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!
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