MAKE (and Nature) are Weird

As the saying goes, what happens behind the imaging counter at Make stays behind the imaging counter, right?  Not this time. Our imaging department and those who inhabit are like a strange and awesome witches cauldron, brewing up a free flow of bizarre creations. Most of these wonderful manifestations are for our happy customers, but this one, "Nature is Weird - A Fun Times Learning Adventure Adult Activity Book," is for the whole world to enjoy.  Proudly introducing our designers, Phaedra Harder and Steph McDonell who bring you nature, like you've never seen it before.

Make (and Nature) are Weird

Make:  Your "Nature is Weird" zine is beautifully designed with fun illustrations and is belly achingly funny.  Why did you make it?

Steph and Phaedra:  This "Fun Times Learning Adventure Adult Activity Book" is a fun way of teaching about some pretty amazing stuff about nature but it's also exploring some terrible truths about nature. Then, in a fun way, it softens the blow with silly activities. It's a way of teaching about nature, and some of its unpalatable truths.  Its also a catalogue of cool weird things; it's silly good fun and good stuff to learn and appreciate. It was fun to write and fun to research.  There is so much out there!

Make:  Why Nature?

Phaedra:  Because nature is crazy!  Our book is the next step from Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Steph:  My parents always emphasized the importance of nature as I grew up.  I've always been fascinated, it's a mini obsession.  So many crazy facts, I love hearing the facts, I'm always spewing facts people don't want to hear.

Make:  How did this zine come to be?  

Phaedra:  Our friend told us to do it! He's our friend who hosts our bi-weekly drinking and drawing nights, so we always listen to him!  We made it for the Vancouver Art Book Fair. And then Steph came up with the perfect theme for it, Nature is Weird.  It's 12 spreads and 23 activities and it took us a month.

Make:  Steph, what is your favourite activity?

Steph:  I have to say my favourite activity is the moth page. Its colour by number with five colours and they are grey, grey, grey, grey, and brown. 

Make:  Phaedra, what about you, what's your favourite activity?

Phaedra:  I really like the Lonesome George page.  But actually George is already dead so the Pinta Island Tortoise is extinct now which is sad.

Make:  Who did the artwork?

Steph:  When we were doing the whole book we would each draw a portion of each page. We both did some penciling and then we would change to ink as well - we were both inking pages which was cool. Some of the drawings I did weren't nearly as cool as the way they came out after Phaedra inked them!  Like the Tug-o-war Team... look at the centipedes face!  

Make:  What is your favourite way of getting creative?

Phaedra:  I've liked drawing my whole life and I love doing it with other people, I get way more inspired.  Drawing with other people is really fun and the people I draw with are all awesome.

Make:  What about you Steph?

Steph:  I love drawing more than anything else. I share a studio space with two others and I am pushing hard to start an illustration career.  The stuff I love producing is fun and crazy, silly cartoons.  That is really really really really fun.  

Make:  What is the best thing about working at Make?

Steph:  We get to make really cool stuff with the laser engraver. It was awesome to walk through the Emily Carr grad show this year and get to say, "I made that, and that and that!" Access to the technology and being involved in really cool projects, definitely. Today I got asked to prototype something, so I got to draw it and then make it and then test it. I got to randomly be an industrial designer!  Its a cool job and we get to do all sorts of weird stuff that's so much fun.  

Phaedra:  There's that and on then on the days when we're printing t-shirts, there's always someone funny coming in with some cool idea!  It's never boring!

Every day at Make is a creative adventure!  Come to Granville Island and create your own adventure.  Stop by our imaging department where you can get Steph and Phaedra to help you digitally print t-shirts, laser engrave something special and, if you're lucky, learn some random facts about nature.