#FeatureFriday with Zeveelia

Welcome to the first #FeatureFriday on the blog! This is a new segment I want to implement so that I can show off other amazing and talented cosplayers in the community.

This week, and the first ever feature will be an interview with the amazing Zeveelia. She is so gorgeous and talented, and I'm just going to let her speak for herself. Check out the interview below!

How and when did you get into cosplay?
​I got into cosplay pretty much a month after I found out this hobby existed. I had someone show me some of her work at a Christmas party in 2012. I had no idea what this hobby was but it seemed like the coolest thing ever. So when I was invited to go to my first convention (TNG reunion!! Woot!! <3), I asked my boyfriend if we were supposed to dress up (I legit didn't know). Well neither did he so we decided we would. And three of our friends decided to join us so we had Maya, Handsome Jack, Daisy, Roland and Axton (all from Borderlands 2) heading over to Toronto Comiccon 2013. And well you can all guess what happened next...I got hooked. :P

How did you come up with your cosplay name?
My cosplay name is actually my gamer pseudo and goes back to a time when I didn't even know about cosplay. I believe it was in 2008 when I made my draenei paladin in World of Warcraft (kitty feral night elf druid was my main). I clicked on the random name generator until it gave me something salvageable: Zeveelu. I changed the ending of it and named my pally Zeveelia. Later on, when playing video games, I started always using this name all the time so it seemed natural for it to become my cosplay name. :)

What do your friends and family think of your hobby?
My friends like it. A bunch of them cosplay with me when they can and others greatly support me in my crazy endeavours. My little sister thinks it's kinda weird but kinda cool all at once lol. She makes me laugh. I don't think my parents quite “get it” but they’re still very supportive. :) My mom is the one who helped me out with basic sewing and I'm constantly calling her with questions or bringing stuff over to her house so she can supervise me in I goof it up. My dad gave us his dremel for when I work with Worbla. :) As for my fiancé, well he cosplays with me sometimes. He's very supportive and will even help me out at times! He’s actually the one that made my Moxxi megaphone for me and then I painted it.

Do you think you will still be cosplaying in 10+ years?
I hope I will! But only time will tell. :)

What do you do when you're not in cosplay or geeking out?
My life lately has pretty much been full-time work, gym, food, watch anime while cuddling with kitties and if I'm lucky, gaming. My hobbies are cosplay, anime/TV, video games and singing. I also love to play board games, Magic: The Gathering and karaoke with friends.  

How do you choose your next cosplay?
​I have a list of 100+ potential cosplays on my phone and I often look at it to decide what to cosplay next. Usually, it’s a character I’ve wanted to do for a while but never had the chance yet (e.g., Alice). However, at times I’ll pick characters just to be able to cosplay with friends (e.g., Marceline, Cheryl Tunt and Asuna Yuuki). Honestly, even though I try to stop doing this, I usually have a pretty good idea in my head of my cosplay plans for the next year or so.

Who is your cosplay idol/inspiration?
​I have too many cosplay idols!! If you asked me for top 5, I’d probably go with Jessica Nigri, Calssara, Kamui, ItsRainingNeon and Ivy Doomkitty. Jessica and Ivy’s “cosplay what you want; who cares what others think” attitude helped me gather the courage to make my Moxxi dress. (I was VERY scared to make and wear such a revealing outfit.) And I absolutely LOVE the craftsmanship of Calssara, Kamui and ItsRainingNeon. <3

​What cosplay(s) are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on Juvia Lockser’s blue dress dress from the Grand Magic Games arc in Fairy Tail. I'm planning to debut it this May.

What is your dream cosplay?
I have a few. Sewing-wise, it’d be a Tier 6 warlock from World of Warcraft and Mirajane Strauss’s demon soul from Fairy Tail. For armor, it’d be Erza Scarlet’s Heavens Wheel from Fairy Tail and a Diablo 3 demon hunter. I'm drooling just thinking about it...

What is holding you back from making your dream cosplay becoming a reality?
​Time and money. Potentially skill but I'm not afraid of a challenge if I have the time to figure out how to do it and the money to start over if I screw up lol.

​What is your favorite cosplay you've made?
So far my favorite cosplay I’ve made is Mad Moxxi (Borderlands). She had been a dream cosplay of mine for a long time but I had convinced myself I didn't have the skills or the body for it. I'm so happy I set myself straight and did it anyway. I just absolutely love her character and her attitude. <3

What cosplay did you put the most time into?
​So far, my most time consuming cosplay has been Mad Moxxi. It took me about 5 months to make it all from scratch.

What is your favorite convention to attend?
I think my favorite so far has been Otakuthon in Montreal. I've only been once though (last year). I’d love to go again this year but doubt I’ll get too since hotels cost money and all.

What is your dream convention to attend?
At the moment, my dream convention to attend would be Colossalcon (assuming you can still pay to spend time with big cat cubs like lion and tiger cubs!). I just want to pet the big kitties. :D

Do you have any horror stories or mistakes you've made that other's can learn from?
Don't leave a styrofoam ball you're painting in the garage. The boyfriend might drive the car on top of it without seeing it and your ball will melt. I had originally attempted to make a blue glowy ball to accompany my Maya (Borderlands 2) cosplay, but it kept going wrong so I made a gun instead lol. There’s a lot more! This was just my first major “facepalm moment”.

Do you have any tips or words of encouragement for other cosplayers?
​Two things:

1) You are the only one who can set limits on yourself. Don't be afraid of cosplaying certain characters or making certain modifications because you're afraid of what people will think. It’s your cosplay, your work of art, so you do it the way you want it! :)

2) Think outside the box. Junk can be so useful. I’ve used a bunch of weird stuff for my cosplays. My Maya class mod (Borderlands 2) contains an old bra strap that I painted. I also used a box of dominoes when doing my power pack for Lilith (Borderlands 2) so I could have easy access to turn the LEDs on and off. I honestly love wandering in dollar stores and looking if I can find cheap things I could use.

​Do you have anything else you want to say, or add to this interview?
Breezeeweezee is awesome~!!! But if you're reading this, you already know that! :D

Where can we find you on all things social?
​If I’m on it, I’m Zeveelia lol.
Facebook
Deviant Art
YouTube (basically me singing in cosplay)
Cosplay Amino: Zeveelia
Instagram: @Zeveelia
Tumblr: @Zeveelia
Twitter: @Zeveelia
​There's probably others but I mainly use Facebook, Amino and Instagram. :)

That wraps up an amazing interview with Zeveelia, and if you liked what you found out about this talented artist, then I definitely suggest you go support her on all things social.

​If there is a talented cosplayer you think deserves a feature, or you just want to know more about, feel free to mention them in the comments!

​*kiss kiss*