Interview of Sheenah Cosplay (Canada)

Here comes the interview of the pretty Sheenah Cosplay from Canada !

1. For how long have you been in cosplay ?

Since 2009, before I would dress up as my favorite characters for fun, but I didn't know what cosplay was at that time.

2. Cosplay is a time consuming hobby. how long does it take to craft your costumes ?

It really depends on the complexity and how long it takes me to find the perfect parts or how long things I order online take to arrive. It can takes months, weeks, or just a few days. 

3. Any other hobby or passion besides cosplaying ?

I love video games, even since the Nintendo 64 era. I never stopped playing since then. I like a lot of genres, but I'm not a multiplayer type of gamer. Otherwise, I love watching movies, board gaming, traveling. I am also a huge foodie.

4. What materials are you using for cosplay crafting, worbla ? Foam ? Can you talk about that a little bit ?

I don't really make my cosplay from A to Z, so what I mostly do is to reuse actual clothes and transform them. And most of my costumes didn't need crafting materials like worbla. The more complex ones were made with lycra and those were commissionned. I don't have a sewing machine and it's not something I'm interested to do/learn.

5. Do you have any favorite cosplayer ?

I do and most of them are friends of mine. Of course I admire some really popular pro cosplayers like Vampy Bit Me and Enji Night, but my favorites remain cosplayers who are a bit more down to earth and that I can relate to. I tend to follow cosplayers who see cosplay as a hobby and a way to show their love for video game or anime series. I'm not really into cosplayers who rely too much on their sex appeal.

6. Did you hurt yourself while making a cosplay or in convention ?

Oh yes ! Burned myself with hot glue while fixing something, twisted an ankle because of uncomfortable shoes... cosplay isn't easy !

7. Do you sell your old cosplays, or just keep it in a huge closet ?

I keep all my cosplays ! But unlike a lot of cosplayers, I don't have a lot of them. Maybe 10 or so ?

8. Who teached you to craft your cosplays ? Your family ? By reading books or watching youtube tutorials ?

The parts that I actually do myself (painting, simple sewing and prop crafting), I learned at school, on my own, through friends or by checking tutorials online.

9. Which conventions are you going to this year ?

My usual cons are Otakon (USA) and Otakuthon (Canada). I might try Anime NYC (USA) in 2018.

10. What is your limit budget for a cosplay ?

Back in the days, it used to be around CAD$300 (195 eur), but now that I have a house, a car and other "adult" things to pay, I limit myself to CAD$100 (65 eur) per cosplay. The cheaper, the better.

11. Any future super secret cosplay project in mind ?

I do ! One that will be quite outside my comfort zone. I can't wait to start working on it with a friend, who'll also cosplay from the same video game !

12. What are you doing in "real" life for a living ?

I am a professionnal English to French translator.

13. You best experience from a convention ? And your worst ?

Best: Meeting friends that I made online. Always the best feeling to see them in flesh and have fun with them ! Worst: Dealing with cosplay drama or seeing my friends having a bad time.

14. Any advice for cosplay beginners ?

Cosplay for yourself, characters that you actually like, and don't compare yourself to the pros. We all start somewhere and cosplay is meant to be something fun to do, not a popularity contest.

15. Do you have limits ? Some cosplays you will never make ?

I doubt that I'll ever venture into cosplay with armors or big accessories. I honestly don't have characters wearing armor that I like enough to cosplay. So that solves the problem !

Her FB page : https://www.facebook.com/sheenah.cosplay/

Her DA page : https://sheenah.deviantart.com/