Cosplayer Interviews-Cat-Chan Cosplay

January 18, 2013January 21, 2013 sado44

Today Cat-chan join in our cosplayer interviews, another amazing cosplayer from US, get featured in many anime medias, thanks Catchan to share her cosplay story with us 🙂

Photo by :Squidflakes (http://gallery.prairiesquid.com)

1. Hi Cat-Chan,thanks to join in our interviews,so please introduce you first.
Hello, I’m Cat-chan! I’ve been cosplaying since 2004 and I live in Texas. I attend many cons in my home state but I’ve ventured to Louisiana, Oklahoma and California too. I keep track of my cosplay adventures on my website catchancosplay.com, please come visit!

2. You have got many rewards in different anime conventions, so how did you get started in with cosplay, what was your first cosplay?
I first learned about cosplay when I went to my first anime convention with my college anime club. A couple of the girls in the club had costumes, and as I walked around the con that weekend I saw so many awesome costumes! I wanted to wear a cool costume too so for my next convention I made 3. The were pretty terrible but I was so excited to cosplay. I made a Koto costume from Yu Yu Hakusho (one of my favorite series), a Pikachu gijinka and probably the worst Ash Ketchum costume ever. It was so much fun to cosplay that I never stopped.

3. What has been your favourite cosplay?
Can I pick 2? I’m going to pick 2. My Orihime Inoue costume will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the costume that brought me to so many amazing people, I owe many of my best cosplay memories to that costume. I am actually hoping to remake it soon! My second choice is my Mami Tomoe costume. Everything about this costume makes me happy. I loved making it, I love wearing it and I love meeting other fans of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

Photo by Mike Boike (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_boike/)

4. Describe your creative process for starting a costume through completion!
I usually start by gathering as many references as I can of the character. Once I have all the references I need I begin to plan how I will construct certain things. I will decide what techniques I will use and try to estimate how much time and money everything will take. Then I begin acquiring supplies and working. I tend to try to get the big pieces of a costume finished first and save the small details for last.

5. What is the biggest learning curve you have learned about the hobby in the past years?
The biggest challenge in cosplay for me is figuring out how to take something two dimensional and turn it into a real thing. I cosplay mostly from anime and cartoons, things that don’t have 3D model sheets and detailed references. It can be very hard to visualize these things in a 3D setting, at least for me. I’ve seen myself grow though, from the beginning when I would have to use patterns with very minor alterations and make simple costumes to now being able to make major pattern alterations (or sometimes draft my own) and sew complex garments. It’s actually kind of crazy to think about, haha.

6. You also got much Staff Experience in conventions, so any interesting wanna share?
Haha, there is always something interesting happening when you are working at a con! I really enjoy working on staff and it has taught me a lot about how conventions work behind the scenes. I really support anyone that wants to learn more about how a con works to volunteer. Most conventions will reward you for your work with things like free badges, swag, and more. It’s a great way to give back to something that gives us so much fun and entertainment.

what_time_is_it__by_catchancosplay-d5i9wdu Photo by Mike Boike (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike_boike/)

7. Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to cosplay virgins?
HAVE FUN! If cosplay stops being fun then you might want to take a step back and look at what is going on. I know I’ve stressed myself out over crazy deadlines or schedules packed too tight. Just remember that its your hobby and that real life comes first. Also never give up, even if you fail on something, learn from it and keep on trying. Everyone was a beginner once.

8. Lastly, what is your con schedule looking like through 2013?
Right now I am definitely attending All-con, Anime Matsuri, LouisiANIME, San Japan and Ikkicon. I am also hoping to go to A-kon and Anime Fest and maybe Anime Overload too.

Cosplayer Intervews-Benihime Cosplay

January 16, 2013January 16, 2013 sado44

Today Mary-Benihime Cosplay join in our cosplay interviews, share her cosplay story , thanks Mary~~

1.Introduce you first.

Hey guys! My name is Mary, but I go by Benihime in the cosplay world. I’m from Oklahoma, but I also frequent Texas

cons. I love comic books, manga, anime and playing video games. I’m also a HUGE fan of the super group CLAMP.

2. How did you get started in with cosplay, what was your first cosplay?

I actually put together a Harry Potter cosplay for the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire book release. Back then,

of course, I didn’t know it was called ‘cosplay’, I just called it dressing up. My first experience with anime and manga

came when I started working at Waldenbooks. A coworker was a huge fan, and also cosplayed. She took me to my first anime convention-anime fest (which is in Dallas, Texas), and I’ve never looked back!

3.What has been your favourite cosplay?

Oh man, such a hard question! But I have to say even though it’s so cumbersome to wear, I’d have to say Hana.

That’s the ONLY cosplay that I’ve actually remade and put 6 months into it. I feel like a princess in that outfit,

and I get to tell people about Gate 7 when people stop and talk to me. It’s super hard to walk around in that thing

(especially if I wear the correct shoes), but I do love that costume.

4. Describe your creative process for starting a costume through completion!

I start with an image. Normally it’s one that I already have, but sometimes I’ll happen upon a new image and go

with that one instead. Then I break down each area, figuring out what fabrics to use, patterns and other things

like trim, fabric paint, figuring out the wig and then how I would go about doing the makeup. The hardest part for me

is trying to find the right fabric because I live in a town that only has Joanns and hobby lobby to shop for, so frequently

I’ll have to look online to get fabrics. I’ll usually order things over a couple of months peroid and slowly start working

on everything until completion!

5. What is the biggest learning curve you have learned about the hobby in the past years?

Armor! My latest project is my first big armor project. I recently ordered some sintra that I’ve been working with.

So far it’s definitely been a learning process, especially since I’m really impatient! Fabric dying and painting fabric

is another thing I have learned. I will never use any other fabric paint besides Jacquard anymore!

6. Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to cosplay virgins?

Remember that this is a hobby, and have fun. Also, don’t be afraid to ask, but remember that

the information on how to sew, dye and style wigs is out there, you just need to look for it!

7. “Cosplay is Not Consent” (click to check the article),how do you think about this issue?any suggestion?

I think it’s a great idea to have that out there. I, personally, have not had to deal with this at cons scenes, but

I know friends have, and I know it’s a problem. People need to remember that cosplayers are NOT there for your enjoyment,

and they are actually people. I think more cons should have this posted in their program books and around the con.

8. Lastly, what is your con schedule looking like through 2013?

For sure right now I have scheduled: Anime Matsuri (houston), A-kon (Dallas), Tokyo in Tulsa (Tulsa, OK), and either

Animefest (Dallas) or Oni-con (in Houston).

Cosplayer Interviews-Kie from Angel Hearts Cosplay

January 14, 2013January 14, 2013 sado44

Today Kie,founder of Angel Hearts Cosplay( If you are frequently join CA. based anime&game conventions,maybe you have seen AHC’s J-pop dance already), Join in our cosplay interviews to share her cosplay story.

Kie’s Awords:

* Honorable Mention: Journeyman Craftsmanship – Ani-Magic 2000
* Yaya Han’s Judge Award – Ani-Magic 2001
* Honorable Mention Craftsmanship – FanimeCon 2002
* Best Technical: Group – FanimeCon 2002
* Tristen Citrine’s Judge Award – Anime Expo 2002
* Best Group – Ani-Magic 2002
* Honorable Mention Presentation – Anime Expo 2003
* Best Anime Group (Industry Award) – San Diego Comic-Con 2004
* Best Anime Costume (Industry Award) – San Diego Comic-Con 2004
* Most Humorous – San Diego Comic-Con 2005
* Industry Award – San Diego Comic-Con 2005
* Best Advanced Intermediate – Anime Expo 2006
* Most Humorous – San Diego Comic-Con 2006
* Best Anime Costume Runner-Up – San Diego Comic-Con 2006
* Honorable Mention: Group Craftsmanship – FanimeCon 2008
* Most Popular (Industry Award) – San Diego Comic-Con 2008
* Best in Division (Normal): Group Craftsmanship – FanimeCon 2009
* 3rd Place – Anime Expo 2009
* Best Choreography – FanimeCon 2010
* Runner-up: Presentation – Anime Expo 2010
* Most Adorable (Journeyman Presentation Award) – Costume Con 30 (2012)
* Best in Show – AniMegaCon 2012

1.Introduce you and your group Angel Hearts Cosplay(AHC) first.

Hi! I’m Kie — cosplayer since 1999, fashion designer, artist, Lolita, and gamer. I am the founder and leader of Angel Hearts, a California cosplay dance group known for performing songs from THE IDOLM@STER.

For more information and the latest updates, follow my page and group page on Facebook:
“Kitty Princess Kie” http://www.facebook.com/kittyprincesskie
“Angel Hearts” http://www.facebook.com/angelheartscosplay

2.How did you get started in with cosplay, what was your first cosplay?

In 1998 I was active online in the fan art community. I learned about Anime Expo and cosplay on the internet and decided to go in 1999 and dress as one of my favorite characters, Sailor Mars. Before AX came around, however, San Francisco’s Cherry Blossom Festival held its first cosplay contest in April 1999. I found about it two weeks before the event and asked my mom to help me quickly put together a costume. I picked Tifa from Final Fantasy VII. It was pretty bad, but that’s how a lot of cosplay was back in those days.

3.What has been your favourite cosplay?

My favorite costume has always been Ocarina of Time Zelda. I would really like to remake it someday.

4.Describe your creative process for starting a costume through completion!

The first thing I do is gather all the reference I can find of a costume. I used to draw turnarounds of the outfit to make sure I knew what it looked like from all angles, but these days if I can see all the details and visualize it in my head, I don’t bother. I make a collage with all the reference images and print them out so I can refer to them at all stages of construction. Next I hunt for materials. I have a fairly extensive knowledge of textiles and am very particular about the materials I use. The weight, texture, and drape of the fabric must be appropriate for the intended project, and the color just right. Sometimes I spend a very long time hunting for just the right fabric. Once I have all the materials, I start patterning the cloth parts of the costume. If the shape is something I have not worked with before, I’ll make a mockup. Cutting always takes a long time, but sewing is pretty quick. Once the cloth pieces are done, I move on to accessories, jewelry, armor, shoes, wigs, props, or whatever embellishments are needed to complete the outfit. I always make sure to coordinate my makeup as well!

5. Please talk more about your cosplay group AHC,I’ve check all girls cosplay,really impressive!!

I started Angel Hearts in 2003 because I wanted a group of dedicated cosplayers to sing and dance to J-pop songs with. Unfortunately J-pop cosplay was not very popular, and I had a hard time finding people who wanted to join. We performed some ZONE and Hello! Project songs, but the group was not very active for many years. In 2005 we did our first ParaPara dance show, and in 2006 I discovered the IDOLM@STER game. I was very excited about the game and pulled some people together to perform a few songs in 2007. The group grew slowly after that and really finally started to pick up in 2010. We now have an active group with eight members and perform at events all around California. After the IDOLM@STER anime aired in 2011, a lot more people started to recognize our cosplay and we are really happy to meet more IDOLM@STER fans!

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6.What is the biggest learning curve you have learned about the hobby in the past years?

If I don’t know how to do something, I will research it until I figure it out. Probably the biggest challenge for me so far has been the programmable lights in the “Starry” costumes from THE IDOLM@STER. E-textiles was a field I was completely unfamiliar with, but the key to learning is knowing who to go to for help. I read everything I could on the subject and after a few months managed to come up with a plan for our lighting. It is very satisfying when you finally see everything come together.

7. Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to cosplay virgins?

My advice to new cosplayers would be to do your research and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Constructing costumes is something that takes a lot of practice and experience to get right, so don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t turn out right the first time. Just keep working at it. Also don’t forget to smile and have fun! Cosplay is not something to stress over.

8.Lastly, what is your con schedule looking like through early 2013?

The year started out rough for me — I missed Anime LA because I was really sick. Hopefully the rest of the year will turn out better! I will be at AOD in San Francisco in February along with two other members of Angel Hearts, and then five of us will be going to AD Sabakon in Las Vegas in April! For sure we will be going to FanimeCon at the end of May. I am crossing my fingers that we can get all eight members this year!

Cosplayer Interviews-Kapalaka

January 10, 2013January 10, 2013 sado44

Today,Kapalaka join in our cosplayer interviews,glad to meet her, a really talent cosplayer!

Introduce yourself first.
Hi there! 😀 My name is Cristine, but I am also known as “Kapalaka” in the cosplay community. I am a veteran cosplayer from Florida who has earned 4 “Best in Show” trophies and several smaller awards. I enjoy spreading the fun of cosplay and sharing her craftsmanship knowledge through panels and online tutorials. Most of my skills are self-taught and my strengths lie in technical sewing, wig crafting, and armor/prop making.
How did you get started in with cosplay, what was your first cosplay?

My love for video games and anime led me to the cosplay community in 2005. It was my senior year of high school and I thought the regular “vote for me” signs were lame when I ran for Homecoming Court. In response to this thought, I pursued a different type of campaign by making silly ads with my face over the bodies of my favorite Final Fantasy girls. I thought to myself, “Hmm… I wonder if people actually make these outfits and wear them…” When I saw people cosplaying online, I immediately started researching upcoming conventions and looking up cosplay photos of my favorite characters. CosplayLab was particularly helpful and I still look up to a lot of the cosplayers that were featured in the CosplayLab Spotlights and Look-Alikes. Also, just in case you are wondering, the campaign was very successful and I made it onto Court.
What has been your favourite cosplay?

Sailor Mars was the first anime character I fell in love with and I am elated to have made the costume. I love that despite her thick skin she maintains a high level of class when confronting other characters. She does not put up with petulance and strives hard to pursue her ambitious life-goals, a true inspiration to an architecture graduate student like myself. I made this senshi suit to be modular so all I have to do is make other senshi accessories in the future, but I wanted to make sure to make this costume the best it could be for Mars.
Describe your creative process for starting a costume through completion!

The first thing I do when I sit down to create a costume is to think of what materials I would approach a cosplay with on my own. After brainstorming a little I check online to see if the costume has been attempted before or if the materials I’d like to use have been used before in other costumes. Sometimes seeing other cosplays can prove very inspirational and answer questions. Once I actually start I usually have several costumes in-progress at the same time. Doing this is a good way to combat frustration with one costume after staring at it all day and facilitates a mini-break from it. When I work on a different costume for a while it usually helps me figure out something on the first costume and I switch off on both of them. Also, I have a lot of fitting issues if I use store-bought patterns, so I just draft my own patterns these days. It was a lot of work to learn this skill but the payoff was certainly worth it. After I have the pattern I make a mock-up out of muslin to work some kinks out and figure out where things like applique’s go, and then I cut into my good fabrics. Even the assembly of a costume can require extra attention since it will usually be better to sew up certain seams before others, like the pant leg seam before the crotch seams. I learned the importance of the order of sewing seams the hard way, but it really makes a difference in sewing cleanly. 🙁 So don’t be discouraged if you have to redo an occasional seam, it is part of the learning process! 🙂
Do you have any favorite Asian films?

One of my all-time favorite movies is Shaolin Soccer. Steven Chow is so funny and I love how he isn’t afraid to be out-there with his comedic writing. He usually works with the same cast in most of his films and they are also unafraid of being offensive. The jokes were silly yet relatable.
What is the biggest learning curve you have learned about the hobby in the past eight years?

How to make armor. I used to be so so intimidated by armor costumes but the fear went away when I just dove right in and started doing it. My first armor costume wasn’t very good and was unwearable after the first use, but I learned a lot from it and I was able to produce bigger and better costumes afterwards. My favorite material to use for making armor and props is styrene. Styrene is a thin sheet of plastic available in different sizes and reacts well to heat. It bonds very well with super-glue and makes for some high quality armor costumes because of the smooth paint-ready surface.
Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to cosplay virgins?

Don’t give up. 🙂 <3 Cosplay is a very challenging hobby because it is the ultimate form of fanart. It will put your sewing, sculpting, drawing, casting, basically any kind of crafting skills to the test, each of which could take people years to master. I believe that people who really grapple with learning an ability have a tendency to produce excellent work because they have tempered their skills.
Lastly, what is your con schedule looking like through early 2013?

My convention schedule looks like it will be SwampCon, KatsuCon, MegaCon, Fanime, SuperCon, AFO, and Dragon*Con. It is quite a full schedule indeed, but 2013 feels like it will be a good year. 😀 Please look forward to all of the upcoming new work, and thank you for reading!

If you want to know more about Kapalaka, please check her facebook page at :https://www.facebook.com/Kapalaka.cosplay

Cosplay Interviews-FiriKururugi

January 7, 2013 sado44

Today,FiriKururugi join in our cosplay intervews share her real cosplay story, thank Rita 🙂

1.Introduce you first .

Hello, my name is Rita but maybe you know me more as Firi or FiriKururugi.I started cosplaying over 7 years ago and I really love this hobby.

2. How did you get started in with cosplay, what was your first cosplay?

Thats was a really funny story.My girlfriend, we know each other for 10 years now, (I didn´t like her very much back there) was on her first convention 2005, and was so amazed by it thats she called me at home and told me all the storys about how amazing it was. The costumes,people and atmosphere and the fun was so unbeliveble.

After that she wanted that I come with her to the next convention. I was really interested in it.I always loved Anime/Manga/Games and thought „hey why not maybe I should try“.^^And so on the next convetion we went together.I also weared my first cosplay there….it was Shindou Shuiji from Gravitation (gosh seriously it was so horrible xD).But I had so much fun that I realized, I want more. I wanted to try out a lot of new things and dress like my favorite characters. Making photos that suit the characters and having a lot of fun.And after those 7 years I´m still not tiered of this hobby.I love it so much and the fun never gets away. Of course cosplaying with friends makes it more awesome.

3. What has been your favourite cosplay?

My favorite cosplay, thats a tough question.I love all the cosplays I made, because I put a lot of love, time and money in it.Thats why I always just cosplay characters that I really love and think that I can put the character to live.But I think my favorite cosplays are :Myobi from Alichino,Shiro from Adekan,Sora from Kingdom Hearts…and many many more.I really cant decide from all of my cosplays, everyone is special to me.

4. Describe your creative process for starting a costume through completion!

At first I look for some good references and search for them everywhere.After that I think about the fabrics, like what fabrics would the character wear if they where real, or wich structure it would have. When it´s a rich character he would wear a expensive looking material and when it´s a poor one jersey or cotton would do it.And so on.After I decide for the fabrics I make the pattern (I´m a fashion-designer so I learnded how to make patterns) but of course you also can buy some in fabrics-shops or internet.After that I search for some other things like armor PVC or somthing else I need.Oh and not to forget the wigs. I buy them on ebay and style them by myself.(I always try to make it like the character but also put some natural look into it)Yeah after I got all the things I need, I work on the costumes for a week or two.

5.Do you have any favorite Asian films?

My favorite asian film…..there are more than one. never can decide on one thing xD.I like, “Hero“ very much, “Geisha“, “The Monkey King“, “Crows Zero” and “Gantz“.There are more but I´m also in love with the Jackie Chan films.

6.What is the biggest learning curve you have learned about the hobby in the past eight years?

I thing I always learn something new, when I make a cosplay.But my biggest learning curve was in my Fashiondesign school.I learned a lot of things about sewing and tricks by doing things.

7. Do you have one piece of advice that you would give to cosplay virgins?

Yes, please don´t stress yourself.Make costumes you like and have fun with them.People always get better when they love their hobby.So don´t give up when something isn´t working out as you like.Take a rest and try it again later.The most important thing is to HAVE FUN!!!!! AND MORE FUN.

8. Lastly, what is your con shedule looking like through early 2013?

Right now I´m working on my next cosplays.Eren from Shingeki no Kyojin.And on my first convetion cosplays of this year.Tae from Zone00 and Jen from the amazing deviantart artist Yuumei from her story Fisheye Placebo and Sen of Knite.

Thanks Rita to join in our cosplay interviews, I think Miccostumes.com can sponsor her Eren Cosplay Wig ^_^ .