Cosplay Showcase: Narnian as Child Rydia

My wonderful husband got me sick.... again. This is the third time he's gotten me sick and I've about had it! *grumble grumble*
 

But onto happier things! Cosplay Showcase with Narnian!! Yay! If you guys didn't read her interview last week, you should! I hope you all enjoy!

Cosplay Showcase

~Child Rydia from Final Fantasy IV

Why did you choose this character to cosplay?  Why did you choose it for the showcase?  

~I chose to cosplay Child Rydia for two reasons: 1) I love her character. She is a very strong character, even as a child, and is one of the driving forces of the game. In addition, she is one of the best characters to have on your team, especially as a child, since she is both a white and black mage. 2) I love her design. Green is one of my all time favorite colors and her design is full of different greens.  ^_^

What was your construction process?

~Overall, my construction process was very simple. I made the leotard by phenagling my measurements onto the fabric and worked with it until it fit how I wanted. The skirt was made from a scrap piece I measured and cut into a rectangle and gathered on the side.  The sash is self-explanatory since it is just a rectangle knotted at one end. The shoes and bracelets were borrowed from a friend since I did not have time to make my own.  

My favorite part is the cape and beading. The cape was made from two lengths of organza like fabric and a necklace starter with added leafy beads. I burned the edges to keep the organza from fraying and add a worn look to nod to Rydia’s back-story. Afterward, I added beads and beads and beads. There are floral and leaf beads on the leotard, small gold beads on the skirt, and beads on her hair clip. I think the outfit needs more beads once I finish the shoes and bracelets. 

The things you love about this cosplay.

~The variety of colors and the detail work are what I love most about this cosplay.  ^_^ I tried to make it a very colorful cosplay to evoke a sense of childlikeness and festivity since I imagine the people of the marsh were a very festive and colorful people.  

The things you hate.

~To be honest, I do not really hate anything about this cosplay.  I wish the leotard construction was a little better and the outfit as a whole needs more beads.  Other than that, I really love this cosplay.

A general closing statement and where one might find more pictures of this and other cosplays you’ve done.

~Cosplay is about enjoying what you do and sharing that enjoyment with others in a polite manner. Do not be disheartened by looking at yourself and/or others. You will improve. Be diligent and take the time to learn. Remember that cosplaying is about having fun. It is not a popularity contest or competition. There are aspects of competition when you are in a formal contest, but that is not all the time. Cosplaying is about working at your own pace to be your best. You cannot be your best if you are worried about and/or comparing yourself to others.  ^_^

You can find more of my work at the following websites:

www.facebook.com/narniancosplay

www.ever-smiling.deviantart.com

Yay!! How lovely! I hope you guys liked reading about Narnian! I think she's an amazing cosplayer and she really inspires me! I can't wait to do more joint cosplays with her in the future!

Until next time!

Edward

Cosplayer Interview: Narnian Cosplay

So I'm going to start posting my blog Monday evenings instead of afternoons. I think it will work out better for me. So just expect later posts from now on.

Anyway! Back to the fun stuff! Cosplayer Interview!! Today is Narnian! This a friend of mine that I met at only my second convention. She's super talented at cosplay and I respect her skills very much! She's also a really great and sweet person and I am so glad we've gotten to know each other well! So I hope you all will enjoy reading about her!

Your name or Cosplay Name:  

~My real name is Anya (pronounced on-a, on-ya, or a-nn-a), but I go by Narnian among the cosplay community.  ^_^

Age:

~I am currently 20 though I will be 21 come April.

How long have you been cosplaying?

~It depends on how you quantify it.  My first cosplay was is 2008 for the Prince Caspian premiere, but my first con was in 2010 at Fandemonium.  I consider myself a cosplayer since 2010  because that is when I officially started cosplaying.  ^_^  Woo! Almost 3 years!

Belle- Beauty and the Beast (Library dress)
(I picked this photo cus I wuv disney stuff and she did an awesome job. XD)

What was your first cosplay?  

~My first cosplay was Susan Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia.  A friend of mine helped me make her battle outfit for the Prince Caspian premiere. It was a lot of fun, but thinking back I realize how much of a noob I was.  I didn't know how to sew so my friend made most of my outfit.  However, I did knit myself a "chain mail" hauberk of which I was very proud.  

Do you make your cosplays, buy them pre-made online, or have them commissioned?: 

~I make most of my cosplays.  Occasionally I will purchaise similar clothing items from the thrift store, if I do not wish to make it myself, and modify it if need be.  ^_^

Why do you cosplay?

~I cosplay because it is fun.  It is a positive way for me to express my natural talents and learned skills in a carefree environment.  For me it is an opportunity to set aside my introverted tentencies for a day or weekend, meet new people, and share my love of a certain character, series, or artist.  I really love it! 

What is you favorite part about cosplay?

~Hmmm...that is a tough question.  I think it is the immense creativity of the community.  Some of the most talented, creative, and unique people are cosplayers, and I love to see the work that springs forth from their efforts. It is a blessing to behold.

What is your least favorite part?

~I would have to say seam ripping, making shoes, and artist block.  I greatly dispise all three.  Also, I dislike having to wake early in the morning to get ready and or take pictures, but it is worth it in the end.  ^_^

Who is your favorite character to cosplay?

~Oh goodness, this is another tough question!  >_<  I like all of the characters I cosplay for different reasons.  For instance, I love to cosplay Toki from Princess Mononoke because she is one of the first characters I really liked and identified with due to her strong yet compassionate spirit. I also love to cosplay Toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender because she is a badass, and I love to cosplay Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier because I see a lot of myself in her.   I have a special meaning behind and connection with each of the characters I choose.  (Special Side Note: I've noticed that I like to cosplay strong female characters and/or young/small breasted characters.  I have no idea why I choose the latter. >_< )

Toki- Princess Mononoke

What is your favorite cosplay to wear?

~Another tough question!  In all honesty, I cannot choose just one.  >_<  But for the sake of the length of the interview, I will go with Child Rydia since it is a (surprizingly) very comfortable cosplay to wear.  I always have a lot of fun when I cosplay her too.  It's so fun to act like a mature child sometimes!  ^_^

Child Rydia- Final Fantasy 4

What is your least favorite cosplay to wear?

~Hmmm...it is legitimate toss-up between Saria from Orcaina of Time and the Green Mage Viera from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2.  I chose Saria because her outfit is (surprizingly) very hot and uncomfortable to wear.  A thick sweater and tight boots do not make for a comfortable outfit.  Also, I chose the Green Mage Viera because I accidentally made the skirt too short so I constantly have to worry about moving correctly and not flashing people.

What was the most complicated cosplay you’ve worked on?  

~It's a toss up between the Green Mage Viera and Child Rydia.  The Green Mage was a complicated cosplay to make due to two factors: 1) I hand embroidered all the designs which took about 3 weeks.  2) It was my first time making boot covers, and I made them from non-stretch fabric of all things so they would match the outfit. So many tears went into those boot covers.  Child Rydia was a complicated cosplay to make due to all the beaded detail I put in it. (Special Side Note: I plan to add more beaded detail to the outfit in time as well as make a special pair of shoes.)  It was also my first time making a swim type suit which was a learning process in itself.  

Green Mage Viera- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2

What was the least complicated?  

~The least complicated cosplay I made was Toki from Princess Mononoke.  The hardest part of the cosplay was making sure I wrapped the head band correctly.  ^_^

What group cosplays have you been a part of?

~I love to cosplay with and in groups!  Doing so makes cosplay more fun for me.  ^_^  The groups I have been a part of are as follows: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Bunny Girls! (aka Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2), ElfQuest, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VI, LOTR/The Hobbit, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Mononoke, Sailor Moon Princesses, and Spice and Wolf as well a original design fairy/fae group and a couple steampunk groups.  

I have plans to be a part of a Disney Dressphere, Monster High, League of Legends, Sword Art Online, Legend of Zelda, Persona 4, Soul Eater, Gerudo, Soul Calibur V, and Star Trek group in the near future. ( I mention that here since most of those cosplays are either in the works or finished and awaiting pictures.) 

Princess Mercury- Sailor Moon (Manga Version)

What group cosplays would like to be part of?

~I want to be a part of way too many groups.  Here are just a few of the ones I can think of at the moment.  Warning, I have a huge list.  ^_^  

Firefly, X-Men, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Final Fantasy XIII, Macross Frontier, full Princess Mononoke group, Slayers, Paradise Kiss, NANA, The Runaways, Scrapped Princess, Cowboy Bebop, Last Exile, Samurai 7, Wolf's Rain, Teen Titans, Digimon, Code Lyoko, SBFF (Batgirl, Super Girl, and Wonder Girl) and/or a EBFF (Poison Ivy, Harly Quinn, and Catworman) trio, Ah! My Goddess, ARIA, Dragon Age, Dragon Effect (I want a large group!), Mass Effect, Clannad (this will happen!), Otome Youkai Zakuro, Eden of the East, Soul Calibur IV & III, ... I know there are more that are not coming to mind.  What can I say, I love groups

Who are some characters you plan to cosplay in the future?  

~This is another huge list. My current work-in-progress list is as follows: Samurai Mulan, Chie Satonaka, Tsubaki Nagatsukasa, Lisbeth, Ghoulia Yelps, Lux~Lady of Lumonsity, Engeneering Officer, Aveil, Natsu (Soul Calibur not Fairy Tail), Wonder Girl, and Moonshade.

Eventually I would love to cosplay more characters, especially the following: Skuld, Akari Mizunashi, Kitty Pryde and/or Jean Grey, Susukihotaru, Sailor Mercury/ Ami Mizuno, Molly Hayes, Merril (Dragon Age), General Beatrix, Sophia Forrester and/or Lavie Head, Izumi Curtis, Sakuyomon, Kastumi Goto, and many more.  I also plan to make many other versions of Toph Bei Fong and Sheryl Nome in the future. 

What crossplay characters have you done or would like to do?  

~I don't crossplay since 1) it does not appeal to me, 2) it would take more effort than I would want to give, 3) I don't generally like male characters and/or outfits.  I am quite happy to cosplay girls.  ^_^  Howevere, if I were ever to crossplay, which I highly doubt will happen, I would cosplay Heihachi from Samurai 7 since he is among my all time favorite characters and was the first character to convice me to smile as a young teen.  

Who is a character people say you should cosplay, but you aren’t sure about?

~Haruhi Suzumiya from the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  Nearly everyone I know has mentioned that I remind them of her in one way or another and should cosplay her.  

Samurai Mulan- Disney Dressphere

What is your dream cosplay?

~I have many cosplay dreams, but my biggest cosplay dream is to cosplay at least one character from each of the main Final Fantasy games.  Another dream of mine is to cosplay Amano versions of Yuna from Final Fantasy X and Aerith from Final Fantasy VII.  

What is a cosplay you would love to do, but don’t feel you could pull off?

~This is an easy question.  ^_^  I would love, love, love to cosplay Fang from Final Fantasy XIII, but I feel as though I am not fit, tan, and tall enough to do her justice. ;_;

In your opinion, what makes a great cosplay?

~Care and attention to detail.  My favorite cosplays are the ones who remeber to add the one or two little details that are often overlooked.  

At which conventions are we likely to see you?

~I regularly attended Anime Oasis, Fandemonium, and Tomodachi Fest.  This year I will be attending Sakura-con as well.  Eventually, I would love to travel to other cons such as Anime Expo, Dragon Con, Comic Con, and many of the midwest conventions. 

Any advice to other cosplayers?

~Be respectful, polite, and courteous of others, cosplayer or not.  We are all here to have fun and let's keep it that way.  ^_^  

It's very, very helpful to give yourself too much time instead of too little when making a cosplay or prop.  Budgeting is very helpful though it may make you cry when you realize how expensive cosplay is every month.  ^_^  Cosplay is very expensive. 

Moss Fae - Original Design

What are some other hobbies you have, other than cosplaying?

~I knit and crochet regularly as well as participate in historical and steampunk costuming.  Occasionally, I will read comics, manga, articles, novels, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and wikis when I have the time.  I love to read more than I love to sew.  I used to have more hobbies, but cosplay keeps eating my time. 

Favorite anime/tv shows?

~Another list!  I love Cowboy Bebop, Samurai 7, Last Exile, everything by Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, the entire series of ARIA, Princess Tutu, Otome Youkai Zakuro, K-On!, Clannad and Clannad: After Story, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Lost Universe, Appleseed Ex Machina, Macross Fronier, Gundam Seed, Digimon (Seasons 1-3), Scrapped Princess, and Fullmetal Alchemist.  As for tv shows, I really like Firefly, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Mythbusters, Andromeda, Star Trek, The Guild, and Code Lyoko.

Favorite movie?

~I really like The Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, The Princess Bride, the Bourne series, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wallice and Grommet, RED, Bulletproof Monk, the Zatoichi series, the James Bond series, the newest Star Trek movie, Seven Samurai, Serenity, Pixar movies, The Butterfly Circus, Tangled, Dark City, Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Favorite books/manga?

~I tend to read more books than comics and manga, but here are a few of each I like.  Anything by Steven R. Lawhead and Brian Jacques, The Crown Duel seies, The Runaways, Drama Con, and many individual comics. 

Favorite video games?

~I really like Soul Calibur, Mass Effect, Skyrim (I need to play more elder scrolls), Halo, Dragon Age, Final Fantasy X and IV, Kingdom Hearts (especially the first game), Yoshi's Island, and Super Mario Brothers.

Favorite color?

~I cannot choose one color over the other as they are all wonderful.  However, I am drawn to greens, purples, blues, oranges, red, and varying intensities of black and whites.  

Favorite food?

~Anything with dairy and starch.  I am especially fond of chocolates, pasta, cheese, and potatoes.  

Favorite desert?

~Cheesecake, ice cream/frozen yogurt, chocolate cakes, and eclairs.  

Favorite curse word?

~I tend to use the fabled four (damn, hell, shit, and ass) in various intensities.  I also like to make up incredibly odd and off the wall word conglomerates when I'm very frustrated. 

What are some websites where we can see more of you?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/narniancosplay

Deviantart: http://ever-smiling.deviantart.com/

Cosplay.com: http://www.cosplay.com/member/176572/

ACP: http://www.acparadise.com/acp/display.php?a=64677

World Cosplay: http://worldcosplay.net/member/narniancosplay/

I have a blog too, but I am currently locked out of it since my last email crashed.  You can view the blog here. http://www.costumecrazy.wordpress.com/

She's awesome! Her and I are actually collaborating on a few cosplays we are going to do together. We'll be debuting them at the end of this cosplay season and the beginning of next. I'm excited! I'll be sure to share them with all of you. ^_^

So be sure to come back next week to read Narnian's Cosplay Showcase!


❤Edward

Update: Birthday extravaganza!

So last weekend was my birthday and I had a two parties! I had to have two because I have too many friends to fit into one house. Haha.

Anyway, my first party was a tea party with my family/friends. It was actually a double party for me and one of my sister in laws, since her birthday is the day before mine. I brought lots of different teas and everyone brought yummy snacks! It was a ton of fun! We played music and sang and laughed. It was a good party! Thank you Evie for letting me have my party at your house!!

Our lovely table full of goodies! The triple chocolate brownies were my favorite! ^_^

My aunt-in-law gave me all these Hello Kitty presents! I wuv them!

My friend wanted to do an outfit swap! So I'm wearing her outfit and she's wearing mine! Haha!
Photo by Morgan Wells

Party number 2 was for all my cosplay friends and it was fairy tale themed! (Classic fairy tales, not the anime). We all dressed up as fairy tale themed things! I was the Fairy Princess (of course ). We played games and had cheese cake! It was tons of fun! And my guests must have had fun, because I was the last to leave at 11:30pm! Thanks Jen for letting me have my party at your house!!

My fairy princess costume.

All of my lovely guests!

My fairy court!

My kick ass octopus pizza! But it has 14 tentacles. Heh. It's nearly twice as awesome. XD

Birthday cheese cake.

I dunno... but it's awesome.
Fairy Tale Party photos by Daniel Ludwig

So that's my exciting news! I had a great time hanging out with everyone. Thanks all for coming to my parties!

Cosplay wise, as you can see, I made my fairy costume! This week I'm going to finish a commission and then start work on all the things I need to get done before Anime Oasis. I'll be very busy!

I think next week I'm going to do another cosplay showcase! But we shall see. See you then!


Edward

Cosplay Showcase: Tanglwyst's Dreadlock Wig.

 I'm so terribly sorry that this post is late! I was out of town for my fairy tale birthday party (which I'll tell you all about next week) and I stayed longer than I originally planned. I would have brought my laptop with me had I known I was going to be out of town on a Monday. But, alas, it didn't work out that way. So I'm super sorry this is late! But next week I will post on Monday as usual.

Anywho! Back to the Cosplay Showcase. Here is Tanglwyst's showcase piece. I think it's super cool! I hope you all enjoy reading it!

Cosplay showcase

Why did you chose this character to cosplay. Why did you chose it for the showcase?

The character I chose here was actually the long, red dreadlock wig. It has a great personality and changes with the Cosplay. Since I do mostly original work, having pieces that can hold their own in multiple forums is vital.

What was your construction process?

The beauty of this wig is the ease with which it was made. It’s yarn. I bought a wig cap at Sally’s beauty supply and wig clips to sew to the inside of the cap. The wig is made of 4 skeins of red-brown-gold yarn. The best thing is that the yarn already looked like dreadlocks.

I sewed the yarn to the wig, making sure I laid down the strands so they were in a natural flow. Inspired by my friend Christopher’s real life calf-length dreads, I made sure the wig wasn’t too bulky by stitching the yarn close on the skull for the upper forward half of the cap. I added forward loose “bangs” to soften the face. The flow is natural and elegant.

The things you love about this cosplay.

It looks so freaking awesome!!! The whole thing only weighs about 5 pounds so it can be worn all day and doesn’t make my neck sore.

The things you hate.

I love this piece. It’s easy to store, easy to pack. The only thing unrealistic about the look from most distances is that it isn’t very heavy, so the weight is less realistic. I’m not sure yet if I want to add beads for weight. It would limit the versatility of the piece.

A general closing statement and where one might find more pictures of this and other cosplays you’ve done.

I love doing original work because my mind tends to balk at doing something someone else has already done. I guess it recognizes that there’s always someone with more skills/money/experience for reproducing something popular. I see the works of Sacha Wells, Samantha Witt, Yaya Han and Jen Glauser and realize I can never be as good at reproducing the anime art. These people make it look easy.

But my mind enjoys beyond all else creating something no one has done before. Even if someone has done a light up Steampunk cane or a wig or a ray gun, they haven’t done THIS. I can’t even reproduce something I’ve done! Every piece needs to be original in some way, or the piece simply will not go together. It can be as simple as moving the buttons or adding lacing or fur, but without that minor adjustment, it just fails. Knowing my mind and creative process is the key to my art.

My Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/tanglwyst has a lot of the projects I am working on or have just finished.

You can also follow me on Twitter to see where I’m appearing or see instant uploads. https://twitter.com/Tangltweets

My personal website is www.tangledwebsonline.com.

My Company, Fantastic Journeys Publishing, can be found here: www.fjpublishing.com

 Daw, thanks for the compliment at the end there! I have so much respect for her skill as a seamstress, I'm honored that she is impressed with my work!

I think this wig looks so realistic and cool! I'm thinking when I redo my Sally cosplay I will make the wig out of yarn, since she is a rag doll after all. So I'll have to get tips from Tangl when I decide to do that!

I hope you all enjoyed this Cosplay Showcase! Next week I'll tell you all about my super fun fairy tale birthday party! So be sure to check it out!

Love,
Edward