Cafe
Zine · read
Drawing at the Cafe
Drex Zine · 4 makers · by hand
“It helps me relax and focus when I draw at the cafe!”— Claire
Together, you become a creator.
Your club takes a challenge and ends up with a magazine you made together.
How it works:
- A challenge — one prompt, one due date.
- Time together — you help each other finish.
- Your zine — a scrollable online magazine: everyone’s work, and what they learned. It builds everyone’s portfolio.
doodle at the cafe“helps me relax and focus”@claire · Drexzine
take night photos of the unseen“a single light, touching through”@144mb · Photo Phloor
come as your heritage“i could do anything”@shanara · XChange Models
take night photos of the unseen“too good to pass up”@144mb · Photo Phloor
come as your heritage“live with more attitude”@tergel · XChange Models
make a dropcap“never made an illustrated one”@sue · SF Penmans
The people you keep meaning to make things with.
cut here
what counts
Any craft you can show and tell.
…and whatever yours is.
not a mockup — the actual app
Look inside the app.
Real screens — what a club actually touches.
why it works
The magic is the hour.
-
01
Challenge
your Host sets one, with a deadline
-
02
The hour
the recurring hour you've got people
-
03
Your own time
to work on the challenge
-
04
Show & tell
the zine goes out — portfolio
XChange Models club did a challenge…
Come as Your Heritage. Come As Yourself.
“What changed once you stepped off the runway?”
I didn't know what was possible until I saw someone else do it.@tergel
Not every place you feel like you belong. Here, I feel right at home.@falcon
Since I'm capable of doing something like that, I feel like I could do anything.@shanara
They treat you as a person, not as a model.@chiamakabrowneyes
Seeing them go before me relieved a lot of my stress.@angela
I had a plan. I did none of it. It was all instinct.@miguel
your club
The same people. Issue after issue.
The same few faces for a year — beginners next to old hands — who watch you get good.
- 001
- 002
- 003
- 004
- 005
- 006
- 007
- 008
- 009
- 010
- 011
- 012
issue 001
you're the newest one here issue 012
somebody's asking you
you're the newest one here issue 012
somebody's asking you
Ship three issues and you earn hosting a club of your own!
Cafe
Silk Road
Club + zine
Silk Road 001
XChange Models · 11 makers
“You believe in yourself.”— Wei-Sean, and ten others
Play
Dress-up
Phloor
Penmans
Club
SF Penmans
San Francisco · a penmanship club
what if i don't have a group
Find your club by flipping through zines.
Why not a group chat?
Nobody quits. The date just stops being the date.
JAN 4
found this sick technique 🔥
omg we should totally do this
yes!! this weekend??
eleven months later DEC 2is this chat still alive lol
the challenge
Shoot a roll you'd normally be scared to.
due friday
one issue, everyone's name in it
already run something?
You don’t need new people. You need yours to show up.
whatever your club needs, we bring
Club kit.
As we learn what helps your club make things, we get it to you — a guest, a bigger shelf, a venue — so the same people keep showing up.
people
The hard part isn't making. It's showing up.
- The houryour standing time, together
- Who's missingso somebody waves first
- Broadcastsblast a message to your whole club
virtual
Everything that isn't the craft — handled.
- Your portfolioa wall with all your work
- Club portfolioa wall with the club's work
- Hand-made zineslaid out by hand
- Bot-laid zinesa portfolio item, auto-laid
- Other clubs' zinesjoin or get inspired by what other clubs make
material
The stuff you can't download. (coming soon)
- A printed issuein your actual hands
- Studio timea wheel, a darkroom, a press
who's behind it
Led by a researcher and two designers.
why we built it
I researched how people pick up a craft: next to someone who’s on the same journey. Nothing online works that way.
Chielo
Chielo Mbaezue · CEO & Co-founder
three ways in
Pick a door.
start here
Clubs
Bring your group in — or grab a spot on the waitlist.
The Demo
Published zines, the walls, a club’s room. Latched pre-launch — knock for a key.