Today’s cosplayer babe is not concerned about competing, but rather treats cosplaying as an art, a “living painting”. She’s my schoolmate (go UP!) and she’s currently taking up Fine Arts.

Come with me as we take a look at the artistic world of cosplayer babe, Dior! More after the jump!
 
Photo credits: All photos provided by Dior. Photo manipulation by Master Diwa.

Hi! Please tell me something about yourself.
You can call me Dior, age 22, I’m currently at UP Diliman Fine arts Majoring in Painting. I’m also studying Professional Make UP. I joined a Professional Make UP competition and won 2nd place in the bridal category and most outstanding amateur make up artist.

How long have you been cosplaying?
I started to cosplay just last year (2006-2007).

What made you interested in becoming a cosplayer?
Hmm… well it depends but I always prefer to add some designs I had in my mind like what I did to my costume Aerith Amano version and Dark Elf Gatekeeper from Lineage 2 and change some details from the original design. I like it to be unique perhaps.

How do you conceptualize a costume before you have one made?
Actually all my cosplay attire that I’ve done from last year and until now are my favorites, like when I cosplayed Leena from Chrono Cross, Jibriel from Angel Sanctuary, Aerith from FFVII Amano Version, Camilla from Castlevania Circle of the Moon, Dark elf gatekeeper from Lineage II and Sawa ( casual attire) from KITE. Though I did some costrip and thought it was originally from Angel Sanctuary… haha!

Jibriel from Angel Sanctuary

What are the favorite costumes that you’ve worn?
I can say all the cosplay I did were all memorable ’cause whenever I had my costume made everybody appreciates it and took pics of me, like those cool photographers and also I had fun with my Les Noir Anges sisters namely Dycee and Emau.

But the most memorable I can say is that I was interviewed twice by Hero TV channel, the first one was when I was with my two closest friends Dycee and Emau and we were wearing Final Fantasy costumes, Dycee as Lene, Emau as Yuna and I cosplayed Aerith Amano vesion at the Psicom event (Metropolitan Park) and the other one was when I was at the Ozine, I cosplayed Camilla from Castlevania.

Oh, and on one costrip, I was recruited by a student film directress to be in her film. ^^

How much did you spend for your most recent costume?
About the expenses with my costumes I don’t remember how much it was.

What was the most expensive costume you ever made?
Actually the expensive part is buying all the materials you need and those props I just made that myself and some details on the clothes itself but except for the sewing cause I have my private seamstress.

What costume you had was the hardest to make? How come?
Well the hardest part of the costume is how to figure out how to draw it again in plan mode just to explain it to my seamstress what she will do exactly and voila it was perfectly done.

What are the awards / recognitions you’ve won as a cosplayer?
So far I dont have awards, what matters to me is to be there to look good on my costume and have fun and making others happy. I’m not there to compete with other cosplayers, I’m there simply to have fun and enjoy cosplaying. For me cosplay is a wearable art. It’s like you’re a walking painting and everybody sees it and appreciates and take pictures.

Has anyone ever made fun of you when you cosplay? How do you handle that?
No. So far I don’t encounter this kind of problem.

What can you say about the local cosplay community?
The local cosplay community is a good way to know people who have same interests like I do, you could meet cosplayers, photographers etc.

Aeris from Final Fantasy VII

Aside from cosplaying, what are your other interests in life?
Besides from cosplaying, I do like to daydream, paint with oils or acrylics, listen to music, go to malls, practicing my make up lessons, learning some salon skills, exercising, tarot reading, collecting dolls, etc.

What keeps you busy nowadays?
I’m always busy with my class schedules and especially when I join make up competitions and also busy planning some stuffs. And most of all I need to practice what I learned in professional make up.

What games do you play?
I played Fatal Frame, Final Fantasy 8, X and X-2 (but I wasn’t able to finish it).

What are your future cosplay plans?
My future cosplay plans, I don’t know yet cause I always change my mind. Hehe!

Dark Elf gatekeeper from Lineage II

What’s your message to the cosplayers out there?
For those new cosplayers out there or wanted to become cosplayers once you start this, you will enjoy and meet new friends and it will help you become more creative.

Thank you very much Dior, that was a very inspiring interview especially to artists like myself. And that’s all for now folks! Don’t forget to visit www.cosplay.ph for more info about Pinoy cosplay. See you again next time for another Cosplayer Babes feature only here, at The Master’s Den!