Cardboard Fantasy Helmet

For my upcycle project I took inspiration this leather helmet I found last December at an art market.

Figure 1: Leather fantasy style helmet that is the source of my inspiration for this project.

The aesthetic is “Medieval Fantasy” along the lines of Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, or the countless other properties that incorporate knights and swords and dragons and the like. Instead of dyed leather and rivets, I will be using recycled cardboard and zipties to construct my helmet. These materials are basically free and abundant, and will give the final project an air of whimsy and charm that I think will add to the fantasy character of my helmet.

I was able to construct the entire helmet in just a few hours using some basic crafting tools I had access to around my house. All I really needed was a large cutting board, a box cutter, a sewing tape measure, some cardboard, zipties, a notebook for jotting down measurements, and a photo of my source inspiration.

Figure 2: Materials gathered before construction of helmet.

After a lot of tedious work cutting, and recutting cardboard, and fiddling with the zipties, I was able to create this finished product:

I am quite satisfied with how it came out. From a design standpoint, I think it is very close to the source inspiration. I believe its aesthetic is immediately recognizable as a medieval fantasy warriors helmet. The sharp angles and spikes give it an aggressive look that reminds me of a dragon. The raw cardboard finish also adds a bit of charm to the whole design. It looks like something a kid would wear when playing make-believe, and I like that. No matter how serious the design, there is a limit to how seriously you can take the wearer. If I wore it at the Ren Fair, I would fit in with a badass medieval knight, but everyone would be able to tell that I have some childlike whimsy and creativity as well.

I also really like storing it on this ring light I have on my desk. It makes a nice lampshade, while also displaying the helmet in a nice way. I think I will keep it there.