This cosplay required the longest time in making, just the beading of the corset (the imitation of the real texture of the in-game armor) took me 200 hours. I started the making this look in 2011 and submitted the finished costume on an anime convention in 2013 where I was selected as a representative of my native country in the Eurocosplay that took place in the same year in London. I worn this costume about 8-10 times at a variety of different expos.
Every single piece is entirely handmade (except the wig- and shoe-base), and I'm especially proud of the textures (the floral painting on the glowes behave exactly the same way in different light settings as it does in the video game). Finding the fabrics were relatively simple, but I had to go to 8 different stores to find the perfect shade for the lining of the jacket which prooved itself to be more difficult. Worbla was not an available as material at this time, only wonderflex was introduced to the cosplay making community, and that is the base I used for the helmet. The shoulder armors and other large panels were made by using paper mache which is still one of my favourite materials due it's affordability and versatility. The mace and shield combination was the additional extra to my performance in the finals. My biggest regret is to sending photos for the final judging of the wings that the costume included for a short period, but I didn't take it with me to London due it's large measurements. This made me lose loads of points in the finals, but it is still one of the biggest, best and most cherised memory from my cosplay making journey!

I won 1st place in the East European Comic Con with this costume in 2014. I have very limited reference images to work with, that made the project very challenging, but the overall look is still one of my favourite. The armor parts are a mix of foamboard, air drying clay and worbla, and it is exceptionally durable (this costume was transported to several locations).

A lot of passion went into this costume, based on a character from a frenchise that I enjoy as much as I dedicated my research

dissertation to that (Resident Evil, Capcom). This was a very fast make, I finished the garment (including the hat) within the afternoons of one week.

This cosplay was made with 90% of upcycled materials and scraps from previous projects within the afternoons of 3 weeks and dedicated to a beautiful music track ('The Way of The Wizard' by We Plants Are Happy Plants).

2020, Autumn

This costume was the subject of my first, montage-style costume making music video that I edited for youtube (music: 'Euphrosyne' by We Plants Are Happy Plants). The budget was extremely limited, hence the slight change in the cut of the skirt (costume design by Hannah Alexander). The wig includes the amount of hair of 3 individual wigs, and it is a mix of two, straight, dark red wigs, and one large pack of staight, golden wefts. The bear head was sculpted from small worbla offcuts, and the edges are embellished with hand embroidery. The props are also handmade, the construction of the whole look took me approximately 60 hours (including the filming proccess).

This cosplay was my first ballgown. The volume of the skirt was achieved with two, secon-hand wedding dress petticoats. The bells were individually made from craft foam, and I used polymer clay to create more sculptural looking flowers for the tiara. The flowers on the gown were hand embroidered by using 3mm long bugle beads. I completed this look in 2012. 

This is my latest cosplay costume, finished in 2021. I admire the work of this designer (Hyung-tae Kim) and I was planning this

costume for over a decade, but I had to wait with this project for the time when more suitable materials are available for such a complex 3D look over the thighs and ribs. The armor was created by using mainly EVA foam and foam clay. The chest is made of liquid latex (after I made the master form and mold first). The base of the helmet was used by a Kamui cosplay pattern, and it's attached with a built-in comb to the wig that I styled beforehand. The ears are removable for better storage. I've had a lot of difficulties with sourcing the materials in a mid/late stage time of lockdowns (especially the faux leather) but I'm really proud of this project. The construction took me 6 weeks from beginning to end, alongside having a day-job.

These images give you another peak into my journey as a cosplay maker. I'm very proud of the mecha costume that I've created within the first 3 years of jumping into this passion hobby. I had to figure out everything for these costumes by myself, even when tutorials were not as accessible as they are nowadays. This cosplay journey has taught me a lot about research, planning, budgeting, understanding of new materials and tools. I have participated in national and international costume competitions and won a multitude of awards such as 'best technique', 'best costume', 'best in show' etc.
 
Making cosplays has taught me also:

• the use of a wide range of fabrics
• mold making & work with resins
• prop & wig making
• bootcovers
• breakdown & texture identification
• stage dressing
• scaling up garments to wearable size proportionately