Interview of Fenvaria (Germany)

Here is the interview of Fenvaria, she was in the top 10 winners of the Blizzard costume contest this year at GAMESCOM with her Sylvanas cosplay !

Photo : Fotograf-13

1. For how long have you been in cosplay ?

I started playing online games when I was around 14 years old. I've spend almost all of my time growing up with games and the community around it. Cosplay hasn't been a big thing back then, but from time to time you've seen some people in cosplays. When I started cosplaying 3 years ago, in early 2015, I've already followed some cosplayers on fb for quite a time. One of them was (of course) Kamui Cosplay, because she's doing now and she did back then an awesome job in creating costumes.

Plus, she made a lot of World of Warcraft related costumes, which always have been and always will be a huge part of my life. I've been part of a theater group for years and always have been a creative, do-it-yourself person, so in the end cosplay turned out to be the perfect hobby for me. I've watched others doing so amazing cosplays – I wanted to do so as well. So I just ordered materials and tried to do the best I can. As I'm doing now, three years later.

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

That depends on the costume and on the techniques I'm using. For example if I have to sew something it takes me quite long, because I'm not that good in sewing. But I'm practicing and getting better. Usually for a full armor you need between 200 and 300 hours. Painting is one of the most time consuming parts of the process.

Photo : Focal Fox

3. Any other hobby or passion besides cosplaying ?

Haha, well if I had time for something else, maybe there would be, but I don't !

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

When I got into cosplay I started with Worbla's, cause it was hyped a lot at that time. It is indeed an extremely cool material to work with, but after attending a lot of cons, it turned out to be much too heavy and uncomfortable for huge armors. So I started to work with foam and I think I'll stay with it. You can even make a lot of insane details with foam (for example my new project, Sylvanas Windrunner, is completely out of foam, even all the details). 

I've also worked with transparent worbla in the past and it provides a good solution for parts that needs to be transparent (of course). I still use it for gemstones which I want to light up with leds – I only craft the shell of the stone and install the led inside of it. They are much more lightweight than gems out of resin.

Photo : Blizzard

5. Do you have any favorite cosplayer ?

Too much to name all of them. I get my inspiration from so many different cosplayers and pictures I meet and see, it's impossible to just name one or two. Everything I see can inspire me in one or another way.

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

I've burned myself with the heat gun, glued myself to something with super glue, cutted myself with a cutter or scissor... name it ! It's just what happens from time to time if you're crafting something. Actually I never injured myself at a convention, but after I wore my female Illidan for 9 hours at gamescom 2015 (that's really a huge costume) I was kind of dead for some days.

Photo : Blizzard

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

I've sold my Demon Hunter last year, because I moved and I really had some money trouble (student's life), but usually I keep my own costumes. Most of them are at my parent's place, cause I'm living on 15 square meters and even Illidan would be too big to keep it here.

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

I'm a learning by doing person, even though I do think a lot about what I want to do and how I can solve upcoming problems, before I do something. I've of course looked at the work of other cosplayers, still do it a lot, but I've never bought any books or watched a lot youtube tutorials. I enjoy finding my own solution for things, that might be the reason for it. Basically I'm from a do-it-yourself-family. If we need something, we just build it.

That does not only count for costumes, I even built the kitchen in my flat and a bunk bed ! I learned how to sew from my mum, a while before getting into cosplay. When I started, she loved it right from the start. She has no idea about the games and the characters, but she loves the costumes and the creativity behind it. She even made her first own costume last year. Without her help I would have went crazy at a lot of points in the past three years.

Photo : Fotograf-13

9. Which conventions are you going to this year ?

Since I don't have my own car, I only have a few fixed dates and the rest is relatively spontanious.Conventions I'll attend for sure are the Role Play Convention and gamescom in Cologne and the FAMECON in Münster. All are located in Germany. I'd love to go to BlizzCon one time, but I won't be able to afford it within the next years.

10. What is your limit budget for a cosplay ?

Uhm, well I do not really have a limit. If some materials are too expensive I'll find others to work with or buy the materials over a longer period.

Photo : eosAndy

11. Any future super secret cosplay project in mind ?

Haha ;) !

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

I'm studying biological diversity and ecology in Göttingen. I'm living of a student credit plus I'm also working at the university at the zoological insitute, teaching first semesters.

Photo :  Christoph Hardt

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

My best experience has been the week I've worked for Blizzard at the Legion Café in Cologne during the gamescom 2016. We've been five cosplayers walking around, taking pictures with the visitors and doing reallife quests ! Plus, the team was amazing ! My worst has been at the FaRK in 2015, not because of people or the convention itself, but because it has been so unbelievably hot, that I almost passed out while wearing Illidan.

14. Any advice for cosplay wannabees or beginners ?

Don't be afraid ! If you can imagine it then you can build it !

Photo :  DomS Photography

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

Absolutley. I'm not into sexy stuff as well as in robots. I love to see others doing such costumes, but it's just nothing you'll ever find me working on or wearing !

Her FB page : https://www.facebook.com/fenvaria/