This is a small collage zine I made in 2023. By that point I had attended my first York Zine Fest (in July) and seeing the zines of the other sellers there really inspired me to get back into making my own simple, folded, zines (as opposed to professionally printed short A5 comics).

My first introduction to this method of one A4 piece of paper being folded into a zine was from Rookie magazine back in the early 2010s - they had a tutorial in one of their Yearbook anthologies. I can’t remember the zines I made back then, but I think they were a lot of doodles and fun little lists I didn’t share and experimentation.

I thought of ‘Circle the number.’ as a way to ‘break in’ to my memoir collection. I’d been planning it for years by that point, but if felt like too big of a project to know where to start. My Mum suggested breaking it into groups by subject, and I embraced the idea that I could make every subject’s comic unique in its style and materials. This zine is more of a demo than what an eventual chapter of that memoir will look like, but it’s a good visual aid!

I used stickers, found text, my own art from a previous comic a few years ago (‘Hurry’), and more. It reminded me of all the book and word art I did for my A2 Level Art projects, and the collaging from magazines I did back then for fun! It’s fitting that I was using ways of creating that I did when I most had the issues I discuss (abstractly) in this zine.

I hope someone can read this zine and understand it, and take something meaningful from it. I tried to make the last pages motivational and hopeful! The responses from people who’ve read it so far have had a huge range, from non-plussed to emotional! Please send me a message (by email/social media DMs/wherever) if you ‘get’ something from this comic, I’d love to hear your take on it.

There’s a physical version available wherever I sell art!