I was not intending to make this helmet over the weekend but then I saw this thread on the RPF page and I loved everything about it. The person who posted the thread did not have a clear step by step guide to making this helmet so I decided I'd show you guys how I did it! If you've seen my past instructables, you'll know I absolutely love Skyrim!

This build didn't cost me a thing because I already had the materials, and took about 24 hours to complete.

Step 1: Materials

5mm foam (I used 5 sheets I think)
3mm foam (I only used 1)
Contact cement
Disposable brushes for applying contact cement
Exacto knife and blades
Super glue
Heat gun
Acrylic paint (gold, light blue, teal, black, burnt umber)
Spray paint (primer, gold)

Step 2: Basic Form

I started out by applying tin foil to my head form into the shape of the helmet I wanted. When I was pleased with the form I covered it with an even layer of foil and duct taped over the foil. I drew the pattern of the helmet on the duct tape. Because this helmet has the large wing things on it, the pattern had a lot of room for error.

I should mention that patterning off of a head form is so much easier than just eyeballing the pattern! You save time, frustration, the helmet will look nicer. It's a win win win win. When patterning make sure the mannequin is your head size so it fits, and make the helmet at least two inches bigger than the foam to account for the foam's thickness!

Next I cut the pattern out of 5mm foam, and glued it together with contact cement.

Step 3: Fins

To make the fin, I contact cemented 3 pieces of 5mm foam together. I drew out the shape of the fin in the front of the helmet, and dremeled an angle into it (pictures show where I do this). For a nice detail piece I two triangular shapes out of 3mm foam. I lightly scored a design into the piece, heated it with my heat gun to make the lines more prominent, then super glued it to the fin.

I cut 3 slashes all the way through the fin, and heated it with my heat gun as well.

The second fin is made the same way, sandwich, dremel, design.

Step 4: Wings

I drew a rough pattern for the wings, and cut it out of 5mm foam. I cut the piece out again (minus the eye part, see pic 2), and super glued it together (just look at the pic it's easier than me trying to explain)

I carved some designs into the wings with my exacto knife then heat gunned it.

Step 5: Bulking the Helmet Up

I took the previous pattern for the top of my helmet, cut it out of 5mm foam, then contact cemented it together (this is all the red foam in the picture). I carved some designs of leaves onto the top two pieces of red foam, and vertical lines into the bottom pieces of the foam. I super glued the red helm onto the helmet.

I cut out two curved shapes from 3mm foam (black) and caved waving lines in them before super gluing them to the helm.

I glued two pieces of 5mm foam together, cut out another curved sign, dremeled the edges until they were rounded, then super glued them between the red pieces and the black piece.

The back seam is a bit messy, but the 2nd fin will cover that up.

Step 6: Gluing Everything Together and Filler

I glued the wings on with super glue first, then the two fins. I heat formed the wings so they curved in more, and didn't just stick out.

I used some filler to fill in any obvious seams.

Doesn't pic 3 look kind of like my helmet got snowed of?

Step 7: Painting

To begin with I coated the who helmet in a black primer. Next I sprayed a coat of gold, and finally a clear coat.

I painted the glass parts teal, and the gold parts over with a translucent gold acrylic paint. I sprayed another layer of clear coat on the helmet, and then began to weather.

I started by smudging blacks and whites over all of the teal pieces to make them look more dimensional, and put streaks of gold over the teal as well. Then I weathered the rest of the helmet with black and burnt umber by spreading a wash of paint on it then wiping off as much as I could.

To make it look even more glass like. I coated the whole helmet in variations of very watered down gold and copper paint (copper can be made by mixing a small dollop of burnt umber with gold paint).