The Bronze-Age Hero

Greek myth is back this year, and a bronze breastplate, a laurel crown and a cloak are enough to pass as a hero from an epic. Ours is made from cardboard painted to look like beaten metal, with a dark sheet for a cloak and a round shield from a pizza-box lid. About $15 and an afternoon.

TIME

120 min

COST

about $15

SKILL

Some cutting

What you need

• Two large pieces of flat cardboard
• Gold and brown acrylic paint or paint pens
• A sponge or scrunched kitchen foil to dab on texture
• Green paper or leaves cut from card, and floral wire or a headband for the laurel
• A dark sheet or old curtain for the cloak
• Rope or a belt, and sandals or plain shoes
• A round pizza-box lid or card circle for the shield

How to make it

1. 1

   Cut a chest shape from the cardboard: a curved front panel with arm holes and a flatter back panel. Join them at the shoulders with strips of cardboard and tape.

2. 2

   Paint it gold, then dab brown on with a sponge to make it look old and hammered. Draw simple muscle lines with the brown pen.

3. 3

   Cut about 20 leaf shapes from green paper, wire them to a headband and bend it round for a laurel crown.

4. 4

   Draw a simple pattern on the shield lid in brown and gold and add a handle from a strip of card.

5. 5

   Pin the dark sheet over one shoulder as a cloak and tie a belt at the waist.

6. 6

   Finish with sandals and a heroic frown.

Make it better

• Dab the brown on with a sponge for a much more convincing bronze than a flat coat.
• Add a short cardboard sword if you have an hour spare.
• Keep the cloak short at the back so you can sit down.

Questions

Inspired by the Greek-myth revival and this year's The Odyssey film. Not made, sponsored or endorsed by the film's makers.