Making Some New Wall Art Out Of Some Old Comicbooks

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I've been jazzing up my apartment's bae walls with artwork the last couple years. Though I like what I've collected, I wanted to add a couple small pieces that felt more like comicbooks: bold colors, panels and gutters, word balloons, story flow, etc. I had a blank space right beside my standing desk that I would be perfect for it, and would make a good "inspirational wall" sort of thing, something to encourage creativity when I'm working.

I once saw a TV show (the name of which I can no longer remember) that used magazine pages in picture frames. I figured I could do the same with my old comicbook collection...

Wall Art 1

I started with a Walmart run, where I bought some inexpensive 8.5 inch x 11 inch picture frames and some damage-free hanging hooks. The frames use a light plastic instead of a pane of glass, and it keeps them very light. This was good news because that meant I could grab the smaller (cheaper) pack of six hooks; those damn hooks cost me more than all six frames combined!

Wall Art 2

For comics, I chose three from when I was a kid (stored in a box in a basement, ignored until this project) and three that were published recently (that I own copies of through Comixology). As an interesting note, I had an easier time getting the staples out of the new comics with their heavier glossy paper. The staples in the old comics had a better "grab" on the lighter newsprint, and I had to be extra careful not to tear the pages.

Wall Art 3

I picked the exact pages I wanted with no real rhyme or reason other than I liked their composition, colors, and dialogue. I purposely avoided full-page splashes, as I wanted sterotypical comic book pages, not pin-ups.

And for those interested, I do still have the remaining pages of some of those comics, if you want them ;) Seriously, any "Hawkeye" page by David Aja is simply glorious to look at.

Wall Art 4

All the frames came with that advertising label used to demo and sell them (in the pictures above, its that "document" beige thing). Flipping that label over provided a perfect flat white sheet to "float" the comic pages on. I used blue-tac to stick them on, as the frames were not tight enough to keep the comic pages from sliding around. I would have preferred double-sided tape if I had it, but I didn't think to buy any, and I already had blue-tac handy.

Wall Art 5

Here is the final result, hanging on the wall beside my computer desk. Over all, I really like how it turned out! And it was cheap to manage; all told, each piece cost $5 to $10 depending on whether you went raided the new-releases shelf or the quarter-bin of your local comic-book shop.

Now, I have a great inspiration wall when I'm at my desk. As a bonus, there is just enough room above the set to do another row of three in the future... if I find some more comic pages that "sing" :)

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