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This month’s kick-ass cosplay champion, celebrating the epic craftsmanship and unbridled creativity of cosplay, is the awesomesauce Ellie Jayden‘s take on Batman antagonist and playful psychopath Harley Quinn..
What made you fall for Harley Quinn like Harley falls for Mr J?
I fell in love with Harley when I first saw her in Batman: The Animated Series when I was a child. I remember watching that cartoon and thinking how cool she was, I loved her free spirit and the fact that she was *cough* slightly insane. I also have a huge love for Criminology and Psychology which I studied in college, sort of like Dr Harleen Quinzel herself. So we are alike in quite a few ways, you know, psychotic blondes with an interest in the criminal mind. HA! HA!
What made you go for the classic costume and not the more recent Arkham/New 52 one?
I went for the classic costume because when I decided I wanted to start cosplaying, I had to start off with my favorite comic-book character and that was Harley. The classic costume is my favorite. I still like the rebooted versions but nothing beats classic Harley. It is simplistic but reflects her personality perfectly, Harley is so playful and fun and I feel the jester outfit portrays her character and personality the best.
What do you know now about cosplay that you wish someone had told you when you first started?
Well I am only starting out really, so I am still leaning but one thing I wish some one had told me is to just GO FOR IT! I put off cosplaying for a long time because I was very self-conscious and too nervous to give it a try. I think too many people put off cosplaying because they are afraid to try it in case people think their cosplay isnt “good enough” or isn’t “done right.”
I understand that some people take cosplay very seriously, I totally get that, attention to detail can really bring a cosplay to life but at the end of the day for me it is about having fun and showcasing my love for a character and through the art of cosplaying and I think it is important to enjoy yourself and not worry too much about what others think of your cosplay.
The classic Harley outfit looks fairly simple, what was the biggest challenge?
I actually didn’t make this costume myself, I did however re make the bib and tweak the outfit in parts where I wasn’t happy with it. As it was my first proper cosplay I decided to buy the outfit online instead of making it, as my sewing skills are pretty basic at the moment, I am still a work in progress sewing wise!
I have however started to teach myself how to make props for shoots, I made a cartoon (fake!) bomb and a pop gun for my Harley costume. I am learning how to make things through trial and error. I hope to make my next few cosplays mostly either by hand or by piecing items of clothing together to create the right look. I think you get a lot more satisfaction out of it when you make the stuff yourself.
Do you love cosplay and the sheer thrill of getting that perfect outfit together in tribute to your sci-fi, fantasy or comic-book heroes? Do you want to feature in a future issue of SciFiNow? Shoot us an email and some pictures!
