Name: Estibaliz Hernández de Miguel
Location: Bilbao (Spain)
Website: www.pintameldia.com/

How about a brief introduction?
Hello! I am Esti, a self-taught artist and freelance illustrator based in Bilbao (Spain). I usually work under the name of Pintameldia, which stands for Paint my day. I have recently left my desk job behind and am spending most of my time making art. Also, I have launched my etsy shop not long ago and have a blog that serves as my open diary and album of drawings.

Even though I had always drawn and painted, I didn’t spend much time making art until my late twenties. Ever since then I have collaborated in different projects, have developed many of my own (like the “We are a Happy Family” card game) and designed for fashion brands. I am still learning my way, my own language. I feel confortable using ink, paper scraps or textiles for most of the pieces I make.

How did you get involved with zine making?
Even as a kid I made my own magazines, full of stories and illustrations. In my late teens and early twenties I participated in many music fanzines and magazines. Later on I started my own music fanzine, an adventure that lasted several years. I was and still am very attracted to the designing part of magazine making.

Tell us what’s your goal when it comes to zine making?
Making a zine back then it was a lot of fun. Fun is still what I look for when creating a zine now. I only wish I had more time, more challenges and more opportunities like this one to continue making zines.

Any favorite artists that inspired you to make your zine?
Actually, this zine of mine is completely different from what I had planned to do. In my mind I had the idea of an artful zine, maybe some of the collage kind (like Anthony Zinonos’). However, I began developing these characters (Thomas & Olivia) as a way to take a break from my usual art making, as a way to change my visual language. Soon after, my daughters were asking me for more of them. The final idea is to make them into a book series, but until then, I thought this could make a good coloring zine in a quite small size. This zine is meant for kids, in an attempt to have them use more colors than the basics, to explore the pastel colors, different hues and tones. That’s why it has a sort of instructions to coloring at the very end of it.

What’s the one tip you’d like to share with people who are interested in making their own zines?
I don’t know much myself, but what I can tell is: keep it simple. Zine making is a perfect way of experimentation and a good way to find your own voice, but you don’t want to be a perfectionist. Many times what I like most about a zine is its imperfection.