Cosplayer Interview: Monika Lee
Before you start to read this I want to give a little disclaimer, these interviews may unfortunately seem out of date so if it'll help I'm going to provide a quick update as to what Monika has been up to recently based on what I've seen from following her awesome work. She is set to premiere on the 2nd episode on the new SyFy series "Heroes of Cosplay" showcasing how she handles going about making her outfit for Emerald City Comic Con (I think?) She also spent the summer doing an awesome intern opportunity in California and that's as far as I'll go into it hehe ;). Her latest outfits include Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite and an Assassin's Creed 4 pirate.
I want to thank Monika so much for taking the time out of her busy life to answer all the questions seen here. Hopefully you guys all know now just how awesome she is. If you want to follow Monika and her cosplay adventures:
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| Photo by Martin Wong |
This week’s featured cosplayer is none other
than Monika Lee! Monika is a cosplayer from down south in Georgia and has been
getting more recognition as of late. Mostly known for her incredible Little
Sister from the Bioshock franchise (on top of her crazy love for it) and
Summoner Yuna from Final Fantasy 10. Her skills are simply amazing and she puts
so much effort into her outfits! Some of which also include: Rydia, Wonder
Girl, Lara Croft, Poison Ivy, Chell, and many more! She has also been
recognized by Blizzard and Irrational Games in the form of both studios
tweeting her outfits from their respective games! Having met her in person at
New York Comic Con 2012, Monika is an absolute sweetheart and very fun to talk
with!
1.
What is your Name?
Monika Lee
2.
Where are you from?
I was born in
Raleigh, North Carolina, but I currently reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
3.
How long have you been Cosplaying?
I started cosplaying
in 2006 when I was 13, so it’s been 7 years now. Pretty crazy to think I’ve
been dressing up for that long, haha
4.
What is your Favorite Cosplay you’ve
made so far?
I really enjoyed the
process of making my Wizard costume because I wasn’t really limited by a
deadline and I got to use so many different techniques and materials. I kind of
just got to do whatever was fun to make it look awesome. I also really enjoyed
the design itself and paying tribute to what I think is an awesome game.
5.
Are there any upcoming outfits that
you are able to share/tell?
Haha, actually I’m not allowed right now. J However, I do have plans later this year to make
some new stuff. I’m thinking maybe a Demon Hunter from Diablo 3, Seung Mina
from Soul Calibur IV and Maya from Borderlands 2. I’m also going to be part of
an Apocalyptic Disney Princess group for SDCC.
6.
How did you get into Cosplay?
I had recently started
watching anime when I was in middle school (and lemme tell you, I was crazy
into it, like crack cocaine crazy, haha) and I discovered cosplay as a result.
The idea of dressing up like my favorite anime characters seemed like the
coolest thing in the world and since then, I’ve been hooked.
7.
Who’s your favorite Video Game
Character?
I really love Drake from Uncharted because he’s
charming in that arrogant way. I think it be mostly because his character/game
were inspired by Tomb Raider which I had been playing since the first PC games
came out. I also really like Fran from Final Fantasy XII though because of her
design and tragic background story. The voice actress who plays her is also
incredible. The universe/culture in XII is so amazing to me, it’s like Lord of
the Rings meets Final Fantasy, haha.
8.
Who’s your favorite Comic Book
Character?
I don’t read as many comics as I’d like, but from the
ones I’ve read, I really like Rogue from X-Men and the Wonder Girls from Teen
Titans (both Donna Troy and Cassie).
9.
What was a memorable con moment?
Worst con moment?
Off the top of my head, running into the Doctor Who
cast at SDCC and my favorite men from Battlestar Galactica. Essentially any
time I meet someone from my favorite TV shows at conventions, haha. Worst con
moments are at the end of the day when you’re wearing heels and your feet are
screaming, “Screw you, no more!” Actually, if I wear to say favorite moment at
a con, it would be taking my costume off after wearing it all day. And taking
that glorious shower, haha.
10.
Do you have a Favorite convention you
go to/been to?
Dragon*Coooooon! I’ve met one person that didn’t like
Dragon*Con. And that’s because they hated fun. Seriously though, it’s an
incredible convention that’s just a giant nerd party with all your friends.
Everyone gets your references and jokes and the level of costuming is through
the roof. If you’ve never been, I’ma look at you crazy and go, “WHY GOD WHY?!”
11.
What advice would you offer to those
that want to get into cosplay?
Try making your own costumes! While it can be really
fun and easy to just buy a costume, the actual process and hard work that goes
into making a costume is really rewarding. I see it as paying the ultimate
tribute to your favorite character because you’re willing to go through crazy
lengths to get the costume and design just
right.
12.
What is your favorite part of
cosplaying as a character?
My favorite part is the moment you have all your
makeup on, contacts in and your outfit donned and you look in the mirror and
realize that you are the character and all your hard work has culminated to
being that character.
Featured Cosplay:
Featured Cosplay:
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| Photo byAnna Fischer |
How did you make
this?
Bahaha, if only I could answer that
question in not 50 paragraphs. Obviously, I did everything myself. From top to
bottom:
The
wig is a Ferrari from Arda Wigs with their ‘long’ extensions sewn in for extra
volume. I also teased the ever-living daylights out of it to get more body. I
used old sewing spools for the gold pieces in her hair. The tiara/headpiece was
constructed with a wire armature and apoxie sculpt and old scraps of fabric. I
patterned the shoulder pauldron and made it using Wonderflex, straws and apoxie
sculpt for the spikes.
The
collar, boots, skirt and sleeves are made out of leather hides and thus really
freaking hard to sew. I used marine upholstery gold trim which is also really
thick to sew. The bra/top features gold draping over the cups and an additional
leather part that is boned and laces up in the back. I altered the jacket
pattern and serged and lined it. The sleeve is purple suede with Wonderflex
accents. The collar (which was a bitch to pattern) also features similar
Wonderflex accents and attaches to my collar.
The
purple orb is a floating fountain glass ornament that I got from etsy and my
dad helped me wire an LED circuit to light it up. The outer red skirt (and
jacket) was gradient dyed a darker red and also distressed and burnt with a
lighter. The belt and gold spikes are Wonderflex with resin cast gems and model
magic. The boots are leather boot covers and feature the same cast gems.
The staff I have in
some pictures was made for the AWA 2012 contest I competed in. It’s made of
lathed wooden dowels that screw into themselves for transportation and
Wonderflex accents. The top was sculpted foam and covered with layers of gesso/resin.
It only took a few days and I ended up winning Best in Show Construction.
How long did this
take?
It was a few months during my summer
break from research, acquiring materials to actual completion. I had free time
so I wasn’t on a crazy deadline to complete it; I just kind of took my time.
Did you do all of this yourself?
….does this question need
to be asked after reading the above? Haha
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| Photo by LJinto |
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| Photo by Benny Lee Photography |
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| Photo by Anna Fischer |
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| Photo by Benny Lee Photography |
I want to thank Monika so much for taking the time out of her busy life to answer all the questions seen here. Hopefully you guys all know now just how awesome she is. If you want to follow Monika and her cosplay adventures:
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