We’ve enjoyed talking to different artistic professionals about creativity in our new blog series. So far we’ve spoken to illustrators and musicians to get a better idea of what makes them tick creatively.
If you’ve been to any comic convention, or were at our first GamePad event in April you would have seen the effort it takes to cosplay and how great it looks. So we contacted a great group of cosplayers and costume makers to get a better insight into their creative process:
Aisha Anime
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Aisha Ahmed, I‘m a freelance journalist and I cosplay predominantly as game characters. My favourites being plume from Queen of Arcadias, Viki from Suikoden and Femme Kid Gohan from Dragon Ball Z.
What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity is put into every aspect of my cosplays and J-fashion as everyone adds a little of themselves in their outfit whether it be different materials or styles.
Describe your creative process
I get an idea and then think of a character it may work with – i.e. why not do a steam punk twist on Sailor Moon? I look up characters and make something original.
When are you at your most creative?
When I make things as I can add whatever I want and be as flamboyant as I like at my own pace.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
I really like Ivy Doom Kitty because she has a really unique figure and she manages to pull off lots of varied characters – suiting her body shape and also as a corsetry model she makes unique variations to flattery ladies of a bigger figure.
Twitter: @aisha_anime
Facebook: aisha.anime.ahmed
Riiri-Chan
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Kerri, also known as riiri-chan online. I’m a sales assistant by day, cosplayer by night…(in my spare time).
I spend most of my free time watching anime or playing games, which I’ll hopefully start streaming again soon!
What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity to me is freedom. It’s a way of expressing myself and having fun, if that’s my makeup, hair colour or cosplay I try to do something funky to help keep me going.
Describe your creative process?
When it comes to making a costume for example I will sit and think about it for a while, picturing it in my head and then I’ll start doodling a design.
Once I’ve done that I then label everything such as colours and fabrics. If it’s something I’ve never made before I then do a close up/detailed drawing of how it’ll be constructed and fastened.
When I have this base idea I will go a head and make it whenever I need to start it. A lot of things end up changing during the process but personally I feel it’s improvements that happen.
I always take a lot of breaks because my concentration doesn’t last long haha.
When are you at your most creative?
I’m always at my most creative at night. Any ideas I get always come to me at night, mainly when I’m trying to sleep which can be annoying if I need to sleep, but thanks to this I’ve managed to come up with some useful ideas and have managed to get a lot of stuff done!
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
The most creative person to me would have to be my wonderful friend and cosplay senpai, Jessica Nigri.
She’s came so far over the years of making costumes and the end product is always something that amazes me. She always does a lot of her own takes on certain characters etc and it’s something I really admire.
She’s inspired me to keep going and has helped me a lot.
Facebook: riirichan
Twitter: @riiri_senpai
Instagram: @riirichan
Tumblr: riiri-chan.tumblr.com
Twitch: riirichan
Luke
Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Luke Derbyshire, I’m 20 years old and I am a cosplayer who mainly cosplays Light Yagami from Death Note.
What does creativity mean to you?
To me creativity means a lot of things like creating new cosplay ideas or creating crazy props and outfits.
Describe your creative process.
Sitting around looking on eBay for items for cosplay and looking for clothes to add to the cosplay.
When are you at your most creative?
Probably when I’m at home because I just think of different cosplays I could do.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
To be honest every cosplayer I see at comic con. It amazes me how awesome people are when they create their own costumes.
Instagram: @itzlukeyo
Ninjah Kitty
Who are you and what do you do?
Hello! My name is Louise and known as XxNinjahKittyxX, a cosplayer!
I am an 18-year-old student, who is highly interested in art and design.
The cosplays I am known for are Nyan Cat and Black Rock Shooter. However, I am still a beginner and can’t wait to work on more.
What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity opens your mind and allows you to explore entirely new areas that you haven’t done before. I personally see it as a way to express your thoughts and feelings to a particular audience.
Cosplay is a way of displaying your creativity through a particular character, whether it is the costume, the prop or the expression.
Describe your creative process?
When I eventually find an idea for a cosplay, I take it down on some paper or on my computer. I then think about what materials I can use to make the costume or prop.
This can also depend on how much money you have, as some items can be expensive. With a final design and plan, I can then work to complete my project.
When are you at your most creative?
I find that I am at my most creative when I find some sort of inspiration from another artist, cosplayer or just a general anime/game character.
If you find something that you like the look of, then document the idea process on some paper or your phone, so then you can develop it further.
Sometimes, coming up with ideas from the top of your head can be difficult, so by exploring others’ ideas and processes you can then adapt from that.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
There are so many creative cosplayers in the world who have inspired me so much throughout my cosplay hobby; it’s hard to choose one.
If I were to possibly choose one, it would have to be, Kamui Cosplay. She honestly has so much skill when it comes to creating armoured cosplays, as well as props.
You can see how much time and thought goes into each piece of her work. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to meet her in person, even though she comes to some conventions in the UK from Germany.
Instagram: @xxninjahkittyxx
Facebook: xxninjahkittyxx
Ash
Who are you and what do you do?
Hiya, My name is Ash and I’ve been cosplaying since 2007 and show no sign of stopping anytime soon!
My first and favourite cosplays have been my many versions of Lara Croft from her many games and films and lots of big armour builds from games such as Skyrim.
What does creativity mean to you?
To me, creativity is a way of being able to express yourself without words.
In the world of cosplay you realise that almost anything you can dream of can be brought to life and if done so in subtly different ways from person to person which is really where you get to show your personality!
Describe your creative process?
My creative process is generally quite ad hoc whereby I might start with a general idea and over the course of the build something very different can emerge as I follow wherever my imagination takes me!
Because of the need to use so many mediums in cosplays, quite often it requires some resourcefulness and a lot of thinking outside of the box.
When are you at your most creative?
I feel like I’m at my most creative when I have free time, whether that be half an hour or a day, I find it hard to sit still and do nothing so I’m always drafting ideas or constructing suits of armour of some kind!
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
Personally, I’ve been inspired by a lot of people I’ve met along the way and often, the people who I find most inspirational aren’t well known or ‘famous’ within the cosplay community.
What I find most inspiring is seeing someone’s genuine love for their art and not allowing that to be diluted by trying to provide what ‘sells best’.
So long as someone sticks to their guns and is passionate about what they do then I find that inspirational!
Facebook: ashcosplay
Instagram: @ashcosplay
Tabitha
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Tabitha and I’m a cosplayer. I cosplay primarily from video games, at the moment mostly League of Legends and Pokemon. I also make steampunk outfits and accessories.
What does creativity mean to you?
Changing something into something else, or creating something new where before there was nothing (e.g. changing fabric into a costume, writing a story etc).
Specifically in the case of cosplay it’s usually about figuring out how to bring a fantasy drawing into reality.
Describe your creative process?
I make a cosplay by carefully planning out how everything should be made, then throwing the fabric on my body and pinning it in place until it looks about right, cutting it, fixing it together, repinning, more cutting, more fixing, until it somewhat resembles the character’s clothes. Usually involves lots of pins, glue and swearing.
When are you at your most creative?
The night before a convention. It’s amazing how much can be achieved in the Pre-Con Rush.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
I don’t really have a ‘most creative person’ to me, but after thinking about this for a while, I’m going to go with my brother. He’s able to create the most incredible mess out of nothing.
Facebook: DemoraFairyCosplay
DeviantART: demorafairy
Laura
Costume – Queen Ravenna from Snow White and the Huntsman Photo taken by Rich North Post by Colin J Smith
Who are you and what do you do?
I was born and raised in London, and had the privilege at a young age to be brought up within the film industry and a very creative home environment, giving me a passion and drive to work hard towards a career within the film and SFX world.
I studied at the Arts Institute Bournemouth where I completed a ‘Foundation Diploma in Art and Design’, before going on to the London College of Fashion to complete a degree in ‘Technical Effects for Performance Ba(Hons)’.
My cosplay life has spanned over 10 years now, allowing me to meet a lot of passionate and like-minded people from all over the world. In 2012 I was part of the first UK Team to represent in Japan at the World Cosplay Summit and in 2014 won the group finals for the UK at the European Cosplay Gathering held in Paris, along with numerous other awards I have won in the UK over the last few years.
I’ve been fortunate enough to always remain busy, taking on several commissions a year with large video games companies, such as Tecmo Koei, 2K, Namco, Sony, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Microsoft to create fabricated costumes for promotional purposes that have been flown all over the world for people to enjoy.
I predominantly work as an SFX artist, most notably at Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. in Los Angeles, and Artem in London for 4 years.
I am incredibly passionate about every aspect of my work, and can always be found making myself busy, whether its sculpting for hours on end or sewing under mountains of fabric into the early hours of the morning.
What does creativity mean to you?
Creativity in a literal term means creating something, I build costumes and props for my clients usually based off of a pre-conceived design.
However creativity is also the ability to be able to turn nothing into something and see objects of art in anything around you.
Describe your creative process?
When I’m building a costume for a client I always begin by breaking down the outfit into its material choices and what samples I may want to order, to researching any historical patterns and drafting up my own.
I constantly work alongside my clients to discuss their needs and offer several fittings so we can achieve the best possible results.
I’ll often take creative breaks between projects to work on my own costumes or practise new techniques. Recently I spent some time learning how to smock and used this as a textile project for myself to just have fun and be creative with some of my old scrap materials and threads.
When are you at your most creative?
After I’ve had a coffee and put a movie on in the background – it’s become my routine to go into work mode and start creating.
Of course I’m left inspired after I leave an exhibition or go travelling and always take journals with me to sketch in but it’s quite relaxing being in my work room with all my tools and materials surrounding me – and my pet rats who keep me company next to my main work bench.
Who is the most creative person to you and why?
My mum, Barbara Franc, she’s an incredible Sculptor and encouraged a lot of my artistic nature when I was young.
She’s far more fluid with her art than I am, being able to turn any object she finds into a beautiful piece and that always inspires me how she has the ability to do that.
Facebook: lsindall
Twitter: @LauraSindall
