When you’re tackling a costume, do you ever worry about not having the required skills? Everyone is a beginner at some point, and all you can do is jump in and try. Cosplayer Vy didn’t know how to work with wood or metal or painting before she made props for her Link costume, but it didn’t stop her. Vy decided she needed a Hylian shield and figured it out. She started with thin plywood and went from there – she documented the process with words and comics at her blog. Here’s how she got started:

I drew half a shield on a giant piece of paper, folded in half. Cutting it out this way will ensure that your shield is properly symmetrical!
See how the Hylian Shield has that nice silver border? After cutting the shield shape out, I hand-copied the border shape onto my stencil and cut that out as well. Keep it folded when you do so that the border is also symmetrical!
Using this stencil, I drew two shapes on my plywood: One for the shield, and one for the border.

via Cosplay Tutorial