Good Day Podders! Since we couldnât get to all of the questions during Episode 200, we wanted to make sure that they were addressed. Enjoy:
[Are] there any cosplayers you look up to? -David
Amber: Definitely! Malinda-chan, AmazonMandy, AlpacaAsh, Volpin Props,….basically all of them? LOL. Everyone has something to offer the community, and plenty of people do it better than I can, with more grace and patience. Also, fewer fireballs.
Val: Fire Lily Cosplay, Nightmaren Cosplay, cluelessxbelle, Jay Justice, Amazon Mandy, Burloire. Just to name a few. Iâm also more about following cosplayers that post progress and tutorials so I can look at techniques – that serves as my inspiration.
What lesson have you learned the most from cosplay? -Connor
Amber: It’s okay to not do things perfectly. If I hadn’t learned this, I wouldn’t have any cosplays, because I’d perpetually be redoing everything I had and never finishing them enough to wear them. Also, just because a tool or technique is intimidating doesn’t mean you can’t do it – just means you take it slow and one step at a time.
Val: Itâs important to keep the âplayâ aspect alive in cosplay. If you are not enjoying it, if you are not having fun, then why do it?
What technique has been the most valuable to you in cosplay? -Connor
Amber: Besides patience? đ Hmmm. Honestly? Being able to Google (or search with your engine of choice) really well. If you want to find out how to do something, or where to find something, being able to ask the right question is very useful. Actual techniques? Being able to draw, probably. You have to draw out patterns ALL THE TIME, whether it’s altering existing patterns or making your own embroidery-style embellishments.
Val: Learning how to make faux serge seams. It wasnât until recently that I purchased an overlock machine. Most of my early work was with spandex and stretch fabrics. Learning the proper way to make a faux serge seam saved me a ton of headaches and helped keep the fabric interiors nice, clean, and free from unravelling!
What technique did you wish you could do or learn? -Erin
Amber: 3d modeling, please. I would love to be able to 3d print my stuff without having to wait for a model to be created.
Val: I wish I knew how to 3D model for printing. Thatâs a technique that requires an extraordinary amount of time, patience, and practice. The people that I know who do it well have been studying it for almost half their lives. Itâs something I will probably never learn in my remaining adulting years. If Iâm forced to retire from work-life in my 90âs, maybe I can finally learn.
What do you all want to do after the podcast? -Andrea
Amber: Retire! Just kidding. In all likelihood, I’ll probably be doing the same stuff I’m doing now, just not on YouTube for the world to see. I’ll still be at conventions, I’ll still be making costumes and cool things with my hands, and it’s very likely I’ll still be teaching in some form or fashion.
Val: Nap a lot. Even though weâve streamlined the system, working on CosPod takes up time during the week. Will I still be cosplaying? I dunno. Will I still be crafting? Most definitely.
Whats your fav episode? – Michael
Amber: Oh gosh. Favorite child, anyone? Actually, let me take this in a different direction. My favorite part of the episodes is the intro. I always try and come up with something wacky every so often just to break Val. Doing things the exact same way every single time is a bit boring. Also, I try and name the episodes with the worst pun possible.
Val: We had this question come up recently with our interview on CosplayBytes. My favorite is the one where we made a duct tape dummy for Amber. Not only was it a lot of fun to record, but it felt like that was the point where we were starting to figure out what we wanted our podcast to be.
