A samurai armor seems like a challenge to make, but with a little creativity it is quite easy. What you need to make a chest plate is some cardboard or craft foam, faux leather, lots of glue, and colored cords. If you have enough materials, you can use the same techniques to make other pieces, such as a helmet, shoulder pads, and a skirt.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Making the Chest Plate
Step 1. Use a T-shirt to trace the pattern on the plate
Grab a shirt and tuck the sleeves inside. Place the shirt on a large sheet of cardboard and trace around it with a pen, making it longer at the hem. Save it when you're done.
- You should make the chest plate longer because you will cut it into pieces and overlap it.
- Use craft foam. The type used in yoga mats can work too.
Step 2. Divide the pattern into eight segments and then number them
Draw 7 horizontal lines through the pattern to divide it into 8 equal-sized sections. This will cause the horizontal plates to overlap.
Step 3. Cut the pieces and number them from F1 to F8
The top piece will be F1 and the bottom piece F8. This will help you keep track of the parts. The "F" will become "Front". You will soon be making another set of back pieces.
Step 4. Trace and cut slightly larger pieces of faux leather
Lay the pattern pieces on a sheet of faux leather. Trace around and add ½ to 1 inch seam allowances. Cut the faux leather, then trim the corners to help reduce the bulk.
- Cut notches in the neck of the top piece. This will prevent them from wrinkling.
- Number the fake leather pieces on the back to match the cardboard pieces.
Step 5. Cover the front of each piece of cardboard with fake leather
Lay a piece of fake leather on a flat surface, wrong side up. Cover it with glue, then place a matching piece of cardboard on top, number side up. Wrap the edges of the faux leather around the edges of the cardboard piece. Repeat this process for the other pieces.
- You may need to secure the edges with a quick dye glue, such as hot glue.
- If the fake leather won't stay down, you can secure it with clips.
Step 6. Repeat this section for the back of the chest plate
This time, number the pieces from B1 to B8. You will also want to lengthen the shoulders of the back piece. This will make the entire board easier to assemble.
You can use a similar method to make your upper arm pads and a paneled skirt. Make them using a rectangular base
Part 2 of 4: assembling the chest plate
Step 1. Make two rows of holes on each side of the plate segments
Do it with a hammer and a nail. Each narrow edge should have two rows of six holes. Drill the holes towards the lower half of the neck piece (F1). Then, make the holes towards the top half of the other pieces (F2 to F8). This will allow you to overlap them upward, like reverse shingles on a roof.
You can make more sets of holes in the center of each chest plate segment to add more detail
Step 2. Pass two long pieces of string through the holes on the left side of F1
Cut two long pieces of colored shoelaces. Pass the strings through the first set of holes. Start at the front of the piece so the strings come out from behind. Leave a few inches of cord in the front; You will need them to assemble the armor.
Don't worry about the right side of the F1 part yet
Step 3. Cross the laces and then put them through the next set of holes
Cross the left lace and put it through the next right hole. Cross the right lace over the top and thread it through the next left hole. They should be X-shaped.
Step 4. Thread the laces through the next set of holes
Bring the left lace up through the next left hole. Bring the right lace up through the next right hole. You don't need to cross the strings, as this is the back of the piece.
Step 5. Place piece F2 on top of F1 and pass the strings through the next set of holes
Make sure the top edge of F2 covers the bottom edge of F1. Push the laces up through the first set of holes in F2.
Don't worry about the right side of the board just yet
Step 6. Cross the laces and continue tying the pieces
Cross the laces, from right to left, and lower them through the next set of holes. Push them up through the left set of holes in F2, and up through the first set of holes in F3. Keep tying the pieces in this way until you get to the bottom of F8.
Step 7. Tie the laces and cut the rest
Leave a few inches on each string. This will allow you to tie the armor around the waist.
Step 8. Repeat the process for the other side of the front chest plate
Once you've done that, you can attach it to the back plate. Punch two holes in the top edge of each shoulder of the back piece so that you can assemble the armor later.
Step 9. Tie the front and back chest plates together
Thread the end of the lanyard from the top of the F1 plate through the holes in the shoulder straps of the back piece B1. Tie the strings together at each shoulder with a tight knot. If you don't plan on adding more pieces, cut them out.
- If you made the arm pads and a skirt, tie them together in a similar way.
- If you made arm pads, use the end of the shoulder laces to connect and secure them. Finish the strings in knots and then cut them.
Part 3 of 4: Making the base of the helmet
Step 1. Paint a helmet black
Buy a helmet from a store and paint it black using spray paint. You don't need to paint the inside, but you should paint the bottom of the trim.
Step 2. Cut 10 thin strips of craft foam for the vertical lines
The strips must be long enough to extend from the top of the helmet to the edge. Use a craft knife and a straight edge to keep the strips clean and straight. Plan to make them ⅛ to ¼ inches (0.3 to 0.6 cm) wide.
You can also use gold laces or ribbons instead
Step 3. Paint the craft foam gold
You can do this with spray paint or acrylic paint. You only need to paint one side, but you need to paint the top and side edges.
If you used a gold cord or ribbon, skip this step
Step 4. Use hot glue to glue the foam strips to the helmet
Apply the hot glue directly to the back (unpainted) of the foam piece. Press the foam against the side of the helmet. Hot glue dries quickly so it only works 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) at a time. Glue all the strips to the helmet, making sure they are evenly spaced.
Step 5. Add a gold button to the top of the helmet
Find a fancy coat button and paint it gold to match the vertical stripes on the helmet. Stick it with the hot glue on the top of the helmet. This not only acts as an ornament, it helps to hide the part where all the strips connect.
Step 6. Make the neck protector
Use the same technique and materials that you used for the chest plate. Cut out four rectangles long enough to wrap around half the edge of the helmet; each one should be slightly longer than the last. Cover them and put them together using the same technique as for the chest plate. The shortest rectangle goes at the top and the largest one at the bottom.
- For added support, add another set of lacing holes in the middle of each segment of the neck guard.
- If you don't have enough base materials left, try one of the following: cardboard, poster board, poster paper, or craft foam for the base rectangles.
- If you don't have enough faux leather left, paint the base material to match the helmet.
Step 7. Attach the neck guard to the helmet
There are two ways to do it. You can punch holes in the bottom of the helmet, then thread the neck protector laces through the holes and tie them in knots. The other option is to glue the neck protector to the back of the helmet with hot glue or an industrial glue.
Part 4 of 4: Putting on the crest and mask
Step 1. Create a ridge
This is one of the most important characteristics of a samurai helmet. Cut a circle and a crescent out of craft foam. The crescent must be the same height as the hull, or higher. The circle should be small enough to form a side within the crescent, a few inches wide.
You can make the crescent using lines that curve in and out, like horns
Step 2. Assemble the ridge
Place the circle on top, making sure the bottom edges match. Hot glue the circle in place.
The circle should be small enough to fit inside the cusp of the moon
Step 3. Paint the crest gold
Do this with spray paint or acrylic paint. Make sure you get to the edges of the foam as well. If you want, you can draw details on the crescent moon, like a dragon.
Step 4. Glue the crest to the helmet with hot glue
Put a large swirl of hot glue on the back of the ridge. Press it against the helmet, just above the front edge. The tips of the crescent moon should point upward.
Step 5. Paint a samurai mask using shiny black paint
You can find it at costume stores and online. Make your own mask by buying a complete one at the craft store, then doing the following:
- Cut the mouth into a rectangle shape.
- Cut off the top, around the middle of the cheeks and up, but leave the bridge of the nose intact.
- Cover the mask with papier-mâché.
- Sculpt over it with paper clay or papier-mâché paste. Use photos of real samurai masks for reference.
- Paint the mask black.
Step 6. Add some details
If you added teeth to the mask, paint them white. You can paint the lips reddish or another dark color. Some masks have whiskers. Pick up some stiff bristles and tie them in the center with twine. Hot glue the mustache to the upper lip, just below the nose. If the mask does not come with straps, add a strong piece of elastic to the back so that it can be worn under the helmet.
Advice
- Add grommets in the shoulder holes for added strength.
- The plates of all the pieces should overlap upwards, like the reverse shingles.
- When you cross the ropes, make sure you always cross them in the same direction. This will make the job look cleaner.
- For something faster, hot glue the plates and then draw the cords with hot glue. Paint the hot glue with acrylic paint once it has dried.
- Make other pieces, like the shoulder guards, arm guards, and a skirt.