it to be cute but still make it obvious that it has real information inside. I started by doodling a few ideas in my notes, playing around with different titles and little guinea pig drawings. Then I sketched a draft that felt simple, kind of matching the vibe guinea pigs give off. After that, I made my draft cover using the colors I liked.
Making the cover actually helped me lock in the whole vision for the Zine. Now that I can see it, I feel more excited and clear about what I want to include.
Hello Angel,
I am very excited to see how your zine will turn out. Unfortunately I don’t own a guinea pig ,but I do love them. They are some of the cutest creatures alive. I took a vet science course my senior year of high school, and one of my daily tasks was about taking care of the guinea pigs our classroom has, such as : deep cleaning their area Mondays and Thursdays, making sure they always have pellets per guinea pig, lots of hay, and water, picking up discharge. My favorite part was feeding them veggies and quality time. It is a lot of work but no one is really aware of it until they do their research and decide to adopt one. I am sure your zine will be creative and fun with the essential information included.
I love traveling outside of the country and I figured that making my zine about the new 7 wonders of the world would be cool to read. I am planning on drawing as much as possible before thinking of printing any pictures. But I think once I expand all the ideas I have, my zine will turn out cool. Some of my goals in life are traveling around the world, and there are a lot of people that have the same goal. I am not just making a zine that talks about each place, I am also planning on sharing information on resorts where someone could reserve, because I’m sure everyone wants to make sure they reserve a safe place to stay throughout that time period. So maybe there will be some stuff there that could be useful for someone planning a future trip any time soon. I hope I can come up with more ideas that could be cool to add so it is also enjoyable reading and not just some boring traveling information.
Sincerely,
Arleth Gomez
Dear Writer,
I really love this idea you have for your Zine. I used to be in a veterinary class and the time and effort it takes to take care of guinea pigs is genuinely insane. I think it is an incredible idea to expand other peoples knowledge on these pets because they are very overlooked in the sense of taking care of them. You are one hundred percent right, people do not understand what is required and needed in order to maintain healthy guinea pigs. I would like to know more about your guinea pig, maybe you could add some pictures and or drawings of your own pet in your zine. People would appreciate the fact that you have lots of experience and are not pulling things straight off of the internet. Starting with the cover is a really great idea, you can gain all the knowledge you need just by looking at your cover and basing the rest of the pages off of it. Will you be taking a more collage-type route or a more print and paste route? Seeing all of the creative ideas people come up with is what I am most excited for. I think it is awesome that you are going to draw the guinea pigs onto the paper, will you draw what your own pet looks like? I am so bad at drawing freehandedly but somehow I can paint free-style, I’m excited to see what other people do in this aspect. Going into great detail about safe foods is also very important since it takes up such a huge part of the everyday life of the pet. People do not necessarily think of this when getting pets, they always just assume whatever food is labeled for the animal is what is best. You are going to have such an informative zine and I am super excited to read it and see it. I’m hoping everything goes smoothly for you as you start and finish this assignment.
Dear Angel,
I love that you are doing a zine about guinea pigs. When I was younger, I really wanted a guinea pig because they were so cute and small, they seemed like they could be easy pets. Of course, my parents did not know anything about them or how to take care of them, so they never let me get one! I think it would be interesting to know things I would have needed to have and do in order to maintain my guinea pig a happy pet.
I was aware that most animals have their own personalities once you really get to know them, but I did not know they could throw fit over being hungry. I agree with using a mix of your personal experience and the facts of owning a guinea pig in your zine. Not everyone has the same experience. It is also good in general to have sources of other people who have done the studies in a professional manner to back you up.
I am sure that your cover is going to be very well presented and organized especially since you tried out different styles before choosing the one you liked most. I agree with you on guinea pigs giving off simple vibes, they are just so cute and small, from what I have heard they have little attitudes, but nevertheless they are still simple pets.
Once you get your hands into a project, most people end up getting excited and are ready to lock in and finish it. Of course, this is not the case for all projects, but I am glad you are having a good time, as am I! I am also excited to finish up my zine as it is something simple but allows me to get creative while showing off a topic I like.
Dear Angel,
Guinea pigs is a great topic to choose. You are right in saying that a lot of people do not know as I myself do not know much. I did want to have one when I was younger since they were really cute but we ended up just getting a hamster. I did have to take care of three guinea pigs since I was in this program during high school. It is actually great that you want to spread more information so they can get well taken care of. I also decided to do a more informational zine.
Doing something you already know a lot about is a great way to write a zine since you do not have to do as much research on the topic. Using your own experience is a great way to inform people as well. I will be using my own knowledge and a lot of research for my zine.
Everything you included about their sounds and personality is something I did not know. The design you are going for will work very well since guinea pigs are considered to be cute animals. Are you going to add any pictures of your own guinea pig inside? You could also include pictures of your guinea pigs enclosure.
It sounds like you have everything already well planned out and will easily be able to complete your zine. I have not fully decided everything but I am getting there. It is good that you are feeling excited about completing your zine and are able to be creative about what you want to draw on it. I am excited to finish mine up as well and I hope I can reach your level or sureness soon enough. Good luck on completing your zine.
Sincerely,
Nina Davis
Angel,
I really like the idea of guinea pigs as a topic. As someone who also has been around family members who happened to have guinea pigs I can understand the work put into taking care of them. I think it is amazing that you want to educate people on a subject you’re passionate about. Many parents in my opinion see a guinea pig as a good first pet for their children. But they don’t take the time beforehand to research and really take the time to learn how to properly take care of them. Having guinea pigs of your own definitely gives you a way to relate to others, and it definitely gives you a ton of credibility when it comes to your zine. I didn’t know that guinea pigs made noises based on what they may want or need, I think that’s really interesting. And by having your own knowledge you will make a great zine by being able to speak from personal experiences as well. I’m very excited to see your cover. By the sound of it you have a couple different ideas to choose from which is always good. It’s always better to have more options than not enough in my opinion. I’m doing my zine of modeling and how it has changed over the years. By having some modeling experience of my own I think I will be able to use my own personal experiences in my zine, just like you’re able to do so in yours. My zine however is confusing me on exactly what I want to be on my cover. I can’t quite think of an idea just yet . I think once I do though it will help me see the vision for my whole zine just like it has done for yours.
-Tarynn