Let's Talk Cosplay with Christine's Cosplay
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Christine in one of her best known cosplays: Tetsurou Kuroo of Nekoma High from Haikyuu!!
This week for Let's Talk Cosplay, I was lucky enough to get to interview Christine's Cosplay, a cosplayer based out of Pennsylvania. She was very kind, and I was glad to have had the chance to interview her as well!
So for starters, tell us a little bit about yourself!
My name's Christine Conners. I’m currently residing in PA, and have been cosplaying for about two years now. I work as a cake decorator and have studied computer animation.
What do you like to do outside of cosplaying?
I enjoy reading manga, watching anime, playing video games, venturing out into the wilderness and enjoying time off with friends!
Which do you like: comics, manga/anime, movies/tv shows, video games, or books?
I could never settle for one, I truly love them all. There’s an irreplaceable something to be appreciated for each demographic and method of storytelling. I think it’s better to keep an open mind and experiencing it all diversely.
Any favorites in those categories?
I can say for certain Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda will always reign supreme in terms of gaming for me. As far as books, I really enjoy Ryu Murakami’s work. It’s dark but interesting and alluring. Between anime and manga, it’s hard to pick just one, but Cowboy Bebop was one of my first and still one of my absolute favorites, and I adore the manga Parasyte. I lost a lot of sleep reading all 8 volumes in just a couple sittings. Comics I haven’t devoted too much time to, but I’ve always enjoyed spiderman and recently deadpool. As for Movies and TV shows, I suppose I could say Boondock Saints and That 70’s show. In all honesty I have too many favorites to pick just one, these are just the few that came to mind. I could absolutely list on for ages.
Cosplayers are often inspired by other cosplayers and their work. Do you have any sort of “favorite cosplayers” out there that inspire you?
Reika and Kaname were both the inspirations for me to take up cosplay and really work towards it in a different light. I saw their pictures and thought, ‘I want to cosplay like that.’ And so the struggle continues.
How exactly did you start your journey into the cosplay world? How long have you been cosplaying?
It’s been two years since I started up with cosplay. Granted, I have cosplayed before than but more so for fun, I didn’t take it very seriously. Those were cosplays done once or twice in a span for a few years. I wasn’t very consistent. How I ventured into it? Honestly, I saw Reika’s Levi, and I already loved the character and I swore I would cosplay Heichou. Later on I found friendship with a fellow student in college through my cosplay of Levi, and was invited to Katsucon 2014. I suppose that was a turning stone in the journey if you will.
What currently is your favorite cosplay you have made?
Tenka was the only cosplay I’ve made 100% myself. I’m really proud of it. I’m still learning to sew. I’m honestly not very good but I want to improve so I’ll keep at it! I’m pretty good with wigs and make-up though, and I usually focus on that and piece together, modify, or buy my costumes outright.
Do you have that one cosplay that’s the bane of your existence? If so, which one is it?
I don’t think so. I enjoyed and have had wonderful experiences with each character I’d cosplayed thus far.
Is there some specific process you have to choose what character you’ll cosplay?
I tend to fall for certain character archetypes. I generally like cosplaying males over females. I feel like they suit me better, but as long as I like a character enough or their design I’m likely to want to cosplay them.
When you make a cosplay, how long does it normally take for the entire thing to be completed?
Wigs usually take me two cuts, about an hour or so a piece. Make-up I take a while to apply until I become accustomed to that particular character's application, so perhaps forty minutes? In terms of props, I laze a lot, I don’t recommend that. I tend to get distracted or tired easily so I complete things at a leisurely pace, but when I get going and motivated enough, I can work on cosplays for hours at a time. It's hard to say.
Everyone’s process of making a cosplay is different. Can you describe your process for us?
With wigs and makeup I tend to research if you will. I’ll compare makeup and wigs of various screenshots and fellow cosplayers. If I’m not sure how to do something, I always search through youtube for ways to get around a problem I can’t quite wrap my mind about. Props, I tend to use expanding foam, wood, craft foam and insulation foam. I don’t have much to spend so I do my best with inexpensive methods.
In the case of making your own cosplay, what sort of tips do you have?
Research. If you’re not sure on something, there is a wonderful community out there willing to share their knowledge. It never hurts to ask or look for direction, in and outside of cosplay.
Do you use wigs when cosplaying? Is there a specific reason why?
Absolutely, I love wigs. It nails the character down for me. You can recognize certain characters solely by their hair and for myself as a cosplayer, that’s important. I don’t think you have to wear a wig by any means. I have exceptions for characters whom I used my own hair for like Nicolas Brown. It comes down to preference certainly, but for myself I absolutely love using wigs and find it important for me to ‘look the part’ if you will.
How do you approach wigs when styling?
I usually look up pictures of other cosplayers, screenshots and the like. Then I shape/cut my wigs using thinning shears and a hair razor. I’ve been using scissors here and there as well but I swear by my razor and thinning shears. 10/10 can’t do without.
Often times cosplayers use makeup to accentuate their cosplay. Do you use makeup in cosplay, and if so, why?
Makeup is essential for me. You can contour, shape, and change your entire appearance simply with some shadows and liner. I love the challenge of trying to “re-define” my facial features to match a characters using makeup. It’s a lot of fun, albeit frustrating at times.
Some cosplayers find makeup a daunting task, so do you have any tips for them and makeup?
Practice! Video tutorials! I swear by both. Everyone’s eye “shape” and bone structure is different. What works for one person may not work for another and that’s ok, you just have to work at discovering which method will work best for you. It’s a lot of trial and error at times, but don’t give up!
For cosplayers, there’s always one aspect of getting on a costume they love. What is it for you?
I love seeing the transformation. It’s fun to look in the mirror and see yourself and think, ‘That doesn’t look anything like me’.
Any dream cosplays you’d like to do?
Kaworu’s plugsuit and armor. I still have so much to learn before I attempt those however.
What about cosplays you know you’ll never do? Why are they something you’ll never do?
There are some female characters I like but wouldn’t cosplay. I don’t really feel comfortable or feel that they would suit me well.
There’s a lot of conventions of all different sorts to go to, so which ones do you like to attend?
I like to attend as many as possible. I wish I could reach further out to farther away conventions, but I tend to make Katsucon, Tekkoshocon, Blurriecon, Colossalcon and a new and upcoming Reiyacon ( whose first year will be sometime in 2016 ) that I will definitely make it to.
Is there a dream con you want to go to? If so, which one is it?
No shame, Yaoi con.
Finally, any inspirational words for those just starting to get into cosplay?
Don’t let yourself be discouraged. Cosplay is for fun, and it should be enjoyed thoroughly! There is no right or wrong way to cosplay, a person’s individuality is just as important as the characters they portray. Have fun, enjoy yourself and make friends~! It’s the best part of cosplaying after all!
You can find more of Christine's Cosplay here:
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