Basics-
Name: Vanessa
Birthday: July 2nd
Attending Cons since: 2002
Cosplaying since: 2003 — 8 years
Occupation: Product development/studio assistant at a footwear design studio
College-Major: Academy of Art University of San Francisco – Fashion Design
Hobbies: drawing, designing costumes and clothing, collecting Jiji merchandise(from kiki’s delivery service) feeding birds at the park.
Faves-
Foods: Sushi- cheesecake- rangoons- ribs- yakiniku- yummy diner food
Artists: Alphonse Mucha, Shunya Yamashita, Marguerite Sauvage
Characters: Asuka(EVA)- Rin(Fate)- Chun Li(SF)- Horo(spice & wolf)- Taichi(Digimon)- Rogue(X-MEN)- Yoite(Nabari no ou)
Series: Paradise Kiss- Sailor Moon- Avatar the last Airbender- Digimon Adventure- Cardcaptor Sakura- Eureka 7- Princess Tutu
Games: FFX- FFTactics- Sypro series- Tekken- Soul Calibur- Darkstalkers
Costume I’ve Made: It’s a tie between Black Lady and Emeraldas
-How it all started-
At an early age, my days were spent playing video games, watching cartoons, and drawing to my hearts content. I got into anime like most girls around my age, and that was Sailor Moon, right after banana’s in Pajamas!! I would scour the channels on our t.v. and came across KTEH that showcased quite a bit of awesome anime, that became favorites of mine, like Evangelion, Nuku Nuku, and Dirty Pair. I had no idea what huge world lie ahead of me! As my interest grew i wanted more, i would rent VHS’s from the local rental store, and began digging through the internet which introduced me to cosplay! I came across websites that showcased cosplayers, and seeing convention reports that people put up. It made me want to pursue conventions as well. I found out there was one pretty close to home, and the convention was FanimeCon 2002 in Santa Clara. Going to my first convention was just the beginning!
Since 2002 i have been attending cons regularly, and since 2003 I have been actively cosplaying. Though it wasn’t till 2006 i finally constructed cosplays regularly for myself, as i had never been taught how to sew properly before and just guessed. I was very lucky to have a boyfriend who could sew. He was my first teacher really and was able to teach me sewing skills. Since then i have constructed many costumes for myself, and still continue going to conventions!
-Who and Why I cosplay-
Who you cosplay, and why you cosplay, are probably the most frequently asked question of cosplayers. Below is my personal reasons!
Why I cosplay, is still the same reason from when i first began cosplaying- the enjoyment of wearing a costume, and the experiences that come with it. At the end of the day when i look back on my memories, the friendships i’ve made, the photo’s that were captured, and video’s capturing the moments, that’s what this hobby is about for me. It makes all the hard work, and strain worth it in the end.
Who I cosplay, the choice that every cosplayer makes when making a new costume is “who should I cosplay?” For me it isn’t just the appeal of the outward appearance a character has, it’s hugely dependant on who the character is. The bottom line I always cosplay characters I love. I even don’t care if it’s a boy character! My first cosplay was in fact a boy, and while i may not make the best one, i try my hardest to portray the character boy or girl. Most of the time you will catch me cosplaying a girl. The qualities i find admirable and interesting and what makes up my fave female characters can range from-
–>> strong-willed, evil, mysterious, eccentric, magical-girl, and of course sexy too! <<–
