Welcome to the first in a series of TEN interviews, each featuring one of Cosplay & Coffee’s official Instagram page models! Each of these girls offer incredibly well-crafted and stunning cosplays, so here is your chance to get to know them a little better.
So for our first introduction, allow us to welcome Christina Mcdaniel from @christinamcdanielofficial. She is a gorgeous mom, cosplayer, and and whose Elektra Cosplay will blow your mind.
Cosplay&Coffee: What do you find the most difficult about cosplaying?
Christina Mcdaniel: I am not a very good seamstress yet. I just started learning how to sew in the last year or so. I used to commission everything. I am also learning about makeup. Thanks to YouTube and all my local cosplay senpais who have helped me out in all categories.
Cosplay&Coffee: What conventions are you going to this year? Any big cosplay releases you can tell us about?
CM: So far, I am attending the big ones locally (Anime Matsuri, Delta H Con, Comicpalooza, and OniCon) as well as DragonCon. I am trying to work out going to some other Texas conventions, but budget and babysitters for my 3 kiddos have held me back.
As far as big cosplay releases, I am working on several. Most of my cosplays stay secret to Patreon before revealing to other social media, but there is one that was sponsored by The Nerdery that I will be wearing to Anime Matsuri. It is Meiko from Prison School. I’m super excited for that one. I just got all the costume pieces in from online and just have to try everything on and make alterations when I finally have time.
Cosplay&Coffee: What do you do in your free time?
CM: I am a mom by day and waitress at a bar by night. Cosplayer in between. When I have down time, I’m either working on a cosplay project, putting together a themed photo shoot for my cosplayer and photographer group that I’m in charge of, or watching k-dramas. K-dramas are life right now.
Cosplay&Coffee: Do you make your own cosplays?
CM: I try to make as much as I can. Since my skills aren’t 100% awesome yet, sometimes I commission. I also will purchase pre-made leotards and alter them since it’s way easier and sometimes cheaper than doing it myself. The reality is budget. Sometimes it’s cheaper to make it. Sometimes it’s cheaper to purchase. I typically go with what’s cheaper since my cosplay budget is so small right now.
Cosplay&Coffee: If you could be famous for one thing, what would it be?
CM: I am a singer, so being famous for that would be super. But, I kind of gave up on that long ago because I’m just getting older and it’s getting harder to make that a reality. I will be focusing this summer on making a voice actress portfolio and trying to make that happen. I never thought of doing it until my boys told me how much they loved it when I did different voices when singing or reading to them. They love my impressions as well. I do a pretty accurate Pikachu 😉
“The good thing about cosplay is that it has helped me to love myself more.”
Cosplay&Coffee: Do you ever feel self-conscious while cosplaying?
CM: Once in a while. I used to be self-conscious all the time. The good thing about cosplay is that it has helped me to love myself more. I used to have terrible low self esteem that stemmed from all the teasing I got in school growing up and at home from family. Now I have learned that I can only worry about making myself happy. It’s been a hard road that has opened up more recently. I feel way better about myself and can be more confident for the first time in my life.
Cosplay&Coffee: What’s your favorite fandom to cosplay for? (Harry Potter, a certain video game, Disney, etc)
CM: I’m a Marvel girl. If it’s Marvel, most likely I’m in love with it. More specifically X-men. I grew up watching that show every Saturday morning. Then I got into the comics and learned everything I could about them. I have plans for way more X-men cosplays and need to re-do some of my older ones that I did when I first started cosplay.
Cosplay&Coffee: What motivates you to cosplay?
CM: I will watch a movie or read something or see a fanart and say to myself “I wanna make that” or “I wanna wear that” and that’s how it all starts. Sometimes I just fall in love with a character and just have to embody the character as soon as I possibly can. Sometimes it’s just the outfit that I think looks really cool. Also, I get inspired by my fellow local cosplay friends. We do a monthly photo shoot together with a different theme each month. It stretches our creativity and allows us to think outside the box since it’s not always cosplay.
Cosplay&Coffee: Have you brought any friends or family into the cosplay world?
CM: Oh yeah. One of us. One of us. One of us! LOL. Usually they see my photos and say “that would be so cool to do that” and I tell them “why don’t you?” then it takes off from there. I have let friends borrow my costumes to get started. Usually, once you wear one and experience the community or a photo shoot, you’re hooked. It’s fun. It’s freeing. It allows you to be crazy little nerdy self for a little bit.
Cosplay&Coffee: And finally, because this is Cosplay & Coffee, how do you take your coffee?
CM: I drink my coffee with creamer (typically a mocha flavor of some sort) and sugar. This does not help my fitness routine at all, but it’s my guilty pleasure.
Be sure to follow Christina on social media. See her links and her cosplay gallery below 😉
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