To start with how did you decided to go with this character ?
I love Bleach and wanted to cosplay some recognizable and interesting character but not a really common one. I also like to choose characters that present a challenge to re-create in some way. Hollow!Ichigo isn’t cosplayed by all that many people, probably because he requires so much makeup, even with a partial hollow mask. And the costume has to be made from scratch; you can’t find this version on eBay.
The only parts of my costume that aren’t custom-made are the wajiri, tabi socks, and wig; those I bought ready-made. My hakama fabric is twill, because it’s durable yet still flexible. Some Bleach costumes simply wrap a white sash around the waist, but I decided to actually make the hakama ties black. I had to buy twice as much fabric as usual in order to do that, but the effect is well worth it. I also wear two layers of kimono, white over black, for comfort and for modesty, because both are made of cotton, and white cotton can be translucent under some conditions. They’re both knee-length because my hakama are divided, and I didn’t want them bunching up and impeding my movements. Because of the mask, I have to be more physical to express the character.
The mask is probably my favorite piece of the whole costume. It was made by an artist from sculpey-type clay. It captures a moment in which the mask is still forming and has reached roughly the three-quarter mark, so I’ve got one eye and a portion of my face still showing. It’s pretty dramatic.
The most complicated part of preparing to be Hollow!Ichigo is that he demands quite a bit of make-up artistry because of his dead-white skin, black-and-yellow eyes, and black nails. I start by pressing on artificial black fingernails. Next I begin whitening my skin: hands and arms past the elbow, chest, neck, face, and ears. I experimented and practiced with several types of makeup for months before A-Kon, and I’m still experimenting to improve it. Right now, I’m using a combination of latex body paint, wet pancake, grease paint, and loose powder. I have to go outdoors to apply the latex because it smells so bad when it’s wet. I have to apply layers and layers of white pancake, let each one dry, then top the pancake with grease paint to get the right depth of color. I top it all off with powder and spray-on fixatives to reduce smearing but they aren’t 100% reliable.
The eyes are the most difficult thing to do well. For one thing, they don’t match: When Hollow!Ichigo begins transforming, both of his eyes become almost completely glowing yellow. But once the mask has covered an eye, it becomes black with a yellow iris. I tried special-effects contact lenses but I couldn’t find any that produced an intense enough color. Plus, my eyes aren’t big enough to make lenses truly effective. So I painted around my eyes with black pancake to enlarge them, then applied black grease paint on and above my eyelids to form the eyeballs. For the covered eye, I dotted on an iris with yellow powder and painted in a tiny black pupil with pancake. For the uncovered eye, I coated most of the eyelid with intense yellow powder. When I close my eyes and raise my eyebrows, I can maximize the effect of glowing eyes.
All together, it takes between three and four hours to complete the makeup, whiten my hair, don the wig, and get the costume on. I get a pretty good workout as Hollow!Ichigo, and he’s a lot of fun to play. I’ve sometimes frightened small children, which makes me feel a bit bad. But at least I know the costume and make-up are effective!
I had no idea how much detail you went with just to achieved that look ! Honestly, you got the skin right….I’ve seen some not-so-good ones where the white flakes off onto their clothes but looks like you experimented a lot just to get the right tone. I may not know characters, but I can easily see who spends the time and effort into their costumes ! Have you cosplay Hollow!Ichigo at other cons or was A-kon the debut ? And how was the reaction from folks at the cons ?
A-Kon was Hollow!Ichigo’s debut. I was just terrified because my first appearance was at a Bleach photoshoot, and everyone else always looks so good at photoshoots. I was afraid I wouldn’t measure up. But I had the best time ever! All over the Kon, people’s reactions were fabulous! I loved it when people’s jaws dropped, or if I came up behind them and they yelped or even screamed when they turned around. I had lots of requests to stop and pose for photos, sometimes with other Bleach cosplayers, which is great fun. It makes me feel good to know that people liked the costume so much. Some people didn’t know I was from Bleach; one family thought I was some sort of youkai and wanted pictures anyway. I remember them best of all the people at the Kon. They had two small children, a boy and a girl, maybe four and five years old; very young. Their father was so excited about posing with me and beckoned the kids to come on over. The little girl just looked at him with wide eyes and a horrified face: “Daddy’s lost his mind!” and hid behind her mother. The little boy shook his head; he wasn’t going to come near me, but stood his ground and stared up at me bravely and defiantly, fists clenched and lower lip trembling. He was cute. The other best reaction was from my own parents; they didn’t recognize me until I spoke to them. Even then, they weren’t entirely sure it was my voice. Cosplay doesn’t get much better than that !
Are you already working on any future outfits?
Oh yeah! It seems like lately I’ve been devoting a lot of my free time to working out ideas for new cosplays. I’ve got at least six in various stages of planning or completion. The most complete is Major Klaus von dem Eberbach (From Eroica With Love). I plan to debut him sometime next year; it depends on how long it will take to get a ball-joint doll sculpted and dressed as Dorian Red, Earl of Gloria (aka Eroica), to carry around and serve as the Major’s nemesis. I’m hoping to have Charley Krishund (Vassalord) at A-Kon 21 since he’s close to being finished and maybe also Tres Iquis (Trinity Blood) if I can work out some problems with the armor for his shoulders. At Anime Fest 2010, I’m planning on cosplaying Lord Sesshoumaru with a baby Inuyasha clinging to the fluffy. I also have an original character in progress called Winter’s Captive Queen, an interpretation of Persephone. The costume is heavily Elizabethan-influenced but the wig is more late 18th century, and the makeup is pure ice-queen fantasy in various shades of blue plus silver and crystal. By far, she’s the grandest, most expensive, and heaviest costume I’ve ever made; the faux jewels alone probably weigh six pounds. I’m hoping to enter her in the formal cosplay at A-Kon 21 but at the very least, she’ll be a hall costume. I’ve just discovered steampunk and debuted at A-Kon 20 in a Victorian outfit, but I’m studying steampunk-style to find out how to add technological touches to the gown; maybe something in the way of a steam-powered bustle. And in the future, if I get really ambitious, I want to re-create the Takarazuka Revue costume for Tyrian Persimmon from El Halcon. Can you guess that I totally love cosplay? It’s the best hobby I’ve ever had!
It sounds you’re pretty diehard into the cosplay! Which leads to how did you get started into it?
I didn’t even know the word “cosplay” when I started. I was 18 years old and a serious Trekker. When I heard about a Star Trek convention in a nearby city, I just had to go. I didn’t want to wear street clothes (why be normal?) so I made a costume to wear from the classic series. It was a very simple one, a Star Fleet medical officer’s Sick Bay uniform, the shiny t-shirt style. I couldn’t find quite the right style of shirt pattern, so it ended up being my first effort to adapt a pattern. I also had no idea that you could buy sew-on Enterprise badges and tried to make one on my own. Nothing went right or looked right, from head to toe. To be honest, my costume was absolutely terrible. It still embarrasses me to think about it! But I enjoyed the con and got lots of friendly tips and kind encouragement from more experienced people. I started going to more sci-fi cons with more elaborate costumes and also Renaissance Faires (usually as a wizard or Druid) and historical re-enactments (because I love wearing uniforms and period fashions). When I rediscovered anime with Rah Xephon, a little surfing on the Net led to pictures and information about cosplay and conventions. I was a little unsure about joining in at first because so many cosplayers seemed to be teens or early 20-somethings, and I thought I’d be considered too old and too silly. But I quickly learned that there’s no upper age limit for cosplaying, and plenty of good characters. I guess I am pretty diehard into cosplay and have been for a long time. It’s always been like taking a mini-vacation from reality. Or maybe it’s more like running away. *laughs*
And finally to wrap up the interview, I’m asking everyone if time, cost and technology was not a concern, who would you cosplay ? ^^
Does that “no limits” scenario allow for major plastic surgery and a time machine? *laughs*
I love mecha! I’d cosplay a tachikoma from Ghost in the Shell or Kururugi Suzaku’s Lancelot Knightmare Frame (Albion version) from Code Geass or maybe the Rah Xephon. Those are awesome machines, and I’ve never seen an effective cosplay of any of them. I like details, authenticity, and functionality so whichever mecha I chose, it would require buying up all the fiberglass in Texas, plus miles of wiring, etc. to make it fully operable with all the special effects. Something like a tachikoma or the Lancelot would be practical too: it would be fun for commuting and always easily spotted in the carpark.
