In this instructable I'll show you how to make personalized gift bags out of comic books (or other forms of printed art!). Old comic books and other printed art are awesome, but at some point, they're just collecting dust somewhere. I found a bunch of beautiful comics next to the trash bin and I decided to make some gift bags out of them. I thought that the bags turned out really nice, and that this is a great way to give new life to old pieces of art, so I decided share how I made them :) I tried to make my instructions easy to follow but also easy to modify - I wanted you to be able to create bags of any size you want. If I didn't explain clearly, let me know!

I hope you enjoy, and if you have any comments or questions - let me know!

P.s., if you end up making a bag, I'd love to see it in the 'I Made It' section at the bottom!!

Supplies

This project doesn't really require much at all:)

Materials

A bunch of old comic books or other forms of printed art. To make an identical copy of the bags I made, you'll need 3 A4 papers worth of comic book paper. If you want to create a custom size, see 'Step 1'.
Liquid paper glue (I used Elmer's wood glue but you're better off with ordinary glue made for paper).
For the handles - shoe laces, a ribbon, or something similar (see step 7).

Tools

A flat screwdriver for scoring the paper (or a different scoring tool - I saw people sell these but I don't see the point in paying for them! about 99% of people already have a screwdriver at home).
A ruler (preferably a long one - 50cm / 20" long).
A hole puncher (for the handles).

By the way, the entire project will take about 10-20minutes.

Step 1: Plan the Dimensions

I made bags of a specific size, which fitted the gifts I was giving. The exact dimensions are given in the first image. However, I tried to make the instructions in this tutorial as easy to modify as I could - so if you want, you can change the dimensions of the bag to fit your needs.

Look at the 2nd image (that of the finished bag). I marked 'X', 'Y' & 'Z' there so we have some common notations.
Decide what X, Y, Z you want for your bag.
Now move on to the 3rd image and put X, Y, Z in there. You can draw it on a paper if you like. Now you can calculate the size of the paper you're going to need. It'll be of width:

W = 2*X + 2*Y + 5cm (5cm = 2 inches)

And it's height should be:

H = Z + X/2 + 1.5cm (1.5 cm = about 0.5").

In case you want to repeat the exact dimensions I used (X = 10cm, Y = 20cm, Z = 15cm) you'll need about 3 A4 papers. I attached PDF files of the dimensions for those who prefer them over images.

Step 2: Make a Large Sheet of Paper

First, we need to make a single piece of paper that is large enough to make the bag we planned. Mine required stitching 3 A4 papers together.

Use glue and connect the papers to each other. I used a 2cm (about 1") of overlap between them. Make sure the papers are well connected.
Let the glue dry before moving to the next steps!

Step 3: Score the Paper

The large sheet of paper has two sides - one side you like more than the other. That'll be the outer side (which will be displayed) and the side you like a little less will be the inner side.

On the inner side of the paper, mark the scoring lines according to the plans in 'Step 1'. You can see what it looks like on my sheet of paper too (first image).
Use a flat screwdriver or another scoring tool, and score the paper along the lines. Be gentle not to tear through the paper.

Step 4: Fold & Glue the Top Fold

Fold along the top scoring line towards the inner side.
Open the fold back, add some glue, and spread it evenly along the fold.
Fold towards the inner side of the paper and make sure it's glued in place.

Step 5: Fold & Glue the Frame

Fold by 90 degrees along the vertical scoring lines to form the frame of the bag.
Put some glue on the section you left for the overlap, and glue both ends of the frame (see 2nd image)
You should end up with a hollow rectangular prism (see 3rd & 4th images)

Step 6: Fold and Glue the Bottom

Flip the bag so you're facing its bottom.
Fold along the score-lines marked by 'X' in the plans section (the shorter sides - see 1st & 2nd images).
Fold along the score-lines marked by 'Y' in the plans section (the longer sides - see images 3 & 4). Add some glue to make it last. Add some scotchtape if needed.

Step 7: Add Handles

Flip the bag so the top is facing you.
Use a hole puncher to make 2 holes on each side bag. The best place to punch them is where the paper is folded, so the handles are reinforced by two layers of paper. I measured 7 cm (about 3") from each side of the bag and punched the holes there to make everything symmetric.
Cut a shoelace or a ribbon into two copies of about 30cm (12").
Thread the shoelace / ribbons through, and add a knot to prevent it from sliding back (see GIF).

Step 8: You're Done!

You're done! I hope you enjoyed making it as much as I did! I bet the people you're going to give these to will really appreciate the extra effort & love you put into giving them a gift in a personalized gift bag :)