Kialna is no stranger to the world of cosplay, having been in the scene for quite a few years now, and it truly shows! Her attention to detail and incredible knowledge of techniques have helped Kialna place in various competitions in her home country of The Netherlands and throughout Europe.
Age: 27
Location: Worthing
Favourite food: sushi
Who or what first inspired you to start cosplaying?
Oh wow, that was way back in 2004 at my first convention. I saw people dressing up like characters and I instantly wanted that too. I’ve always been fond of dressing up. So the next con in 2005 I had a (bad) first cosplay.
What was your first cosplay? How does it compare to your more recent ones?
My first cosplay was Lucy from Elfen Lied and it was literally a cheap party wig, with cardboard horns. I didn’t even match a decent outfit. The second one was a home made Seras Victoria which my mum made for me. It was a bit better, but by my current standards, terrible. My more recent ones involve lots of detail work, like Cordana Felsong’s armour from World of Warcraft, and the currently in-progress Doctor Strange and Lara Croft. I am a lot more careful with fabric choices and can spend months researching each detail and finding fabrics that match.
What would you has been your most complex build to date? Why is this?
Doctor Strange. It’s got a lot of different methods and materials in it. That’s why I’m taking my time and am not rushing it. There’s leatherwork, 3D printing, moulding, casting, sewing, embroidery and even shoemaking involved… It’s very complex but I hope it will be very rewarding.
Do you have a dream cosplay you’d like to make one day? Has making Doctor Strange taught you anything to help this?
Well I do have a dream costume, but it’s only due to a lack of space that I can’t do it at the moment, rather than a lack of skill. But I’d like to do a full dragon Deathwing from World of Warcraft, with LED, smoke, puppetry in the wings, tail and head, as well as digitigrade stilts. I think puppetry is part of Doctor Strange that will help Deathwing, as I’ll use puppetry to make the cloak’s collar move.
What would you say is your favourite part of the costume making process?
Finishing it with painting and weathering. It pulls everything together and suddenly it becomes a finished product rather than a heap of fabric and foam.
If you could go back in time and give newbie Kialna any advice, what would it be?
I’d tell her to slow down and not try the most expensive materials instantly without knowing what she’s doing. That said, times were different back then. Less online tutorials, more home-made stuff and research. But yeah I’d tell her to slow down.