Curiosities of Cosplay: Snips

Uncertainty can cause even the most experienced artist to pause at the threshold of a new project. A detail seemingly small to one creator can intimidate another, and oftentimes just the right inspiration is needed to push an artist out of their comfort zone. The Ishgardian Temple Knights second-in-command Lucia Junius seemed a perfect project for CosSnips, a cosplayer with well over a decade of large builds under her belt, but it wasn’t until a close friend declared her intention to cosplay Aymeric de Borel that Snips finally decided to take the plunge. The hardest part for Snips now might just be settling on which XIV character to cosplay next, but the success of her stunning Lucia and Panthean armor is a pretty strong start.

What drew you to cosplay Lucia?

Snips: At first, I didn’t plan to cosplay Lucia. I really liked her design, but her chain mail and her hairstyle scared me. When I discovered that a friend was going to cosplay Aymeric, I just came to her and said something like, “OK, if you’re cosplaying Aymeric, then I will cosplay Lucia!”

And this was how everything has started, haha. I think I would have never dared cosplay Lucia if I wasn’t motivated by a duo because her design is really challenging (big armor, many details, hairstyle, chain mail…).

Cosplay armor has a tendency to appear flat and non-dimensional when painted plain silver or gold. Your paint job on your Lucia armor has an exquisite texture. I wouldn’t liken it to the wear and tear cosplayers often employ on clothing and leather to make them seem realistically aged and worn, but rather to the actual texture of real iron armor. Iron doesn’t have the same shine as silver; in fact it’s often quite dull. Do you study any real-life examples of armor when creating cosplays like Lucia to have a better idea of how to bring a character’s armor to life?

Snips: Thanks for the kind words! I won’t say that I study real-life examples of armor but I’m always looking at the work of others cosplayers who have done similar armors (in terms of colors, for example, and in my case silver armors) to see if I can find some inspiration in the techniques they used.

Most of the FFXIV armors have a shiny and “smooth” look. I like to add a more realistic touch when I’m painting my armors. For example, I always create shadows around my details so it gives relief. It also gives more depth to the final look.

The choice of paints and varnish is also important: First, for silver armor, I always do a black undercoat (it helps to give an aged look). Second, I use iridescent paints, which are already a bit shiny. When I’m done with the paint job, I use a spray varnish with a shiny finish; I’ve always preferred sprays because it’s easier to do uniform layers of varnish.

The varnish I chose for Lucia is so efficient that I’m reflecting a bit too much the sunlight during photoshoots (but it looks so good!). So to conclude on this question, what’s important (for me) is: 1) To look around you to see how cosplayers are working with similar colors, 2) Use the right paints and varnish, 3) Use techniques which match with the final look you want.

I mention the sometimes obscene amount of detail in XIV outfits a lot, something that Lucia’s armor is hardly lacking. You had to pattern, cut, and construct countless design outlines and minutiae for her armor, but all that detailing makes the final product absolutely stunning. In comparison, Lucia’s sword is seemingly simple in design, but you mentioned that it gave  you some trouble. What are some challenges simple designs pose that more complicated ones do not? How did you work through those with Lucia’s sword?

Snips: Simple designs have less details, so my builds have to be as clean as possible. In more complicated designs, I can use some details to hide some things on the base piece of my armor part (such as the joint between two foam pieces). Of course, that doesn’t mean that I’m not being careful with how clean my armor parts should be when I’m working on complicated designs.

What was hard with Lucia’s sword was the blade: I had to make something thin, clean, upright (my nightmare is to have a blade which bends), regular, robust, and which reproduced the thin edge in the center of the blade. I first tried to make the blade out of EVA foam with a thickness of 2mm (to have a thin blade), but the result was absolutely awful. Because the foam was really thin, I had a very irregular blade. So I chose to make the blade with EVA foam with a thickness of 5mm instead. In the end, the blade was a bit more thinner than I wanted but it looks so much better.

If I had to resume my work on Lucia’s sword it would be like this: Try, fail, retry (change techniques and/or materials), succeed (it sounds like some Savage prog in Final Fantasy XIV, ahah!).

You’ve been constructing large armor cosplays since at least as early as 2015. With your portfolio ranging in everything from Monster Hunter to Fire Emblem to Granblue, and now FFXIV, what do you look for in an armor design when deciding what to cosplay next? What sorts of designs or challenges draw you in?

Snips: In reality, I’ve been constructing large armor cosplays since 2010-2011, but I have almost never shared pics of my first armor cosplays (except in some Instagram stories).

In an armor design, I’m looking at the colors (I have a deep love for golden armors), the shapes, the style, and the amount of details, but I’m also looking at the character who wears the armor. I can choose to not make an armor because I know that the character won’t suit me so that is part of the reason why I will make an armor or not.

I have a big preference for fantasy designs which are full of beautiful details and colors, and Final Fantasy XIV and Granblue Fantasy offer exactly what I’m looking for in terms of fantasy designs. I also like to challenge myself, so I’m trying to look for designs which will me make try new things. Lucia is a perfect example of challenge: her armor had some complicated shapes and her design challenged me a lot for the wig and her fabric part in particular. I’ve tried new techniques and to surpass myself and this is what makes me so proud of her cosplay.

Cosplayers often have the challenge of scaling an armor or outfit from a video game character who has inhuman body proportions when removed from the game’s style and observed objectively. How do you approach patterning armor from a fictional character so that you are achieving the shapes and proportions you want while still fitting you comfortably?

Snips: Over time and after ten years of cosplay and armors, I’ve creating my own base patterns at my size for each part of an armor (legs, arms, breastplate) so when I’m working on a new armor, I use my base patterns and then, modify them according to the design of the armor. Having a base make things easier when you’re working on your patterns and it saves time.

When I have to create complete new patterns, I’m starting by taking the measurements I need and then I just… draw my pattern. I first draw a rough pattern to check if the size and the main shape is correct, then I refine the shape of the pattern. I don’t use a software or something like this to scale the armor from the game to my own proportions. I think I can say that over time and with experience, I have an eye to tell if the scaling is correct on me.

Your WIP photos show the many small foam pieces that go into each piece of armor, but the seams where these pieces fit together on the finished product are practically flawless. The smooth finish is a testament to your precision when cutting the pieces, as well as your drafting and finishing skills. I have to imagine that building these pieces takes incredible patience; can you talk about the lessons you’ve learned throughout your cosplay experience (whether that be resources you use or skills you’ve learned) that have formed the foundation for your current armor-making process? 

Snips: The first thing I’ve learned in my cosplay experience and in the crafting of armors was the materials I should use. I spent hours on forums looking for information and looking at the work of some cosplayers. This is how I’ve discovered foam.

Bu when I started to build my first armors between 2010 and 2012, I was thinking that every part of an armor should be in only one piece (like in my reference pictures)  so I was looking for techniques to achieve this (in the end, it just made me crazy because I was making things more difficult than they should). Then, I’ve discovered the website of Gyakuyoga, a Japanese cosplayer (http://www.gyakuyoga.com/) which offered many tutorials about armor making and it changes everything about how to pattern armor’s parts with complex shapes. Learning how to create curves in particular has been a big level up for me. When friends are asking me tips about armor making, this is one of  the first things I’m teaching them. Once you understand how to create basic shapes, you can create more complex things and this is awesome!

2015 has been a big year as well in terms of improvements. This year, I’ve discovered Kamui Cosplay, a German cosplayer very popular today for her tutorials and her incredible craftsmanship skills, and one of her video tutorials about armor painting. Thanks to this video, I’ve improved my painting skills a lot. The paint job is also something really important because this is what gives life to an armor.

Learning how to create shapes and how to do a good paint job are the two key points that have formed the foundation of my current armor-making process.

Besides the improvement of skill that comes naturally from honing your craft, what other perspectives have you gained that you believe make you a more skilled cosplayer now than you were when you started?

Snips: Cosplay is not only about crafting armors. For years, I didn’t want to wear a wig or makeup. I was always telling to myself “My character doesn’t wear any makeup, why should I bother about this?”. But it was of course an error because a good wig and a good makeup truly change everything in my opinion.

During my first years of cosplay, I was always choosing characters with the same hair color as me but in the end, I was too limited. I wore my first wig in 2014 but of course, I didn’t style it, ahah. I only started to style my wigs and to work my makeup in 2016 I think? It was not really good, but it was a start. I think I’ve started to really work on those two points at the end of 2019/start of 2020, when I started to do cosplay duos with a person who has become really important to me today. Working in duo has stimulated me A LOT and helped me to not focus only on craft.

I’ve also learnt a lot about posing. Until 2018, I went only at cons but I never did photo shoots outside them. When a photographer offered me to do one in beautiful castle, it was great opportunity for me to improve my posing skills. With the absence of cons during 2020-2021 (due to the health crisis we all know), I chose to do more photo shoots outside and I’ve also discovered a passion to find authentic places which fit with the cosplay I want to immortalize. As of today, I managed to do photo shoots in incredible locations such as castles, abbeys and a church and I have no regrets when I see the wonderful pics I have of my costumes now. I’m really thankful to all the people who contribute to these photo shoots (cosplayers, photographers, helpers, managers of the locations…).

With your impressive history of armor-making, are there other aspects of cosplay crafting you’d like to focus on in the future to continue growing your crafting skills?

Snips: I’ve always wanted to include lights in my armors but I need motivation and a project to achieve this, ahah. At the time I’m more focus on learning sewing, which is a huge weak point for me since I’ve started cosplay and I really need to improve this. I have always been helped by my mother when I had some things to sew but I just want to be independent of her help now.

In terms of crafting skills, I also would like to improve my skills at using an airbrush. I have one since more than a  year, I used it for one of my Granblue Fantasy armors but I have not been convinced by what I’ve done with it. When I saw what a friend managed to do with her airbrush (incredible paint jobs), I have come to think that I was probably not using correctly my airbrush so this is something I should focus as well.

What part of your cosplay are you particularly proud of?

Snips: For Lucia, I would say the wig: this part was the most challenging for me because wig styling is something on which I really have to improve and Lucia’s hairstyle was… unique? Very short hair and a long, big strand at the front, I had to think carefully about which kind of wig I should use as a base.

In the end, I chose a short lacefront wig and bought a pack of short wefts. Styling the wig took me so many hours and hairspray! Sewing the wefts on the wig was particularly difficult (my fingers suffered during the process, ahah!) but I didn’t give up. Taking up this challenge helped to feel more confident about wig styling.

For the Panthean set of Aiming, I’m particularly proud of the legs (not only the legs part but the whole legs which includes the thighs, the knees, the legs and the feet). I really like the design of this part. The amount of details on the knees was kinda huge (there were more details here than on the thighs or the legs) and it took so much time just to draw the details for my patterns, then to cut everything. The paint job was also a bit tricky: every detail, every border or relief on the armor had a lighter shade of gold than the base one. This was something really subtle and getting the exact shade was more complicated than I thought because just mixing my base gold with white paint was definitely not the solution (the shade I got was ugly). Managing to reproduce how the armor is looking in game was really satisfying.

Do you have a favorite memory of wearing your cosplay?

Snips: I have so much good memories of wearing my cosplay! It is really hard to choose only one as a favorite. I think that meeting Final Fantasy XIV at Japan Expo (the biggest con in France about pop culture) is one of my favorite. The FFXIV community is really incredible: you can feel people’s passion when they speak about the game and FFXIV cosplays. I had the opportunity to discuss with FFXIV fans at Japan Expo and it was so interesting to speak about their experience with the game or the last content for example. It was not just “Hello, can I take a picture please and goodbye”, it was a real moment of dialogue and sharing.

And because I can’t choose only one memory, I also would like to speak about the cosplay contest at Japan Expo (which was last July)  in which I competed with my duo as Lucia and Aymeric. It was a very intense day for my friend and I, first because it was our first contest since several years and because of all the events of the day.

I was soooo stressed before our performance that I almost fainted in the backstage (in addition, the heat and almost not being able to sit didn’t help) but I felt so much excitement when the music on stage has started. The moments of share with contestants and the judges were something I liked a lot as well because everyone was caring, ready to give tips and all so the atmosphere was really friendly.

Finally, winning the first place for the costume group category has been like an achievement for my friend and me. We spent SO MUCH time on our costumes (with pain and blood tears ahah) that winning meant a lot for us. All these memories make me want to cosplay even more from Final Fantasy XIV!

Any future FFXIV cosplay plans?

Snips: To be honest I have many FFXIV cosplans but not enough time to make them all, ahah. For 2023 I have planned to cosplay Ser Adelphel de Chevraudan, one of the 12 knights of the Heavens’ Ward with a group. At first, this group was only a joke between friends but then, things have become really serious and it’s really awesome to materialize a project like this. I also have FFXIV cosplays started several months ago but not finished (due to a lack of motivation): I have to finish Fordola and the Genji gear set of striking one day.

I currently have some FFXIV cosplans in mind in particular for 2023 in addition of Adelphel but since I’m not 100% sure (and because each new FFXIV patch means possible new cosplans), I won’t tell more about them.

Tell us a bit about yourself in-game and how you got into FFXIV!

Snips: Oof that’s a long story! In 2020, a cosplay photographer offered me to make a photoshoot with a character who had an eastern style (he was thinking of something like Mulan at first) so I looked for a design and I’ve discovered Final Fantasy XIV. I was interested in the design of the Genji set and chose to make the set of striking.

After I announced this armor as a cosplan, some cosplayers told me that I should try FFXIV but at first I didn’t have a big interest in the game itself (what a shame, ahah). It’s only when a cosplay friend offered me to be my referrer for the “Recruit a friend” campaign that I accepted to try the game and now, I’m deep into it! I’m really thankful to this person because I love FFXIV so much. It is such a great adventure!

In game I’m playing a female Au Ra and if I should describe how I am in-game I would say that I’m a free electron. I refuse to enter a free company for this reason: not that I don’t like playing with people but I like doing my things (leveling, crafting, housing, extreme and savage contents) without having any obligation towards a free company. It may sounds a bit radical but I’m satisfied with this. I like to play with friends as well for some occasions.

I main Red Mage in raids and summoner in dungeons in general but I also like to play Machinist a lot. For now I have to level my tanks and omg… it’s cool but it’s really stressful for me (and don’t even speak about healing to me, too much responsibilities, ahah). So I’m half a solo and a group player in-game but in any case, I always have a great time when I’m playing!

You can find SnipsCos, aka Snips, in-game on Ragnarok (Chaos) as Calaan Wynfiel, or check out her Twitter and Instagram!