Cosplay Interview with Monika Lee

Cosplayer Monika Lee loves becoming her favorite characters by creating her own custome costumes to first look like the characters, and then take on their personality as well. In her interview she talks about how she got into cosplay, the hard work it takes to create the costumes and words of encouragement for those looking to get started doing cosplay!

HCF: How long have you been doing cosplay?

ML: "I’ve been cosplaying since I was 13 in 2006 so it’s been about 7 years since I first started."

HCF: What inspired you to do cosplay? What got you started?

ML: "I’ve always loved dressing up so cosplay became my version of dressing up for prom. I stumbled across the cosplay community from watching anime and the whole concept just seemed so exciting to me."

HCF: Who has been your favorite character to cosplay as?

ML: "I love dressing up in my cosplays for different reasons so it’s pretty hard for me to narrow it down. I like different characters because of their backgrounds, or sometimes I like just the story of the source material. I may also like those characters because of their designs and look so it really varies."

HCF: What is your favorite costume you have made?

ML: "Like I said above, I like different costumes for different reasons. A lot of costumes I truly enjoyed the process of creating the costume but other times, I just love the look and wearing them. Some of them I love because I love that particular video game so much."

HCF: How long does it take you to create a costume or certain look?

ML: "It depends on the skill level of the costume. I’m pretty quick if the design is just sewing (and simple sewing, no crazy clothing design). If there are props and armor pieces it takes me much longer. My Belle costume took 4 days, my Blackbeard 2 days and my latest Elizabeth from the Bioshock DLC took 1 day. However, my wizard took 3 or so months and my Little Sister took around that same amount of time."

HCF: What has been the most difficult costume you have created?

ML: "So far, I’d say my wizard because there were so many details to make and mesh together. I learned a ton of techniques and made a billion little pieces for that costume, which is probably why it took so long. I really enjoyed the process though!"

HCF: What advice would you give to fans or people who want to cosplay for the first time?

ML: "Don’t be intimidated! You can easily learn how to do anything just by trying it and researching it. You’ll probably mess up a couple of times, but that’s how you learn and do better. Google is your friend!"

HCF: What is your favorite part about doing cosplay?

ML: "The things I’ve learned, the experiences and the friends I’ve made. I still can’t get over some of the awesome things I’ve gotten to do and the incredibly talented, amazing people I’ve met. It’s so great that we can all bond over this amazing hobby and just be nerds together, I love it."

To see more of Monika's costumes check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/London2191Cosplay, website http://monikalee.storenvy.com/ and follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MnikaLee.