Obviously we’re very heavily a Nintendo culture blog at the moment, so I have to ask: What are some of your favorite Nintendo games, and games in general?

Andrea: [laughs] You guys can’t kill me for this, OK?

I honestly never had a Nintendo when I was younger, except for the Game Boy Color. I’d just go over to my friend’s houses to play their version of Aladdin on the Super Nintendo. GameCube was my first Nintendo console, and I remember buying it because it was such a good deal! …and because Sonic games were being released for it. I had a Sega Genesis when I was little and I swore by Sonic and Sega and I will always defend its awesomeness. Sonic probably single-handedly influenced my adolescence the most, which is kind of hilarious. I mean, who doesn’t want their child to be impatient, honest, environmentally concerned, and outspoken? I blame him for my speeding tickets. [laughs]

Anyway, once Nintendo and Sega started joining sides, I followed suit and as soon as Sonic and Mario shared a game together, and equally might I add, I was sold completely. I always used to hate Mario because of the whole “Sonic vs. Mario” debate, but Nintendo won me over by this kind gesture! Plus, Super Mario Galaxy was the bomb, and so was Rosalina! Not to mention, the Nintendo DS is the best game system I’ve ever seen. Really, it’s amazing! I have a lot of fun playing Mario games now!

I don’t mean to play down my love for Zelda games, or my childhood experiences borrowing Katie’s N64 so I could play Ocarina of Time over and over again. And yes, I did stand in line 11 hours outside of Wal-Mart for my Wii on opening night, anticipating playing Twilight Princess even on finals week.

Twilight Princess for the Wii and Super Mario Galaxy are of course two of my favorite Nintendo games. All of the Phoenix Wright games are incredible games; I was always a fan of the Pokémon games as well. Disgaea is one of my (non-Nintendo) favorites, and of course Sonic the Hedgehog takes the cake. Sonic Rush, Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic Adventure 2 are some of my all time favorites. They will always make me feel happy, no matter what. I love the mottoes Sonic embodies, and I also try to live by them!

Do you have any advice for those out there who are considering cosplaying as a hobby?

Andrea: First, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. It’s a ton of fun to dress up as characters you adore and act through them with your friends. If you’re cosplaying just because you want to get attention, it’s going to be a frustrating path.

Cosplay can get very expensive when you do it the right way- wigs are usually around $40-$60 each and because you’re not doing just one craft (like sewing), there are many supplies and tools you have to buy and learn how to use. Cosplaying is very interesting because it’s so innovative. Even if you know how to sew, you have to learn how to make props or style wigs or alter shoes or paint or sculpt. In order to do most of these things right you have to get the right tools. Costumes can take up as much or as little of your time as you’d like. There’s no set time limit for you.  You can finish the costume when you feel finished.

I suppose cosplay can help with self-image, but probably not that much more than any other hobby where you’d interact with other people. If you can, it’s great fun to travel around to different conventions because you can meet different people and realize what different cosplay communities (and people) are like. Through this type of interaction you can come to learn more about yourself. Cosplay can definitely help you if you’re shy! You’re dressing up and portraying a character that you aren’t — this causes people to come up to you and talk to you when they don’t know you, and when they take your photo it’s very flattering. Not only that, but you can play upon the confidence of the character you’re dressing as.

The biggest tip I personally have for making costumes if you’re just starting out is to buy patterns from [Jo-Ann Fabrics] or another sewing store and use them. You can learn sewing tips through just following the directions and they’re also really handy to use and alter to make the clothing piece you’re aiming for. You can always find tons of tips and tutorials online when you’re trying to figure out how to make things. The fun part comes in figuring out your own techniques and your own personal fabric choices! So, when you’re figuring out how to make your costume, spend the extra time and go the extra mile to figure out in your mind how it would work for you to make it! Come up with something new! Cosplay is about innovation!

Thanks for taking your time to share with us!

Below, you can check out some larger version of the images shown above. To see more of Andrea’s work, it’s highly recommended you check out her deviantART profile and her Cosplay.com gallery. Be sure to leave some great comments!

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