Cosplayer Interview: Becka Noel!
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| Photo by Ron Gejon Photography |
I'm incredibly excited to share one insanely talented individual for you all today. Chances are if you've seen cosplay armored groups such as the Warrior My Little Ponies, Valkyreevees and several others, the concepts were thought of by Becka Noel. She has such an imaginative mind and the ending result (case in point check out my Valkyreevee Showcase post) is always amazing. I got a chance to interview Becka about her interests and how cosplay entered into her life and it definitely was a delightful read. She always grew up being into gaming and comics thanks to her brothers which then came to her entry into cosplay after her visit to NYCC several years back. Becka's first cosplay was the Arkham Asylum version of Harley Quinn. Due to her being new into sewing, duct tape was used mostly.
One thing that you'll see is that Becka really loves to add in that badass element for her cosplays. She even admits that she's not really a "girly girl" so as such, adding in that aspect is taken into account with most of her cosplays. Her Battle Scarred Vegeta is a great example of this, in addition other characters in her portfolio include Wonder Woman, Warrior Pinkie Pie, League of Legends, and many more. Becka feels like she's the only geek as she mentions her family consists of doctors, lawyers and other high end professional jobs. There's also insight into all the work and coordination that went in with the Valkyreevee group at Katsucon earlier this year.
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| Photo by Anna Cosplay Photography |
While I did ask about Becka's upcoming cosplay slate, she wasn't able to tell what she has planned. On account of her mind constantly changing. Her daily life consists of crafting either on her own cosplays or commissions while Skyping with friends. There's also adding in her gym visits with her fiance late at night. Upcoming game releases Becka's excited for include For Honor and Mass Effect: Andromeda. Overall I loved getting to know Becka a little more and this makes me more excited to hopefully meeting her at NYCC this year! I hope you guys enjoy the questions!
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What got you into cosplay and how long have you
been doing it?
I've been cosplaying for almost five
years now. My background is in art and I've always had a serious
obsession with costumes and dressing up. I'm also a gamer and love
fantasy related anything. The first year my fiance (Dhareza Cosplayza)
took me to New York Comic Con, I instantly fell in love and knew that I had to
cosplay!
Which cosplay was the first you ever created?
Arkham Asylum Harley Quinn was the
first cosplay I ever made. And since I didn't know how to sew at the
time, I made the entire thing out of duct tape, with a few items re purposed
from around the apartment.
Thinking back to the last convention you were at,
did you enjoy it?
My last con was Anime Fan Fest in New
Jersey and I had a great time! It was my second time as a convention
guest and I really enjoyed meeting a lot of people and other cosplayers.
Everybody was super nice :)
What cosplay(s) did you bring to this convention?
I wore battle damaged Vegeta and
Warrior Pinkie Pie
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| Photo by Dhareza Cosplayza |
What is your favorite cosplay you’ve made so far?
That's tough! I love them all
for various reasons but my favorite is a tie between Warrior Red Riding Hood
and Valkyreevee Eevee. They both had such amazing details and I feel like
a badass in them, haha.
What got you into being a geek?
I've always been one, I just became a
bigger geek in my adult years :P
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'm the only one :) I come from a
family of doctors, lawyers, teachers and business professionals, haha.
But my brother's are definitely the ones who got me into gaming.
A lot of your cosplays stem from all over the
place. Including your mashups of various characters with adding armor. Do you
have a favorite area to cosplay from like video games or anime?
I tend to lean towards video game or
comic characters. I'm not very into anime even though I've tried numerous
times, haha.
I found your work through your many group
cosplays with other cosplayers I follow like Joanna Mari, Jessica Nigri and
various other ladies. You’ve had some part in the many armored versions of
characters seen in the last few years! What is it about armor specifically that
you love the most?
I just think armor is so
interesting! It's not something you get to wear ordinarily and to me, it
transports you to a whimsical and fantastical world or time. I may have
been born on Earth in the 20th century, but I'm pretty sure I was meant to be
born in a magical land in a time with mythical creatures!
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| Photo by Jason Chau Photography |
One such group was the more recent Valkyrie
versions of all the Eeveelutions. That must have been a big undertaking with
coordinating between the other members not to mention working with fellow
cosplayer Gladzy Kei and illustrator Zach Fischer! What was it like creating
your Eevee? I imagine there were pros and cons overall with its creation right?
Yes, that was a really fun
group! Working with Gladzy and Zach was amazing because they are both so
talented and I have been a longtime admirer of their work. I think we
were really lucky because everybody worked very well together and got along
great (some of us met for the first time at Katsucon!). Having a big
group can be tough, so when everybody works together well and things go
smoothly, it's extra nice! I think the biggest concern for all of us was
just getting everything done in time for Katsucon. Sticking to deadlines,
helping and encouraging each other when needed is really important. Also,
having your actual costume day planned out is necessary with such a large
group.
Another cosplay you’ve done is an intense battle
scarred Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z! That must have been fun to dirty up and add
the various chip marks right?
I love adding battle damage to my
costumes and making them feel "lived in." It makes them seem
more realistic.
One common theme I’ve noticed for most of your
cosplays is that element of just being a badass. Is that something you try to
incorporate with your designs? I know some don’t fall into that category like
your beautiful Sakizou cosplay!
Absolutely. I'm really not a
girly girl, so my preferences in costuming and cosplay tends to lean a little
more on the badass side :)
What do you think about cosplay as it is now
hitting the mainstream?
Well, I'm glad it did so it can reach
more people who may not have known about it (like me). I believe in
sharing things I love with other people, no matter who they are or what they
do. And really, who doesn't love dressing up in costume? Haha.
Do you have any upcoming cosplays for this year
that you’re able to share?
I usually try to have a loose idea of
all my cosplays for the year, but it often changes so much! For this reason,
I try to not share my plans until I'm actually making something because I don't
want people to be disappointed. It's not about secrecy, my mind just
changes so much!
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| Photo by Owen Long |
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 expect I'll be cosplaying into my
old age, haha. I hope so! As an artist, I am always evolving and changing;
it's how I grow :)
What’s a day in the life of Becka Noel?
I'm a morning person and usually up
around 7ish without an alarm. I feed my cats and get dressed and grab a
chai tea from Starbucks. Lately, I start work on whatever commission
and/or cosplay I'm doing and at some point in the day I'll Skype/craft with
friends. Some days I do costume errands like buying fabric or
something. I normally do costume work until around 8-9pm and have dinner
with my fiance (Dhareza Cosplayza). Then we train at the gym at 12
midnight for an hour or so which is followed by sleep!
Any upcoming game releases you’re looking forward
to?
I'm seriously looking forward to For
Honor! It looks so rad! Also can't wait for the new Mass
Effect. I've been a long time lover of the Mass Effect series.
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| Photo by DL Photography |
Do you have a favorite convention?
Katsucon! Or as I like to call
it, FriendCon :) I also love C2E2 in Chicago which is like a smaller, more
intimate version of NYCC.
Given your artistic skills and imaginative mind
with designing, is there any kind of mash-up that you’d consider to be a dream
project for you?
Yes,
absolutely! But if I told you, I'd have to kill you :) These I do keep
secret!
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| Photo by Dhareza Cosplayza |
I can't thank Becka Noel enough for giving me the opportunity to interview her. It was definitely well worth the wait for getting the answers back. I highly recommend you check out her Social Media pages and keep an eye on her work. Check out the links down below!
