In a time of fleeting social media feeds and polished digital graphics, there is a distinct, grounding pleasure in holding a folded sheet of paper filled with raw thoughts, ink and collage.
As part of Design Week Philippines 2026, which ran in Cebu from Oct. 10 to 17, local creatives, students and curious makers gathered for a hands-on zine-making workshop organized by Cebu Making Space in partnership with Makers of Midtown. The session spotlighted Cebu’s grassroots creative culture and demystified independent, self-published print.
Finding a voice beyond client briefs
Guiding the workshop was copywriter and longtime University of San Carlos (USC) Fine Arts advertising instructor Carla Marie Adlawan, known in the local creative scene as copycarla. For Adlawan, introducing newcomers to the art of the zine is both a creative mission and an extension of her own journey as a writer.
“Usually, beginners are the best — those who aren’t very familiar yet — so they can learn that there are different types of mediums they can explore,” Adlawan shared. “For the longest time, as a copywriter in the creative industry, I didn’t really fit in as a graphic designer or an illustrator. A copywriter is basically a ghostwriter; you’re part of the strategy, but it’s always client projects. There was nothing of my own. I realized, ‘I don’t really have an artistic outlet.’”
That search for an independent voice led her to self-publishing.
“When I discovered the concept of the zine years ago, I realized it was the perfect outlet,” she said. “A zine is writing and it’s writing for an audience. There’s no brief because there’s no client. It’s genuinely creative, with no limits. I can execute it however I want depending on whatever theme I feel.”
Armed with scissors, glue sticks, magazine cutouts, markers and folded paper, workshop attendees were introduced to the tactile craft of indie publications, including the classic eight-page mini-zine. For many in the room, the session offered a welcome break from screens, giving them the freedom to assemble personal stories, poetry and illustrations by hand.
Bringing stories of faith and comics to life
Among the participants were married couple Cherry and Ron Cabalde, co-founders of Look and Roar Studio, a creative venture dedicated to faith-based visual art. The characters Look and Roar are named after the couple’s sons, Luke and Rory, but were turned into action verbs to reflect their belief that faith is meant to be lived out boldly.
For Cherry, the workshop gave her the push she needed to finish a long-gestating idea.
“It was the best! It pushed me to actually finish what I have been thinking about for a long time,” said Cherry. “Miss Carla was facilitating it so well that I was able to bring my ideas into fruition. I was having a bit of a creative block trying to bring this project together, so having this hands-on process helped me break through that. Now, I finally have a working draft!”
Cherry explained that their studio concept draws deeply from personal devotion and family life.
“The characters Look and Roar are named after our sons, Luke and Rory, but we turned them into action verbs because faith is meant to be lived out — to look, listen, observe and live it out boldly,” she said. “We’ve always wanted to make a story-based zine exploring faith in a childlike, curious way. Beyond profit and merchandise, our goal is to point people back to God through wonder and innocence, because that’s what the world needs right now.”
Her husband Ron, a professional graphic designer, used the session to revisit comic illustration, adapting a story concept he originally developed for a Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) scriptwriting workshop into a comic-style mini-zine.
“As a graphic designer, it really opened me up to explore new things,” Ron said. “Back in college, I worked as an arts and graphics editor producing comics, so it was great stepping back into that world. Creatively, it gave me that push and inspired me to create again.”
Unlearning perfectionism on the blank page
For participant Trisha Borces, the session was a long-awaited chance to unlearn creative hesitation and perfectionism.
“I’ve wanted to make a zine since college — around 10 years ago,” Borces said. “I waited 10 years because I was caught up trying to make the ‘perfect’ zine on the very first go. Being here made me realize it doesn’t have to be perfect on your first try. I don’t have to pressure myself anymore; I just need to create.”
Borces added that the workshop highlighted the creative freedom of independent print.
“There is no rigid structure or single formula you have to follow. You have complete free will. Whatever your personal interests or everyday lifestyle are, that comes through directly in the zine you make.”
The enduring pull of analog print
Adlawan, who incorporates zine making into her Advertising Arts classes at USC to teach students the complete workflow of publication design, art direction and writing, noted that indie print also carries surprising commercial viability. Having sold hundreds of copies of her own zines at pop-up spaces and gatherings like the Cebu Art Book Fair, she emphasized that audiences are genuinely eager to connect with analog work.
“With my first zine release, I sold around 200 copies,” Adlawan said, noting that each copy was priced at P150. “It really isn’t cheap and yet so many people bought them. People would come up and say, ‘I’ll buy.’ I’d look at them and think, ‘Can you even relate to this? You’re still so young.’ And they’d reply, ‘Of course.’ People are really returning to that analog style.”
Beyond selling at independent art fairs, Adlawan leaves reading copies at local community hubs, including Misfits Cafe and Willow’s barbershop along Molave St., where patrons often discover her work and reach out directly to purchase copies.
When asked what advice she would offer aspiring creators and editorial teams looking to venture into DIY print, Adlawan stressed the importance of having a clear thematic focus.
“What’s really important is the general theme or topic; that’s where you should start,” she advised. “If a concept is too broad, zoom in. Instead of just ‘art,’ make it ‘street art.’ Keep it focused.”
The hands-on session ended with participants swapping their newly made zines, fostering an immediate sense of community and shared storytelling. The workshop formed part of a weeklong calendar organized by Cebu Making Space and Makers of Midtown, celebrating grassroots ingenuity and proving that anyone with an idea, a point of view and a folded sheet of paper can claim a voice in print.