The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword

Costumes, Cosplay, and Props Craft & Design Education Fun & Games
The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword

With the crisp chill of autumn air upon us and September drawing to a close, our collective thoughts are beginning to drift toward one of the year’s most entertaining social spectacles – Halloween!

Children and adults alike enjoy this singular night of the year where it is perfectly acceptable and expected of people to dress up in the most scary, whimsical, elaborate, and ostentatious of costumes.  And with the incredible growth and popularity of cosplay, the idea of costume design is now an art form worthy of meticulous thought and innovation.

Let’s face it, plain ol’ witches, bed sheet ghosts, and stereotypical Dracula costumes are now passé.  Zombie Dracula with a chainsaw – now we’re talking!

Regardless of the planned costume – be it Transformers or Spartans or steampunk – one thing is for certain, there will be a need to add accessories to make the visual complete.  And one of the top accessories that can fit most costumes is a sword!

Personally, I am an ‘artistic sword groupie’ (if there is such a thing – if not, I just invented it).  When it comes to sword design, the sky isn’t the limit!  There are no limits to what a sword can look like to compliment any costume.  The right type of sword can make even the most mundane costume look instantly cool. Case in point: three years ago I witnessed a young girl dressed as Tinkerbell, but with a huge Resident Evil sword painted with blood. Too awesome!

The safest, most versatile and inexpensive way to make a costume sword is by way of foam or cardboard. Both can be easily obtained and are lightweight, but cardboard is easier to cut-out, layer with multiple designs and color with spray paint.  A cardboard sword can become as over-the-top or simplistic as you want at barely any cost or time.

To provide some creative inspiration on how cardboard can be manipulated into whatever you desire, I am sharing a handful of the designs I have made over the years. You can click any of the images to see the how-to videos on their creation.  I hope these images will tantalize your creative juices to make a wicked sword to call your own. Have an awesome Halloween!

Cardboard Thundercats Sword of Omens
Cardboard Thundercats Sword of Omens
Cardboard Gargantuan Sword of Death and Destruction
Cardboard Gargantuan Sword of Death and Destruction
Hand-automated Cardboard Metallic Shark Sword
Hand-automated Cardboard Metallic Shark Sword
Cardboard Blood Splatter Spartan Sword
Cardboard Blood Splatter Spartan Sword
Simple Cardboard Minecraft Sword
Simple Cardboard Minecraft Sword
Cardboard Glow in the dark nun-chuck swords
Cardboard Glow in the dark nun-chuck swords
Raw Cardboard Knight Sword and Hatchet Blade
Raw Cardboard Knight Sword and Hatchet Blade

24 thoughts on “The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword

  1. rndm(mod) » The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword says:

    […] Read more on MAKE […]

  2. SaluteL'arte del costume di Halloween del cartone Spada | Salute says:

    […] Il più sicuro, più modo versatile e poco costoso per fare una spada costume è a titolo di schiuma o cartone. Entrambi possono essere facilmente ottenuto e sono leggeri, ma di cartone è più facile da tagliare-out, strato con più disegni e colori con vernice spray. Una spada di cartone può diventare come over-the-top o semplicistica come si desidera a malapena a ogni costo o di tempo. […]

  3. bembunny says:

    An early crafting treat for the Halloween!
    I’m thinking of my first DIY project for my blog, so this idea is pretty cool.

    http://bembunny.wordpress.com/

  4. Halloween: Reveal Your Cardboard Superhero/Sci-fi Hero | MAKE says:

    […] my last blog post I went into detail about accessorizing Halloween costumes with homemade cardboard swords.  Now, […]

  5. Grommets says:

    Those are some really amazing swords.

    1. homemadegameguru says:

      Thank you :-)

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    アグ 激安 クラッチバッグ メンズ http://qingbianua.nikeoninsertjp.org/

  7. rest assured mattress says:

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  8. sbobet says:

    each time i used to read smaller articles which as well clear
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  9. Showing Cardboard Admiration Towards Steampunk Weapons | MAKE says:

    […] you have read my previous posts or watched my You Tube videos (He-man sword, Game of Thrones Sword), you have already witnessed my […]

  10. 5Linxuniversity.Zendesk.Com says:

    5Linxuniversity.Zendesk.Com

    The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword | MAKE

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    The Art of the Halloween Costume Cardboard Sword | MAKE

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As a fanatic crafting fan, inventor, author and designer, I just enjoy making new things for the fun of it! I operate an award-winning how-to You Tube channel called The Homemade Game Guru to share my love of creation with people worldwide. Utilizing cardboard in grandiose ways is my specialty.

I also run an unique online design class to help anyone create a Personal Family Tree Board Game. You can sign up for that class here.

View more articles by Homemade Game Guru

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