EuroCosplay Winners Panel 2015 (9519)

EuroCosplay winners panel at MCM London Comic Con (October 2015)

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EuroCosplay Winners Panel 2015 (9519)

The EuroCosplay 2015 final at MCM London Comic Con saw MrGnob (pictured left) from Russia crowned the EuroCosplay champion for Sakizo’s Rococo Princess. This was her second time taking part in the EuroCosplay championships, having previously been a finalist in 2013. In second place was Loveiny (pictured right) from Hungary for Queen Ravenna from Snow White and the Huntsman. In third place was Tamiyo Cosplay from Italy for Mary Poppins.

The following day saw MrGnob and Loveiny attend the winners panel at the Pop Asia stage, hosted by Joe ‘Granny Gertrude’ Sutton (Tamiyo was unable to attend, but Joe mentioned to the audience that she had a lot of stage props that had to be loaded up into her car – she had to drive from Italy because she was unable to get all the props on the plane).

The panel began with MrGnob and Loveiny explaining a bit about themselves and their chosen costume for EuroCosplay.

MrGnob - Rococo Princess (by Dave Golder)
MrGnob as Sakizo’s Rococo Princess
(photo by Dave Golder)
Loveiny - Queen Ravenna (by Dave Golder)
Loveiny as Queen Ravenna
(photo by Dave Golder)

MrGnob revealed that she had been cosplaying for 11 years and as well as a contestant she has also been a judge at cosplay events. “I love Sakizo,” she said of cosplaying Rococo Princess. “When I saw this art book I fell in love with it and I tried to put all my love in this costume. While I was doing it I understood that, ‘Yes, that’s the costume of my life.’”

Loveiny explained that she had been cosplaying for five years and loved to craft things with the least amount of money possible. “I’m not a really known cosplay at home,” she said. “I rarely have the chance to go to competitions.” On cosplaying Queen Ravenna she said, “You know, the [costume in the] film wasn’t good enough. But Ravenna was really good. I fell in love with her. She looks evil, but she’s only really broken-hearted. She’s a good character.”

When asked about how they felt when they heard they had won, it turned out that MrGnob had misheard and did not believe that she had placed first. “When I heard you announced the third place… not me. Second place… oh, not me. Then I thought ‘No… it can’t be… I can’t win… oh, I better go,’” said MrGnob.

“My heart was beating too loud. I was very nervous,” added MrGnob. “When I understood I had won… I just couldn’t believe it. Some people, they took my hand and walked me to the stage and [I said], ‘No, no, what are you doing? It’s not me.’”

“I thought, ‘It can’t be Loveiny that they said,’” laughed Loveiny on her reaction when hearing she had placed second. She explained that she stood backstage constantly thinking, “it can’t be” and didn’t make her way to the stage till her helper told her to go.

MrGnob was then asked what the reaction back home would be like when they hear about her EuroCosplay win. “I have received a lot of mail and congratulations. I was very surprised that a lot of cosplayers congratulated me. That was really, really pleasant.”

EuroCosplay Winners panel 2015 (9525)Joe then noted how Hungary had placed third last year, and this year they were second. Could 2016 see them clinch victory? “I think it will be really hard for next year’s competition,” laughed Loveiny. “We have a lot of good cosplayers. They are amazing. When I qualified, we had a really, really strong competition. The other people that took part in that competition, they had really strong and good cosplays.”

MrGnob was then asked if she was going to take a break after her EuroCosplay win or if there was another project in the works. “I’m going to Disneyland!” she joked and then said, “No, I can’t take any breaks. It’s not for me.” She revealed that she had a lot of commissions to work on. “A lot of people want dresses from me,” she said, adding that she may put aside cosplay and focus more on fashion shows.

They were then both asked how cosplay events in the UK compared to those in their own country. “Russia has a lot of strong cosplayers,” said MrGnob. “Here in EuroCosplay, in the UK, there are a lot of strong cosplayers as well. My first thoughts when I saw [the other finalists] in the dressing room were, ‘Oh my God, what am I doing here again?’ There are a lot of beautiful cosplayers, strong cosplayers, and I can just imagine how hard it was for the judges.”

Loveiny described cosplay events in Hungary as “smaller and calmer” in comparison. “I was coming here [to MCM London] and, ooh, so much people.” She also revealed how the judging process for cosplay in Hungary is not as intense. “They just look and [say], ‘Oh, that looks good. How have you made it?’ But they don’t look at every little piece.”

They were then asked if they had any final words before the panel came to a close.

“Just keep up,” said MrGnob.

“Yeah, everyone should keep up,” said Loveiny. “I was able to make it. I won second place and it’s such a big deal. If I was able to do it, every one of us has the chance for it.”

 

Thank you to James Reid at the Pop Asia stage.

VIDEO EuroCosplay Championships 2015 Final Highlights

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Russia’s MrGnob as Rococo Princess by Sakizo claimed victory in last night’s EuroCosplay at MCM London Comic Con, despite worries about being the last person to appear on the competition. It was a fantastic night, with Loveiny from Hungary claiming second place and Tamiyo from Italy the third spot. Here are just a few of highlights in video…

 

 

• Interviewed: Nolan North @ MCM London Comic Con
• Vidfest At A Glance @ MCM London Comic Con
• VIDEO London MCM Comic Con: The Attendees’ Hit List

 

Xaerael interview: the EuroCosplay 2011 winner speaks!

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Cosplay comes in all shapes and sizes, and Cosplayers come in all levels of expertise. From those who buy costumes, to those who enter high level competitions, and beginners learning to make their own costumes and are looking to improve, the MCM Expo has room for everyone. In 2011, the UK EuroCosplay representative Xaerael (aka Neil Lockwood) and his Skeksis costume went on to win first place as the EuroCosplay champion. He was nice enough to chat with me about how he got into cosplay making, the process of making his winning costume, and his future plans.

Laura: Hello. For those who don’t know you, could you introduce yourself?

Xae: Hi there. I’m Xae (or Xaerael). I was MCM Expo‘s 2011 representative for that year’s Eurocosplay Championships, and went on to take first place in the final.

Laura: How did you get in to Cosplay? How long have you been Cosplaying for?

Xae: I visited MCM Expo London in May 2008 and saw loads of people Cosplaying, and thought, “heyyy… that looks like fun!” By October Expo the same year I’d made my first costume, Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

Laura: What was the process of making Skeksis like? How hard was it, and how long did it take you?

Xae: It took a LONG time. Far longer than any other project I’ve worked on. Even after I’d worn it at the ECC qualifier in May I still had 3 months of work to do on it. It’s hard to guess how hard it really was, as there’s been so much lead up to doing this project. It certainly took a lot of learning, research and experimenting before I even got started. While making it, I broke the costume down into its separate parts and built each part as an individual project, more or less how a professional studio would, except they would give each part to a different person!

Laura: What were the most difficult parts of the costume?

Xae: The robes. By far. Everything else was easy to pattern or size up, The robe literally had to be guessed in every way.

Laura: How much of your spare time is devoted to Cosplaying?

Xae: A lot. I’m almost always spending my free time developing my current project, and my work time is now filled with commissions for Cosplay props for other people. For all the time I spend on projects though, I usually only produce one personal costume a year, spending as much time as possible on that one costume.

Laura: Where did you learn the techniques you use?

Xae: Early on, from asking about online and experimenting. Now, I spend a huge amount of money on courses and video tutorials from professional studios.

Laura: What advice do you have for people looking to get into Cosplay?

Xae: RESEARCH!!! I’ve always felt that the more you research, the better the end result. Experiment with materials. Watch tutorials. Read articles. Watch makings of movies.

Laura: What is your favourite costume you’ve made?

Xae: I don’t think I have one really! I guess the Skeksis is the one I feel most satisfied with. If I was pressed to choose, I suppose Twighlight, my werewolf based on my old Werewolf the Apocalypse character.

Laura: Do you have any costumes you would love to make, but haven’t? If so, for what reasons?

Xae: Do you want the list? Haha. I usually have a list of around ten costumes that are waiting to have some technical issues worked out before I start making them. It’s usually either that or component sourcing that stops me from starting a project.

Laura: Do you have any future costumes you can tell us about?

Xae: I’ve enjoyed making “monsters“, so my next few are all monsters. I was planning on making Valkenhayn‘s werewolf form from Blazblue next, but I’m having trouble finding some important parts, so he’s been shelved for now. Next one I’ve confirmed is Flammie the Mana dragon from the Secret of Mana franchise by Square Enix (actually had it planned for around 2-3 years now!). I recently learned how Hollywood studios deal with wings, which was a major hangup on that project since he has four wings, but without that in the way anymore it’s all go. Part of the hang up with the costume design was that I really wanted the wings to fold, so I’ve had to do a lot of bird wing anatomy study, and maquette building (see? lots of research!).

Laura: Do you have any final words?

Xae: Always spend as much time as you can on a project. Try to manage your time, plan when you want things to be complete, and ALWAYS try to be ready a good month in advance of the event you’re planning to wear a costume at.

If you wish to find out more about the EuroCosplay Championships, then be sure to visit EuroCosplay.com, or alternatively you can visit the EuroCosplay Facebook page.