Interview de Keiko Cosplay (Holland)

Here's the interview of the beautiful Keiko from Holland !

1. For how long have you been in cosplay ?

I started cosplaying in August of  2015, so that’s about 3 years of cosplay fun right now !

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

It depends, sometimes it’s not that easy and it will take me a lot of time to make something (sewing in particular). Sometimes it takes an hour (like something small all the cutting and measuring and sewing included) but sometimes it can take like 3 to 5 hours or even more ! Sometimes it is hard to combine with school and work at the same time and easier to go to a thrift shop, with some luck you might find a piece of clothing that is actually suited to use for your cosplay only with a few adjustments !

3. Any other hobby or passion besides cosplaying ?

I really love cooking (well, I love to make Asian dishes and cakes in particular), I am also very fond of playing video games, Just dance is one of my favourite games because I am sporting and having fun at the same time ! That being said, I also like to dance and sing, I like to draw, to read (reading the hunger games now, If you haven’t read it yet, YOU SHOULD !) and I love to spend time with family, friends, my boyfriend and my pet.

4. What materials are you using for cosplay crafting, worbla ? 

Most of the time I like to work with worbla, I have used the black and the normal kind of worbla. The black worbla is (in my opinion) easier to work with, because you can get rid of mistakes easily ! I used normal worbla for my Sailor Venus crown and it works as well but it is not as smooth as the black one and it really sticks together once you adjusted it to another piece of worbla, which is not really handy when you are a beginning cosplayer and just made a mistake (it rips easily). I worked with foam once (my Harley Quinn Hammer) and It was really nice to work with but there is still a lot to learn for me when it comes to foam ! I also sew a lot for my cosplays, because I don’t really do a lot of armored cosplays so I mostly use worbla and foam for the probs or accessories I make. 

5. Do you have any favorite cosplayer?

Only one ? Well that would be hard, but one of my cosplay role model’s is Enjinight. I really love her cosplays, every single one of them is beautiful and on point (you could say it looks like she just stepped out of the comic/anime/game) ! I also think she has a beautiful personality and is just a lovely person in genera ! I would love to become as skilled and as beautiful as she is ! 

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

Except from all the times I have to wear killing heels ? Sure ! I burned my hand several times while crafting (tip: don’t touch your worbla shortly after you heated it !). One time I was styling a wig with a curling Iron and I reached for it, but got the wrong part of the stick and burned my hand ! It was very painful ! (Tip: be careful while using a curling iron, otherwise you’ll end up like me).

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

At the moment I just have a huge closet, but it is getting more stuffed every time, so I really need to sell a couple of cosplays that I am not wearing anymore soon ! Don’t want my closet to give up on me hahaha. 

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

When it comes to crafting, I learned a lot from youtube video’s, especially by Kamui cosplay ! She has some really great video’s on her channel ! I also learned a lot from my boyfriend (who is also a cosplayer and crafts more often as compared to me), he showed me how some of the materials work and gives me tips on how to use stuff. But my dad also teached me a lot about wood and how to use some of the tools (he is my hero for sure), he helps me out from time to time because he loves to craft with me (BONDING TIMEEEEE). I learned most of my sewing skills from my mom, she also helps me when I don’t know what to do. Both of my parents really taught me a lot and I think I am just really blessed with parents who help me out like that !

9. Which conventions are you going to this year ?

Next upcoming conventions this year will be : Comic con Baltics (15th  & 16th of September in Lithuania), Elfia Arcen (22nd of September in the Netherlands) and F.A.C.T.S. (28th & 29th of September in Gent Belgium). I might attend Dutch Comic Con in November (Netherlands) but I am not sure yet ! I will probably attend Brussels Comic Con again next year (February), together with F.A.C.T.S. (normally in April), maybe MCM London around may and maybe Gamescom (Germany, August).

10. What is your limit budget for a cosplay ?

Normally I spend around 30 to 50 to 100 euro’s on an easy cosplay (by searching in thrift shops you will save a lot of money) but it might be around 150 to 200 when it comes to a cosplay for which I also have to buy new wig, new lenses and new boots, next to the clothes needed for the cosplay. However, If I really want to do a cosplay which will cost a lot of money, I will just wait for a bit and safe some money to buy the parts needed or the fabrics needed to make it later on ! (If it is a really a dream, it will still be a dream after some time).

11. Any future super secret cosplay project in mind ?

Oh yes ! Currently working on one of my projects (sewing). A lot of my followers wanted to see this cosplay happen, so I hope they will enjoy it once I am all done ! I will wear it at Comic Con Baltics and FACTS ! Next to that I am also working on secret fantasy project for Elfia Arcen (fantasy convention in the Netherlands which is one of my favourites). That one will be done soon, I only need to test the make up and style the wig.

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

Currently I am studying Health sciences at a university in the Netherlands, I really enjoy it and hope to become a psychologist ! I also have two part-time jobs, one at a attraction park for little children and one at a vintage store as a model.

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

My best experience at a con : one time I was walking around at F.A.C.T.S. and a group of girls recognised me and were so happy to see me ! At Dutch Comic con a girl was so happy to see me that she started crying and shaking. The fact that people are so happy to see me really makes my day ! It gives me a confidence boost and it also inspires me to try harder to achieve my goals ! My worst experience at a con: Next to all the times my wig starts to slip off or my make up is not that pretty anymore, there was one time when I cosplayed Poison Ivy and a couple of Deadpools thought my cosplay was a “carte blanche” to ruin my photoshoot and grab my waist. I really hate it when people dressed up as Deadpool (for example) touch people or ruin something just because you aren’t able not recognise them because of the mask.

14. Any advice for cosplay wannabees or beginners ?

As a beginning cosplayer I would just give the advice to have a lot of fun and never forget that it is totally okay to buy a cosplay instead of making it ! Like, I mentioned before, I got a lot of my stuff from thrift shops ! It is easy, cheap and great to use ! But when you actually need something that you won’t find at a thrift shop, just try aliexpress and always check the feedback in the bottom ! It always helps me when I see the pictures of the product, taken by costumers.

When you want to start with a crafted cosplay, it might be easier to use tutorials and books to help you through the project ! There are actually a lot of great cosplayers who sell e-books with progress pictures, tutorials, prints and even patterns when it comes to sewing ! Do a lot of research before you cosplay the character ! Otherwise you might end up with something in the wrong color or on the wrong side of the clothes.

Oh and very very VERY important ! Never start a new project one day before the con when you are sure you won’t make it in time. That would just save a lot of stress. And always practice your make up for a certain character before you cosplay him/her, because it might not turn out the way you want it to turn out the first time !

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

I really dislike Boudoir and lingerie “cosplays” so that is something you will never see me do, especially when it comes to a character who would never ever wear that or doesn’t look like that. That sure is one of my limits, sexy is one thing but just wearing lingerie with a wig and call it a cosplay is another hahaha.

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