Explore the world and possibilities of zines with an afternoon of collective learning and hands-on making.

Join artist and Poetic Pastel Press founder Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck for an immersive afternoon dedicated to zine culture and creative exploration.

This workshop will begin with a 45-minute illustrated talk and Q&A introducing the multiple reasons for and possibilities of zines as artistic, creative, poetic, and activist forms and as an accessible yet far reaching publishing practice. In the second part of the session, participants will create their own zine.

All materials for this workshop are provided, including paper, drawing tools, access to photocopying and bookbinding tools. Johanna will guide the group through a simple thread-binding method, making the process accessible to beginners. Content for the zine can grow from an existing personal project or be developed on the day, drawing inspiration from the Camden Art Centre garden, observation, writing, drawing, or quiet reflection.

This adult-only workshop encourages a creative, relaxed, supportive atmosphere, with organic herbal tea provided. A curated small library of zines from international publishers, offering a wide range of formats, themes, and approaches, will be available to consult throughout the afternoon. Participants who wish to include existing materials (e.g. drawings, text, cutouts) in the zine are encouraged to bring them.

The participants will return home with:

Contextual knowledge of zines, including their history, formats, and uses.
Practical skills in basic zine-making and simple bookbinding techniques.
Their handmade zine created during the workshop.
Creative inspiration and ideas for future self-publishing projects.

No prior experience is necessary.

The Artist Images

The Artist

Johanna Tagada Hoffbeck (b. 1990, France) is a transdisciplinary artist based in rural Oxfordshire. Her practice, rooted in ecological awareness, spans painting, sculpture, photography, publishing, horticulture, and participatory projects.

Johanna founded the independent, artist-led imprint Poetic Pastel Press in 2015, perhaps best known for its printed publication series Journal du Thé: Contemporary Tea Culture, which she co-founded in 2018. The deep ecology movement influences the imprint, with works printed in England using vegetable-based inks and distributed in over thirty countries. Poetic Pastel Press has participated in notable international book fairs, including Offprint in London and the Tokyo Art Book Fair. Johanna has also led and participated in talks on artists in publishing at venues such as BOAN Books in Seoul.

International imprints, including InOtherWords (UK), Chose Commune (FR), Nieves (CH), Hat Press (UK), Jane & Jeremy (UK), Editions Ulmer (FR), Ao-hata (JP), and Tombolo Presses (FR), have released publications on her practice. Her latest photography book, Please Take Your Shoes Off and Come In, has been edited and published by Pon Ding (TW).

Johanna’s work expresses care and tenderness, reflecting on the fragility and beauty of life. Recent solo exhibitions include Dreaming About Tomorrow at Nidi Gallery, Tokyo (2022). Group exhibitions include Soil at Somerset House, London (2025), The Equal Right to Live and Blossom at Kate MacGarry, London (2024), One Foot in the Sky at Contemporary Sculpture Fulmer, UK (2023), and Edge Effects at Whitechapel Gallery, London (2024).

In addition, Johanna founded the collaborative initiative The Gardening Drawing Club. She has organised and facilitated workshops and learning programs for adults and children at multiple British art institutions, including Camden Art Centre.