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| Photo by Castills Media |
I'm happy to have for you all a brand new interview with the lovely Joanna Mari today! I found Joanna probably a month or 2 after NYCC ended last year. I remember it was also around the same time I found Jaycee Cosplay too. Looking through Joanna's work, I instantly became a fan which led to me featuring her battle scarred Wonder Woman she wore at NYCC! Joanna is a cosplayer from the North East who actually just started cosplaying around 3 years ago in 2012. With NYCC 2012 being her first con, she decided to debut her first cosplay being a female Black Adam. However, Joanna finds the Injustice Harley Quinn she made to be her first full blown cosplay build. She learned about cosplay from the internet and before it properly made its giant splash into the states. Having some previous experience in costume making with Halloween outfits and costumes for her school's talent show, Joanna said it was only a matter of time before she got hooked.
Growing up, she was a tomboy most of the time with watching Syfy, Batman and Pokemon. Joanna also confesses that she's watched Jurassic Park more than the classic Disney movies that most people grew up with in the 90's. Her last convention was Katsucon this past February (which I covered in yesterday's Showcase!), and for this convention, she debuted two brand new cosplays. The first of which was a Warrior Twilight Sparkle from My Little Pony which was designed by one of her group mates. Along with other cosplayers like Chubear Cosplay and Lyz Brickley, Joanna used many new techniques and learned working with Worbla for this cosplay. The end result is truly something so beautiful that she sees it as her current favorite cosplay out of everything she's made so far.
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| Jason Chau Photography |
Zero Suit Samus' look from the recently released Smash Bros was the second cosplay debuted. If you've seen the first image then you know how amazing she looks! While Joanna states she made her jet heel boots before the convention itself, they were uncomfortable for her to walk in. She hopes to probably remake them in the near future. There isn't a particular media form that Joanna mainly cosplays from but her main draw is absolutely badass female characters. These characters include Black Cat, Gamora and Buttercup who you see on the right from the Powerpuff Girls.
Her recent DC Universe Online version of Wonder Woman was made for the NYCC Cosplay Championship that she qualified to participate in. Along with her boyfriend who cosplayed as the Joker, Joanna incorporated many Special FX techniques to have those life like battle wounds and scars. Though she admits some parts were cheaply done, overall the cosplay pleased her greatly! When it comes to upcoming cosplays, Joanna is set to create her own take on Red Sonja. Two words: Demon. Armor. Another cosplay being planned is Sylvanas Windrunner from World of Warcraft! Along with these details, there's much more Joanna goes into and I hope you guys enjoy this interview!
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What got
you into cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
I
think it was only a matter of time until I started cosplaying to be honest
haha. I've been an artsy crafter my whole life, dabbling in many artistic
mediums. I enjoyed making my own Halloween costumes, and even made costumes for
a high school talent show I was part of (I was dressed as the Joker!). Like any
teenager growing up attached to the computer, I stumbled on a few pictures of
cosplay (back before it made its way to the states) and thought it was THE
COOLEST THING, but felt that was only for people "on the internet".
It wasnt until NYCC2012 that I even considered cosplaying, and from there I
realized this was something I want to continue and enhance my skills in.
Which
cosplay was the first you ever created?
My first cosplay was Fem Black Adam that I
wore to NYCC2012. It was pretty simplistic, like every cosplayers first, being
that I was just beginning to discover what cosplay was to me. Very little was
actually hand made since I already owned much of the costume. My first TRUE
build was my Injustice Harley Quinn, where I sewed and built the entire costume
from scratch.
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| John Jiao Photography |
Thinking back to the last convention
you were at, did you enjoy it?
My last convention was Katsucon2015 and OMG
IT WAS ALL THAT AND A BAG OF POTATO CHIPS. I met so many people, made so many
new friends, and got to hang out with some of my best friends in cosplay.
Beyond that the talent seen at that con had my jaw on the floor. It was an
amazing experience to be surrounded by such talented people!
What
cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
I debut two new cosplays for Katsu, the
first being my Warrior/Goddess Twilight Sparkle that was designed by the amazing
Becka Noel. I was part of Warrior My Little Pony group that included 9 girls
and 1 guy, which is pretty big for a group cosplay! The second was Zero Suit
Samus from Super Smash!
What is
your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
GAH SO HARD TO CHOOSE but I think my
favorite so far is Twilight Sparkle! I experimented with some new techniques
with both Worbla construction and painting, and started feeling more
comfortable with completing the build without cutting corners. It is also a
costume that I'm 100% happy with, which is difficult when you're as much as
perfectionist as I am lol. It's fairly comfy, held up for 2 days at a con
without any significant breakage, and all together looks as one cohesive
costume.
What got you into being a geek?
I never really "got into being a
geek", I've always been both interested and exposed to what is considered
"geeky/nerdy". I grew up watching Syfy, Batman and Pokemon, would
play with my brothers Spawn action figures and have them eat my barbies, and I
kid you not I watched Jurassic Park more than any Disney Princess movie. I was
a tomboy through and though. My parents took me to every Harry Potter movie
premier, and I continued to go with my mom until the end. I spent most of my
childhood with my cousin who exposed me to tons of video games, my favorites
being Zelda and Animal Crossing. I just naturally grew up as a "nerd"
although I never considered myself one.
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| Photo by HSL Photography |
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?
My father had a big influence on the things
I enjoy today. He taught me many artistic techniques, and we would watch the
Syfy channel more than we were proud of. Unfortunately, I lost my father 8
years ago, and with that the person I enjoyed many hobbies with. My mother is
super supportive of my cosplay, being that she is very artistic as well,
however when it comes to "nerd culture" I'm on my own haha.
I think I found you from your
incredible Wonder Woman you wore at NYCC last year (which evidently led me to
feature it!), what was it like making that cosplay as a whole? The make up
effects you put on to portray battle wounds was so amazing. Definitely looked
like you were roughed up fighting gods and whatnot!
I actually began building that costume on a
whim! My boyfriend and I were discussing cosplays we wanted to wear together
for NYCC, and settled on Wonder Woman and Joker from the DC Universe Online
Trailer. I began the build around August, just 2 months before NYCC, and while
I was excited building it, I was sorta just mindlessly breezing through it lol.
It wasn't until I got accepted into the NYCC Cosplay Champs competition that I
started working my butt off, making props, trying new techniques and making the
damn thing as perfect as I can. I ended up working up till the night before
NYCC! While I'm very proud of it, I have to admit that I cut corners during the
build which caused some parts to break, peel, and not sit right when worn. I
would like to fix it and make it absolutely PERFECT, I just have far too many
new ideas to try out first!
Looking through your other cosplays,
you seem to cosplay from comics (on both publisher ends) and video games. Do
you have a particular favorite media form to cosplay from?
I don't really think I have a particular or
favorite media form to cosplay from, especially since I have and continue to
cosplay many different genres. What I do know is the type of character I
cosplay. Many if not all of my cosplays are of female characters that are
overall BADASS. I like to cosplay strong and powerful women because that energy
rubs off on me a little. Out of cosplay I'm just this small girl who is
sometimes too nice for her own good, so when I cosplay these powerful women, I
feel like I can take anything on! So at the end of the day it doesnt really
matter were the character is from, its what she represents.
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| Photo by Wongtwothree Photography |
Your last convention was Katsucon
and I’m so jealous that I couldn’t be in attendance (next year maybe!). You
debuted some amazing outfits and the Warrior Twilight Sparkle looked beautiful.
From the wig to the colors on the armor pieces, everything just worked
perfectly! You wore this as part of a My Little Pony group along with many
other cosplayers like Lyz Brickley and Chubear Cosplay! Looks like you had lots
of fun making her? What was the whole process like?
WOOPS looks like i accidentally answered
this question in other questions heheh, I'm actually doing them in order!
The other cosplay you debuted was
Zero Suit Samus, and you have the perfect figure for her if it’s ok to say! The
fabric you chose was spot on, and the poses were perfect from the one shot I
saw as a preview picture! If I remember reading correctly, you still need to
add in her jet heels she wears in Smash Bros? What made you choose Samus?
I had actually made her heels prior to
Katsu, however they were horribly uncomfortable :-/ As I was building them they
seemed fine but once they were done I could barely walk in them! Unfortunately
I didn't have enough time to finish them, but I was totally okay with it! Maybe
one day ill remake them!
I mentioned above how amazing the
effects on your Wonder Woman were and on your page it says you’re a Special FX
artist! Do you try to incorporate these skills in most of your cosplays?
I try to incorporate some SFX makeup to my
cosplays (character permitting) weather its cuts and bruises, facepaint, or a
total prosthetic like in my Fem Terminator from last year! I believe that
makeup is just as important as the costume itself in every cosplay, and I aim
to make all my cosplays look as authentic as possible! Luckily some of my
future plans will include more makeup!
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| Photo by HLXdsgns-web & photo |
What do you think about cosplay as
it is now hitting the mainstream?
I think its awesome! Like... I WANT EVERYONE
TO COSPLAY! While it stinks to see some people get into it only to try to
become internet famous, the majority of new and talented cosplayers I have met
are in it for the love of the craft and wearing the character, which at the end
of the day is was cosplay is all about! I mean.. I'm fairly new at cosplay
myself!
Do you have any upcoming cosplays
for this year that you’re able to share?
I actually have a few that I'm pretty
excited about! The first is a not so typical take on Red Sonja which I have
already begun to work on. I vision my Red Sonja with demon armor and
leatherwork along with her trademark scale bikini. Another that I have planned
for later in the year is Sylvanas Windrunner from WoW, a build that I'm just
itching to start. I'm not sure how much I can talk about the last one, being
that its part of a group cosplay, however I will say that it's a genderbend
stylized as a gladiator!
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've been cosplaying for about 3 years at
this point and it feels like I still JUST STARTED! So yes, I see myself
continuing this hobby, and enhancing my skills the best that I can and even
then push harder!
What’s a day in the life of Joanna
Mari?
A pretty boring one lol. I'm still in
school, studying blood and working towards a degree in Clinical Lab Technology.
When I'm not at school I'm crafting and watching netflix all while eating a lot
of pizza. On the weekends you'll find me shooting Pickle Backs with some of the
bestest friends I got!
Any upcoming game releases you’re
looking forward to?
Im STILL waiting for Arkham Knight!! Like
what the hell!
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| Photo by HSL Photography |
Do you
have a favorite convention?
-I've only been to a few cons since I'm a
broke college student, but so far Katsucon is soooooo at the top! As I said in
a previous answer, the amount of beautiful and jaw dropping cosplays you see
there is unbelievable! It's like every single attendant there is super
talented, and being surrounded by all that talent and positive energy was
addicting. I think I'm going through katsu withdrawl!!
If there was
one made up sport from a video game that you wish you could play (an example
would be Blitzball from Final Fantasy X), what would it be?
Is thinking with portals a game? Because
then yeah, I pick that one.. THERE'S CAKE AT THE END!
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| Photo by HLXdsgns-web & photo |
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| Photo by Knightmare6 Photography |
I hope you guys enjoyed this interview and I really hope I'll get to meet Joanna sometime this year! If you want to follow in Joanna's cosplay adventures, check out these links :D
