Interview of Alynera (Belgium)

After a long break, I'm back and here comes the first of the new batch of interviews. We start with the beautiful Alynera from Belgium !

1. For how long have you been in cosplay ?

I wore my very first cosplay in 2013, it was mostly a closet cosplay so I'm not sure if it counts. But that was the first time that I put together an outfit with the intention of being a cosplayer.

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

That depends on the project, some of them have taken me about 2 weeks to make, others have taken a few months. I have also noticed that I can work a bit faster when I have a break from work, because being able to sit down and continue working on something is a lot easier than having to put it aside and start again the next day.

3. Any other hobby or passion besides cosplaying ?

I am a member of Lighsaber Club Limburg, I like to go airsofting every once in a while and I love to bake.

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

I like to use all kinds of different materials, depending on what will give me the best results for the project that I'm trying to make. Though I do tend to focus on high quality materials and techniques that will assure me that my cosplays will be durable as well. Sometimes I only use fabrics, sometimes just foam, sometimes just worbla, sometimes combinations of several materials. For my Sith lord for example, I have used foam, worbla, LEDs, cotton fabric and fake leather to finish the entire look, whereas the Maleficent mask was made entirely out of foam. I really like to think outside the box for projects and figure out new ways to get the result that I'm after.

5. Do you have any favorite cosplayer ?

I have to say that Kamui is my favorite cosplayer, because seeing her work and her tutorials have helped me get over the threshold of starting to make something of my own. She made me feel like making cosplays is not as out of reach as I thought it was.

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

All the time, burned, glued or stabbed fingers are an every day thing for me. At conventions, there is usually the eternal torture of wearing high heels for cosplays.

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

I don't sell my old cosplays. I do sometimes put them away for a few conventions before wearing them again.

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

I have learned some of my sewing skills from my grandmother, everything else I learned through books and/or YouTube tutorials.

9. Which conventions are you going to this year ?

Next one will be FACTS, after that I will probably be visiting the Belgian Comic Cons (Gent, Antwerpen,). Aside from those I'm not sure yet.

10. What is your limit budget for a cosplay ?

I don't really have a limit, I always try to look for the most cost effective way to achieve the look/quality that I'm after.

11. Any future super secret cosplay project in mind ?

I have projects in mind that I have not yet announced, but I usually don't treat them as a real secret. There's always somebody somewhere that already knows what I want to make.

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

I am a psychologist working with the elderly and with adults with personality disorders.

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

My best experiences have been when I see people's reactions to my cosplays. Sometimes there's pure happiness because people feel like the finally get a chance to meet their hero(ine) in real life, other times there's pure admiration.

My worst experience was actually in 2013, I was wearing a cosplay with a corset. This old man wanted to take a picture with my friend and myself and he put his arms around us, which was ok because he put them at shoulder height. However, when he put his hand on my shoulder, he rubbed my bare shoulder for a moment and it was just… *shudder*. I felt totally creeped out.

14. Any advice for cosplay wannabees or beginners ?

Be patient and look for a project that fits you, something that is easy enough to match your skill level but interesting enough that you feel motivated to expand your own skill set. If a project is too big, you might lose your motivation and quit halfway through. If a project is too small, you might finish it but feel like it was a boring experience. So mix and match your project and skill set!

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

I'm not sure, I haven't encountered any cosplays yet that I liked but didn't want to do because of certain personal limits.

Her facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/alynera/