We were lucky to catch up with Neikai recently and have shared our conversation below.

Neikai, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Cosplaying is one of those things you just fall into, you’ve seen amazing cosplayers online rocking incredible costumes, and the next thing you know you’re sitting on your bedroom floor neck deep in EVA foam, plastering up all your hot glue burns and googling, “how to work a sewing machine??”

The beauty of cosplay is there is so many ways to do it. Sewing, foamsmithing, wig styling, make-up artistry, 3d printing, painting, dyeing fabrics, thermoplastics, using cardboard and crafting with worbla, even posing, (yep, working a pose for the camera) are all skills that bring cosplayers to life, and whilst they may be essential for competitions or expanding the craft, they also open up a variety of options for newer cosplayers to explore the fun of cosplay and decide what you enjoy best!

I learnt to cosplay watching Jessica Nigri’s tutorials on youtube, specifically her Deathwing video for her Blizzcon project, and jeez, I studied that video absolutely religiously. I remember wondering “where did she buy that outfit???” before I found out that people make these costumes themselves?! So when I realised that with a few sheets of EVA foam and paint I could become my own favourite video game characters, I was hooked.

Over the past 8 years or so I’ve watched plenty of YouTube videos and experimented with different materials to explore cosplay to it’s fullest potential, but if I could turn back that time in a way that would benefit me learning tips and tricks faster, I would have definitely just asked questions sooner.

The beauty of the cosplay community is that whilst some people will keep their crafting to themselves or keep a secret or two, the majority of people love what they do with cosplay, and also want to see others thrive and enjoy the craft as much as we do. Dropping a message on Instagram or Facebook to your favourite cosplayer and asking them “how did you do that?” can often land you with tons of tips and tricks you never would have thought of yourself, (like how I learnt to mount my giant antlers for my Night Elf cosplay, I messaged a cosplayer and they taught me!)

The most essential part of cosplay however is to have fun. Choose characters you like, or ones close to your heart, and always remember that your happiness and fun comes first. Learning new skills and expanding your talent isn’t a race, so my advice to anyone interested in cosplay is to play around, sand some foam, break your first sewing machine needle and pose pose POSE for the camera!

Neikai, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hey I’m Neikai! I’m a cosplay and gaming hobbyist with a passion for creating costumes for casual and competitive settings. I create armour and elaborate fantasy character costumes from general materials and wow the crowd at conventions (and on the internet) with them!

Cosplay isn’t my career, but I hope someday I can work with it more professionally and share my craft with more people who hopefully will enjoy it as much as I do!

I grew up on video games and fell in love with all things fantasy which has totally stuck with me as an adult. When I became old enough to realise I could customise my own character in life, (myself,) I became involved with the art of cosplay and kept with it ever since.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Let’s be honest, people strutting around conventions with thousands of others in wigs, fancy dress, and agreeing to ‘shake your hand in character’ for a video?

Some people don’t understand cosplay, and I get it, the intimidation of the unknown and the beauty standards of todays society has many people thinking that simply tripping on the curb outside is the most embarrassing thing ever and now nobody can see you in public ever again, so I’ve had my fair share of people asking me why I would wear a costume such as mine in public, or if I’m not embarrassed to have a purple face and elf ears on, OUTSIDE?

All I can say is, try it.

When you have the confidence to express yourself for who you are and embrace your interests, that’s when you understand why cosplayers have so much fun. To find a character you connect with and then bring it to life, share that connection with countless others who share the same passion and love that you do and to look at your finished project and think hey, I DID that! It’s a wonderful feeling.

I really have never felt as much love in my life as I have at conventions where people are just happy to see the character you are cosplaying, and I think some people can be quite judgemental of people who pursue artistic hobbies, but the opportunities in the world are vast, and life is short, so I think everyone should try everything once before worrying about other people doing it.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Finishing and trying on a cosplay is the most amazing feeling ever, its such an achievement, but when it comes to rewarding feelings, I didn’t ever expect that making costumes would lead me to making so many friends?

When I started sharing my cosplay online I fell into the community cosplayers have built, and even though I’ve been lucky enough to have won awards for my costumes and have had physical and monetary rewards, those rewards for me aren’t as valuable as the people I’ve met along the way.

I know it sounds very cheesy but attending events with other cosplayers and meeting up with people you met at previous events just so you can spend the weekend together feels like being home, it really makes me happy that I picked up the hobby in the first place and always encourages me to keep creating.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neikaisdojo/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@isakisumi