2 old 4 anime?: Cosplayer Interview: Otavia Cé aka 'Sophia Lancaster'

From a Design by NoFlutter

Welcome to another Cosplayer Interview. This week we are going to the south for our next cosplayer ~ S-Lancaster (as known on deviantART)

It is truly amazing the stunning cast of cosplayers you can find on deviantART groups.I am not sure if it was her numerous variations of Harley Quinn or some of her World of Warcraft cosplay. Either way, you won't be at a loss for words.

If that wasn't enough, she also has done some fabulous crossplays. She did a rendition of Viral from Gurren Lagann that was spot on and very much impressed me. Flip back over to cosplay and she did a beautiful cosplay of Yoko as well. ow flip back to Hero Reborn to a crossplay of Mukuro Rokudo.

I guess you need to actually see for yourself and hear it in her on words. Lets get on to the interview:

What is your name and where do you reside?

My name is Otavia Cé, but people on the internet know me as Sophia Lancaster. I live in Pelotas, a small and charming town in the very south of Brazil.

What first started you on the road to cosplay?

I've always liked comics and manga. But it took me a while to notice about the cosplay world. This happened in 2008 when a friend of mine showed some photos of a convention he had gone. I found amazing all that people dressed as those heroes that I loved so much! At first I was a little reluctant, but that same friend practically forced me to make my first cosplay (a Bleach one), saying that I was very much like one of the characters.

How do you choose which characters you will Cosplay?

I choose characters that have an interesting personality and a beautiful concept. I do not care if it's easy or hard, if I like the character I manage to get to the cosplay done.

You have done a good amount of characters that you had to use face and body paint. Is this a hard application process to do and what materials do you use for it?

I'll be lying if I say it's easy. This process is very laborious and demand hours of preparation. Moreover it is quite uncomfortable to use this kind of cosplay technique in a convention.
To do this make up I use high performance clown ink, that lasts enough without fade and do not smear easily. The downside: shower that lasts for hours and hours until all the ink out!

I saw that you have done several Harley Quinn cosplays. What drew you to this particular character to do so many variations of her?

I do like Batman: the animated series. It was very successful in Brazil in the '90s, when I was a kid. Since then I started to really like Harley Quinn. I love her wacky way and her crazy psycho love for Joker. When I played the game Batman: Arkham Asylum I felt in love with the nurse costume she appears wearing. Knowing this, my boyfriend encouraged me to do a cosplay of this version of Harley. It was so fun to use that I needed to make other versions!

For 2013 you can expect to see more Harley Quinn, since I am already preparing two more cosplays!

I saw several crossplays (i.e. Sephiroth, Nuada and Mukuro) in your galleries. Do you find it more fun to do these types of characters or is it just for a change of pace?

Actually I started doing crossplays. I always liked more of the male characters. They are strong, proactive and independent. Also, I always thought that my body and my face were not female enough to cosplay as cute manga characters. And I also was ashamed of wear short or tight costumes, as the comics girls, so cosplaying male characters was the most viable option.

Currently, I think I'm more mature and confident, so I started doing some sexy female characters.

You did a stunning version of Cardinal Catherina Sforza from Trinity Blood. There is a tremendous amount of details in this cosplay and we were wondering how long did it take you to creat it? With the amount of layers, was that a hot cosplay to do?

First of all, thanks for the compliment! The Cardinal Sforza meant a lot work needed to be done. The embroidery was done by myself and my mother and took over two months to get ready. In addition all the accessories - scepter, crucifixes, rosary, etc. - took another two months. The clothes are all made of velvet (over 8 meters), silk and lace. I could only wear it on a single convention, during the winter, making less than 10 º C (50 º F). Otherwise I’d melt due to the heat. Another tricky point of this cosplay is that the corset use metal fins. I can hardly breathe for being tight underside so much cloth.

How is it different in your perspective to prepare your cosplay for a convention over a photoshoot?

Normally I prepare more complex cosplays for conventions. That's because I like to enter contests (I have a long list of awards).

But it is not because the photoshoot ones are simpler that I give less attention to them. Sometimes, a photoshoot cosplay is even funnier to wear (and most of the times, more comfortable).

I confess that the part I like most about being a cosplayer is the clothing part. I like to look for fabrics, check references, wrap my head wondering how to solve accessories and armor troubles. Use cosplay at conventions or take pictures is the reward for my hard work.

When not cosplaying, what do you do?

Right now I’m finishing my Ph. D. studies in the Institute of Performing Arts at Tisch - NYU in New York City. Soon I’ll be returning to Brazil, where I am a University Professor. In my free time I also like to read comics, play videogames (I’m a PS3 lover), bass guitar with my bands (a Hard Rock and a Heavy Metal) and RPG (I am the dungeon master!).

For any aspiring cosplayers a little shy, what words of wisdom do you have for them to get started?

First of all: don’t be shy. I wasted too much time being ashamed and not doing things that I liked or wanted. If you do not feel confident to go out dressed as a super hero (or super villain, who knows…) to go to a convention, call your friends! There is nothing more fun to do than a cosplay group with your fellow friends.

And never forget : the key to a good cosplay is research and dedication at the time of preparation!

Where can we catch more of your Cosplay at?

You can see all of my work at: deviantART | Cure | Cosplay.com | Facebook | Twitter