Let's Talk With: Smashing Cosplay

Adelaide is rife with talented cosplayers, spanning from all ages and into all skill sets. Ayden Wing, more commonly known as ‘Smashing Cosplay’ is no exception to this. While many cosplayers tend to stick with ‘flavour of the month’ characters from trending animes or series, Ayden sticks out from the crowd, either as the infamous Crash Bandicoot, to the suave-talking woman-chasing Johnny Bravo...

I was fortunate enough to sit down with this talented cosplayer, as he shares what he loves about cosplaying and how he expresses his art.

First of all, how did you get into cosplaying?

Back in year ten, my friend asked me if I wanted to go to AVCon. I said ‘Hell yeah! That sounds pretty good!’ He was cosplaying, and I wasn’t and while I had a lot of fun, he had way more fun. I said to myself that I was going to do that next year. So for the last four-and-a-half to five years I’ve been cosplaying to every convention that I can get to, which is very single con in Adelaide, as well as a few interstate ones when I can get to them.

Which was your first cosplay that you did?

My first cosplay was Final Fantasy Advent Children Cloud at AVCon in 2010, I think, which was couple of years ago.

What’s your process when you decide to cosplay a character? As in, design, pattern, construction?

It depends on the cosplay I guess, because if it’s something more popular, it’s often a lot easier to buy it. See with Kirito from Sword Art Online, I just bought that one because it was so much easier...that was kind of the “flavour of every single day of AVCon” kind of cosplay. [There was about thirty different Kirito’s at that AVCon!] But I bought that one because it was so much easier to buy, and there was a lot more options available.

I could sift through them and think ‘That one’s made of pleather, I don’t like this’ to ‘This one’s more of a canvas-style material, I’ll get that one” But then, a lot of the other ones, I look at them and I think I could modify parts of it.



Nigel Thornberry (The Wild Thornberry's):
Photo courtesy of Bruce Rogan

Say Nigel [Thornberry], the shirt for that one was actually a long-sleeve shirt which the sleeves were taken off and then modified...I’m not going to lie, but my Mum did that. I can’t sew, and I admit that [laughs]. Except my Crash Bandicoot actually! I did that all myself and I’m proud of that one, and well, look at it! [laughs].

Why these kinds of zany characters, and not ones that you normally see at conventions?

I like doing novelty stuff, and being a bit of a peanut [which we all know that I am]. I like doing the funny and kind of weird ones that are more out of the ordinary. For ones like Crash, I loved the series when I started playing when them when I was very young. They were just such good games and I thought ‘You know what? I’m gonna cosplay Crash!’

It’s the sort of thing where I like the character, but if you haven’t seen many of that character, then I think that it would be fun to do. Otherwise, I love the character and it doesn’t really matter how many people have done it, such as Kirito. I mean, with him, Julia [my girlfriend] wanted to do Asuna, and I figured, ‘Well, I’ll be Kirito, and we’ll do a couple cosplay’, that sort of thing.

Have you got a particular favourite that you prefer to wear?

Of all of them, out of the ones I’ve got? That’s tough! I’m really liking Mr. Bonding at the moment, because it’s really comfy and easy, but I love Nigel I reckon. He’s my favourite, and even though it’s a pain [and I can’t, y’know, pick my nose when I’m wearing the costume, wink wink] and I can’t actually get to my nose; it’s a lot harder to get into it’s probably my favourite as well as being everyone else’s favourite. It just gets a really positive response from everybody, which makes it a lot more fun.

Cosplay seems to be an activity that is largely dominated by a female approach. Have you got any thoughts as to why that may be so?

Umm, well I can say it definitely is. Say if you looked at the cosplay pages and that, it’s definitely more females ninety-five percent in comparison, but I think that a lot of the guys might just see it as a ‘Dressing up, why would I do that?’ kind of thing [as a stereotypical male sort of thing] where, girls might be like ‘Oh, I get to dress up as my favourite sort of character!’

Honestly, I don’t know, but there might be some sort of mentality like that behind it, but I’m really not sure. Especially when you think of it in the sense that, when you think of a nerd, you wouldn’t normally think of a girl, would you? It’s more of a tall, lanky guy with glasses, all that sort of stuff. You’d think of guys being the fans of cartoon and gaming, whereas a lot of the girls get into it more, even though there may or may not be more fans... it’s a sort of gender split thing, I guess.

What would you say to encourage more males to get into the art?

I’d think more of Nike. ‘Just Do It’. [laughs] It’s really fun, especially if you get a group of people together, because that way if you’re feeling embarrassed about being the only one that’s doing it, then find something that all your friends are into. Keep it simple too, and if you can all buy yours costumes, then it makes it a lot easier to all go have fun. If you go as a group, it takes away that individual insecurity, because you have all of your friends to dressed up with you. You won’t be the only peanut there.



Mr Bonding (Pokémon): Photograph
courtesy of Ayden Wing 

Have you got any particular cosplayers that you look up to, either local or internationally?

Hmm, there’s a couple. I think my favourite cosplayer ever since a while back would be Li Kovacs. She makes an amazing Link, as well as everything she ever does. I think Link was the first thing I saw from her and I thought ‘Holy crap!’ I think it was the magic armour one, and I just thought ‘Wow...!’

One that I’ve come across in the last six months or so, are a couple of sisters in the US, and their prosthetics and wigs are amazing. They’ve entered a couple of contests of the Arda Wig contests, and they’re always in the top five, even if they don’t win it, they’re still high up. Their work is incredible and the thing is, their face prosthetics and seamless and flawless, and how it fits on the face is just epic. They’re definitely my inspiration, and every time something of theirs pops up, it’s like ‘Oh my god! How did you do that?!’ It just looks so good!

Your popularity is continuously growing as a cosplayer, especially here in Adelaide. Do you see yourself as any sort of role model in the community?

I hope people don’t see me as a role model! [laughs] You’re looking at the wrong person! I think it’s really cool to have that, and to think that you actually have a fan base it’s like... ‘Me?...Have a fan base?’ I think it’s just more that people like the costumes, and that’s great! I do this because I want to do it, and then having people that enjoy my work as much as I do, it’s just really cool. I really like that. I don’t know if I’m setting a good example on how to be one, but I hope that I’m not setting a bad example.  

Why do you feel that people cosplay?

Uhh...this is tough one! [laughs] The way I see it, it’s a really fun hobby. I guess it’s like when I cosplay Crash, you get your favourite childhood characters brought to life. For me, Crash was always one of the cool guys; bit of a gumby, had no ideas what was going on but he just went through and wrecked everything and saved the world in the end, but it was always good fun. And then to be able to be him and mess around and do the Crash Bandicoot dance at conventions is just, well so much fun. It’s just really cool to be able to watch something and admire the character, and then be able to be that character.

There’s a sense of pressure for cosplayers to go and do sexy or risqué cosplays. From an observation, it seems to be more targeted towards females, but there would be still be some directed at men. Has this ever happened to you?

I think a lot of that would mostly just be character design. I mean, how many lead female characters in, say, fighter animes and stuff, have that skin to clothes ratio which is more skin than clothes. Whereas the guys, tend to have not so much skin showing, but they’re all really ripped and buff.

It’s one thing for all the girls to be like ‘Oh, I have to be really chest out and fit and everything’ whereas the guys, there’s the pressure to be fit and guns. I’m going to be doing Kamina with Julia being Yoko, and well, I’ve got to get fit for that. I mean, I run around everywhere without a shirt on, so I’m not one that’s bothered by not wearing a shirt in public, but for other people, it might be more of a pressure thing. They might think that this character is really cool, so the only way to do it right is to, y’know, not have a shirt on, whereas for girls, you’ll need a bikini top.

In saying that though, if you don’t want to cosplay it exactly as it is, modify it to fit you, and make sure that it’s comfortable.

What’s the most rewarding part of attending conventions to you?



Mighty Mask (Dragon Ball Z): Photograph
courtesy of Illustrious Cosplay

I reckon getting responses from people out of it when you’re in costume. When you’re proud of a costume, and you think ‘Yeah, I’ve done this, I’m proud of it’ and you’re finally wearing it, and then having people get excited and saying ‘Oh my god it’s [this character]’ and loving it and wanting your photo and stuff, I think it’s really cool having that. Unless you’re a really popular person or really talented in something, you won’t really experience that elsewhere.

I never had any of that through school. I mean, I was never popular, but I wasn’t unpopular either, but it’s cool to have people come up to you and just tell you it’s amazing, it’s awesome and want your photo and stuff. It’s getting recognition and people enjoying your work as much as  you do, it’s a good feeling.

Do you have a particularly memorable moment from a convention?

Yes. The biggest one from memory, the one that’s always stuck with me was when I met the voice actor for Vegeta and Piccolo (Dragon Ball Z), Christopher Sabat. I met him in Supanova a couple of years ago, well, he was there and I met him dressed as Mighty Mask. So I went up to him all like ‘Oh my god it’s him! You’re my favourite voice actor for my characters’ and stuff, but then he came up to me and was just like ‘Your costume is amazing! Can I get a photo?!’

He gave me one of the large poster prints [normally for twenty dollars] for free and signed it  Best Cosplay Ever on it. That’s probably my biggest and favourite cosplay moment, having the vice actor for these amazing characters fangirling over me, when I went there to do that for him! [laughs].  

How would you say that you’ve grown as a cosplayer since you started?

Umm, I guess a bit more of an eye for detail. Even though I don’t sew, [my mum and girlfriend and my sewing machines!] I’ve got more of an eye for fabric and material I guess. I can look at something and through Julia telling me if I can’t use it because it doesn’t sew nicely, I can pick out the fabrics that might look nice but sew horribly.

I guess I’ve learned a lot more about making props, which I suppose I can say is my specialty. Things like Johnny Bravo hair and Crash Bandicoot head... I just like making weird things! [laughs]. I’ve got nicer tools now, so I can do that better, but I guess that’s where I’ve improved over the years.

Cosplaying can be a pretty expensive art. Have you got any tips or habits that you adhere to, to make it as affordable as possible?

Don’t be afraid to shop around. Don’t think that when you see something, this is going to be perfect, the price can rack up dramatically. My most expensive cosplay I think totalled over five hundred dollars, and it was completely bought. Look, making cosplay generally does make it cheaper, unless you’re buying things like extra large sheets of worbla, but I guess then there’s no alternative unless you use foam.



Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo):
Photograph courtesy of
I Got Superpowers

Op shops are a really good place. If you can find something to modify then, do it. Look for alternatives. For example, worbla is an amazing material which you can pretty much make anything out of it, but you might not need to use it. You might be able to use EVA foam, which in comparison is a lot cheaper.

There’s always alternatives to make something a lot cheaper. My Mr Bean cosplay which I haven’t really debuted yet, the costume itself, it’s only cost me around twenty-five dollars; that’s a pair of pants, tie, shirt, jacket and I already had shoes so it was ridiculously affordable.

Is there anything that you would alter or change if you were ever given a do-over?

­Hmm... I don’t think I would to be honest. I’d try to not be as lazy from the start as I can be, and make a better habit of that. I’m lazy, I’m so lazy! [laughs], but there isn’t a lot I would change. I guess you sort of progress and grow as you go along. There might be a few things that I might not have done because how they turned out, but it’s not a lot really that I would change.

Look, you progress and grow as you make mistakes. The biggest thing about mistakes is that you learn from them, and you won’t do it again. You make sure you don’t make that mistake again.

Would you like to make a career or business out of cosplaying, or is this just more of a hobby for you?

It would be awesome to travel around the world and visit conventions, but the reality is that it seems that it would be a really stressful thing at the same time. Especially how lazy I am, I know how hard I’d make it for myself, and I’m not good enough for that anyway [laughs]. Especially when I say that I don’t do all the sewing for mine. Even the famous professionals, they all have help, everybody has help, but I don’t think I could do it. It would be cool, but I don’t think it’s for me.

Unless someone wants to fly me out to a con, I’d happily go! [laughs]. But as long as I wouldn’t get sponsored by worbla and have to make something new in two days or anything, like Kamui does. She’s a machine, and the work she does is incredible.

What is the most important part about cosplaying to you?

Make sure you have fun, and do what you want to do. I’ve had a couple of cons where I’ve left things really last minute and rushed parts, and I’ve not enjoyed the con at all. That’s not what it’s all about, and if you’re going to go to the effort to have a costume, you’re going to want something that you’re going to have fun in.

That’s what cosplay is, it’s about having fun, and if you take that away, then there’s no point. It’s like going to a job that you don’t want to do, and if you’re putting clothes on that you’re not happy with, then it takes away that enjoyment.

If you don’t enjoy it, then what’s the point doing it? Even if you’re wanting to turn it into a career, you still want to enjoy it, wouldn’t you?

Are there any characters that you have on a sort of “dream/wishlist” that you would love to do, without financial restriction or time restrictions?



Miror B (Pokémon Colosseum):
Photograph courtesy of Falcon
Visuals

There’s one that I’ve started getting the stuff for, which has been on the list for a long time, and I honestly wouldn’t even know where to start. But, Totoro will happen! It was going to happen for AVCon, but then I left it too late, and yeah, it just wasn’t going to happen [laughs].

There’s a few such as Gurren Laggan, which if I can get that together, is going to be epic! I don’t know how, but that would be great.

Have you got any new characters coming up that you want to share, or are you keeping them secret?

Well, for AVCon I’m going to be doing the Hero Mode Wind Waker Link, with the lobster shirt. I’m doing a group cosplay as well from Penguin Drum... I haven’t seen that yet so I should probably watch that [laughs] but it’s like a school uniform/formal blazer look.

I think the Friday for AVCon I’m going to be doing Mr Bean, so I want to try and get that sorted out and learn how to do proper face makeup for that and look old and rubbery to get a nice five o’clock shadow going.

Is there any advice you could give to someone that wants to get into cosplaying?

Make sure you enjoy it, and if you want to do something, then it’s best to get onto it early and try and plan it out. Make sure you get the costume done well before the con because you can end up with a lot of unnecessary stress.

I think one of the best things that you can do, and what I’ve started doing, is while it’s nice to have set plans for a costume it’s not the end of the world if you don’t get it done. Originally, I wanted to get Totoro done, and I bought all the fur and instead of continuously trying to force myself to get it done and stressing, it’s okay to have it done for a later con. Don’t take the enjoyment out of it and rush things, because if you take that enjoyment out of it, then it’s not going to be worthwhile.

Even if you don’t have any other costumes to wear, just go in casual with your friends. Go and enjoy what you have with who you have with you.


You can stay up to date with Ayden and his work by following his Facebook page right here:
https://www.facebook.com/SmashingCosplay 

Cosplay bullying: There is no difference

It’s finally the day of the convention. You’re dressed up in your cosplay, and you are proud. Why not? You’ve worked so hard on this outfit, whether you worked hour after hour at work saving the money to buy it, or you’ve poured your heart and soul into every stitch making and sewing it all together. You look amazing, and you feel amazing wearing it, and you are in your element.

...That is, until someone decides to call you out for something they don’t like, and you’re slowly affected by these words. But it continues, and other people join in. They eat away at you until you can no longer feel happy cosplaying, and it all seems worthless. It’s just affected your con experience, and becomes a deterrent.

Bullying exists heavily in this world, and there is no denying it. Whether it be in public and to your face, or by keyboard warriors over the internet from a photo that you decided to share with the world in your moment of glory. It hurts, and despite what the old rhyme said about “sticks and stones breaking your bones, but names never hurting me” is all a lie. These things do hurt, and sometimes they get the better of us.

Recently, this cosplayer shared their story of when they wore one of their cosplays to school. It’s a shocking read, and instantly, hearts went out to this person with sympathy. Here’s just a small snippet of what they had to say:

 Source: http://bit.ly/1l69RQG

‘I wore my cosplay to school knowing that it wouldn’t be treated especially gently, but also knowing that if it couldn’t survive a single day at school there was no way it was going to survive all day at a convention. I did not wear my cosplay expecting to be attacked because I chose to stand out.”
Read the entire story here: http://bit.ly/1l69RQG

So why does someone think it’s okay to put you down over something that you love? It’s easy. It isn’t okay to do so, not in the slightest. You can be made fun of during school days, or in the workplace, and it’ll be picked up on, but out in the cosplay community, it runs rampant and needs to be addressed just as quickly.

Source: http://bit.ly/1kRAtQs

Notbadcosplay is one of many tumblr accounts which promotes the ‘anyone can cosplay’ idea, and will share different experiences on the internet concerning cosplay bullying. One of their posts reads:

‘I don’t believe that cosplay should be something we get bullied over. Society already sees us as irregular. And to take away the one place we can feel safe, accepted, and meet so many amazing people who are like us; it’s wrong, disgusting...’
See more here: http://bit.ly/1piUrI7

Thinking about if you should say to that person that they aren’t the right size to be Wonder Woman? Or a guy shouldn’t dress up as a female character? Think again. Don’t say it, just leave it be. People forget that cosplayers are human too; we laugh, we cry, we read horrible comments that are left t us, and we try to cop it on the chin. But words get to us after a while, even to the professionals.

Regardless of whether you are male, female, your skin tone, your size, shape, hair colour, smile, eyes, whatever; you are allowed to cosplay what you want, when you want and how you want. It’s about self expression, and being able to convey your love of a series or a character, and it should be applauded. It takes courage to step out in your costumes, because as far as society is concerned, you will be different, and different should be celebrated.

 

Quick Cosplay: Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange)

Hello, hello, hello my little chellovecks and devotchkas! Your Humble Narrator here, and bringing you a very quick and easy tutorial on how to piece together a quick cosplay.
Today's theme is Alex DeLarge from A Clockwork Orange: first a novel written by Anthony Burgess in 1963, then adapted into a major film by director Stanley Kubrick in 1971.

Over the years, Alex Delarge (portrayed by Malcom McDowell) has become a signature icon for pop culture, and even as a Halloween costume, with no surprise. It's very simple to put together a simple Droog outfit, and can be worn well with either gender.
 
 


Malcom McDowell as Alex Delarge in A Clockwork Orange

What you will need to put this together:

- A white shirt with/without a collar (a fitted one looks better, but there are some that you can get which are soft but appear as a fitted garment)

- White pants

- A black bowler hat (Most costume shops will be able to sell you one)

-Black Boots (Lace-up are more accurate, but heels or work boots will work just fine)

- Fake eyelashes

-White suspenders

Optional accessories:

- Codpiece (A cricketer's codpiece was worn in the film, but purchasing one for the sake of a costume can be pricey. A friend of yours might play cricket, so you could ask to borrow theirs if you don't want to shell out the money for it)

- Cane

- Eyeballs on the cuff of the shirt (Alex has bloody eyeballs on the cuffs of his shirt, which, for accuracy, should be added, however this is a detail that can be overlooked without too much drama)

- Glass of milk (Milk or "moloko" is a famous icon from the story, so being seen with one of these in your hands will not be unpleasant. It's a nice touch, especially if you want to be very accurate and use a high-ball glass)

- Adopt a nadsat attitude and vocabulary (nadsat is the official language used in both the novel and the film. It's not too difficult to learn, but be prepared for some odd looks!)


Alright! Let's put this together!
 



Snazzy white pants are important!

Shirt and suspenders? Check!

Well, first things first, slip into those white pants that you have. Just be wary of what kind of under garments you're wearing, because darker ones will probably show through the material, and that could be quite embarrassing...

Now, pop on the shirt, and make sure that you can move about freely in it. If you're wearing a fitted shirt, then it's important that it is long enough to be able to tuck into your pants as well, and you can lift your arms above your head comfortably!


Your white suspenders come next, and these are definitely important! A pair of Y-back suspenders are the preferred set, and you can find these normally in discount stores or costume shops. However, if you can't find them, try your local menswear store. Suspenders are an important part of suits and tailoring, but these can be a lot more expensive, but they will be quality ones that you can keep for years.




Make sure they're clipped on securely!




These boots ARE made for walking!

If your feet are getting a tad cold, then you can always put on your boots! After all, what kind of malchick goes about without any real horrorshow boots on their noogas? (Translation, who goes around town without any good boots on their feet?)

Here's about the time where you would put on your codpiece, or if you're a girl and want to make it a little bit more feminine, you could always put a small beige sash around your waist to compensate for the codpiece. Even flesh-tone underwear would work, or heck, wear that codpiece! Go for it!


Now here's the fun part. We move onto the face and makeup. Luckily, Alex DeLarge doesn't have any extravagant makeup that you need to spend hours on getting right. However, there is one important aspect on the face that is especially important: the eyelashes.

These are definitely the signature of any DeLarge cosplay, and getting it right is necessary to pull off the outfit entirely. You can purchase fake eyelashes from any cosmetic store, or any store that sells makeup and accessories, such as a variety or department store. If you can't find any that have large spaces between each group of eyelashes, then an easy way to make them is to pick thick, fluffy ones and then cut every second group of eyelashes off to get that crazy, gapped look.

A very feminine Alex (Or Alexis, even).

So if you want to tidy up your face, prepare any foundation/concealer as you would on any normal day; nothing too heavy, just to look natural. Fellas (chellovecks), this doesn't exclude you! Anyone can wear makeup if they want to! Just give yourself a very natural coverage, or forget this step altogether. For added effect, use a white eye shadow on your eye lids, and a white eye liner on the lower lash of your RIGHT eye. It'll make your eye stand out a lot more.

Then, using tweezers or a steady hand, place one of your eyelashes underneath your lower lash line. You'll notice that, naturally, your eye lid will move the lash to a cozy curve that feels easy to wear. Take your time with this step: it's important that you get the eyelash to sit comfortably on your eye so you won't be too distracted from it as you wear it. To finish it off, use a beige or nude lipstick to help accentuate those lovely lips of yours. Then just slip the bowler hat on your head and get ready to work your nadast attitude!

Voila! Now just grab a cane if you want, or a glass of moloko, and show off your quick and easy DeLarge costume. As you have read, this is definitely an easy cosplay to put together that is effective and comfortable to wear. Just don't let the millicents catch you out in play, my little droogies!



If you want to make the eyeball cufflinks, craftster.org has a wonderful tutorial on how to make them using plush cat eyeballs and fake blood. Follow this link to make them super quick and easily:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=276774.0#axzz355RzjFsU

Want to learn nadsat? This link here is a dictionary of the language:
http://soomka.com/nadsat.html

Curious to see more Clockwork Orange cosplays? Here is a link that will show you some of the best that have been uploaded:
http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2009/08/07/the-best-clockwork-orange-costumes-weve-ever-seen/

Reblog: Why exactly DO people cosplay?

This is a common question that is asked by many, yet remains unanswered. The truth is, there's a multitude of reasons why someone would cosplay. Your Humble Narrator/Blogger cosplays for a hobby, and coming from an arts background, I love dressing up and being someone else for a little while.

The real reason people cosplay boils down to personal opinion and emotion; no two answers will ever be truly the same, and that's okay! Being different is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. The important thing is to do what you love.

I won't ever consider myself a professional, because I know that I am not. However, I will personally identify myself as an advocate for supporting cosplay, regardless of gender, size, shape, race and background. It's important to remember that it's something that you enjoy, and that's the best part.

Improvised Konoha Ninja: (Naruto): photograph courtesy of Little Fairy Cosplay

Molly McIsaac over at ifanboy.com has written a very interesting article detailing the question of why people cosplay. As well as being insightful and easy to read, it also incorporates responses from cosplayers alike sharing what exactly they love about the art.

Follow this link, yeah this little link right below to have a further read!
http://ifanboy.com/articles/what-is-cosplay-and-why-do-people-do-it/

So why do you cosplay? Drop a comment, leave a response, I'll love to hear from you!

Reblog: Last Minute Costumes!

It's late in the morning. Your phone buzzes with a text. You've now just been involuntarily invited to a party. A costume party no less.
You have the rest of the day to get a costume together if you haven't got several hiding in your wardrobe already (much like Your Humble Narrator/Blogger).

Never fear though! There's tons of ideas that you can do last minute, some of them pretty clever with limited time and resources. Much like this cactus!




Catcus costume: (source unknown)

 

There are sites that you can access that will give you advice on making quick and easy costumes that are also impressive. If you've got a little time, some scissors, pins and tape, then you'll be easy fixed!

Below are some sites that you can visit which will set you on the right track. Here's an example for fifteen last minute costumes from inventorspot.com by writer Holly Cochrane.

Halloween is fast approaching. All the good costumes are gone from the stores. You have a costume party to attend but nothing to wear. What to do?
Take things you probably have around the house, add a little creativity and maybe some spray paint. Ta da! You'll have a fast and easy Halloween costumes that borders on genius!  Here's some great ideas to inspire you...

- See more at: http://inventorspot.com/articles/15-easy-last-minute-halloween-costumes-genius#sthash.2v8T5iIX.dpuf

Umbrella Bat (Source: http://www.henryhappened.com/25-diy-halloween-costumes-for-mom.html)

Even the Huffington Post made a list of some impressive costumes to check out, with the option of uploading ones you've made yourself.
Check them out here:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/last-minute-halloween-costume-photos_n_2045182.html


Keep an eye out for the next post to see how to put together a quick and easy Clockwork Orange costume!

Let's Talk With: Armored Soul Cosplay

Suzanne Ofdensen is a local cosplayer in Adelaide, but the public certainly knows her. Whenever the city plays host to a convention such as AVCon or Supanova, you can bet that she’ll be there with bells on.

Well, not particularly bells specifically. She’s normally clad in some fantastic and jaw-dropping set of armour and turning heads wherever she steps. Normally, you’ll know her simply by her alias Armored Soul Cosplay, but despite the rough-and-tough sound of her name, she’s certainly not afraid to stand out from the crowd with her bright and bubbly personality. Read on to get to know a little bit about her and her story.

Well first of all, how did you get into cosplay? Were you persuaded by friends or did you go it alone?

Honestly, I started by myself. When I was young I always loved dressing up, but it didn’t really have a name for it. It was more of a “Look, I’m Mystique!” kind of approach, all dressed in blue clothes (and at that point I had red hair), but I had been going to conventions for a little while. I was always with friends, because I felt a little weird going by myself, so in 2009 I went to AVCon with a friend, and I see this dude walking around in a Marcus Fenix outfit from Gears of War. I thought to myself “WOAH OH MY GOD! You look so cool, I have to get a photo!.” He’s now a good friend of mine, so I was talking to him and I thought ‘I want to do that. I want to look that cool.” So I did some research and I was going to do a Cog first, but then I thought that that’s what everyone does. I’m going to do the bad guy. I picked Queen Myrrah since she was sort of human so I started to make that. I like to think that that point was got me into it, and over the last two years it’s started to snowball into what it has become now.

So Queen Myrrah was what started you down the road?

This was my first costume and it took me about a year to make, and now it’s been remade three times. I’m much, much happier with what I’ve done with it. As a first costume I was proud of it, and everyone thought it was amazing, but looking back now, it’s so much better.

                (Queen Myrrah (Gears of War: photograph courtesy of Falcon Visuals Photography)

Do you have any particular cosplayers that you follow or look up to?
Well by social media, I follow about two billion cosplayers [laughs], but the ones that stand out and I take a lot of inspiration from are Lightning Cosplay and Kamui Cosplay, since they do a lot of armoured stuff. There are a few more that I look at and think “wow”, but they’re the two that I normally look up to.

Oh!

Becka Knowles Studio is another one. She’s fantastic. I found her through Instagram and she is the loveliest lady ever as well as so helpful , while her stuff is awesome.

Why focus on armour type costumes specifically and not more of your traditional, sewn outfits that you would normally see?

Every time someone asks me this, I always think “…I don’t know!” [giggles]. But I guess I just feel badass. Who doesn’t feel badass in a big armoured suit? I guess it’s also a bit of an insecurity thing too. I feel safer, I guess, in armour than I would in a highly revealing costume. While I’ve always found the community to be very supportive, it can be really nerve wracking to be able to able to go in a costume that is revealing and not feel that people are judging you for it.

Your popularity as a cosplayer is continuously growing in Adelaide so would you say that you’re a sort of figure in the cosplay community here?

Is it? That makes me go red in the face! But I have no idea about that, so you might have to ask other people about that. I wouldn’t say so, but it’s so lovely to hear someone say that though! That’s beautiful! There are many people who do it just as well as I do if not better in my opinion.

Let’s talk Worbla. Why this particular material and not a different one?

Well because I’ve always been into armour, I used to make it out of foam. I like foam: it’s cheap, it’s easy to use, but it’s not very wearable. When I say wearable, usually after a con you might have to repair a few things, and when you’ve worn it a few times it starts tearing. It’s a brittle thing.

I was doing that, and I was contact by a [now] really good friend who was a running a cosplay supplies business and she said “Look, you like doing armour, I have this material, it’s fantastic for that, do you want to try it?” So yeah, I said alright, let’s do it. I did a little of research and thought it was ridiculous what you could do with this stuff. I like worbla because it is so easy to use. I like to work with it, it moulds super easy and it was easier to use than foam.

 The downside is that it’s not always cheap. I do try to make my worbla stretch as far as possible, because I might only be able to purchase one sheet at a time. So I guess I used it because I was supporting a friend as well as being easy to handle.

(Pacific Rim Drive Suit (Pacific Rim): Photograph courtesy of SteamKittens photography)

In your opinion, why do you think that people cosplay?

Well for me, it’s like reading. It takes you away from whatever is going on with your life. You can immerse yourself in another world for at least a little bit. It helps you feel like someone you’re not, so if you’re a really shy person, but you admire this particular character in a show, cosplaying tends to bring that out in your personality. It immerses you into the culture that little bit more, and it’s nice to be someone else for the day.

So what’s the most important thing about the art of cosplay to you specifically?

For me, I like to make things. I’m not opposed to buying things, but I enjoy it. But cosplay needs to be what you want it to be; if you want it to be bought cosplay, or sexy cosplay, whatever you want. It’s fine to be competitive about it, but don’t bring other people down for you to achieve that. I also use cosplay as a stress relief, so I use it to calm down.

It seems that there is currently a lot of negativity and controversy in regards to sexy cosplays. How do you feel about it?

Go for it! I love it! If you feel confident enough to do that, then do it! I have enough going on in my life so what’s the point of bringing them down? Who am I to say that they shouldn’t? I have better things in my life to do than logging in and saying that they’re not a real cosplayer because they show just a little bit too much cleavage? How dare they! It happens more on your popular cosplays publicly, privately that’s a different thing. People have second hand comments made about them that they think they can’t hear, but with social media, someone is going to see it eventually.

Jessica Nigri is a classic example. She gets sent stuff all the time. I’ve met her and I love her. She is great, but also very skilled with what she does. It annoys me that they physically have to show them working on their stuff because she gets so much abuse of not making her cosplays.

The way I see it, if it’s not hurting someone, then let them do it.

Do you think that there is a line drawn for a cosplay being “sexy” to just risqué for attention?

I’m sure that there are some out there that do it for attention. For me, it’s internalised, when I look at it and think ‘Does it need to have boobs? I don’t know.’ But then I think; ‘Do I care?’. There are many reasons someone may cosplay, and I believe being open about cosplaying for attention is important. I cosplay for a stress relief – I like making things. I like feeling cool, badass wearing a costume, but I also enjoy the attention that comes with it.

I have the most amazing support of people on my cosplay page, where I sit and think ‘Wow, nine hundred people like my page! Do I know nine hundred people?’ If I do get a negative comment, it’s more of a critique than anything. While I do have a great support system, there are always people that will just do it for attention. If people need to have that kind of attention, then who am I to bring them down for?

(Necromonger Soldier (Riddick): photograph courtesy of Houng Taing Photography)

Can you describe your process when you decide to build a cosplay?

I kind of have a wish list. Some things just jump out at me. Myrrah was more of an obsession, to me, I had to get that right. Whereas with my necromonger build, I just loved the outfits and that was the reason I wanted to do that. Usually I will watch something or play something, and I don’t always have to be in love with the series, but I usually want to at least like the character I want do, even if they’re not necessarily a morally good character. I like how they’re portrayed, so I’ll usually pick a character that I might not always agree with, but I love how they made them.

Then I think about it and question myself if it’s something that I can do it, or I can do it well, and that’s kind of the line for me. If it’s something that I really really want to do, I will do it regardless. Then I see if it will fit in with my skills, and if I can do it easily enough or quickly, because if I don’t get something done in a decent amount of time, I begin to lose motivation to do it. I love Iron Man, and I started a build of it but then other things started jumping out at me. [laughs] I have these Iron man legs and arms sitting around that I’m not doing anything with! Usually if I start losing motivation, then I start skipping corners, which disappoints me as a cosplayer... but yeah, usually I look at something and then see if I can build it and go from there. I start collecting materials, drawing up diagrams and pattern everything myself.
I like to sit and make the challenge of pattern making myself because it gives a more personal feel.

Would you like to take cosplay as a career, much like Yaya Han or Jessica Nigri, or is it more of a hobby and relaxation for you?

...Can I say both? [laughs]. I’d like to do both. I’m a business owner already, so my cosplay habits are after work. If I’m feeling motivated, then I’ll put in a few hours’ worth of work, but when I’m feeling sick or life is not throwing me the balls I need to continue, then I don’t really work on it.

I don’t think I’d have the time to make it as a career like Nigri or Yaya Han... I’d love to be invited to conventions, who wouldn’t? But I don’t think my skills are that good at the moment. You could say I’ve already started a semi-career, what with Game Traders and everything. People throw around that ‘cosplay is a hobby’, well yeah it is for some, but it’s also become a viable business, and people tend to start looking negatively on the people starting to sell prints of themselves.

....if I could make a living off of it, then yeah I would love to, but I don’t think I would be able to. People that can make a living off of it are usually supported and sponsored by others, which is good. But I don’t know if in Adelaide you could really make it as a career. Who would really want to fly an Australian cosplayer over to America? No one’s really going to do that. Maybe being invited to Australian conventions, but then I think that there are others who are much more worthy than I am.

What’s the best thing about attending conventions to you?

This is something that I’ve gotten older. Recently, a Buffy actor came, and when I was thirteen, I’d be on the floor crying over him. I mean, Buffy was my life; I lived and breathed it! [Biggest girl crush on him], and I used to run around with my friends playing it [laughs]. It’s interesting because if conventions were around at that point, I would be lining up for hours and buying absolutely everything at the stalls...but now it doesn’t really do much for me that way.

I go for the cosplay aspect. I love seeing other people’s work, and I love that. I see these people lining up and sometimes I wish I had that drive again to do that, but paying sixty dollars to get a signature from someone kind of doesn’t really do anything for me anymore. I understand that people would want to be paid for their time sitting there for three hours and hearing one hundred people in thirty minutes telling you how much they love you, but it would get quite tedious. Cosplay is what really draws me to the conventions. I want to see the contests or enter them; I want to see the panels and other work. Occasionally there are people that I really want to see. I understand the pull of actors going and I wish that I still wanted that part of it.

Has there been a really memorable moment at one conventions that’s stuck with you?

I had a really weird Supanova. I went to go see John DiMaggio and I was dressed as Queen Myrrah, and I was standing in line with this limited edition prop I had just bought. Then some dude comes up to me and says ‘Are you here to see John Dimaggio?’ and I was like ‘...yeah?’ and then he says ‘Well, my missus and I have to leave, so uhh...do you want these tickets to go get a photo with him?’
I couldn’t believe it! I kept asking if he was sure, like, he’s spent his own money on this and he’s giving it to me. I don’t know if it was whether or not I was dressed as Queen Myrrah outfit that he recognised I was there or something...

Anyways, I walk up to the table and put the gun on the table and his handlers picked it up and were like what the hell is this? He’s picked it up and had a look and was like ‘woah...Woah! Woooooooah! Where did you get this?! This is awesome!’ Then he starts saying things in Marcus’ voice and Dom’s voice and then I ended up getting my photo with him, and he’s just ‘Wooooooah, you look awesome!’ Then my friend just said ‘he was fangirling over you’. I didn’t know how to deal with it! [giggles]. I kept trying to leave and he kept telling me I was awesome and stuff [laughs].

(Battle Fawn (Original Design): photograph courtesy of Kathryn Visuals Photography)

Looking back now from humble beginnings, how would you say you’ve grown as a cosplayer?

Mmm... more skills I think. I generally look for new ways to do things, and yes, the tried and tested way is usually the best way, but I’m always curious to see how new things would work. Yeah, I guess I would say that I’m a lot more skilled than what I used to be.

Would you say that your confidence has grown with it as well?

Yeah...I am proud of my first costume, but it was...awful. I still get people commenting on my old stuff saying how awesome it is when I try to get them to look at my new stuff! I would say I’ve grown more from the community [oh, that sounds so lame! ]. There always going to be hate in anything that you do, there is always going to be someone that doesn’t like you, but you can’t live your life trying to please everyone. Everyone is also a wealth of information, so it’s always nice to talk to new people for new information. I would say I’ve grown as a cosplayer because of the community. I couldn’t have done it without them.  

If you could go back and talk to your younger self when you started, is there anything that you would say?

Umm... find worbla sooner? [laughs] No I’m pretty happy with how I’ve progressed with my stuff. I’m fairy opinionated with my stuff and I don’t have a problem with that. I’ll call people out if they’re being critical rather than constructive but that’s about it.

Is there any advice you could give to up and coming cosplayers just starting out?

The biggest thing is to just have fun. I know you can  only be told that so many times, but you just need to have fun. Keep going and don’t give up because you don’t feel like your stuff isn’t good enough. I wouldn’t be doing nearly half the stuff I could if I stopped. Just because you don’t think your stuff is good enough, there will always be someone else  that respects you and looks up to you for the skills that you have. If you are having fun with it, then keep doing. Try finding a good support or friendship group that will help support you too. Otherwise... rock on? Keep crafting?
There we go! Rock on and keep crafting! That’ll be my slogan [giggles].

You can keep up to date with Armored Soul and her progress by following her on her facebook page here: www.facebook.com/SuzannesCostumePage
Or!
Suzanne has also created a website which shows and details her costumes and, a blog and a few of her friends. You can check them out here at:
www.armoredsoulcosplay.weebly.com

Cosplay: What's all the fuss?

In this day and age, you’ve probably heard this crazy word on the lips of the people around you.
See, it’s this little word called cosplay.
I can imagine the look on your face right now. It might be just that little bit confused at this word, but you’ll be hearing it a lot more from now on. What’s that word again?

Cosplay.
One more time?

Cosplay!
Still confused? Let me help!

Cosplay is the abbreviation of the phrase costumed roleplay. This means to dress up as a character from Japanese lore, video games or television shows. However, it’s fast becoming a growing trend globally, especially in the Western world. Nowadays, it is not limited to donning the clothing of just Japanese figures, but to anything ranging from ‘geeky’ to pop culture; superheroes, jedi’s, medieval warriors… the list is endless!

Cosplay is a large incorporation for different conventions, such as Comic Con (San Diego, or otherwise) in America, Ozine Fest in the Philippines to MCM in London, United Kingdom. These events focus a large part of the con dedicated to dressing up as your favourite character, parading around in them and taking on the persona of them. Many of them have large contests based on it!

Regardless of gender or age, anyone can join in on the fun. There’s no limit to what you can do, and by no means are you limited to gender stereotypes; meaning that any male can dress as a female, and vice versa.

For beginners, it can be a very frustrating and lengthy process, which can lead to fast becoming disheartening. Don’t fret, my friend! This blog, like so many others, is here to help. I’ll be posting interviews with many different people who are just like you, posting tutorials on how to make different bits and pieces, and links to helpful videos, forums and websites to help you in your cosplay endeavours.

After all, the cosplay community is for cosplayers, by cosplayers.