Legend of Zelda Link Cosplay with Hylian Shield + Master Sword DIY

Legend of Zelda Link Cosplay with Hylian Shield + Master Sword DIY

In our home we absolutely love Legend of Zelda. We love all things Nintendo, but Link is our favorite.

When my son was 5 or so, he asked me to make him a Link costume that he could wear around the house and yard. 

He was thrilled with the green tunic and pointy hat I sewed in just a few minutes. 

He still loves Link and wore this fun cosplay to a local Fandom Convention. He got so much attention, pictures taken and hugs!

We made the outfit a couple years ago, and there's a full post on that here. 

In 2019 year he wanted to improve on the sword and shield...essentially upgrade from a wooden shield and sword to the Hylian Shield and the Master Sword.

Supplies Needed for Hylian Shield and Master Sword:

• Plywood/jigsaw
• Paint/paintbrushes
• Freezer Paper
• Cricut
• Iron
• Stencil Brush

Begin by making the shield out of scrap wood in the garage and a jigsaw. 

Paint it blue with some acrylic craft paint.

Here's where it gets fun. Load this image into Cricut Design Space and scale it so it fits the shield dimensions. 

I had to slice the image in half and cut it in 2 separate pieces. 

Larger than mat projects are so fun, so don't be intimidated!

Then have the Cricut Maker cut the 2 halves out of freezer paper with the waxy side down on the mat.

Then arrange the freezer paper on the shield and iron it in place.

The wood is textured and hard to iron down completely, but do the best possible.

Then use acrylic craft paint to fill the sections with color. 

Paint the red fan/eagle/wings first.

The tri-force and triangle in gold.

Then paint all the edges of the shield and the curly decorations silver.

Do a couple layers of paint on each color.

After painting the stencil, remove the freezer paper.

Remove the freezer paper while the paint is still slightly wet, this will allow the paper to come off without tearing.

Then let the shield dry completely and then spray with a clear gloss spray.

My husband rigged a back strap so the shield could be easily carried with the master sword slipped inside.

And of course, I got no pictures of the process because he is not a blogger. 

But this did prove super useful so he could have his hands free during events at times.

The master sword was painted freehand in the same blue, silver and gold paints.

Perfect finishing touch for the Link cosplay! 

The most frustrating thing for my son was to be called Zelda, instead of Link! 

Haha, Zelda is the princess!

What Legend of Zelda game is your favorite?

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Check out this fun Legend of Zelda Birthday Party we did too!