Introduction - What is it like being a Cosplayer?

Hi my name is Phil, I'm 19 years old, I'm from Sydney, Australia, and I'm a Cosplayer. Being a cosplayer is honestly, a whole lot of fun, and that's the main reason that I continue to do it. I feel like Cosplaying is one of the most fun ways to express your love for anything Pop Culture related, and to share that love with other fans. Being a cosplayer at a convention is one of the best feelings in the world. You feel like you're an important member and part of a community you love, and that you're really contributing to the atmosphere of the event. Having someone recognise your costume is a great feeling, and makes all the hard work worthwhile. Being a cosplayer is very challenging, in terms of constructing the costume, but it's also very rewarding to finish a costume, and have people recognise and appreciate it. Cosplay can be tough at times though. It's a bit difficult to explain to people I know who aren't aware of what cosplay is. I remember for my Saiyan cosplay, I'd shaved half of my head. I had come home from University for the weekend (which is 6 hours away from home), so right after the con, I jumped into the car and made the long drive back to University for a class I had at 8am the next day. I had no time to get my haircut fixed, so I came into class with half my head shaved, and a lot of weird looks. I explained it by showing them photos of me in costume, but a couple of people just seemed more confused.

What are your next goals?

I am working on a Star Lord cosplay from Guardians of the Galaxy. Making the guns and mask will be a bit of a challenge, as I plan to use plastic and metal craft. I want to learn how to make this kind of stuff. I also have ambitions of making a full set of armour out of EVA foam

Cosplay Characters

- 10th Doctor from Doctor Who - Magneto from X-Men: First Class - Naked Snake from Metal Gear Solid 3 - Duff Man from The Simpsons - Big Boss: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain - Saiyan from Dragon Ball Z In Progress: Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy

What does Cosplay mean to you?

The process of choosing a cosplay and making it is a lot of fun, and a real creative challenge for me. While I was at school I did mostly math and science subjects, and now I'm in my 2nd year of University studying Medicine; while I'm loving the path I've chosen, it doesn't give me many opportunities to be purely creative, and to make anything artistic. For me, Cosplay fills this need for a creative outlet. It is difficult at times, and I am definitely nowhere near the level of craftsmanship of many more skilled cosplayers, but I feel Cosplay has helped me develop a lot of creative skills I otherwise wouldn't have any idea about. Cosplay has taught me how to sew, how to work with EVA foam, and how to do some basic metal work, and I'm always looking to learn new skills Going to conventions is a definite highlight of the year for me, and cosplaying makes the experience so much more fun. In Cosplay at a convention, I feel much more confident, and feel like I'm more a part of the community . People approach me to get photos, compliment my costume, or just talk about how much they love the character I'm cosplaying. It's definitely a great talking point, and a great way to meet people with similar interests. The cosplays you see at cons are incredible, and seeing them up close and in person is a totally different experience from looking at photos online. I started university last year, and moved out of the city into a pretty small town about 6 hours from home. I've missed about 4 cons in this time due to exams, and just being generally too busy with University, but I still make the effort to be home for as many cons as possible. I definitely feel as if absence has made my heart grow fonder, and I've come to appreciate the experience much more than I previously did. My favourite thing about Cosplay is that it allows me to express my inner kid in a really fun way. I loved dressing up as a kid, and I feel like this love is still there when I Cosplay. My most recent cosplay, a Saiyan from DBZ was pretty much a childhood dream come true. As a kid, my best friend and I always wished we could be Saiyans, and now, 13 years later, we're living that dream. We worked on the costumes together, and I feel like we learned a lot, and most importantly, had a lot of fun.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for upcoming Cosplayers?

Don't be intimidated to cosplay for the first time. There are some very talented cosplayers out there, who make some amazing costumes, but no one expects you to be a master craftsman your first time. My first costume (the 10th Doctor) was thrown together from 2nd hand clothes I bought from Charity shops. it was a bit rustic, but people still recognised my costume, and appreciated all the hard work and dedication I put into the costume. Don''t be scared to try new methods of construction. Start small, and learn by doing. My first EVA foam build was a robotic arm for my Big Boss Cosplay. It was a pretty simple piece, but it taught me how to work with EVA foam, which paved the way for my Saiyan Armour. I'm still kind of a noob with foam, but I'm getting better. Cosplay is all about having fun, trying new things, and building up your skill base. Don't be afraid to be creative with your costume. If you want to modify a character's look, genderbend or racebend, go for it. Some of the best cosplay's I've seen were those that shook up the design of a character, and added a personal flair. Don't let anyone tell you you shouldn't cosplay a character. if you love the character, do it!

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

My first cosplay as the doctor was a bit dodgy, but I was proud of it. I couldn;t find a brown trench coat in time, so I ended up sewing part of a curtain to an existing jacket to make it longer. The fabric didn't match perfectly, but I thought it looked fine. While posing for a photo, I overheard someone walking behind me say: "Wow, that coat is really shitty". It really hit my self esteem at first, and I felt pretty bad about my costume for a bit. However, i was having fun being in costume, so I just kind of rolled with it. No one else made comments about the coat, so I was fine the rest of the day, and just had fun