Sunlit Cosplay is an incredibly talented cosplayer from Texas whose costumes always leave me in awe. She seems to be able to transition to male to female with ease and her costumes are next level! I love watching how the costumes are made and seeing the amazing photos of these beautiful creations so I just had to snag Sunlit Cosplay for Cosplayer if the Week!
Age: 26
Location: Houston, Texas
What is your favourite food? Probably popcorn
Photo by Koisplay Photography, Saber cosplayer – Cosmic-Empress
You recently made Gilgamesh from the Fate series, what method did you use to make his armour and what made you pick this method over all others?
I used Sintra, which is essentially PVC sheets as the base. After patterning out each piece with poster board it was cut out of the sintra and heated in the oven so it could be shaped. They were then each covered with vinyl auto wrap. Over 120 individual pieces of Sintra were cut out and combined into about 25 pieces of armor. I chose this method because Sintra is very sturdy for armor and significantly cheaper than worbla. However, it doesn’t offer the flexibility of worbla and is fairly heavy, so I would only recommend it for certain projects. The gold vinyl wrap let me make the armor as shiney as possible. It’s a little crazy how bright it is in the sun.
You have done a big mixture of fabric cosplays and armored cosplays, do you have a particular type of cosplay you prefer? Why?
I kind of dabble in a lot of different types of outfits, even some with full body makeup, but I guess my cosplay centers around choosing characters that I really like, so I try to just learn whatever’s necessary to cosplay them. For instance, I’m working on Leon from Dangan Ronpa and it’ll be my first time working with prosthetic facial hair, plus my first time dyeing an entire wig. For me, a good costume is one that teaches me something new. Not sure if that answered the question, but I suppose I don’t really have a preferred type of cosplay as long as it’s a character that I love.
Photo by Sang Le Cosplay Photography
Over the years what has been your favourite skill that you’ve mastered though cosplay?
The skill that I most enjoy is definitely painting, which covers adding designs to clothing, shading armour, modifying props, and weathering. I love how much of a difference a great paint job can make to all kinds of cosplay items and it’s what I have the most fun and confidence in doing. Some examples of things that I’ve enjoyed in that arena are adding details to Daryl’s vest and crossbow from The Walking Dead, shading some very minute details on Loki’s armor from The Avengers, and making the Health Drink and Flauros from Silent Hill.
What has been the most tricky technique you have had to master so far?
Speaking in very general terms, crossplaying has brought on a host of tough situations that I’ve had to learn about. Trying to portray a male character comes with its own requirements for makeup, mannerisms, posture, and tons of other details. I’m really fascinated by the multitude of details that make up the differences between convincingly portraying a sultry woman like Fujiko Mine or a relatively masculine character like Haseo from .hack//GU. The challenges of altering your physical aspects also cause some tricky situations. I can hide my curves pretty well at this point, but hiding the items that let me do that is another task entirely.
Photo by Anais Santana
What advice would you give to new cosplayers?
Don’t limit yourself and don’t give up. Cosplay is all about pushing the boundaries and you absolutely can portray any character that you want. Don’t get caught up in what you think you can pull off or what’s “possible.” If you want to be a tiny mad scientist or a purple animatronic rabbit or a 9 foot tall pumpkin king, you go for it. I also want any new cosplayers to know that there are so many supportive cosplayers out there that are more than happy to help you and want you to succeed. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help when you need it, and don’t be discouraged by setbacks. Every cosplayer out there has stories of having to make a prop 4 times before getting it right or accidentally ruining a wig the night before a con. Every time you learn how not to do something, that’s just as much progress as getting it right.
Photo by Majin Buchoy, some editting by Sunlit Cosplay
Photo by Avarice Conspiracy
Photo by DugFinn
Photo by Julio Charlemagne Photography