Shopping Guide
Recently, we interviewed TOM special creators Nebulaluben and Erikku-kun! This powerful duo work together to create both amazing costumes and stunning props! Read on for the interview!
Creator Introduction
Name: Laura and Erik, aka Nebulaluben and Erikku-kun
Creator's Mypage: http://otakumode.com/Nebulaluben/posts
TOM: Why did you begin cosplaying?
Laura: We've always been very creative people. My family gave me a sewing machine when I was 16. At that time, I made some clothes. I wasn't good at designing, so everything I made was pretty horrible, but I enjoyed it. Erik also liked crafting, and before starting cosplaying, he made several DIY projects at home. Then, when I was 21, I finished my studies and I started having a lot of free time, so I took to my sewing hobby again. At that time, Erik discovered the cosplay phenomenon while surfing on the internet and he told me we could start making our own costumes. In 2008, we attended our first convention (without wearing costumes) and we really liked what we saw there. It was very inspiring for us, so we decided to start making costumes.
TOM: What anime, manga, and games do you like?
Erik: Karas, Ergo Proxi, Desert Punk, Berserk, Gantz, Bobobo, God of War, Bayonetta, and Castlevania.
Laura: I don't usually read manga or watch anime. The only manga collection I've bought is Bobobo Bobobo. I'm more a video game fan. My favorite video games are Mass Effect and Deus Ex Human Revolution. I also love Castlevania and the Halo series.
TOM: How do you choose who to cosplay as?
Laura and Erik: It's a mixture of reasons. We usually cosplay as characters from games we love, but when we participate in cosplay groups, we become more flexible. We like it when our friends suggest us costumes to go with them in group. In fact, now we are preparing a big League of Legends cosplay group and we haven't played the game, but we are very excited to be part of it. Sometimes we make costumes only because we like the character's design or because it represents a craftmanship challenge for us.
TOM: Which cosplay seems to be a fan favorite?
Laura: It seems Bayonetta is one of the costumes that more people like. I think it was the first costume we made that was a kind of an "internet sucess" as it gave us a costume showcase on cosplay.com and a Daily Deviation on deviantArt. Also Tali (*Mass Effect*) and Poison (*Street Fighter x Tekken*). I find these two particularly amusing as Tali is the most difficult and covering costume we've made, and, on the other hand, Poison is the skimpiest one. Erik also had his own moments of glory with his Vs Gatling gun from Lost Planet 2 and his Zer0 costume from Borderlands 2, which both had a great acceptance.
TOM: Which characters that you have cosplayed as are the most similar to you?
Laura: We usually try to make costumes acording to our body shapes (and maybe not so much to our facial features) so I make costumes of thin characters, that is something not very surprising, and Erik tries to make dark-skinned characters or characters with helmets. I think my facial features are very similar to Bayonetta's. I also wear that kind of black rimmed glasses, and when the game was released, my friends and family encouraged me to make it because they told me I looked like her. For the same reason, I also think I look a lot like Katherine (from Catherine). I also have similar facial features with Eliza Cassan (*Deus ex HR*). I think Erik looks very good in his Soma costume from God Eater.
TOM: Tell us about what is it like cosplaying as a couple!
Laura: It has a lot of advantages! Even more so since we live together. We each have are own cosplay room. I have my sewing room and Erik has a little workshop. We help each other a lot and we ancourage each other too. As I prefer sewing and he likes making props, we complement each other. Most of our costumes are made by the two of us, even the single ones (Tali, Poison, Bayonetta, Shanoa...)
TOM: What advice do you have for people who want to start cosplaying?
Laura and Erik: First of all, have fun! Don't make costumes thinking about winning contests or popularity. That's ridiculous and that's not going to make you happy. Don't let others tell you what is cosplay and what is not. Each day I see a lot of comments of people I usually call "cosplay theorists" saying things like "if you don't play like your character, it's not cosplay" or "if you modify the design it's not cosplay" and so on. Be the cosplayer you want to be, do what you want and make things that make you feel comfortable and rewarded. Be honest with yourself and with other people, be nice, be grateful, and, again, do what you want. You don't have any duty in cosplay, it's a hobby and you can manage it as you like.
Regarding the costuming process: be patient! Making an accurate costume can take you very long and it's a lot of effort. But, eventually, when you finish it, the reward is going to be bigger. Try to figure out the costume from the biggest parts to the smallest details. We usually focus on the colors and proportions. Most characters don't have human proportions so try to adapt the costume the best way possible to your body. Every detail counts!
TOM: Tell us about some of your latest work!
Laura: Our lastest costumes were Maya and Zer0 from Borderlands 2. We enjoyed that game a lot and we convinced our friends to play it and make a little cosplay group with us. We are very happy we managed to make it and we had a lot of fun, we took a bunch of pictures! It was a fantastic experience. I also made a Katherine (from Catherine) cosplay for a little convention and a photo shoot in Barcelona. I really enjoyed that too!
TOM: What is your favorite memory related to cosplay?
Laura and Erik: We usually see our performance video at Expomanga 2011 and remember with joy the moment we turned on our Vs Gatling gun from Lost Planet 2 on stage. People started applauding very hard and it was a very rewarding and exciting moment for us. We still feel thrilled every time we watch it.
TOM: Is there anything you would like to say to your fans?
Laura and Erik: Thanks a lot for reading! We really appreciate all your support and we are very grateful for your interest in our cosplay passion. We'll keep on learning and trying to improve our costuming skills so we can be able to make better costumes!
Check out our photo collection of the cosplay masters Nebulaluben and Erikku-kun, and don’t forget to SUKI them! Keep it here for even more interviews with some of the most prominent creators in the otaku world!
Photographers:
Hidrico - http://facebook.com/hidricophotography
Teco - http://flickr.com/photos/tefocoto
Angel Ortuno - http://flickr.com/photos/AOJ (Spanish)
Jesus Clares - http://facebook.com/jesusclares (Spanish)
Jose Manchado - www.josemanchado.es (Spanish)
Creator's Mypage: http:
//otakumode.com/Nebulaluben/posts
