Tell me about the outfit you are wearing – who are you cosplaying and how did you decide to pick this particular character ?
Abel Nightroad from Trinity Blood. I didn’t actually pick the character at first, friends chose it for me when I thought it might be fun to cosplay something from the series. Ultimately, I will admit they were right about it being a good cosplay for me. The character has a lot of depth that is fun to bring out in cosplay, appearing foolish on the surface but there’s a great sorrow and seriousness, too. I decided to base the costume on the manga series. At the time I didn’t feel I was up to the level of details in the artbook versions, but I wanted more of a challenge than the anime version. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of the character in the manga at the time. I think the English releases were up to volume 4 then.
Tell me about the process of making your outfit – was it easier or tougher than you imagine it to be ?
It was the challenge I expected it to be. My first reaction was: how am I ever going to make those arrows? Those armor pieces? And that crazy collar on the cape?
This costume was as much crafting as it was sewing, and I tried to get as much of the detail from the manga into it as possible. Most of the fabrics I got at the LA fabric district. I was really happy with the linen for the cape, it draped very nicely. I customized the patterns using muslin before going to final. For the bias trim I made my own and hand sewed it closed. I put the crosses on the upper sleeves of the cassock, even though most of the time no one sees them when the cape is worn. Through cosplay.com forums I read about working with Wonderflex for the armor pieces. I was really happy with the pauldron, it stays on the cape with two snaps, and I used a Chicago screw for the hinged part.
From the forums I also learned about using Sculpey to create the original piece, then resin casting from that. I used this for the arrows, the “crab piece” of the rosary, and the small crosses off the belt. The arrows required shaping each one before the resin had completely set.
From a non-cosplay friend that likes to make hats, I learned about millinery wire and buckram. I used this to make the shape of the collar on the cape.
For the belts and boot spats I used leather, having to dye the straps and fit all the pieces so the buckles would line up. I had an old pair of brown jodphur boots I dyed black.
For the rosary cross, the beads were made of Sculpey with wire around them, and the rosary cross was a complex build of wire and good quality mat board, with details built up in 3D fabric paint.
The costume took over a year, working on it off and on to reach the final stage at AX 09.
Any interesting stories from people’s reaction to your outfit at the con ? ^^
The most interesting reactions are usually around people who are surprised to find out I’m crossplaying. Sometimes it’s the non-convention goers who have the most interesting reactions.
How did you get started cosplaying and what got you interested ?
I had friends at the time who were cosplaying. I could see all the fun they were having with it. I had been to so many conventions, just going to them was getting a little boring. So they said, “you should do more than a basic renaissance faire outfit, or adding elf ears to it, try cosplaying a character from anime that you love.”
At the time I didn’t know how to sew, having failed miserably as a teenager. They got me started, and since then I’ve improved and learned more skills as I make each costume, and from other friends I’ve made since cosplaying.
What are the con did you first attended and what’s your favorite con that you’ve attended so far and why ?
Although I had been to many other comic book and/or gaming cons before I got into cosplay, Fanime was the first anime convention I attended. I love Fanime because there’s so much fun cosplay there, and extra events besides just the gathering for photos. But I also met some people who’ve become very close friends because of Anime Expo, too. So I don’t have one particular favorite con.
What does cosplay mean to you ?
I like it as wearable art. Solving how something in 2D gets made into 3D, even if there’s frustration and rework to solve it sometimes. But I also love getting out there interacting with my friends, especially when we set up fun photoshoots. And meeting other people I might not otherwise talk to because of the costume I’m wearing.
If you had unlimited funds/technology/time, what is your dream cosplay ?
At this moment, I don’t have anything in mind that would need unlimited funds or a high level of technology. My current dream challenge is to get as close as possible to the “Empire” version of Abel from the artbook. There’s going to be a lot of handsewing to pull that one off.
