I always like to upcycle old materials to make something new and great, all the while reducing my trash and helping the environment at the same time. The comics section of the Sunday paper is a great place to get humorous card verses and sayings through the panels of illustrations. You can also use various parts of drawings and graphics to compose your own collage pieces as well. I recently took my Sunday Comics I and II sections and transformed them into a batch of unique handmade greeting cards to send out to my friends and family. There are a couple types of greeting cards and notes you can make using the comic panels.
Using the punchline within a regular comic strip story
Take the pivotal panels from a regular comic strip and split them into two groups. The beginning can be put on the cover of the card, which can be just one panel or multiple ones. Then put the punchline inside the card, so your recipient will see it once they open the card. This is a great method since it works for pretty much all the comic strips stories. I chose to cut up a longer comic strip and take only the pivotal setup panel where it describes a “mischievous pigeon” and the inside reveals the pigeon poop falling on the person. It’s hilarious, one-of-a-kind and also an alternative subject matter that you normally wouldn’t even be able to buy at the store!
Plain graphic panels with or without a caption
Another method is to cut out an interesting portion of an illustration and simply use it on the cover of your homemade greeting card. Many times you simply want a nice decoration for a blank card where you would write your letter.
These can be costly expenses, but with a scissors and some glue you can create your own. They will also be unique since you normally wouldn’t have the same illustrations within the comic strips. I made some with a simple image on the front as well as some where I added my own caption or speech bubble to match the subject I would be corresponding about. This method let’s you customize your card for any subject matter. I also created one using extra materials, such as stamping on a title or short phrase/saying to accompany the picture. This method works on a regular card or also notecards to transform them into illustrated or decorated stationery.
The possibilities are endless for this project idea of making your own greeting cards – it is really up to you what other materials you might have lying around to use. I framed some comic graphics with other pretty decorated papers, used stamps, stickers, glitter and ribbon to decorate my cards depending on the look I was trying to create. You can also involve your kids in this project and have them use their markers and crayons to add embellishments. You can think of the comic strips and graphics as a base material to work off of. How far you go with it is up to your imagination! Use other recycled materials, old stationery papers and various other craft tools you might have around.
Regardless of how minimalistically simple or baroque complicated you get with your creations, your family and friends who receive these wonderful handmade items will appreciate them more than any other “fancy” store-bought card. If you can work it out and use a comic strip they enjoy reading, that would be even more clever and special! So go ahead and start making your own cards and correspond the old fashioned way – get back to paper…
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