Hello there everyone! Chris Salce here bringing you an all-new edition of “The C-Word.” Last week we had our very first male cosplayer on “The C-Word,” the Latino Joker, with an awesome interview. This week, we have a very talented cosplayer which some of you may have seen on the show “Heroes of Cosplay.” The one and only Katie George! Katie has had TONS of experience when it comes to creating cosplays. She has won various awards, made over a hundred cosplays and has accomplished quite a lot. Read about what her favorite cosplays were, which ones were the hardest to make, and what “Heroes of Cosplay,” really is like. Enjoy… Black Cat. Photo by Paul Tien Chris: So you’ve been cosplaying for about 10 years and you’ve worked on at least 80 different cosplays. Is there any cosplay in particular that has been your most favorite? (if it’s possible to pick one) Katie: (Actually, I’m 3 costumes away from my 100th costume, not including commissions or costumes I’ve made for others!) That’s toooough! It’s like asking a parent to pick their favorite child! Usually my coolest-looking costumes are the most uncomfortable to wear, so while Granado Espada and Injustice Wonder Woman were my favorite to make, my favorite to wear is probably Sailor Jupiter (because I feel so magical in it) or Black Cat (because I get to be ~sexy~). Sailor Jupiter. Photo by Kameko Wirm Chris: Which cosplay of yours was the hardest to make and which was the hardest to one to wear? Katie: I try to make a lot of technically challenging costumes to push myself, so I have quite a few. The tutus I made back in 2007 and 2012 were incredibly challenging because they require a lot of man-hours and advanced techniques. And now my second version of Sophitia is proving to be a massive challenge because her costume is essentially made of like, 20 different props and I don’t do props. I’ve taught myself leather crafting basics to handle her belt and sandals, and it’s proved to be incredibly scary because it’s so easy to screw up with leather, and mistakes (and the tools to make them with) are COSTLY. Injustice Wonder Woman was difficult for me because I had NEVER made a breastplate before, so I was nervous. I’d nominate her as my hardest to wear costume, too, because armor ain’t the comfiest thing you can put on your body… Haha! Chris: What was it like being on “Heroes of Cosplay?” Katie: Very bizarre. My friends were on the first (half) season so I lived through the experience on the outside, then on 1.5, I was living it on the inside. Reality TV is such a weird warping of the truth. It’s basically a TV network executive’s idea of what a thing is, and these people (whom I never met, obviously) must have the BIGGEST egos because they think they know better than the people/experts who are actually within that world they’re creating a show about. Fun fact: they did NOT want me to wear Wonder Woman on the show, because they said it “wouldn’t win.” I told them “Oh, I’m sorry, have you also been entering cosplay contests for 10 years, so you feel you have as good an understanding of them as I do?” Seriously, the nerve of some executive trying to tell me they know more about cosplay contests than me. Just no. Injustice Wonder Woman (which execs. said wouldn’t win). How can someone think this isn’t awesome enough to win? Photo by Mineralblu photography Chris: For our readers that have thought about doing cosplay but don’t know how to get started, do you have any tips for them? Katie: Nike says it best: Just do it. Chris: Are there any specific cosplayers that have inspired you to push your cosplays to the next level? Katie: Most definitely. I’ll never forget at my first Anime Expo (2005) being positively blown away by Dia’s craftsmanship (I think she was probably a 2nd year at FIT at the time?) and it inspiring me to focus more on craftsmanship, then again in 2008 when she and Elizabeth (with the hilariously inaccurate cosplay handle Fatwetdog) won World Cosplay Summit, it stunned me. I remember thinking then “That’s how beautiful and technically challenging and couture cosplay can be. I want to go to there.” Then after I moved to Atlanta, Riki (Riddle) and her husband Chris (Lab 604- Not a Cosplayer. [TM]) basically introduced me to the idea of taking cosplay to the level where it could look like a costume built for a movie by professionals, as opposed to a bunch of amateurs playing dress-up. Not to say that I don’t still do cosplay that looks like cosplay or judge anyone else’s costumes to the same high standards. It’s very much a personal thing. Katie with Riddle. Riddle as Elmer Fudd, Katie as Bugs Bunny for the famous “Duck season, Rabbit season” cartoon. Chris: What is more fun for you, being a judge in cosplay contests or competing in the contests? Katie: I like both! I don’t compete much anymore because as I’ve grown as a cosplayer, I no longer fiercely seek validation from a panel of experts or, in some cases, “experts” (sadly, so many costume contests these days are judged by people who could not win themselves were they to enter… That’s just dumb to me), but when I did, I loved it. I also love to judge because I learn something every time I do it. I just hate it when there aren’t enough awards to go around for every costume I loved that entered. ;^; Chris: What characters do you plan on cosplaying as in the future? Katie: I told myself that 2015 would be a bucket list year… But I think I say that every year… Haha! I’d list them out, but I think announcing them seems to be the curse that ensures that they will yet again get pushed off “another year”… Which has probably been happening for about 5+ years with some. >_> Chris: If you can have any super power, what would it be and why? Katie: Ability to fly or teleport. I used to think super strength would be cool, too, but then you would ALWAYS be the person your friends went to, to help them move. So I want to fly or teleport. DBZ style. Chris: What has been your biggest achievement when it comes to cosplay? Katie: Without a doubt, winning the World Cosplay Summit and getting to go to Japan to represent the US in the international competition. It had been a dream of mine since I first heard about the event in 2005, so it was a huge honor, even if only a tiny percentage of the cosplay community has heard of the competition (and of those who have, not everyone is a fan). Chris: Will you be making any appearances at any upcoming cons? Katie: Anime Weekend Atlanta and New York Comic Con are the next two events on my list. 🙂 Katie George gave some of the most in-depth answers that I have come across so far. She obviously has a true passion for cosplay and is great as what she does. I was very happy when she agreed to do the interview for us and I greatly appreciate it. I hope all of you appreciated this interview as well. Make sure to like her page on Facebook, where she also gives tips and has hundreds of more pics that I could not fit on here. It was hard to choose which pics to include in this because she had so many great ones. So be sure to take a look at all of Katie’s other cosplays. Thank you all again for reading “The C-Word” and I promise that I have more interviews coming! Ms. Marvel. Photo by Mineralblu Photography and made by Katie Faye. Photo by Anna Cosplay Photography Selina Kyle (Dark Knight Rises). Photo by David Ngo Karin Kanzaki of Street Fighter Alpha 3. Photo by LJinto Franziska Von Karma from Phoenix Wright. Photo by LJinto Takane Shijou Photo by Luis Dominguez-Wirm Photography
