Cardboard Sheikah Slate

This is a rule you must always follow. Always plan before attempting to start on working on the project. You can deviate if what you plan doesn't work, but always check your plan for reference. Try to visualize it in your mind. Draw it down on paper. Make sure you know the measurements you are working with.

Now, you must trace out where you will cut. Try looking at your plan for reference (did you make one?) You can use those ridges on the cardboard as a guide.

Now, draw 3 tablet shaped sheets of cardboard, each with a round handle on top. This will be your slate itself. Now draw a line near the top on one sheet, near the handle that suddenly goes down towards the center of the slate, like a U. You can see it on the top of a picture of a Sheikah slate. In the other sheet, draw a large rectangle. That will be the outline of the sides of the screen.

Now you have your body, so lets now work on the adornments. Trace an eye shape (you can use the ridges of the cardboard along with a ruler to mirror your eye to the other side), then trace in a smaller eye shape within this eye shape (make it just right, not too thick, not too thin), and add a narrow wedge at the bottom. Now to make the central pupil of the eye, make 3 circles, each one smaller than the other. Now cut 3 small triangles. These are the 3 triangles that point outward of the eye. Now cut 2 shapes that resemble the outlines at the bottom of the slate.

hey, hey, we're not done yet! we still have to do the back.

Trace two strips of cardboard about the length of the long sides of the tablet. now, trace out 1 big circle (pinch your forefinger and thumb. the size of the gap in the middle is the size of the large one) and two smaller circles. now, try to do a simple outline of the swirling bits that surround those circles (they don't have to be that accurate, just try to make an outline). now, last thing. trace out a circle, and trace one within it. now make the circle somehow taper into a teardrop shape. Erase off the tip of the teardrop, and you're done!

now that you're done, time to finally cut these out! Just be careful where you point that cutter..

personally, i like to cut a direct outline of the shape, then pierce a hole in the outline and saw off the rest. You can do it in any way you want, just mind that you don't cut too fast or you might slit the cardboard itself, or even your fingers! just remember:

• try to cut your shape off the cardboard itself, and trim off the parts you don't need.
• use scissors with stuff that's hard to cut, and just saw off the rest with the cutter, although using scissors would ruin the cardboard.
• mind your fingers when cutting.
• try to hold your cardboard, but not too tightly, since this results in pressed cardboard.
• try to avoid accidentally folding your cardboard.

so you're done with all the cutting and drawing, and you are ready to glue it all together and show your amazing powers to your friends. Oops, that wasn't supposed to be there! Now you have a messed up Sheikah slate, and your friends laugh at your incompetence.

Always remember to double check your parts if you know they're in the right place. how about you try to put it together without glue, just to see how it looks? If you do this, then this leaves room for some tweaking to make your slate the best in Hyrule.

Finally, through your own sweat and tears (gross!) you have cut all the parts, and now you are ready to glue them together. Now is a perfect time to look at your reference on which parts go where.

Me, I have different types of glues at home. white glue, superglue, hot glue, tape.. Many types of adhesives fit many situations. I used white glue for this one, since i wanted it to be seamless (you can spread the glue) but you can use any glue. Hot glue can be used for durability, although your slate would have these seams at the sides, and sometimes hot glue can leak out of it. Superglue is quite dangerous to use, although i use it as hardening for cardboard, and once a stain gets its way into the cardboard, you have to deal with it for the rest of your life.

You have assembled your own Sheikah slate! You should be proud.

Just talk to Purah to get it running, and you should be ready to fight the great Calamity Ganon himself! (just don't forget to bring some weapons on the way.)