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| Photo by Pixel Adel Photography |
I'm happy to present you all with another Cosplayer Interview today! This time I have the amazingly talented Niq van der Aa from Canada. He's otherwise known on Facebook as Detailed Illusion Cosplay and the word "detailed" definitely applies here guys! I found out about his work through one of the many cosplayers I follow who shared his work. Not only is his Thranduil from the Hobbit extremely lifelike, but he also has done plenty of Final Fantasy cosplays ranging from Tidus and Bartz in their Dissidia designs, to Balthier and Snow (which I featured not too long ago!). Niq definitely has a knack for sewing having won various best in show awards in cosplay competitions. One of his latest cosplays was a gender-bent Elsa from the movie Frozen which won best re-interpretation at Costume Con 32! I hope you guys enjoy getting to know Niq a little better so why don't we get started!
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| Photo by Oxford Comma Cosplay |
Niq van der Aa resides in Ottawa, Ontario and always enjoyed dressing up when he was younger. Having video games and comics in his life only fueled that passion and he jumped into cosplay immediately when he started at the age of 14! The first cosplay ever created was the character Fai d. Flowright from the manga Tsubasa in his waiter uniform, which led to using his main jacket as his next cosplay. His most recent convnetion was Fanime here in California where he brought out his gender-bend Disney characters as well as Thranduil and Tidus!
I imagine like many of us who grew up, Pokemon got all of us into being geeks (those born in the 90's anyway) and Niq definitely falls into that group. Pokemon led to him discovering cards, anime, and video games which round out the rest of the "geek spectrum" as he puts it. It was awesome to read that his family is also a big group of geeks as well having been told that Star Wars were the greatest movies ever made. Niq saw each Lord of the Rings movie with his mother who enjoys them as well. His sister also cosplays and is more up to date on anime more so than Niq!
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| Photo by Abbie Warnock Photography |
Much like myself, Final Fantasy is Niq's all time favorite video game franchise. He feels that the art, story and characters are what makes each entry special to him. The outfits specifically "push the limits of reality" as he puts it. FF 12 sits as his favorite with the general theme of the game fitting the most with how things are in life today! While Niq enjoys both the detailed cosplays like Thranduil and the spandex suits like Speedy from Young Justice, the former style is more favored due to the amount of time he spends on those types to make something incredible! Lastly, he hopes that he can keep bringing positivity and acceptance in the cosplay community with how harsh it can be sometimes. There's alot more I have for you guys so I hope you enjoy the questions :D.
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What got
you into cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
I have always loved dressing up (I have been
involved in performance dance and theater almost my entire life) and
comics/anime/video games were a huge part of my childhood. As soon as I found
out about conventions and cosplay (I was fourteen) it was a pretty easy sell.
Which
cosplay was the first you ever created?
The first con I went to, I dressed as Fai d. Flowright
from Tsubasa. I was still new to sewing then and had only found out about the
con a month before, so I dressed in his casual “waiter” outfit which I had put
together from different stores. The first costume I ever created was for my
second con and was Fai’s main jacket.
Thinking back to the last convention you
were at, did you enjoy it?
The last
convention I was at was Famine and I LOVED IT. Fanime is an awesome con and
well worth the trip to California, plus it of doubles as a holiday for me. I
have SUCH amazing friends there and get to meet new people each year!
What
cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
For Famine this year I brought Thranduil, Genderbend
Ariel, Genderbend Elsa and Tidus (the Dissidia version).
What
is your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
Oh gosh this question is the hardest! I feel like I
have to pick my favourite child. I love them all for different reasons and also
it depends on what kind of mood I am, or if I have recently watched something one of my cosplays are based on. Right now I am
still in love with my Genderbend Elsa costume just because my Frozen feels are
strong.
What got you into being a geek?
POKEMON! LOL, but seriously I think Pokemon is what
got me into the broadest spectrum of geekery-- getting me into the cards,
anime, and video games. But I have loved fantasy and sci-fi for as long as I
can remember. I am basically in love with the fantastical, so movies,
television, and books generally associated with geekiness have always been my
favs. If I look back though, it was the manga artists “CLAMP” that really got
me into embracing fandom and the cosplay and convention scene.
Do you have any other members of your
family who are into what you enjoy? Or are you at present the only “geek” in
the family?
I was
raised by a family that told me Star Wars (the original three) were the best
movies ever made and no movies would ever top them. My mom took me to every
Lord of the Rings film because she enjoyed them just as much as I did. My
little sister is more up to date on my favorite manga series then I am, and she
even cosplays herself-- she did an AWESOME Homura From Madoka Magika for Ottawa
Comicon this year.
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| Photo by Pixel Adel Photography |
What first drew me to your work was your
multiple cosplays focused around Final Fantasy with characters like Tidus,
Balthier, Vincent and Snow just to name a few. Would it be safe to say that
it’s your favorite video game franchise? What drew you to those games?
I could talk all day
about why I love Final Fantasy, but to break down to three things: “art
direction, depth of character, depth of story”. I love how Final Fantasy weaves
their tales and I personally find all the characters very likeable, but the big
seller is how pretty it looks... not
just the game graphics, but there is so much thought and art in each design. The
characters costumes push the limits of reality, and while outlandish are still
sleek and beautiful- I really think it is FANTASTIC that a video game puts so
much effort into visual expression.
Is there a specific numbered entry that
is a personal favorite of yours? Final Fantasy 10 is my personal favorite since
it was the first entry I played in the franchise as well as the first one I
cleared through (which means I LOVE your Tidus cosplay :D)!
My
favourite is actually 12, which once again I could talk about forever. It
really won me over with its story. I am a huge fan of epic fantasy and I think
the theme they tackle with this one was very relevant to our times. Plus, I did
not mind the combat (but you have seen the embroidery on my Elsa, so I clearly
don’t mind tedious activities LOL) and the visuals were spot on. The
neo-renaissance costumes and set fit very well topically with the thematic of
humanity taking ownership for their future.
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| Photo by Chantel |
Some of your cosplays also have a great
amount of detail in them such as your Thranduil and Genderbent Elsa. Is that a
particular style you favor rather than the style of characters like Speedy from
Young Justice? (Which looks so badass by the way!)
I actually
love both. I think there is merit in the indulgent, over-detailed designs as
well as the ones that have a simple but effective statement. I have actually
made a lot of body suits in my time sewing (being involved in theater and dance
can be blamed for that) so they are a lot of fun for me! If I had to pick
between the two though, I guess the more detailed costumes are my favourite because
I feel like I get to spend more time with the costume to really make it
something special.
Speaking of Elsa, you recently did a
gender bend of the character as well as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Do you
enjoy the creative process of transforming them into a male form?
YES! I
have worked as a costume designer both for film and theater and it is something
I hope to do more of in the future, mainly because I love the process of designing
and interpreting a character. The artistic process of taking an individual and
trying to imagine what they would wear to best suit them is a lot of fun and
with genderbending you get to do just that. You’re not just trying to make
something that looks great; you are making clothes for an opposite gender of
the source material that still suits their personality. Especially with a
complex character like Elsa, it can be quite the challenge.
You’re also alongside those cosplays are
starting--if I could put it this way—sort of a push that anyone can dress up as
who they want so long as they have fun whether it be boys cosplaying as girls
or vice versa. How did that idea form?
I have
always believed that we live in a world that is way too quick to judge and say
you can’t do something for whatever reason, be it related to gender, sex, body
type or race. Cosplay has always been sacred to me because it is a community in
which EVERYONE has an equal opportunity to be a part of something bigger than
themselves, and as soon as we start saying “NO!” in cosplay and start making
reasons why people can’t cosplay, we are destroying a community and a logic that
is unique and beautiful. I just want to try and do everything I can to keep the
community accepting and supportive.
What do you think about cosplay as it is
now hitting the mainstream?
I think
it is a fantastic opportunity to take this accepting community us geeks have
been developing for years and share it with the world as an example. However,
as I see it, we get one chance to make an impact on the world, and I worry with
all the recent hate and bullying that has been going through the community we
are going to ruin our chance.
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for
this year that you’re able to share?
Yes: I
will be cosplaying as Fai d. Flowright for Otakuthon 2014 to enter in the World
Cosplay Summit Competition. Fai is such a special character to me, so I am very
excited for that! I also have a genderbend of Mystique from X-men in the works.
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| Photo by Abbie Warnock Photography |
Do you imagine cosplaying being a part of
your life within the next 5 years and do you hope to evolve your skill set?
I really
do, I hope to never be living a life where I can’t either make or wear a
costume. Every new costume is a learning experience; I really try and push
myself with every single one to reach a new level, and to be able to sew more
and more outlandish costumes while still maintaining proper sewing techniques!
What’s a day in the life of Niq?
Well I am
now costume designing full time, if not for me than for my store that will be
launching shortly. Right now my day kind of looks like this: wake up, caffeine,
work out, sew, caffeine, sew, caffeine, sew, tea time (and watch an episode of
something), and then sleep. The exception is on Sundays, when I run a
Changeling: the Lost (Dark World/White Horse, fey mythos table top game… think
horror D&D but with creepy faeries and heavily political) campaign for some
friends.
Any upcoming game releases you’re looking
forward to?
NEW POKEMON…
well I guess new Pokemon remake, but that is VERY exciting for me! I loved Ruby
and Sapphire, and THIS TIME I AM CATCHING A BLOODY FEEBAS, I DON’T CARE HOW
LONG IT TAKES! Also the new multiplayer 3DS Final Fantasy game sounds awesome,
as well as The Order: 1886. I also like the sound of Final Fantasy 15.
Do you
have a favorite convention?
It’s a toss-up between Otakuthon and Fanime in
California. I love them for very different reasons. Otakuthon because it was my
very first con and I have gone to it every year (except once) ever since. Fanime
because it is the biggest con I get to go to, and I get to spend time with
people I never get to see otherwise and enjoy the AMAZING weather.
If you could date any fictional female
character who would it be and why?
Ferris from Final Fantasy 5
because she makes my inner Bartz happy.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I hope you guys enjoyed this interview with Detailed Illusion Cosplay! If you want to follow his work, be sure to check out his Facebook page linked below!
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/DetailedIllusionCosplay
