Creating Link’s Outfit
Research Link’s different looks from other Zelda games. There are over 10 different Links in The Legend of Zelda franchise. The most recognizable versions are the ones from Ocarina of Time, the Twilight Princess, and Breath of the Wild. A simple online search for the different versions of Link will bring up a lot of art to reference. In most games, Link wears a green tunic. But in Ocarina of Time, he wears both a red and a blue tunic in addition to his classic green one. If you use red or blue, this would also be recognizable among fans.
Make Link’s hat from felt. Measure the circumference of your head using a flexible tape measure. Then, measure from the top of your head to the middle of your shoulder blades. Draw 2 triangles on a piece of felt that are the length of the measurement from your head to your shoulders and half the circumference of your head, plus 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Cut the triangles, then sew them together inside out using a basic running stitch. If you plan on wearing a blond wig for Link’s hair, measure your head while wearing the wig, so you can make your hat fit accurately. The hat should be made from felt that matches the color of the tunic. If you’re wearing Link’s red or blue tunic, make a red or blue hat. Give the hat an extra inch for the seam allowance on both sides.
Wear a collared, long-sleeve white shirt. In most of the games, Link wears a white, long-sleeve shirt under his tunic. You can buy a shirt like this from a thrift store. If you can’t find one in a store, try shopping around online. You might even have a shirt in your closet. A lot of costumes can be made with clothing you have on hand. If you can’t find a white, long-sleeve shirt with a collar, you can use a non-collared shirt, or one that’s laced up the front medieval style. You can order one like that online. Maybe a friend has a white shirt that fits you, and they’re willing to let you borrow or keep it.
Choose a short-sleeved green, blue, or red tunic to wear over the white top. The tunic must be longer than the collared shirt. You can buy an over-sized T-shirt and modify it, or you can find a pattern online to sew the tunic from scratch. A plain, green, blue, or red tunic dress would also work. If you’re not on a tight budget, having a costume commissioned is another method of obtaining a tunic, but it would also be much more expensive than making your own Link costume. You can also buy a used Link costume, or just the tunic, from another cosplayer at a discount price. To modify an oversized shirt, lay a shirt that fits you on top of the large shirt. Take a marker and trace the outline of neck and sides the fitted shirt onto the large one. Just be sure to leave the bottom seam intact so the shirt is long enough to look like a tunic. Remove the small shirt, and use scissors to cut along the outline on the oversized shirt. Turn it inside out and pin the fabric in place to sew it evenly. You can sew by hand or sewing machine to finish the tunic.
Wear white leggings under the tunic. Leggings are widely available, and cheap if you buy them from dollar stores, thrift shops, or department stores. Ensure they are opaque, rather than translucent. Tight spandex pants or white long underwear would also work as Link’s leggings.
Put a reddish-brown belt around your waist. The belt can be made of fake leather, real leather, or a combination of elastic and fake leather. An elastic belt would cinch the tunic’s waist to make it more form fitting. The buckle should be square and gold or yellow in color. Measure your waist before buying the belt.
Include a pair of brown fingerless leather gloves. Link wears fingerless leather gauntlets that reach up to the middle of his arm. You can buy leather cosplay gloves online. You can also make Link’s gloves by cutting the fingers off of a pair of thick, leather gloves. Sew or draw a Triforce onto the back of the left glove. The Triforce is a symbol made up of 3 triangles that are stacked point-to-point.
Put on brown boots or sew boot covers to fit over your shoes. Link wears tall brown leather boots that reach to just below his knees. See if you can find some simple brown boots in your closet or at a shoe store. Or, make boot covers to fit over any pair of shoes you own. To make boot covers, put on a pair of boots or shoes and wrap brown, stretchy polyester-blend fabric up to your knees and all the way around your shoe. Use pins to close the fabric around your entire leg and shoe to mark where the seam will be. After pinning the fabric, cut off the excess material, but be sure to leave an extra 1 inch (2.5 cm) for a seam allowance. Sew the boot covers together using a zig-zag stitch so the seam stretches with the material.
Acquiring Props and Accessories
Wear fake elf ears, or use tape to alter the shape of your own ears. You can make your ears look pointy by taping them into an elf ear shape. All you need to do is fold the top of your ear down and put a piece of clear tape on the back. The sticky side of the tape should be facing forward. Fold the tape around the top of your ear so the tip folds in half to create a pointed end. You can also buy elf ears from a costume store or online. Buy elf ears that match your skin tone, so the ears and your skin aren’t mismatched. One way to apply fake elf ears is by putting sticky strips in the opening of the fake ears to attach them to the top of your ears. You can also use prosthetic adhesive to glue the ears to your own. Dab the adhesive to the rim of your ear, and put the elf ear over your ear.
Put on a wig, or color and style your hair so it looks like Link's. Link is blond, so buy a wig that resembles his hair if yours is dark or looks very different. If you have blond hair, style it so that it falls over your forehead and long pieces hang in front of each ear. Remember that Link has long hair in some games, while in The Twilight Princess and the Skyward Sword, his hair is short. Instead of using a wig, you can use washable blonde hair spray. This is a cheaper alternative, but keep in mind that hair spray can be messy and get on your clothes. Bleach your hair blond for a permanent solution. Link’s hair is a golden blond, so choose a dye as close to that color as possible. The labels on hair color boxes always have a chart depicting before and after shades to show you how light or dark blond your hair will look.
Make a Master Sword from craft foam. To make a sword from foam, draw an outline of the sword onto the material. Cut out 3 separate sword outlines, and glue them together on top of each other to give the sword dimension. Cut out the cross-guard shapes and glue them to the sword handle. When these are assembled, paint it blue and gray with acrylic paint. The handle is the most important part of the sword, because that’s how people can identify it as Link’s sword. The entire handle should be blue, with the cross-guard flaring downward in the shape of wings. You can also purchase a toy sword, spray paint the handle blue, create the special cross-guard using craft foam, and attach it with a hot glue gun. If you’re going to school dressed as Link, find out whether you can bring toy weapons or not.
Create Link’s shield from craft foam. Draw and cut out an outline of the shield on a piece of paper. Trace that shape onto a craft foam board to create the foundation for the shield. Cut the small details from thin cardboard and paint them with acrylic paint. Use blue acrylic paint for the face of the shield and silver spray paint on the rim. Attach the details with a hot glue gun. Use an X-ACTO knife to cut out the shield and its details. Foam rips easily, so be very patient when cutting. Link’s shield has a lot of details on the front of it, so keep a picture from the Internet or a game guide handy to reference it when needed. Add a strip of fabric to the back of the shield as a handle. You can also buy Link’s shield online from cosplay artists who take commissions. However, this will cost more than making a shield yourself. Some costume stores also sell Link's accessories.
Make Link’s bombs from sphere-shaped bottles. Use a round bottle or a round child’s drinking cup. Spray paint it blue, and drill a hole in the bottle cap. In this hole, put a thick string of clothesline to stick out like it’s a wick. Cut it about 6 inches (15 cm) long, and glue one end to the bottom of the inside of the bottle. Thread the string through the hole in the cap, and screw the cap on. To make your bomb’s wick bendable, you can work a piece of wire through the center of the clothesline before putting the clothesline into the round bottle. You can find spherical drinking cups and bottles at a lot of stores that sell children’s drinking cups.
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