Introduction - What is it like being a Cosplayer?

Hi, my cosplay name is Chelly Lee and I'm a cosplay-holic. :P Being a cosplayer is extremely fun, incredibly rewarding and super addicting! I love picking out characters that I'm a huge fan of and then creating these costumes of them. It mixes these two pieces of me, nerdtastic fangirling and costume making! ^_^ Part of my looking forward to Halloween growing up was always the costumes! My family didn't have a ton of money, so I'd end up having to make my own a lot of the time and it became such a fun thing to do once the fall season came around, so cosplaying allows me to bring that same love of creating them to all year! I may spend hours and hours on the cosplays, sometimes I'll be up till 4 in the morning and I won't lie, I may stress a bit during the whole process, LOL, but the outcome is so very worth it! Being able to put on a completed piece afterwards and think, "Hey, I made this! It was just pieces of whatever and I turned it into THIS!" is a great feeling. Plus, getting to wear them at comic cons and anime conventions, well, there really is nothing else like it! Fans of those characters will come up to me, want to take pictures and then a lot of the time we'll end up talking about how much we love so-and-so character, what we loved most in the comics/shows/movies and at times we'll even introduce each other to other awesome comics, movies, and shows! It opens up doors to make all these new friends who share this same passion, whether it be of cosplays or just the fandoms in general and I absolutely love that.

What are your next goals?

My next goals are definitely waaaay more cosplays! I have a very lengthy list that I'm slowly crossing things out of once I complete them. More armor-making in particular! I badly want to do a Lady Thor and an MS Girl (Gundam Girl) and I feel ready to pounce on those projects! Currently, I'm working on a Spider-Girl cosplay, the Mayday Parker version. :3

Cosplay Characters

New 52 Batwoman, a hippie zombie, Lady Spock, Lady Vegeta, Death from Sandman, unicorn/MLP Rarity, Poison Ivy and Dr. Mrs. The Monarch. I was going to also cosplay as Daenerys from Game of Thrones, buuuut the costume isn't quite how I want it just yet! ;D

What does Cosplay mean to you?

Costume-wise: It means putting myself to the test to always try and get better and better with each costume, always learn from the mistakes I may make during the creating process and that nothing is ever too impossible to make as long as you're patient! In general: It means that I get to share a passion I have with others, making amazing friends who share these same interests and get to be a part of such a creative community as a whole. :3

Who have been your biggest influences/role models/mentors?

I actually don't follow a whole ton of cosplayers too intently, but my absolute favorite is Linda Le/Vampy Bit Me. Her craftsmanship is beyond words! She always keeps her cosplays as accurate as possible and manages to astound me everytime with the stuff she creates! Role model wise, my friend Jonathan Vela who passed away recently. He was known as the Aquaman of San Antonio and just really promoted being comfortable in your own skin and letting your good actions speak for you. He was a wonderful person with one of the biggest hearts KNOWN TO MAN. Whenever I feel a little out of my comfort zone in a costume, I think of him and that gives me the extra confidence I may need.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for upcoming Cosplayers?

Ohhhh yes. 1. Make sure to plan well ahead of time if possible! You can create a costume within a day or two, but starting it well ahead of time is immensely helpful and saves you so much stress! You never know what mistakes may happen while you're making it, so giving yourself proper time allows you to fix things without running around like a headless chicken as I unfortunately did before, haha. :P 2. Wear your costume for a while around the house. It may feel weird, but it's better to test the wear and tear of a costume at home and make adjustments there rather than at a convention. 3. ALWAYS BRING A LITTLE EMERGENCY KIT! I can't stress that enough! You never know what issues may arise while at a convention. Needle, thread, and some extra double-sided fashion tape are your fraaaans! :D 4. If you're going to make or buy a corset for a cosplay, make sure it's steel-boned. Plastic boning may be cheaper, but so is the quality. It's prone to curve and bend over time which can make it (painfully) press against your sides and trust me... it sucks! 5. Last, though most importantly, HAVE FUN AND BE CONFIDENT WITH THE COSTUME YOU WORKED SO HARD ON! :D It doesn't matter if you're lanky, average, curvy, etc, etc- flaunt it! A confident personality that shows through the costume can make a great costume become incredible!

What is the most negative experience you've dealt with while cosplaying, and how did you handle it?

My most negative experiences... well, I have two. One was when I wore my Batwoman costume to this event and once the pictures were posted, some woman left a comment regarding it not being sexy enough and things of that sort. I personally picked Batwoman because she's an ultimate badass (how many people turn down Batman asking them to join Bat Inc. because they want to do things themselves?!) and very intelligent woman. I felt that was more important to portray, especially at an event where little kids would be all over the place. (Including that commenter's kids! LOL.) Some characters may be more "sexy" than others and that's 100% cool, but I certainly won't go out of my way to make a character a certain way just to please other people. Screw that. :P I quickly learned that it doesn't matter what others think of my cosplays, I love them and they make ME happy. Anyone who enjoys them too is a super plus! :) The second negative experience was at a comic con where I was in my Lady Spock costume, in this area which was sardine-level packed. Some stranger full blown grabbed my toosh! I quickly had turned around to see who it was, but there were so many people, I just couldn't tell. So, I turned back around and it happened again, full blown super-grab! At that point, I quickly squeezed myself as much as possible out of that crowded area. It sucks to have to say this, but if someone ever does that sort of thing to you and you can visually spot them, report their butts! That should be a zero-tolerance rule. It doesn't matter how you're dressed, nobody should be allowed to do that to you. And if you're in my type of situation where you can't see who did it, get yourself out of that area as quickly as you can, even if you have to tell someone around you.

Any final remarks or shout-outs?

Please make sure to check out my cosplay Facebook page, ChellyLeeCosplays and if you have Instagram: GasmaskCowgirl Also, if you're ever in San Antonio, stop by the Heroes and Fantasies comic book store! My good friend Ray who works there really helped me get into cosplays and everyone there is pretty freaking awesome, just saying. :D