For my next cosplayer interview I would like to introduce you to Katie Cosplays. I found Katie online and absolutely love her work. Katie George is an award-winning cosplayer living in Atlanta, GA. She has been cosplaying and competing since 2004 and has a BFA in Costume and Makeup Design for theatre/film from Auburn University. In 2012, Katie won the chance to represent the United States in the international World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, Japan. In 2013, she was featured in the Emmy-winning PBS documentary Cosplay: Crafting a Secret Identity. In 2014, Katie joined the Heroes of Cosplay cast for season 1.5 on the SyFy channel. She has been a cosplay guest at several conventions around the world, leading panels on a variety of subjects related to cosplay and judging cosplay contests for craftsmanship and performance.
Katie uses cosplay as
her creative outlet. Her attention to detail is insane and the fact she makes
everything herself is very inspiring for any cosplayer. Her website is full of
helpful information so make sure you check it out!
When Katie isn’t crafting, she works full-time on the marketing team for the corporate office of a popular national restaurant brand. Her favorite hobby outside of cosplay is karaoke, with a predilection for Disney, musicals, K-pop, J-pop, anisongs, and every once in a while, a good power ballad.
When Katie isn’t crafting, she works full-time on the marketing team for the corporate office of a popular national restaurant brand. Her favorite hobby outside of cosplay is karaoke, with a predilection for Disney, musicals, K-pop, J-pop, anisongs, and every once in a while, a good power ballad.
Take a read below of
my interview with Katie and learn all about this award-winning cosplayer!
What do you love about cosplay?
 |
| Ignis Photo by Affliction Photography |
 |
| Sheryl Photo by Fenyx Design |
What do you love about cosplay?
I love being able to channel my creativity and create something from scratch that
aims for accuracy to the original and pays homage to a series or design that I
love.
Are there any downsides you have come across?
 |
| Megara Photo by Johnny H Le Photography |
When it comes to cosplay, time never seems to be on my side... lol I hate that I procrastinate thanks to deadlines being my #1 motivator, which means that the week leading up to a con, I usually get no sleep and no exercise, then at the con itself, I can’t stay out late and party with everyone because my body is too exhausted! I've tried to start earlier, but again, the only thing that truly motivates me to crank is a deadline.
What is your cosplay history? What other characters have you dressed as and why?
I’ve been cosplaying since 2004, and in that time, I’ve made over a 100 costumes. If I still made as many costumes now as I did when I was in college, I’d probably be closer to 150 right about now. lol
Where do you get your cosplay inspirations from?
If I look at a character design and think “I want to make that,” then sometimes, that’s all I need. XD
I know you make your own costumes and it’s well thought of in the cosplay community for costumes to be made by the cosplayer. What are your thoughts on having commissioned costumes made?
I
think that’s awesome! Not everyone gets their jimmies from the creation
process- for some, just wearing the costume to a con is the fun part, and I
totally get that. The only time I would ever take issue with a commissioned vs.
homemade costume is when it comes to craftsmanship-based costume contests (and
most of them are because otherwise, it’s just a nerd beauty pageant without a
talent portion). If you didn’t make it, why enter it in a competition? You wouldn’t think it happens, but
surprisingly, it does- I’ve both competed against and judged costumes where the
entrant purchased the costume they entered. And if you made some of it, just be
honest with the judges about what was constructed by you vs. someone else. No
one cares about who wins costume contests except the people IN them, so there’s
no glory to be found there… The only thing that upsets me more is when the
judges of a costume contest also predominantly buy their costumes. I don’t care
if you are a beloved cosplay guest with a great personality, if you couldn’t
WIN a cosplay craftsmanship competition, you haven’t earned the right to judge
it. But in ALL other circumstances RE: buying cosplay, go for it and don’t let
anyone try to make you feel like less of a cosplayer for it. ;)
Chalk
liner, rotary cutter, clear 2”x18” ruler, sleeve curve (or a “Styling Design
Ruler”), and a walking foot: these are the tools I couldn’t live without!
Google them all and if you don’t have them, add them to your tools collection!
Who is your favourite comic
book character?
Can
I say Sailor Moon? Because she is technically a comic book character if we are
including manga, and I probably would not be here doing this interview if it
weren’t for her!
How do you feel about people
cosplaying as characters of the opposite gender?
I
feel like my feelings are irrelevant, because anyone can cosplay whatever they
want if it makes them happy. ;)
I
myself have felt self-conscious about dressing as certain characters due to the
fact I’m short and more than curvy. A lot of characters seem to be tall and
slender. Do you feel cosplayers should pick characters they look like/have the
same body shape as?
I
know I pick characters where I feel like I can pull them off physically (aka,
because I’m tall and lean, I avoid characters that are overly curvy or short
and youthful-looking), but I certainly wouldn’t want to encourage others to do
the same. Sometimes, I wish I didn’t feel so compelled to only cosplay characters
built like me because damn it, I like a lot of tiny/average-height characters,
but it’s this bad hang-up I have. I’m still working on that…
How
do you feel about character adaptations of a costume rather than making a
carbon copy of what’s in print/film etc?
I
think that’s just fine! I’ve done both, and it definitely takes creativity to
adapt a costume and make it your
own, so if that’s more fun to you than trying to do a perfect recreation,
definitely go for FUN!
 |
| Jupiter Photo by Benny Lee Photography |
It
was AMAZING. What a trip. I loved all the insider knowledge I learned about the
film franchise when I thought I already knew everything (I started reading
Harry Potter when the second book had just come out in ENGLAND… I didn’t even
have an Americanized edition, so I was totally confused as to why Ron’s mom
knitted Harry a dress—in the US, a jumper is called a “sweater,” and to us, a
jumper is a little girl’s sleeveless dress that pulls on over her head). I also
love how the studio kept so much of the film around, knowing instinctively that
it would have a lasting legacy for years to come. That’s so awesome. It really
shows the power of passionate nerds on the industry.
What
else did you get up to on your trip over here?
I
stayed with my friend Laura Sindall (we bonded during World Cosplay Summit
2012) and she showed us the sights of London. It was incredible- so much
history, so clean, so safe, and the city as a whole is just so polite… It
reminded me of the South! If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be
London. I’ll take the rain, I don’t care. It’s worth it. *_*
What
is the best and worst piece of cosplay advice you’ve received?
Best advice I’ve ever received: start a cosplay Facebook
page. Worst advice I’ve ever received: start a cosplay Facebook page. Haha! I
really dislike Facebook + cosplay because I feel like it changed the game in a
way that didn’t make it a more positive experience for me. I invested way too
much emotionally in the numbers game, and wondering if my worth as a cosplayer
was reflected in it, when finally I decided one day that I was over it, and I
walked away from caring. I don’t update by FB page much anymore, but when I do,
I couldn’t care less if I get 2 views or 2,000 views. I’m just over it… and
much happier for it!
What has been one of the
coolest things to come from cosplaying?
Without a doubt, the opportunities I’ve had to travel have
been pretty neat. As a kid growing up, my family never travelled more than a
state away (and I can name those states on one hand), so getting to go to
California at age 17 to attend Anime Expo, then Japan in 2012, Mexico in 2013
and 2014, and Europe in 2015, I never would have dreamed that I’d be so well-travelled
today all thanks to this silly hobby.
These
days, I can’t shut up about J. Hart… He is absolutely a GIFT to cosplay, and I
know I’m not alone in thinking that because he gets more interaction on his
page from a close-up photo of ruffles than a sexy photo of ample cleavage on a
cosplay vixen. I’ve never seen anything like it! His fanbase is so organic and
so REAL (I know because Facebook will tell you how many of your friends like a
post, and I’ll always see his posts after 50+ of my FB friends have already
liked it haha). I also love finding new cosplayers on Instagram who post lots
of progress shots, because I find that very inspiring. Nothing quite makes me
want to craft like seeing other
people crafting who are just crushing it.
people crafting who are just crushing it.
What’s the geekiest thing
you own?
Probably
the geekiest thing I own is a closet full of strategically-picked basics and
accessories that I bought JUST so I could put together an outfit for
#Nerdvember that channels some character or series. Like this mustard yellow
turtleneck I bought just so I could do a Naru-inpsired look: https://www.instagram.com/p/-
What
about the geekiest thing you would like to own?
I
wish I had a figure of every character I’ve ever cosplayed. I used to try to
collect this, but around costume #50, it became too expensive of a habit to
keep up (plus, I often cosplay things that don’t get turned into figures, so my
collection would never be complete… Alas!).
 |
| Granado Espada Wizard Le Blanc Photo by Benny Lee Photography |
The best advice I can give is to find
someone who knows how to sew (and ideally, likes spending a lot of time with
you, like a relative or close friend) and have them teach you everything they
know. Purchase a simple pattern during a 99-cent sale and have them start you
with that. That’s how I learned- my mother. Most every woman from
around her generation understands the basic concepts of sewing but I was
particularly fortunate in that my grandmother was a master seamstress, so my
mom knows a bit more than the average woman who doesn’t sew for a living. If
you are not so fortunate, and do not know anyone who can sew or has time to
teach you, then save up the money for a sewing class or two at Jo-Ann’s. It’ll
be worth it in the long run and save you a lot of time and frustration. After
that, go to the internet. Pick costumes that are relatively easy to start, then
with each completed costume, pick another that’s slightly more difficult.
Research sewing & crafting techniques from the internet- you’d be
AMAZED at what you can find! Learn your fabrics, learn your patterns (and how
to take them in), learn your stitches, and learn what looks good on your body.
It takes time, patience, and money. Sometimes lots of it. Make sure you
know that before starting a costume!
nd it still applies):
nd it still applies):
What
are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?
I’m
most looking forward to planning a big vacation that DOESN’T revolve around a
convention or cosplay for late 2016 or 2017! It will be my first, if you can
believe it!!
I would
like to thank Katie with her time for this interview. Stay tuned for many more
interviews coming soon!
 |
| Korra - Photo by Mineral Blu Photography |
xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment