Introduce yourself.
Hi! I’m Willow Creative, a cosplayer and digital artist from the Netherlands. My daily occupation is making cosplay for myself and others, and I’m graduating in Game Art at university.
What made you wake up one day and decide that you wanted to try your hand at Cosplay?
Back in highschool, one of my highschool friends invited me to join him for a renaissance fair. It’s one of the biggest renaissance and fantasy fairs in the Netherlands called Elfia, and I think more than 75% of the visitors are dressed up in some way or another. I felt out of place, and I wanted to make my own costumes too! My continued visits to this event were of course in my first costumes.
What was your last convention?
I just got back from the Facts convention in Belgium! It’s a comic-con style convention with lots of attention to cosplay and gaming as well.
What is your most expensive cosplay project?
My most expensive project was Nex from last year. I had to experiment with a lot of electronics to get the wings working, the feathers took more than 16 yards of fabric, the mask is 3d printed that I bought a 3d printer for, and the armor is made out of worbla.
What materials do you usually use to make your costumes?
My favorite materials are eva foam and 3D print. I like working with both of them and both have their own purposes or suitability in different situations.
What's your favorite cosplay that you have done already?
My favorite cosplay was my Demon hunter i started making 2 years ago. It was my biggest and most difficult costume at the time, and i’ve improved and changed a lot to it. It was also my first costume with large animatronic wings, which took a lot of time to develop and build into a working prototype. But it was still great and comfortable to wear, and I’ve had some amazing pictures made of it, and won competitions with it that made me really proud.
Hi! I’m Willow Creative, a cosplayer and digital artist from the Netherlands. My daily occupation is making cosplay for myself and others, and I’m graduating in Game Art at university.
What made you wake up one day and decide that you wanted to try your hand at Cosplay?
Back in highschool, one of my highschool friends invited me to join him for a renaissance fair. It’s one of the biggest renaissance and fantasy fairs in the Netherlands called Elfia, and I think more than 75% of the visitors are dressed up in some way or another. I felt out of place, and I wanted to make my own costumes too! My continued visits to this event were of course in my first costumes.
What was your last convention?
I just got back from the Facts convention in Belgium! It’s a comic-con style convention with lots of attention to cosplay and gaming as well.
What is your most expensive cosplay project?
My most expensive project was Nex from last year. I had to experiment with a lot of electronics to get the wings working, the feathers took more than 16 yards of fabric, the mask is 3d printed that I bought a 3d printer for, and the armor is made out of worbla.
What materials do you usually use to make your costumes?
My favorite materials are eva foam and 3D print. I like working with both of them and both have their own purposes or suitability in different situations.
What's your favorite cosplay that you have done already?
My favorite cosplay was my Demon hunter i started making 2 years ago. It was my biggest and most difficult costume at the time, and i’ve improved and changed a lot to it. It was also my first costume with large animatronic wings, which took a lot of time to develop and build into a working prototype. But it was still great and comfortable to wear, and I’ve had some amazing pictures made of it, and won competitions with it that made me really proud.
When approaching a cosplay, what are some Do’s and Dont’s?
You need to have confidence in your skill or ability to learn! If you’re not confident about your project, you will not have any faith into completing it and you’ll never enjoy making it.
What are the three most essential things to have with you when cosplaying at a convention?
Glue, painkillers and water!
Where did you learn how to make/craft props?
Back in middle school, I picked arts for my curriculum. They also taught you a lot about woodworking, paper mache and papercraft and soldering which helped me a lot. I started with paper mache for my first costumes, and later learned more about cosplay materials through following other cosplayers!
When it comes to props: the bigger the better or it’s more about the details and functionality?
I love large props! But I always pay attention to every necessary detail that the reference provides. I love adding mechanics to my props to make them look like they work too. And of course it’s important to make them durable but lightweight.
Give us some basic crafting tips.
Make sure you being with a great crafting plan, break your project apart in parts, sketches and notes. List what materials you need and what kind of approach you want to take for each part.
How can 3D printing be used in cosplay?
3D printing is getting very popular in crafting, it’s amazing for symmetrical shapes, details, complicated shapes and durability. However it can get quite heavy and break when you drop 3d printed props. And of course, you need a 3D design which is an entire skill in itself if you want to do it yourself! It’s important to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages for the project you want to use it for, and consider other options. A 3d print requires a lot of time to make and refine, you should not just paint it straight out of the printer.
Besides cosplay, what are your other interests?
I do some gaming, and I like collecting merch occasionally. Cosplay takes up 90% of my free time however! There’s so many more things i’d like to try out if I had more time and energy.
Send a short message to our readers.
Interested in doing cosplay? Go out to conventions, speak to cosplayers and make pictures, follow cosplayers online and learn about their craft, and don’t be afraid to experiment! You will fail, but don’t let it bring you down. Get feedback, be your own critic and keep going!
You need to have confidence in your skill or ability to learn! If you’re not confident about your project, you will not have any faith into completing it and you’ll never enjoy making it.
What are the three most essential things to have with you when cosplaying at a convention?
Glue, painkillers and water!
Where did you learn how to make/craft props?
Back in middle school, I picked arts for my curriculum. They also taught you a lot about woodworking, paper mache and papercraft and soldering which helped me a lot. I started with paper mache for my first costumes, and later learned more about cosplay materials through following other cosplayers!
When it comes to props: the bigger the better or it’s more about the details and functionality?
I love large props! But I always pay attention to every necessary detail that the reference provides. I love adding mechanics to my props to make them look like they work too. And of course it’s important to make them durable but lightweight.
Give us some basic crafting tips.
Make sure you being with a great crafting plan, break your project apart in parts, sketches and notes. List what materials you need and what kind of approach you want to take for each part.
How can 3D printing be used in cosplay?
3D printing is getting very popular in crafting, it’s amazing for symmetrical shapes, details, complicated shapes and durability. However it can get quite heavy and break when you drop 3d printed props. And of course, you need a 3D design which is an entire skill in itself if you want to do it yourself! It’s important to weigh out the advantages and disadvantages for the project you want to use it for, and consider other options. A 3d print requires a lot of time to make and refine, you should not just paint it straight out of the printer.
Besides cosplay, what are your other interests?
I do some gaming, and I like collecting merch occasionally. Cosplay takes up 90% of my free time however! There’s so many more things i’d like to try out if I had more time and energy.
Send a short message to our readers.
Interested in doing cosplay? Go out to conventions, speak to cosplayers and make pictures, follow cosplayers online and learn about their craft, and don’t be afraid to experiment! You will fail, but don’t let it bring you down. Get feedback, be your own critic and keep going!
