Risograph Zine
Adobe Illustrator, 2023
Project Overview
This project compiles 14 pages of illustration printed by using risograph printing techniques. This risograph zine captures my personal experience as a freshman living in downtown Chicago while attending art school. Through a mix of visuals, textures, and layered colors, the zine reflects the everyday moments that shaped my first year.
Purpose
The purpose of this zine is to document the experience of adapting to a new environment—navigating independence, creative growth, and the unique challenges of city living. The risograph printing technique enhances the storytelling, with its layered ink textures and vibrant imperfections of the prints. This project serves as both a personal archive and a visual narrative that others who have transitioned into new, unfamiliar spaces might resonate with.
Deliverables
Hand-binded risograph zine
City of Contrasts
Aug. 23, 2022
Arrived at O'hare at 6am, made it to the loop and went to the "gothic" Target on State street, just a couple blocks away from my dorm which was also right across from the Chicago theater. The streets were packed, I also saw people from my school who had also just moved in, rolling the blue moving cart down the crowded streets. This piece captures the overwhelming yet vibrant and exciting natures of the city and its duality. A playful yet chaotic imageries of the city are portrayed in this piece, where there are opportunities to grow however, the city has its negatives with inequalities that are present in minority communities. Each of the small figures in this illustration represents both aspects of the city. The use of blue and yellow tones, along with stippled textures, gives the piece a structured yet whimsical aesthetic.
the Beach
May. 3, 2023
Weekly visit to the beach with Ashely. We jogged from the loop through the river walk and to the Oak Street Beach. The weather was really nice, got to the beach at sunset. We sat and talked for a while about me transferring to UIUC. I wanted to capture the emotions of the last couple weeks in Chicago as I transferred to UIUC the next semester. My plans to visit the city wasn’t as certain but my friend and I promised to stay in touch. The colors and overlapping effects of the scene captures the melancholic nature of the piece, emphasizing the lingering presence of someone or something that is slipping away, much like a sunset dissolving into the horizon.
Urban Harvest
Jan. 25, 2023
Got back to Chicago yesterday from spending winter break at home in Dallas. Went to Trader Joe's in River North with Ashely to get groceries. It started snowing while we were walking back, we took a pitstop at a Starbucks to warm ourselves up before heading out to the cold again. Although grocery shopping can be seen mundane, I found joy in getting new groceries and learning new recipes. Cooking for myself and my friends was a break from all the cafeteria food and fast-foods. This piece captures an ordinary routine that brings me joy. The halftone textures and vibrant colors transform the ordinary into something playful and expressive. The visual elements hint at a deeper narrative, reflecting themes of comfort, mundane, and the small joys of living in the city for the first time.
