Hello fellow Geeks! This week, we travel to the big ol’ acres of Texas where we find the amazingly talented cosplayer NipahDUBS. Having been in the cosplay community since 2010, I couldn’t wait to hear about his journey as a cosplayer and share it with all of you! From Zeld to Final Fantasy, to Overwatch, NipahDUBS has a cosplay from just about every corner of the anime/gaming world, and the skill to match his success.
Character: Zenyatta (Overwatch)
What was your very first cosplay, and how do you think you’ve grown since then?
My first cosplay was Dark Link from the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. When I did that cosplay, I had no idea how to sew or use body paint. I didn’t use a wig and everything was pretty much a mess. Nowadays, I am a much better all-around crafter and make all my cosplays from scratch. I’ve grown quite a bit in these years, but still have much to learn.
Out of all the cosplays you’ve completed, what are your top three and why?
My top three cosplays are Howl from Howls Moving Castle, Vanitas from Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Wolf Link from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. Howl was the first cosplay where I really pushed myself – I made the wings and harness all by myself and created a feather/fur bodysuit for this, with bird feet included! It was quite an ambitious project and I used almost two thousand feathers for it. I am happy to have pushed myself to try something like this I had never done before, and it got me ready to try more things later on. Vanitas is an accumulation of all I have learned as a cosplayer – from sewing, armor work, wig styling, prop making, painting, etc. It all went into Vanitas and I got to fully show off all I have learned, and also won my first ever cosplay contest with it! Wolf Link was a design I drew up myself based his wolf form from the gang. Like Vanitas, it was another combined effort of all the skills I have learned, plus a few more like leather working and resin mold making. Bringing my own design to life was such a personal project and I loved every aspect of it.
Is there a dream cosplay you have yet to create? Why this character?
If I had to pick one, it’s not really a character but more of a concept. I really want to make an elaborate fabric based cosplay with detailed fabric, trim, jewels, embroidery… just something that is mostly a fabric based costume! I have yet to do something that is an insane fabric challenge and I want to test myself by trying one.
Character: Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Wig styling. You can buy a cosplay, you can buy the shoes, the accessories and what not, and that is all fine! Though, for me anyways, I believe the wig can make or break a cosplay and I believe that having some kind of wig styling experience is needed for all cosplayers. True, you can also commission someone to make/style a wig for you but you need to know how to tend and upkeep that wig. A costume, on the other hand, doesn’t need as much upkeep as the wig will.
Character: Vincent (FFVII)
How has cosplaying affected you personally?
Cosplay has allowed me to express myself in away, a few years prior, I didn’t know was possible. It has opened so many doors for me. I’ve gotten to travel to parts of the world I never dreamed of going to, getting to learn so many new and insane techniques, and best of all, just getting to meet so many incredibly talented and kind people. Cosplay truly has changed my life in phenomenal ways.
