How to Make a Homemade " Walking Comic Book" Costume

Make your own Comic Book that you can wear!

Step 1: Designing Your Costume, Planning Layout,choosing Your Theme.

This Instructable will teach you, how to make a Walking Comic Book Costume. You have the freedom to be creative , so you don't have to make a Comic book, you can be a magazine, or your favorite book, you can choose any character or theme you'd like. The possibilities are endless. You can also alter the measurements if you would want to use this idea for a childs costume!

1. Choose your theme. I chose my favorite artist Roy Litchenstein's art work. And presented it in a comic book layout.

2. Choose a large Image for your cover, anything from vintage Comic book covers , to magazine covers, or book covers. You can download images you find while searching the internet, or take a photo of one of your favorite options.

3. Keep it " Visually Simple".  I CHOSE 9 IMAGES IN TOTAL. You don't want to select too many images, as you need to either draw or print these images very large  on each inner page of the costume. You don't want to confuse people, and still maintain a  Visual Comic Book layout look.

4. For the first page the" Left page", I chose 2 images that where placed on top and printed them out smaller than the third image. The third image I printed out larger and horizontally wider, to put on the bottom of my Left page.This gives you the classic Comic Book layout look you want to achieve. So keep this in mind when choosing images, when printing it out. 

5. Remember you will be standing infront of the image that is to be placed on the top of your right page. I chose an image I could be , and dress up as. So consider a large image of your favorite character.......

6. Pictured above is a diagram I drew before I started choosing which theme. Pre planning and visualizing your costume will help greatly. Photos shown above.

7. Now that you have chosen your theme and images you can either draw them to scale, or print them out in large scale at your local print shop.I chose to print them out it is much faster. I printed them out in black and white and then painted the colors on it.

Now you're ready for your supply list!

Step 2: List of Supplies

The following supplies are needed to make the Comic Book Costume. 

I have organized the supplies list for you: first as a list indicating all supplies needed, and then the supplies needed for individual projects.


GENERAL LIST OF SUPPLIES. (Total of all supplies you need to purchase)

1. Scissors

2. 3 rolls of Packing Tape

3.  2 large pieces of cardboard preferably an old box.
I used an old TV Box found in the trash measuring 35"wide x 48" height x 10" depth

4. Acrylic Paints: Red, Yellow, Blue, Black, White.

5. Paint Brushes, 5 styrofoam cups for water to clean paint brushes.

6. Liquid nail Heavy Duty Adhesive, and Caulking gun, found at Walmart or Home Depot.

7. Large scale printed photos or images of your favorite comic book.....

8. Electric Staple gun

9. Stapler

10. PosterBoards 3 white, 1 yellow, 1 red.

11. Pointy cone hat. Either a party hat like a birthday / New Years hat, or a styrofoam pointy hat found at craft stores.




*Below all supplies listed above, organised into individual projects.


SUPPLIES TO MAKE COMIC BOOK

1. Poster Boards:  1 red, 3 white

2. 2 rolls of Packing Tape

3. Scissors

4. Measuring tape or Yard stick

5. Save excess white scraps of paper you cut off from your enlarged printed images.

6.1 mens leather belt. The leather belts work best and strongest to take on the weight of the cardboard costume.

7.  Enlarged images for cover, back of the book, and inner pages.

8. 2 large pieces of cardboard preferably an old box.
I used an old TV Box found in the trash measuring 35"wide x 48" height x 10" depth



WIG SUPPLIES

1. Pointy cone hat.  Either a party hat like a birthday / New Years hat, or a styrofoam pointy hat found at craft stores.

2. 1 Yellow posterboard

3. Stapler

4. Black Paint




Wearable Bottom of Right Page  Comic Book Panel

1. 2 White Posterboards

2. 1 Mens Belt ( leather works best).

3. Tape

4. 2  printed out images.


CHARACTER CLOTHING

1. Blue Tank Top

2. White Collar Shirt

3. 1 White Glove



OPTIONAL FACE PAINT

1. BLACK LIQUID EYELINER waterproof

2. Red LIPSTICK

3. White Face paint  Grease Paint

4. Blue Red Face Paint.

I searched online for " Comic Book Girl" makeup tutorials or photos to get ideas or Comic Book Makeup.

You can still achieve the look by just using Black Liquid Eyeliner and Red Lipstick!


CURLED UP PAGE EDGES


1. Scraps of White posterboard

2. Tape

3. Save excess scraps from images that have already been printed and colored in.




* Total Cost Estimated :$30-$50 Can be less if you already have most supplies at home. I spent $30 !!!

Step 3: Comic Book Construcion, and Front Cover

Comic Book Supplies List Below.

1. I found a  CardBoard TV Box in the trash, and cut off the excess flaps shown in photo.

2. I took scissors or a box cutter to slice the edges of box open. To make it look like an open book on the floor, keeping bottom middle piece of box in tact to use as Spine of book.

3. While having box spread wide open like a book, I secured the Book Spine which was the actual flaps from the bottom of the box.
 I opened those flaps and used the adhesive liquid nails ito strengthen it together. After I applied the adhesive, I then took Packing Tape to secure " wrapped around vertically" from top to bottom, front and back of Bookspine. I then used the staple gun to staple down those taped flaps of cardboard of the book spine. First I stapled generously covering all surface of the book spine from the interior and then exterior. Staple generously to make sure it holds , and is durable for multiple uses!!!! This is crucial to prevent your costume from falling apart!

4. Wait 24 hrs. for liquid nail to dry and set, you want it to be very firmly held before you start working on book.

5. Close book to start working on Front Cover.

6. Paint Large Front Cover Image. Let dry. Dries within 3hrs or less, depending how many coats you use.

7. Tape down large Front Cover Image in center of front cover. If you have any excess cardboard borders exposed, feel free to paint in favorite colors.

8. After Cover Image is centered in place and secured. Seal and waterproof your images from tearing. Take packing tape, and literally cover each inch of surface area with tape. It works best to start at the top or bottom either vertically or horizontally. You can use large or small strips. REPEAT UNTIL THE WHOLE FRONT IS COVERED IN TAPE, THIS PROTECTS YOUR COSTUME FROM TEARS, WATER,AND GIVES IT A PROFESSIOBNAL GLOSSY LOOK!



SUPPLIES TO MAKE COMIC BOOK

1. Poster Boards: 1 red, 3 white

2. 2 rolls of Packing Tape

3. Scissors

4. Measuring tape or Yard stick

5. Save excess white scraps of paper you cut off from your enlarged printed images.

6.1 mens leather belt. The leather belts work best and strongest to take on the weight of the cardboard costume.

7. Enlarged images for cover, back of the book, and inner pages.

8. 2 large pieces of cardboard preferably an old box.
I used an old TV Box found in the trash measuring 35"wide x 48" height x 10" depth

Step 4: Inside the Comic Book, and Back Cover.

1. Open comic book now and refer to your drawn out diagram or mine .

2. Right page : Measuring from bottom of page at 23.5" height  draw 2 circles where your arms go thru to hold costume.

3. I made circles 7.5" in diameter each and placed them 10" apart from each other. This worked perfectly to hold costume up right, didnt interfere with my image, and I could easily get in and out of costume when needed.

4. Now with assistance of a helper place arms thru holes and hold the costume from the bottom hositing it up. Get your helper to mark where your waist  is, and center the marks on the page.

5. With a box cutter or scissors, make 2 small cuts to slip a leather belt through.

6. Now go back and start painting all images and cut them out. A little helper shown in photos , helped me paint them all.

7. Cut out all images, and save excess white paper scraps. Thos scraps you will use as the white border backgrounds you see in my photos.

8. Place images in same layout as your diagram.

9. Mark where the images will be placed with a marker on cardboard.

10. Remove images exposing your marked outlines of images on cardboard.

11. Now with the excess white paper scraps you saved, cover all the exposed cardboard that will be showing thru after your images would be in place. This serves the purpase as your white background brodering your images. Tape them down.

12. Now that both pages have been outlined, and you have taped down your white background, you should only have cardboard exposed in the ares where your images are to be placed.

13. Tape down all images, but remember to not tape down the outer corner of your left page left top image, aswell as your right page right top image. (This is only optional, leave untaped if you want to do a flipped curled page effect).   

14. In the inside of the book spine I chose to write the name of the costume. Yopu can go ahead and the do same for yours, or leave blank.

15. Once both inside pages are complete, close the book to work on your back cover.

16. Repeat outline instructions of images abaove.

17. I chose to paint red the exposed cardboard that boarders the images.

18. On the Outer Spine of the book, I chose to write the name of the Artist Roy Ltchenstein. You can put anything you want there.

Step 5: Wearable Right Page Bottom Panel

1. Take white cardboard, and measure to size of 18.5" height x 33 3/4 " width.

2. Have second piece of white posterboard handy.

3. Tape remaining 2 images onto one posterboard.

4. On other posterboard, cut out 2 small sections to fit thru leather belt. Place posterboard infront of you while having large costume on to make sure this front panel sits high on you.

5.Now tape both posterboads together .

6. Place belt thru holes.

Step 6: Wig

1. Take yellow posterboard and draw the style of hair of image you will be standing in front of.

2. I took a piece of cardboard and cut it to the size of my face and then place it at the bottom of posterboard.
This helped me make sure the wig i was wearing was proportionate to me, but at the same time allowed the image i would be standing in front of to be seen.

3. Once you draw it, outline all details it in black paint. Let dry.

4. Cut out wig.

5. Get paper party hat and staple it to the back of wig. It helps to wear party hat and then place wig in front of it to ensure proper placement.

6. Photos of inside of wig with party hat are shown.

7. Optional I stapled a yellow bag to the back side of the wig so no one could see my natural hair color exposed.