Sep 02 2009
Lindsay the Blood Elf Makes an Amazing Return to BlizzCon
One of the single most popular images at Convention Fans is of Lindsay, a Blood Elf cosplayer, from her debut at BlizzCon 2008. What was so interesting about Lindsay, for me personally, was that she had never attended a convention before, and had never cosplayed either. And there she was on stage at BlizzCon, showing off her very first costume. That move took a lot of guts.
Well, I’ve kept in touch with Lindsay over the past year, and watched her become a true cosplaying force to be reckoned with. She went back to BlizzCon in 2009 with an absolutely incredible Blood Elf costume, and took the stage in the costume contest once more. Although she didn’t win, the amazing amount of growth and progress from her first costume to this one is astounding.
I asked Lindsay if I could do another interview with her, about her costume, and about her BlizzCon experiences. I’ve also been given her permission to share some of the great photos of her latest costume with all of you. Please check it out below!
Lindsay, when we spoke before, you told me BlizzCon 2008 had been your very first convention and cosplay experience. You recently attended BlizzCon 2009, but did you attend any other cons this past year?
Lindsay: Yes! Aside from attending Blizzcon 2009, I also attended 2 cons for the first time, Anime LA as Belle from Beauty and the Beast and Anime Expo as my Blood Elf Priestess. I know both aren’t really “technically” Anime, but both were very well received and people recognized the characters.
What was your costume for BlizzCon 2009?
Lindsay: I was Valeera Sanguinar, the Blood Elf rogue from the Trading Card Game and the Comics. I was half Fan Art, half model figure. The Fan Art version is definitely more detailed and the markings really intrigued me to replicate.
How long did your Valeera Sanguinar costume take to make?
Lindsay: Oh gosh, between working two jobs, going to school full-time, going to summer school, losing my Grandma, getting into a car accident.. like, this costume really almost didn’t happen. It took about 3 months of work crammed into about 2 weeks of actual construction. I was practically pulling my hair out to get it finished, but it worked out in the end, and I really wouldn’t have it any other way.
How much did the materials cost?
Lindsay: Easily over $1,400+. The cloak is a really expensive material, the gems are Swarovski crystals, the armor is made entirely out of cowhide leather, and the contacts are custom scleras. I think the cheapest part of the costume was actually the shoulders, which light up of course.
Did you have any help in making it?
Lindsay: Yes, I did. My friends are absolutely amazing and extremely talented in costuming. They have been doing costumes their entire lives, so taking advice or learning from them helped a TON. It pretty much turned into one big group project since this is really my first costume. I really couldn’t have done this without them, because whatever I needed, they were right there to help. Their support really carried me through this.
Did you prepare for BlizzCon 2009 differently this year, since you’d been before and kind of knew what to expect?
Lindsay: I did actually. Last year, everything was set and ready to go. I tried on the costume before hand and I packed the night before. This year, I worked the week of Blizzcon and it set me back in costume construction. Half of my costume was ready when I packed it in the car, I pretty much stayed up all night finishing it and almost missed the costume contest sign in! I knew what to expect as far as how the Con operated and expected the layout to be similar, but I was more worried about how my costume was going to be received once it was finished.
It was a mix of the Fan Art version as far as the pleats and markings go, but it resembled the model figure as well. Lots of little details were my own interpretation like the snakeskin and the beading around the gems. I wanted to make her a little more conservative, and portray her as a level 80 Elite who can pretty much tear you apart at any time with eloquence, almost royalty, rather than the sassy 16 year old she plays in the comics.
How did BlizzCon 2009 compare to 2008? What was better, worse, about the same?
Lindsay: Last year was a complete learning experience. I learned what worked and didn’t work and I knew I could make a more intricate costume than my Priestess. This year, I really stepped it up. Everything was hand-made, tooled, and riveted together in leather except for the shoulders. I really learned a lot doing this costume, and I can’t wait to apply it all to next year’s costume. Although I’m going to be doing a completely different Universe this time.
I definitely would say Blizzcon 2009 was better than last year, my dear friend Lorraine Torres won the costume contest in her Mistress of Pain costume and a few of my friends received recognition for their costumes as well. The best part was our hotel room, there were costumes EVERYWHERE! We were all able to hangout at Disneyland on Sunday too, even a few friends from Blizzard and friends from all over the US. It truly was beyond awesome, just to come together and have fun.
I think the best part was all of our goofy pictures just doing things out of character. I think to top it all of, the best part was the release of the new expansion, I CANNOT wait for that to come out! I just saw the trailer today and I was amazed. The new races seem pretty neat too, as well as the new classes. I really want to do a Blood Elf Warrior. Blizzard just keeps getting better with these things. I can’t wait to see what next year is going to bring!
What makes BlizzCon special for you in particular?
Lindsay: I think just being able to be there with my friends and hangout is the best part. We had people from all over the world and from all kinds of different states, and to be able to come together and share in this hobby such as cosplay or to completely nerd out over a game we’re all fascinated with, it just kind of has that magic. It’s definitely just one of those awesome experiences.
What do you enjoy the most about attending BlizzCon?
Lindsay: I love the booths Blizzard has. There is so much to do there without feeling overwhelmed. I love all of the guest-interaction and how Blizzard really wants to make it for the fans to come together, whether it’s merchandise or photo booths, or posting Fan Art. They do it for the fans, and it really shows in their convention. I think my favorite part would be the photo booths and the Lich King throne, some of the best pictures I have came from there.
What advice would you give to someone attempting to make a Warcraft costume?
Lindsay: Stay true to yourself but stay true to the character. You have to have a balance. Pick something that YOU like and you feel comfortable in. My Valeera costume was pretty conservative compared to the actual figure, but I felt more comfortable in a dance leotard and nylons then letting everything hang out. How I portrayed her was different too, I wanted her to be the level 80 Elite whose royalty, rather than a 16-year-old seductress. Do something that you connect with and that you feel like you can accomplish.
Warcraft costumes are not practical to wear, there is lots of room for imagination to make it work, so definitely stay true to the character but add an extra detail or flare to make it really stand out. My favorite part of my costume is the snakeskin, because on the model, it’s ripped and has some weird tooled pattern, the snakeskin kind of gave it something extra but staying true to the character (since it’s leather).
And of course, go out there and have fun! Don’t be afraid of what other people are going to say about you or your costume, if you have that self-confidence then nothing else is going to matter. Last but not least, make something practical. Test your costume before you actually wear it, so everything isn’t falling apart or falling all over when you do decide to wear it.
Are you still playing WoW? How many characters do you have?
Lindsay: I actually took a break from playing my Blood Elf Paladin last December because of school and getting a job at Disney, but I’m actually looking forward to playing a Blood Elf Warrior soon. I’m going to transfer my Paladin to the Eredar Twin’s server and create a Dranei Death Knight on another server to play with our cosplay group (who we’re calling “Xplosion! Cosplay”) we’re all a bunch of goofballs, so this will be fun to finally play together. I really want to play a Worgen too when the new expansion hits.
Lindsay, thanks again for the second interview. If you have a World of Warcraft costume to share, post a comment! As always, you can check out other Convention Fans interviews by checking out the Interviews category!
