One cosplayer I had the absolute pleasure of meeting this past PAX East was Kaybear Cosplay. Dressed up as Aurien Sol, she was such a sweetheart and I truly enjoyed meeting her after interacting with her online for a period of time. Kay is relatively new to the cosplay world but she's got something special you guys trust me. In fact, her cosplay anniversary is the end of this month! You've probably seen her work before through dozens of League of Legends characters as well as Mad Moxxi and most recently, Quiet from The Phantom Pain! Momocon last year was her first convention ever after being convinced to go from her brother and Kay was instantly in love with atmosphere, along with the cosplays that were there. Kay also credits World of Warcraft as being the game that really opened up the culture of being a geek to her.
In the interview I had with Kay, she opens up about certain outfits I referenced that she's made. For example, Mad Moxxi to her is an empowering female with a big sense of freedom. When cosplaying as her, Kay has this sense of being unstoppable with a side of sex appeal. Mainly with the League of Legends cosplays, Kaybear has created some pretty stellar armor builds and props. Her favorite being the Dothraki Arakh from her Khal Drogo cosplay from Game of Thrones. That along with the Walking Dead are shows she's obsessed with. Trust me she has a huge love for Norman Reedus you guys.
Other things you'll learn in our interview include Kay's appreciation for adding in SFX to her cosplays, like her Red Sonja from awhile back. Not to mention her upcoming cosplay plans. Having just got into cosplay, she says she really can't pick a favorite yet so she still has new conventions to attend to. I loved hearing that she's majoring in Graphic Design since that's my own situation too, relating things with cosplayers on that level is super cool. Since it's sometimes not just our favorite characters that we have in common. I really hope you guys enjoy this interview!
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What got
you into cosplay and how long have you been doing it?
My
little brother convinced me to go to a convention in my hometown called Momocon
May 2015, and I was completely obsessed with the amazing costumes I saw and the
friendly people. Since then I’ve been cosplaying nonstop. My anniversary is at
the end of May!
Which
cosplay was the first you ever created?
My first
cosplays were Teemo and Nidalee from League of Legends. I made them for the
same convention.
Thinking back to the last convention
you were at, did you enjoy it?
I had lots of fun! It's a great time to hang out with friends you only
get to see a few times a year.
However, this time I tried my hand at wearing armor and after wearing
it for two days straight I am now covered in bruises. Totally worth it though
:P
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| Photo by Darren OSG, Photographs |
What
cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
Quiet from Metal Gear Solid V and Aurelion Sol from League of
Legends.
What
is your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
My favorite cosplay would have to be Nidalee. I feel like she suits me
very well and I love her bestial style.
What got you into being a geek?
I started playing World of Warcraft many years ago back in High School
and it really opened my eyes up to the geeky culture!
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 little brother is currently the only "geek". Sometimes my
parents look at us like were crazy because of the amount of passion we have for
the culture.
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| Photo by AshB images |
Many of your cosplays stem from video
games, with a couple from League of Legends! I take it that’s one of your
favorite games to play?
It sure is! I can't say I'm that great at it because it really triggers
my anger issues (jk), but it's definitely one of my fave games currently.
I recall before following your work,
some incredible photos of you as Mad Moxxi from Borderlands. Her attire from
the first game to be more accurate! Moxxi herself seems to be a popular
character to cosplay as. What drew you to everyone’s favorite Pandora bar
owner?
Moxxi has a sense of freedom to her. Shes a female with nothing
holding her back and bravery to boot. I feel like I am totally unstoppable with
an insane amount of sex appeal when I wear my Moxxi cosplay.
From looking at photos on your page,
you also dabble in SFX make up. I have to say, some of it is actually pretty
insane/gruesome! Do you try to use that type of make up on most of your
cosplays? I know for your Red Sonja, you mimicked battle wounds and blood
stains dripping down!
Here and there I try to implement my SFX skills into cosplay but I
don't get to do it nearly as much as I'd like. Realistic SFX makeup definitely
helps make a costume pop, in my opinion, and shows you took that extra step to
really make your costume believable. Maybe soon ill try some more obscure
characters.
For Katsucon this year, you debuted
Rengar from League of Legends! Following your progress pictures of it was very
fun! What was it like creating him?
Rengar was my first armor build, made out of EVA foam. It was super
stressful because I had a little under 3 weeks to finish him and I really had
no idea what I was doing. I followed tons of online tutorials and guides and
somehow made it work! I'd like to think I do my best work under pressure.
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| Photo by Jeremiah Seymour Photography |
Some of your cosplays involve badass
weaponry and props! Do you have a personal favorite that you’ve made? What was
it like creating it?
My personal favorite prop I've made is my Dothraki Arakh. I'm totally
obsessed with Game of Thrones. It was a fairly easy prop to construct and it's
just made of EVA foam but its one of the most badass fighting weapons in
literature, IMO.
What do you think about cosplay as it
is now hitting the mainstream?
I think its awesome because it shows a lot of people stepping outside
of their comfort zones and breaking out of their shell, which is exactly what
cosplay helped me do.
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for
this year that you’re able to share?
My next cosplay will most likely be RIKKU from Final Fantasy.
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 hope to actually find a career in the Sculpture or Graphic Design
field in the near future so if there’s time for cosplay in between that then
sure :)
What’s a day in the life of Kaybear
Cosplay?
I'll make this short: pizza and cats.
Any upcoming game releases you’re
looking forward to?
Overwatch! I'm a huge Blizzard fan.
Do you
have a favorite convention?
I haven't chosen one just yet. Maybe in a few years.
If you
had unlimited funds and time, what’s one League character you’d love to create?
Oh
man, I'd totally create a life sized Vel'Koz!
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| Photo by Darren OSG, Photographs |
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Kaybear Cosplay definitely has a lot of talent already in the one year she's been cosplaying and I can't begin to tell you how excited I am to see her skills develop even further. I've got links to all her Social Media accounts in addition to her Patreon so you guys can support her work if you want to! As I mentioned in the beginning, meeting Kaybear at PAX East was such a big highlight for me and I can't thank her enough for letting me interview her. She's incredibly busy mostly so this really means a lot to me Kay <3
