If you have any old issues of comic books lying around the house, it would be best to upcycle them into comic book crafts.
Why Upcycle Old Issues of Comic Books?
For environmental and practical reasons
Upcycling helps reduce one's ecological footprint. Instead of old comic books piling up in a clutter at home or ending up in a landfill, upcycling can be a productive way to minimize waste paper.
Issues of low-value comics can be put to good use. Modern comic books and "filler" issues have low market value. Instead of selling them for a dime adozen, upcycling them into aesthetic crafts can be a better way of giving them value.
For creative and artistic expression
Crafters can take advantage of black-and-white and colorful matte pages, and glossy comic book covers.
For uniqueness and novelty
Pages from old comic books can be a good (and cheaper) alternative to paper craft materials like scrapbook paper. Comic book illustrations come in bold and bright colors. Pages can potentially rival scrapbook paper and printed cardstock. Even black-and-white pages can be made to look aesthetically appealing when used for DIY crafts.
Comic book crafts can be customized and tailored to suit one's tastes and preferences. It doesn't matter if you patronize superhero comic book powerhouses like Marvel and DC, or you used to be just a casual reader of the comics page of the Sunday morning newspaper.
Or, you may have preferred and collected timeless pop culture favorites like Archies, Peanuts, Garfield, or Disney.
And how about those copies for which you have lined up during Free Comic Book Day?
A few of the comic book crafts below can be tailored to suit your friends or colleagues. They can also be customized for your child's homeroom adviser, her best friend, a grandmother, an aunt or uncle, or a cousin.
Moldy, crumpled, or torn comic book pages can still be used. Lest you think that such pages are worthless, think again!
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| PLAID Mod Podge (Water-based sealer, glue and finish in assorted variants) by pocketsavers |
There are reasons crafters swear by certain tried-and-tested techniques like papier mache or decoupage. With the help of a jar of Mod Podge and an old paintbrush, your only limit to creating is your imagination.
For frugality
Comic book crafts can be given away as attractive yet inexpensive gifts. And I'm not just talking about stocking stuffers or gifts for Secret Santa for your neighborhood block parties or church get-togethers.
You can DIY comic book crafts to give away as presents for occasions like birthday, anniversary, a housewarming, or a farewell party.
Should all of the reasons I have cited to upcycle convince you to try comic book crafts, here's a list of 9 DIY projects that are guaranteed to provide you with hours of fun:
(**DISCLAIMER: This post contains affiliate links, which means I'll be collecting a commission each time you click on those links and make a purchase.)
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| Preloved comic books Justice League (50% off) from The Mint Garage |
(1.) Decorate a wine bottle. Forget about spending a ton just for a style upgrade for your home this holiday season.
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| Image from Karen Kavett Click here for tutorial. |
Imagine having a quirky-looking vase next to a stack of randomly arranged books on your coffee table.
Just take an empty bottle of wine or champagne and old copies of black-and-white or color comic books, click on the tutorial above, and you'll have a worthwhile conversation starter at home in no time.
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| Pre-loved Spider-Man comic books by Roland's Comics, Roland Komiks |
(2.) Make a set of coasters. You probably have more than a couple of people on your gift-giving list who enjoys a warm mug of hot chocolate or coffee, maybe with a batch of pancakes or a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast before heading off to work.
A hot beverage can be the best companion while reading a good book, or during an afternoon of knitting or needlework.
Men who crash out on their couch to watch a ballgame or Netflix on weekends, or tinker with their gaming equipment may wish to grab a cold beer nearby.
So why not make a dozen or more of these comic book coasters for them?
Since this upcycling project requires ceramic tiles, you should also plan a trip to the hardware store.
(3.) Are you too cool for school? Is note-taking in biology or algebra turning into a real bore? Are your notebooks and binders looking drab?
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| This tutorial from Autodesk Instructables utilizes old issues of fashion magazines. Feel free to substitute magazine covers with comic books. |
Put some attitude into your school supplies by turning glossy comic book covers into notebook covers.
You can also arrange photos along with your selected comic book illustrations into a collage to decorate the front of your binder and its dividers.
Add embellishments like washi tapes, stickers, and die cuts, and school days will never be the same again.
(4.) Tote your own comic book clutch.
Have you run out of ideas on how to accessorize that little black dress or cocktail dress?
Also, think about those random or spur-of-the-moment errands, like a quick trip to the cafe to grab coffee and a sandwich, or the grocery store, or the salon for a trim or touch-up, where you only need to take small bills, a credit card, and your phone?
Make a comic book clutch (or 2, or half a dozen) to match a formal attire, or even an outfit that's semi-formal or business casual.
You can further modify this DIY project to decorate similar or larger clutch-style bags that you have thrifted, or rescued from going straight to a landfill.
In no time, you'll have the convenience to choose among several clutches for your next errand.
(5.) Make decoupage containers.
As a crafter, I swear by the wonders of a technique called decoupage.
Even if you ended up with a pile of comic books with low-market value, or you're trying to figure out how to make good use of moldy, dusty, crumpled, or torn pages, you can turn to decoupage to use up and clear away your clutter.
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| Photo from Crafts by Amanda For full tutorial, click here. |
While the tutorial above involves round containers, you can just as easily take an old shoebox or empty gift box and apply the same technique to decorate it.
(6.) Jazz up a plain picture frame. Since we're on the topic of decoupage, here's another upcycled comic book craft that shows how it can be done, but this time, to a plain picture frame.
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| Image from Autodesk Instructables Click here for full tutorial. |
And don't even think about rushing to the store to get cheap frames. Why not take any old ones you have around the house, and make them look brand new with this comic book craft?
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| Archie's Pals 'n' Gals Double Digest comics (priced per piece) from Roland's Comics, Roland Komiks |
(7.) Hold off on buying loot bags for your next party. You may wish to stock up on inexpensive loot bag items like sticker sheets, notepaper, or craft materials as giveaways for birthday parties, or any kind of party.
But wait! Refrain from shelling out extra cash for loot bags, and settle for paper bags crafted from comic book pages instead.
Whenever there's a need for loot bags for guests for any kind of party, the colorful and bold illustrations on comic book pages are more than enough to suit the bright and festive mood of your celebration.
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| Image from Red Ted Art For full tutorial, click here. |
And why limit yourself to upcycling comic pages into loot bags? You can DIY your own gift tags, and even make party invitations and place them inside comic book envelopes.
(8.) Delight your bookworm buddies. Whether your friends are heavy on the classics, prefer self-help or inspirational bestsellers, go from contemporary page-turners one day to poetry the next, or lean towards graphic novels, surely they'll appreciate a bunch of old comics turned into bookmarks!
To add a personal touch to your bookmarks, you can tie a ready-made tassel, a strip of plain satin or printed ribbon, or utilize leftover yarn or embroidery floss.
Want to learn other styles of DIY bookmarks? Read --
Handmade From the Heart: 5 DIY Gifts for Bookworms
(9.) Turn them into a pair of earrings.
Turn heads every time you go out, or jazz up a plain jeans-and-T-shirt combo by putting on a pair of colorful, artsy earrings made from comic book pages.
The video tutorial above shows how to make a basic pair. You can modify and shape your comic book earrings into diamonds, hearts, teardrops, fir trees, snowmen, top hats, and animals like cats, bunnies, bears, etc.
