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| Beatrice | Over the Garden Wall |
Our next Cosplay Feature is on Sugarcoateddame! She is a wonderful cosplayer, and has become an even greater friend. We're really happy to be doing a cosplay feature on her, so let's get to it. :)
How did cosplay grab your attention?
When I was a kid who was just discovering geek culture, I dove at anything anime related I could get my hands on. At the time I was really into Cyborg 009 and found an anime magazine that featured it on the cover. The magazine came with a promotional DVD that had a segment on anime conventions and interviews with cosplayers, which completely mesmerized little eleven year old me. These cosplayers talked about how they'd hand stenciled patterns onto their fabric for accuracy, spent 40+ hours on one piece of armor, and put a large chunk of their paycheck into making cosplays for their friends to complete their groups. The hard labor was a bit much for me to comprehend at the time (I discovered the reality of all of this later in my cosplay journey) , but I thought it was incredible that you could dress up like your favorite character and go to a colossal costume party. I had to get in on that.
Are there any particular cosplayers that inspires your cosplay work?
Absolutely! Mostflogged, J.Hart Design, and Amazon Mandy are on my list of inspirations. Anyone who can sit behind a sewing machine, crank out a quality piece of work, then dive into the next project has my full respect and admiration.
The first time crossing paths was you dressed up as Captain America? It was at Big Wow Comicfest 2015.
Oh gosh, I remember that!! The fem Cap I wore that day was borrowed just for that convention. It was my first comic centered con and a majority of my cosplays were anime/cartoon/other pop culture related. Thankfully, a close friend of mine and fellow cosplayer, Comiclz, set me up with her amazing fem Cap cosplay for the day so I could blend in better with that crowd. I'm so happy to have met you there! I think it was the following Sac Summer that we really started to talk.
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| Captain America |
The one cosplay of yours that we’ve seen you as at various events is Mey-Rin from Black Butler. What is it about Mey-Rin that captures your interest to cosplay her?
She's a girl after my own heart. How could I not be absolutely enamored with a sweet, clumsy, cockney maid who's also a badass sniper? What a woman. I decided I had to cosplay her for Fanime 2011 when Yuya Matsushita (the actor for Sebastian in the Black Butler stage play in Japan at the time) was going to be a special guest. Unfortunately, due to running late to his panel with some car troubles, I wasn't able to meet him in that cosplay, but she's easily one of my favorite cosplays I own.
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| Mey-Rin | Black Butler |
How long did it take you to put together your Mey-Rin cosplay?
Oh man, it's such a blur, but at least 3 months. I was 15 when I first decided to cosplay Mey-Rin, so my grandmother was the main seamstress on that project. Like most of my cosplays, it was modified from my trusty McCall's M4948 pattern. I'd printed out screenshots from the anime,manga and stage play, then did some light work on it when asked. Honestly, god bless my grandmother for all she did before I learned to properly sew on my own.
We can tell from your Instagram that you’re in love with Luffy from One Piece. Do you identify with any of his characteristics from the anime?
Love is an understatement, haha! You shouldn't have mentioned Luffy, I could go on for days. But to keep it short, I wish I was more like him. I'm a pre-timeskip Usopp. Luffy has been my ray of sunshine and, as cheesy as it is, an inspiration to me. He's goofy, brave, and doesn't know the meaning of giving up. He believes in his crew and believes in himself. Fact: he's going to be King of the Pirates. I need that kind of determination, man.
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| Luffy | One Piece |
Dead Kenny was the brand new cosplay we saw at SacAnime Winter 2017. What made you decide to put together this cosplay?
I've learned the hard way that Sacramento weather during winter is cruel and will not feel sympathy and show mercy on you if you're dressed skimpily, so I wanted something warm for Sac Winter this year. My Kenny cosplay I sewed from back in high school was collecting dust and my love for South Park is still raging strong, so I thought now would be an opportune time to bring that cosplay back onto the con floors. I didn't have the time or funds to go as wild with the gore makeup as I would have liked to, but wearing white out contact lenses spooked a few con goers, hehe!
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| Dead Kenny | South Park |
Is there a dream cosplay that you would like to do, but can’t do at the moment?
Esther Blanchett from Trinity Blood is my ultimate dream cosplay above all else. If I was aiming for complete manga accuracy, I'd need an entire year dedicated to sewing and crafting it to my liking, maybe more! She was one of the first female characters whose design appealed to me so strongly, so I want to portray her with intricate detail. Maybe next year will be the year...fingers crossed!
How do you manage your time when you are working on a new cosplay?
I wonder this sometimes too! My weekly schedule has me bouncing from one place to the next during the day, so I try and rely on those sweet weekend and night hours to cram in that sewing. If my time isn't managed, I'll find myself hunched over my sewing machine in a cold sweat the night before I leave for the con, which is super common with a lot of my cosplay friends, so I don't feel as bad.
Are you planning any new cosplays for the rest of this year?
I am! I'm afraid I might have taken on too much, actually. My current project is Princess Shirahoshi from One Piece. It'll be my first time sewing a mermaid tail, so it should be a learning experience. All of the fabric is sitting out waiting to be sewn. My second big project of the year is going to be a female Genji from Overwatch. I have absolutely no armor experience, so there's another learning experience! 2017 is going to be a fun cosplay year. A much more casual cosplay that I have planned for the year is Boa Hancock from the One Piece Jeans Freak figure line. Comfy cosplays are something I always look forward to.
What events can we expect to see you at this year?
Fanime is always a definite yes for me. I've never missed one in all my years of attending. I just found out that I'll be attending Anime Expo as well, so I'll be bringing out the big guns for that. Sac Summer is a very hopeful maybe!
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| Juuzou | Tokyo Ghoul |
