The online portfolio of Page Redford
I’ve been trying to design new holiday greeting cards. This one is a fun tongue-in-cheek card that I would even consider sending to some of my girlfriends not around halloween.
Available now in my Etsy Shop!
Each card is hand-embellished with rhinestone stickers.
Gosh, Can you believe we are almost done with October and that HALLOWEEN is only ONE WEEK away?! I can’t
I’m sure you know by now, but I am going to be LINK from the Legend of Zelda for Halloween. I already posted a tutorial with steps to make your own Hylian Shield, but I would like to share some more photographs that showcase my handiwork. I also want to show off my awesome Master Sword:
While I did not make the sword from scratch like I did the shield, I did do some alterations and a paint job. I painted the hilt, added some gold detailing, and wrapped the hilt with suede leather. She’s a pretty convincing Master Sword and well made too!
Detail of the sword and shield together.
The EYES have it!
Halloween is my favorite time of year. I love the changing seasons, and the chance to decorate my house with spiders and pumpkins is always a HUGE plus. This year I channeled my inner Martha Stuart and made some fun decorations!
Keep your EYES peeled.
This Eyeball Wreath was made from scratch by yours truly. It has is a wired chenille-like material for the base and is adorned with glittery eyeballs, glittery black and orange balls, and a glittery spider. I want to leave this Beauty up year ’round. (We’ll see what the boyfriend says about that…)
In the meanwhile, I will be working on making some new wreaths. I have some ideas in mind for some non-traditional holiday wreaths too. Perhaps even some wreaths that would actually look good on your door year ’round. Stay tuned!
I suppose I have made it pretty clear, but just in case you weren’t sure, I am going to be Link from the Legend of Zelda for Halloween. I’ve never been one to wear ready-made costumes; even as children we always had a handmade costume from Grandma R. As I’ve grown older, I continued that tradition, frequently making my own costumes. I was never really one for following the trends as it were.
The biggest challenge for this year’s costume was not the outfit itself (I basically had that together, save some time to embroider and work on accessories). The biggest challenge this year was Link’s shield and sword. Link is pretty recognizable, but if I were to dress up as Link without his trusty sword and shield…well, that wasn’t an option. I did some research at the beginning of the month to prepare myself for the “real deal” of making or finding a sword and shied that would work for my costume.
Looking online, there are very few options that look good and don’t cost an arm-and-a-leg. Since I need both my arms to swing my sword and use my shield, and since Rupees don’t grow on trees, I decided to make my own Hylian Shield. I styled the design after the shield from Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. I chose this shield for a few reasons: The materials I had for Link’s tunic matched that character design perfectly, and I really like the way they designed the Master Sword and Hylian Shield in that game. Also, it was the last game where Link was playable as a left-handed character (on the Gamecube version) and I wanted to be true to the “Corrie-Fisted” Link I grew up with!
Concept artwork for Link in Twilight Princess.
Obviously I will share the costume itself, but in the next few posts I will share my progress in the making of the Hylian Shield. If you have any questions, please message me or add a comment. I hope my instructions will inspire other gamer girls (and boys!) to make their own Hylian Shield!
Until next time!
Sketching out to-scale drawings to make the shield.
If you need a to-scale example of the size of the shield I showed you how to make, here you go!
This shield is just the right size for my cat, Ferdinand. He is ready to go in to battle with the most ferocious of foes! Watch out!
Hi-yah!
Yesterday I started showing you how to make your own tiny Hylian Shield from the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. Today I am back to finish up the tutorial.
Step 6: Detailing What would the Hylian Shield be without its fine detailing? A Deku Shield? There are a lot of options for adding details to the center of your shield. With this smaller shield, I chose to use a combination of materials. For the Triforce, I used some thin cardboard. For the bird motif, I used my hot glue gun to paint the design. If you are not very good at freehand-drawing, I would suggest cutting out the design from your template. This was a little tricky, but I am pleased with the results. I may try something different on the larger shield, though.
The glue gun added a nice texture, but was difficult to control.
Step 7: Prime This is especially important if working with cardbard. The dark surface will be difficult to paint if you do not prime it.
The front after one coat of primer.
Be sure to get the front and the back. Let it dry completely between coats if a second coat is necessary.
The back of the shield after one coat of primer.
Step 8: Spray Paint Now it’s time for the fun part. Once you’ve let your coat of primer dry completely, you can add a coat of your Hammered Spray Paint. This paint is textured and does a great job of covering most surfaces evenly. I did not have any problems with my shield, but you may need to touch-up or add a second coat of paint. Be patient and let each coat dry before applying the next one.
Also, if you did cover the outside of the shield with masking tape, bear in mind that the paint will remain tacky there for a little while longer than it does on the cardboard. Be mindful of this when setting the shield down on surfaces while it dries.
Paint both sides of the shield.
Shield front after one coat of Hammered Silver paint.
Step 9: Paint and Detail. Once your silver paint has dried, it is time to add detail to the shield. I used a variety of small brushes and my acrylic paints to add the color to the front of the shield. I did the blue base first and then painted the red bird and Triforce, leaving the silver parts
Carefully adding blue paint.
Don’t forget to paint the back!
You may need to add several coats of paint. Depending on the type of paint you are using, you may also want to cover the shield in a clear gloss coat. As all of my paints were glossy, I did not do that for my shield. Once the paint has dried on the front and the back, it is time to add some hardware. On this small shield, I added a little loop to be used to hang or secure the shield. On a standard-size shield, it is even more important to add the correct hardware. This small loop will do for now, but if you make a larger shield in the future, be sure to make the straps and handle more secure.
Brads have proven to be very useful for this project.
Step 10: Sit back and admire your handy-work. Even if you have never touched a tool in your life, this project can be easy enough for any skill level. While this shield may not be big enough to defend yourself from even the smallest of Deku Shrubs, it is cool enough to display in your home or office. Many materials are ones that you may have on-hand.
With the leather loop on the back, you can easily hang this small shield somewhere where it can be seen!
I hope this tutorial was helpful! If you have any questions regarding the instructions or photographs please let me know. Share your finished projects too!!!
Now, I suppose I should give you one more hint. I posted some of the supplies that I will be using for a project earlier today, but let’s give you all one more hint:
These three pieces are cut from cardboard.
Here is a photograph of the DIY project I am working on in one of its earliest stages. Does this help? Keep the guesses coming! I will be sure to let you know what I am working on in the next couple days. I will be posting lots of step-by-step photographs and instructions so that you can follow along at home!
This October I will be working on a couple DIY projects. In the spirit of Halloween, they will have a similar theme. I am wondering if you can guess what I will be making based on the supplies I am using!
These are most of the supplies I will use. I will also be using larger materials like paper, cardboard, and foam-core.
HEY LISTEN! Here are a few hints:
It’s something that you can hold. It won’t be too big nor too heavy, unless you are quite young.
It’s something that I’ve talked about before on this blog.
3 is an important number.
Wouldn’t you want to purchase a box of “8-Count DraColour Crayons”?
I have been having a lot of fun designing packages lately and this is one of my favorites. With Halloween around the corner, I couldn’t not make something Halloween-ey. This fun design for a box of crayons takes advantage of the product window to showcase both the item inside and to reinforce the design of the Vampire. Text on the package is fun, playful, and simple enough for a child to get the message. Yet enough information is conveyed for adult customers too.
If you remember the Cat’s Meow Tea package design project that I did a few weeks ago, I kept the color palate consistent among the designs. I would really like to do more designs like this so stay tuned for more!
Happy “Dia De Los Muertos”, Everyone!
Today we celebrate the “Day of the Dead” with a new tote bag from Pink Toe Press! This bag was designed by Yours Truly and was hand-printed in Burbank, CA. This new bag design is currently available at Rocket Fizz Burbank and in my Etsy shop! This bag is a great tote bag for Day of the Dead, of course, but the design is great for using all year round! Bring a bag to market for your groceries or fill it with books for class. The bag itself measures 13 inches by 13 inches and is made from durable cotton canvas, so you can tote just about anything in this great Calavera Tote Bag!
Page Redford 
