STB Shujinkydink
Burning down in flames for kicks
Greetings TYMers! I wanted to share a little bit about whats involved in cosplaying(as well as being curious myself). I know we've had a few people in our communtiy cosplay such as @Goldfish @PND_Ketchup and @PND_Mustard so I thought I'd ask Rose a few questions about her experience in the cosplay world and I was surprised to find her being featured in some very mainstream media such as The Washington Post and The Discovery Channels website! Hope you enjoy the read and share your experiences with cosplaying if you want!
What is your Tag/Handle?
PSN: Rosegoddess3
XBL: STB Rose Goddess
What games do you or have you played competitively?
I play Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice competitively as a member of the STB clan. I competed in EVO 2013 and will compete in EVO 2014. Also, I play Warhammer 40K: Space Marine as a member of the world champion Raven Lunatics: Soul Drinkers. The team has dominated the PS3 scene since January 2012, and in early April 2014 I participated in an 8v8 clan battle in which our team took 1st place.
When did you start cosplaying?
The first costume I ever made was Classic Sub-Zero in the late 90s for Halloween. I also had my mom buy me a green short sleeved turtle neck in elementary school that looked like Jade’s MKII outfit--not sure if that counts. The first non-Halloween event I wore a costume for was the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones midnight premiere, but a friend made that one. It was really in 2009 that I began making costumes for myself, starting with a classic Tifa Lockhart cosplay from Final Fantasy VII.
What kind of events have you cosplayed for?
As mentioned above, I’ve geeked out at midnight movie premieres. I went to my first cosplay gathering in 2009 as Tifa, and shortly thereafter attended my first San Diego ComicCon (SDCC) dressed in an original Autumn Fairy costume. The costume was featured on IGN’s website, the ‘Dr. Who North American Special’ (they must have saved the footage because it aired in 2011 or 2012), and a random Showtime advertisement.
After SDCC 2009 I became addicted to cosplay and attended Anime Los Angeles and Anime Expo in 2010. At this time, I became more ambitious and made a Shiva cosplay from Final Fantasy X. Shiva’s massive headpiece required 60 feet of hair extensions and I painted my entire body blue. The costume was well-received, and a picture taken by the Associated Press ended up in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Discovery Channel’s website, and more. The costume was later featured in Japan’s Cosmode Magazine. Other conventions I attended in 2010 were Anime Las Vegas and Pacific Media Expo for which I made Tifa’s Wallmarket dress.
In 2011, I created an original Dark Princess Zelda cosplay to be worn at Anime Los Angeles, Fanime, and Anime Expo. That was the first time I made armor. The other major costume I made was Tifa Lockhart’s Amano design from Dissidia Duodecim. My Amano Tifa has been featured on Kotaku, Geek Tyrant, and Final Fantasy Union. That year my friends and I received the ‘Best Group Performance’ award at Anime Expo’s Masquerade for our ‘Goku v. Sephiroth’ skit. I ‘cosplayed’ the kamehama and meteor.
In 2012 I worked with some extremely talented cosplayers and created a Kirin X costume from Monster Hunter to be worn at Anime Los Angeles, Fanime, SDCC, and Animegacon. We narrowly missed Animegacon’s $10,001 Masquerade first place prize, taking second place, a Judge’s Choice Award, and a ‘Best Construction’ award. I also made a Yeul cosplay from Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Tifa’s Nibelheim (cowgirl) outfit from Crisis Core.
In late 2012 I moved to Micronesia for my husband’s work which made cosplay difficult. Nevertheless, with limited resources I attended Anime Expo, EVO, and SDCC in 2013 with a Killer Frost cosplay. I provided extensive construction details on the following armor thread at comment #15: http://testyourmight.com/threads/im...how-to-make-armor-cheaply.35413/#post-1080094. Getting my picture with Ed Boon and IGU character artist Justin Murray was a real honor. My apologies, but no KF at EVO this year! Maybe something else… I plan on attending Anime Expo, Labyrinth of Jareth, EVO and SDCC for 2014.
I was fortunate enough to model Lillyxandra of Firefly Path’s Tropic Sunset Fairy costume featured in FAE and Giuseppina magazines. Additionally, I am a promotional model and ‘Elite Guard’ for Wasteland Weekend, a Mad Max inspired event in the Mojave desert.
When making a costume, what kind of research, if any, do you do?
I am quite particular when it comes to accuracy, so I compile several reference images from every angle I possibly can which involves a ton of internet research. I was thankful to NRS for the ability to view characters at a 360 angle in-game. I studied the various textures in Killer Frost’s costume for hours and did my best to find the closest possible material--which turned out to be upholstery fabric. The problem with upholstery fabric is...it doesn’t give. I can’t say the costume was comfortable, but they seldom are.
I spend a month or longer planning and locating the perfect fabric and colors. When I worked on my Yeul cosplay, I counted the order of the colors for over 300 beads, hand painted each wooden bead with enamel, and ordered the colors in the jewelry exactly as they appeared in the reference images.
Any sort of special or rare materials are used in your costumes?
Each costume requires a variety of materials. When I made Dark Zelda, I made all armor out of craft foam, model magic, and Sculpy covered in epoxy resin. The link to the thread above describes the process in depth as I used it for Killer Frost’s armor pieces. Sintra, apoxie sculpt, worbla and bondo are all great for armor and prop building as well.
One of the strangest materials I used was kitchen drawer liner for Killer Frost’s wings. The vinyl was easy to cut with an X-Acto (so much math to figure out the proper proportions). However, it was a fluke that I ended up finding it. I walked by the kitchen section of a store and it caught my eye. Creativity and thinking outside the box is essential for cosplay.
What was your favorite costume you’ve done so far?
That is really a hard question. I love Dark Zelda because it was an original design. I also love Killer Frost because it was so much fun to make, but challenging due to the limited resources I had. If I had to pick one, however, it would probably be Amano Tifa because it is my favorite outfit for my favorite video game character.
What kind of advice would you give to aspiring cosplayers?
Pick a character that you love. You’re going to be spending a lot of time staring at reference images, so you want to make sure you enjoy what you are working on. Plan ahead, study the reference images and determine every material you will need. Use math. Yes, math. Measure everything before you cut and purchase materials. Try out patterns on posterboard or muslin. Also, google the character you are working on as many cosplayers post tutorials.
After you have determined what items you need, keep in mind that fabric and material choice can make or break a costume. I would recommend saving up over time to get quality materials even if it means you can only make 1 or 2 costumes per year. Think carefully about what you can sacrifice for affordability, but be very mindful of fabric choice. Craft foam is cheap, so you can often make quality, yet inexpensive armor if you take the time to coat the foam. Be creative and don’t take shortcuts--be patient and meticulous!
Finally, don’t be afraid to push yourself. The only way you can grow is if you try new things. Try a simple design at first, but keep pushing yourself and you will be amazed at your progress.
Any shoutouts you’d like to give?
I’d like to give shoutouts to my amazing clanmates from STB and also the Raven Lunatics, particularly Shujinkydink for being an incredible coach and Goldfish for providing me with such a warm welcome to the NRS community. Also, shoutouts to every member of the community who attended EVO last year--thank you for being so nice! I’d also like to thank my husband, That_John_Guy, for his patience when I get overwhelmed preparing a costume, to everyone who taught me new construction methods, and to all of the incredible photographers I’ve worked with. Finally, thank you to the creative teams from NRS, SquareSoft/Enix, Nintendo, and Capcom for creating the characters I love so much.
Gallery
Amano Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./207052862656317/?type=3&theater
Killer Frost: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./674177879277144/?type=3&theater
Kirin X: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./359646020730333/?type=3&theater
Cowgirl Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./356312987730303/?type=3&theater
Yeul: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./455522394476028/?type=3&theater
Tropic Sunset Fairy: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./261567820538154/?type=3&theater
Wasteland Weekend: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./349992408362361/?type=3&theater
Dark Zelda: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./303359426358993/?type=3&theater
Wallmarket Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101758./184465654915038/?type=3&theater
Shiva: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./316555065039429/?type=3&theater
Autumn Fairy: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101758./154366061258331/?type=3&theater
*I love to give advice on making costumes, so feel free to PM me if you have a dream costume and would like some input on what materials and techniques to use! I’m not available for commissions, but love to help!
@STORMS
What is your Tag/Handle?
PSN: Rosegoddess3
XBL: STB Rose Goddess
What games do you or have you played competitively?
I play Mortal Kombat 9 and Injustice competitively as a member of the STB clan. I competed in EVO 2013 and will compete in EVO 2014. Also, I play Warhammer 40K: Space Marine as a member of the world champion Raven Lunatics: Soul Drinkers. The team has dominated the PS3 scene since January 2012, and in early April 2014 I participated in an 8v8 clan battle in which our team took 1st place.
When did you start cosplaying?
The first costume I ever made was Classic Sub-Zero in the late 90s for Halloween. I also had my mom buy me a green short sleeved turtle neck in elementary school that looked like Jade’s MKII outfit--not sure if that counts. The first non-Halloween event I wore a costume for was the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones midnight premiere, but a friend made that one. It was really in 2009 that I began making costumes for myself, starting with a classic Tifa Lockhart cosplay from Final Fantasy VII.
What kind of events have you cosplayed for?
As mentioned above, I’ve geeked out at midnight movie premieres. I went to my first cosplay gathering in 2009 as Tifa, and shortly thereafter attended my first San Diego ComicCon (SDCC) dressed in an original Autumn Fairy costume. The costume was featured on IGN’s website, the ‘Dr. Who North American Special’ (they must have saved the footage because it aired in 2011 or 2012), and a random Showtime advertisement.
After SDCC 2009 I became addicted to cosplay and attended Anime Los Angeles and Anime Expo in 2010. At this time, I became more ambitious and made a Shiva cosplay from Final Fantasy X. Shiva’s massive headpiece required 60 feet of hair extensions and I painted my entire body blue. The costume was well-received, and a picture taken by the Associated Press ended up in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Discovery Channel’s website, and more. The costume was later featured in Japan’s Cosmode Magazine. Other conventions I attended in 2010 were Anime Las Vegas and Pacific Media Expo for which I made Tifa’s Wallmarket dress.
In 2011, I created an original Dark Princess Zelda cosplay to be worn at Anime Los Angeles, Fanime, and Anime Expo. That was the first time I made armor. The other major costume I made was Tifa Lockhart’s Amano design from Dissidia Duodecim. My Amano Tifa has been featured on Kotaku, Geek Tyrant, and Final Fantasy Union. That year my friends and I received the ‘Best Group Performance’ award at Anime Expo’s Masquerade for our ‘Goku v. Sephiroth’ skit. I ‘cosplayed’ the kamehama and meteor.
In 2012 I worked with some extremely talented cosplayers and created a Kirin X costume from Monster Hunter to be worn at Anime Los Angeles, Fanime, SDCC, and Animegacon. We narrowly missed Animegacon’s $10,001 Masquerade first place prize, taking second place, a Judge’s Choice Award, and a ‘Best Construction’ award. I also made a Yeul cosplay from Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Tifa’s Nibelheim (cowgirl) outfit from Crisis Core.
In late 2012 I moved to Micronesia for my husband’s work which made cosplay difficult. Nevertheless, with limited resources I attended Anime Expo, EVO, and SDCC in 2013 with a Killer Frost cosplay. I provided extensive construction details on the following armor thread at comment #15: http://testyourmight.com/threads/im...how-to-make-armor-cheaply.35413/#post-1080094. Getting my picture with Ed Boon and IGU character artist Justin Murray was a real honor. My apologies, but no KF at EVO this year! Maybe something else… I plan on attending Anime Expo, Labyrinth of Jareth, EVO and SDCC for 2014.
I was fortunate enough to model Lillyxandra of Firefly Path’s Tropic Sunset Fairy costume featured in FAE and Giuseppina magazines. Additionally, I am a promotional model and ‘Elite Guard’ for Wasteland Weekend, a Mad Max inspired event in the Mojave desert.
When making a costume, what kind of research, if any, do you do?
I am quite particular when it comes to accuracy, so I compile several reference images from every angle I possibly can which involves a ton of internet research. I was thankful to NRS for the ability to view characters at a 360 angle in-game. I studied the various textures in Killer Frost’s costume for hours and did my best to find the closest possible material--which turned out to be upholstery fabric. The problem with upholstery fabric is...it doesn’t give. I can’t say the costume was comfortable, but they seldom are.
I spend a month or longer planning and locating the perfect fabric and colors. When I worked on my Yeul cosplay, I counted the order of the colors for over 300 beads, hand painted each wooden bead with enamel, and ordered the colors in the jewelry exactly as they appeared in the reference images.
Any sort of special or rare materials are used in your costumes?
Each costume requires a variety of materials. When I made Dark Zelda, I made all armor out of craft foam, model magic, and Sculpy covered in epoxy resin. The link to the thread above describes the process in depth as I used it for Killer Frost’s armor pieces. Sintra, apoxie sculpt, worbla and bondo are all great for armor and prop building as well.
One of the strangest materials I used was kitchen drawer liner for Killer Frost’s wings. The vinyl was easy to cut with an X-Acto (so much math to figure out the proper proportions). However, it was a fluke that I ended up finding it. I walked by the kitchen section of a store and it caught my eye. Creativity and thinking outside the box is essential for cosplay.
What was your favorite costume you’ve done so far?
That is really a hard question. I love Dark Zelda because it was an original design. I also love Killer Frost because it was so much fun to make, but challenging due to the limited resources I had. If I had to pick one, however, it would probably be Amano Tifa because it is my favorite outfit for my favorite video game character.
What kind of advice would you give to aspiring cosplayers?
Pick a character that you love. You’re going to be spending a lot of time staring at reference images, so you want to make sure you enjoy what you are working on. Plan ahead, study the reference images and determine every material you will need. Use math. Yes, math. Measure everything before you cut and purchase materials. Try out patterns on posterboard or muslin. Also, google the character you are working on as many cosplayers post tutorials.
After you have determined what items you need, keep in mind that fabric and material choice can make or break a costume. I would recommend saving up over time to get quality materials even if it means you can only make 1 or 2 costumes per year. Think carefully about what you can sacrifice for affordability, but be very mindful of fabric choice. Craft foam is cheap, so you can often make quality, yet inexpensive armor if you take the time to coat the foam. Be creative and don’t take shortcuts--be patient and meticulous!
Finally, don’t be afraid to push yourself. The only way you can grow is if you try new things. Try a simple design at first, but keep pushing yourself and you will be amazed at your progress.
Any shoutouts you’d like to give?
I’d like to give shoutouts to my amazing clanmates from STB and also the Raven Lunatics, particularly Shujinkydink for being an incredible coach and Goldfish for providing me with such a warm welcome to the NRS community. Also, shoutouts to every member of the community who attended EVO last year--thank you for being so nice! I’d also like to thank my husband, That_John_Guy, for his patience when I get overwhelmed preparing a costume, to everyone who taught me new construction methods, and to all of the incredible photographers I’ve worked with. Finally, thank you to the creative teams from NRS, SquareSoft/Enix, Nintendo, and Capcom for creating the characters I love so much.
Gallery
Amano Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./207052862656317/?type=3&theater
Killer Frost: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./674177879277144/?type=3&theater
Kirin X: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./359646020730333/?type=3&theater
Cowgirl Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./356312987730303/?type=3&theater
Yeul: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101676./455522394476028/?type=3&theater
Tropic Sunset Fairy: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./261567820538154/?type=3&theater
Wasteland Weekend: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./349992408362361/?type=3&theater
Dark Zelda: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./303359426358993/?type=3&theater
Wallmarket Tifa: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101758./184465654915038/?type=3&theater
Shiva: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101699./316555065039429/?type=3&theater
Autumn Fairy: https://www.facebook.com/xXRoseGodd...0.1397101758./154366061258331/?type=3&theater
*I love to give advice on making costumes, so feel free to PM me if you have a dream costume and would like some input on what materials and techniques to use! I’m not available for commissions, but love to help!
@STORMS
