Wood, glass, ceramic, and metal – oh my! Is there anything you can’t mod podge? The answer is no (mostly, anyway).
Mod podge or “Decoupage” is a French word derived from decouper which means to cut or cut from something else. Why not start with some of those old $.50 bin comic books to transform your Crafti frame or display into something spectacular?!
The Tools You’ll Need
Mod podge / decoupage finish
Paint brushes
Scissors / X-acto knife
A roller or rolling pin
A stack of FCBD or $.50 bin comic books
Start Snipping
Take your comic books and cut out the panels and pages that have artwork or action that catches your eye. Look for ones with pops of color, and try to choose different sizes and styles. Alex Ross, Jack Kirby, Jim Lee – it helps when you have a mix of aesthetics, sizes, and shapes.
Put the comic book covers aside as we’ll get to them later!
Get Glueing
Pick up your mod podge, simple school glue, or a vinegar/water/corn starch mix as your medium. (Personally, I think mod podge is the greatest thing ever created. I mean – glue, sealer, and finish ALL IN ONE?! Come on!)
Coat Your Comic Book Frame
Coat your FLEX comic book frame or display in mod podge making sure you cover every square inch. Once you’ve spread the coat evenly, start layering on the comic panels and advertisements you’d cut out. Make sure that the pages are sticking to the surface. Have a brush ready in case you need to apply more mod podge.
After you have the surface completely covered, flatten the surface with your roller. This will help reduce air bubbles and blemishes.
Then, brush another coat over the new layer of comic cutouts. Overlap the edges with your cutout so you don’t wind up with empty gaps along the sides.
Now About Those Covers…
Remember those comic book covers I had you put aside? Now you’re going to cut out the titles, characters, and any artwork you want to use. Before applying these new cut-outs to your comic book frame, make sure that the surface of the object are still covered in a wet layer of mod podge. The resulting effect will make the titles and characters look like they are leaping from the surface of your comic book frame. The bright colors of the cover pages will make these cutouts pop out.
The mod podge will dry clear, so don’t be afraid to add a coat after every layer of comic book cutouts you add to your frame or display.
Before & After: Wolverine #1
Finishing Touches
Brush one, final coat of mod podge across the entire comic book frame, and allow it to dry. Then, you’ll want to go over all of the edges of the frame with an X-acto Knife and trim any excess so that you end up with clean lines. This will make your comic book frame look perfectly polished.
If you engage in the artistic pursuits of gluing items to a surface, then you my friend, can call yourself a mod podger. Enhance any project with comic books! Decorating with mod podge is not just a craft, it’s talent. An impressive one at that.
Tag us in your creation and stay tuned for a fun mod podge project! @crafticomics.
