Note : I usually don’t allow the same person in different cosplays in the book to make it fair for everyone but Kelly slip through the cracks. I tell you, some cosplayers are so good that I can’t tell them from one day to the next. I have realized that in general, I probably wouldn’t recognized the person out of cosplay. By the time I discovered she was in the book twice, the files were already in Shanghai
Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
The outfit that I am wearing is San from Princess Mononoke. I chose San because the film Princess Mononoke has a very special place in my heart, it was the film the introduced me to Studio Ghibli and the genius that is Hayao Miyazaki . Even today it is still my favorite Hayao Miyazaki film to watch. I’ve always loved San, girl raised by wolves, has a wild spirit and will do anything to protect that which she loves. So I’ve always had her in the back of my mind as a cosplay that I would like to do. Not to mention, Miyazaki films are so amazing and so under cosplayed!
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
San was actually one of the easier outfits that I made, compared to the previous one and the one I’m working on now, she was a cinch. The dress is two seperate pieces made from a nice knit, I used my own measurements to create a basic pattern for myself. I cut the fabric and pinned it up on my dressform before sewing it all together. The bottom of the fabric is hand cut by me to give it the ragged edges that San has, then fray preventer added so that no fraying would occur. Next I began work on her fur pelt, just used my measurements to make a pattern, cut the fabric and sewed it together. Before completely sewing it I added some snaps at the shoulders to attach it to my dress and stuffed it some. SInce the only fabric I could get a hold of did not have the extreme furriness that San’s pelt has, I stuffed it a little to give it more dimension. (I plan to remake it though with a fabric better suited to the pelt.) I then added the hood and also put some snaps in it to secure her mask with.
Next I moved onto her mask. I used a bowl I found in the kitchen as a base, covered it with tinfoil then made the mask out of super sculpey. I also made the large pieces for her necklace and the ears out of supersculpey. I then baked them all in the oven and painted them once they were dry. I didn’t bother sanding because San was raised by wolves meaning all of this would have been hand made by her and I wanted it to keep that hand made look to it. I strung the necklace with the white pieces and some blue beads I found that matched perfectly, I also used a natural looking string for it, keeping in mind that San would have had to find this all in nature.
The earrings are two pieces of craft foam glued together since I needed something super light. Her headband and armband are a black leather band I found, a small circle of painted craft foam and then a little sequin on top, they all snap together. Something you can’t see in the picture are her shoes which I also hand made by using my foot measurements and there is an insole inside them for some support. My wig was a bob wig from cosworx that i straightened some and took a pair of scissors to to get it the right length, I still feel like I need to chop it a little more though. Last but not least, the markings on my face are a mixture of red gouache paint and elmers glue, painted on by yours truly.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
The only interesting reaction I got at the con was from another cosplayer who was dressed up as Goku. He loved my cosplay and took photos of me twice, he even took photos of us having a standoff outside, because we totally know San would win. Haha. That was about the only interesting reaction. Its was the cosplay I wore that weekend that I got a little less attention in than the more elaborate one I had worn on Saturday.
How did you get started cosplaying and what captured?
I got started cosplaying after the first time I went to Otakon, back in ‘04 or ‘05. It was my first anime convention and I knew nothing about cosplay. I was fascinated by it at the con and knew it was something I wanted to try out. My mother helped me some since she already knows a good deal about sewing, but a lot I taught myself, the next year I debuted by Kaorou Kamiya cosplay from Rurouni Kenshin. Only one person recognized me but I think that’s because I wasn’t even wearing a wig. I did better the next year with Haruno Sakura from Naruto. As the years have gone on I have attended more cons and made more cosplays. I now attend anywhere between five and seven cons a year and I try to do at least one new cosplay per con.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
The first con I attended was Otakon, but I think my favorite con would have to be Katsucon. Mostly because it’s the con where I met a lot of my good cosplay friends, and my current boyfriend! It was a lot smaller and more sociable than Otakon so I got to know a lot more people. I had such a fabulous time and I can’t wait for the upcoming one in 2010, it’s going to be awesome. Debuting 3 new cosplays (I am going to be super busy over Christmas break) and participating in Masquerade this year this an epic beyond epic skit, for sure.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
Cosplay means a lot to me, in many different ways. It’s something I have a lot of fun doing and I love making something that I can wear and show off, not to mention impressing my mom with my growing repritoire of sewing skills. Cosplaying is where I have met a lot of my good friends I have today, and I look forward to seeing them at cons and having a blast with them. Not to mention I met my boyfriend through cosplay. Getting dragged outside for a private Soul Eater photoshoot, I was in Dr. Franken Stein and he was in Black*Star. Anyhow the shoot resulted in many amazing crack photos, it was one of the best moments at that Katsucon. Anyhow he found me and contacted me, and I talked with him cause his brother was one of the photographers and I wanted the photos. Well we kept on talking and here a few months later are acturally dating. So as you can see participating in cosplay has brought me many wonderful things in my life, through some everlasting friendships, cause I know my buds aren’t going to stop going to cons anytime soon!
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
Um, it would be to create the rest of the cosplays that I want to do from Magic Knight Rayearth, with fabulous execution I might add. I’ve done Hikaru already but I also want to cosplay Umi, Fuu, Alcyone, Eagle, Nova, and Inova (maybe more). See Magic Knight Rayearth has an extremely special place in my heart, it’s what got me started with anime. I have loved this series since about seventh grade. And it’s one of my favorites and I would love to do so many cosplays from it. But of course, it’s Clamp, so the character designs are outrageous and would take a lot of money and time to finish. But I will cosplay them all eventually! Because Magic Knight Rayearth is amazing and it’s so under cosplayed!
