Four years ago, s younger sisters press-ganged her into attending 聽(taking place this year Nov. 10-12).
鈥淚 told them I鈥檇 only go if they bought me a ticket and made my costume. And they did,鈥� the Vancouverite says.
The sisters decided to dress up as the Baratheon brothers from Game of Thrones, with Marielle as Robert 鈥撀爐he fat, drunk king, complete with fake beard and metal chainmail handmade by her youngest sister.
The fun they had, and the reactions they received, were all Fox needed to dive head first into the world of cosplay.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about being a fan of something and wanting to wear it on my sleeve and connect with people who like the same thing,鈥� she says.聽 鈥淵ou put so much time into the thing you鈥檙e engrossed in, then other people say, 鈥業 recognize that 鈥� you did a great job and I love that thing too.鈥欌��
Fox鈥檚 costumes are not only tributes to the characters she loves, but also works of art: elaborate, intricate and beautiful, and with her own spin 鈥撀爁aithful, but not replicas.
鈥淵ou always think everything you do is crap and everyone else is better so you push yourself to do the next thing. As an artist, if you feel like you鈥檝e made it and you鈥檙e the best, you lose your drive and perhaps your work reflects that,鈥� she says.
Most of her works are inspired by videogame characters (she works in the industry as an artist). Her process starts with research.
鈥淚 find as much art as I can, then I鈥檒l stare at the images 鈥撀爑sually on my commute to work 鈥撀燼nd break the costume down in my mind. I鈥檒l go by materials: everything that鈥檚 made of leather, can I make the gloves, boot covers and belts? Then I move on: How about these gauntlets or these pieces of leg armour? If I can visualize it, I鈥檒l be fine,鈥� she says.
Making it, wearing it
Making the costume takes around three months 鈥撀爑p to 100 hours over evenings and weekends, working at the kitchen table, moulding plastic, sewing, sanding, cutting and painting, sometimes re-making elements several times before they鈥檙e right.
Fox is mostly self-taught via internet tutorials posted by fellow cosplayers.
鈥淭he cosplay community is huge and extremelysupportive; if you ever need advice or ideas, other cosplayers are usually happy to help,鈥� she says.
The art doesn鈥檛 stop with making the costume: There鈥檚 also the performance element of wearing it and embodying the character.
Marielle goes to events like gaming festival PAX in Seattle and San Diego Comic Con, where she finds the majority of cosplayers are women.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this huge community of women who like costumes. It sucks if your game or movie is popular but you only have one female character. When I look around at conventions I see a lot of women cosplaying the same character 鈥撀燼 lot of Harley Quinns,鈥� she says.
The atmosphere at conventions is positive, but things can be different online.
鈥淚鈥檝e certainly received hatred because I make male characters,鈥� she says. 鈥淭here was one time I made a costume more feminine and incorporated elements from older versions of the character. I wanted to make it my own because that鈥檚 the creative process.
鈥淚 was proud of it so I posted an image on Reddit and got people telling me I should stick to cosplaying female characters. People can be so defensive of the thing they like that if they see you trying to change it, they get personally offended.鈥�
What happens next
Once a costume has been worn, it goes into storage.
鈥淚 rarely wear stuff again.聽Halloween is a great excuse to get a costume out,鈥� Fox says. 鈥淚鈥檓 an emotional person to begin with, so when I look at an old costume I remember what a good time I had wearing it. If I get rid of one, if feels like I鈥檓 getting rid of the memory.鈥�
Her last event was in September and she鈥檚 just started to think about what to do next.
鈥淚 have an idea bubbling away from a game called , which is probably my favourite right now. It鈥檚 a giant, Satanic man called Doom. It鈥檚 a little bit insane, like nothing I鈥檝e tried before. I鈥檇 have to make a different kind of foot. He has wings, and his sword is on fire. The mask is a big skull with ram horns,鈥� she says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a lot bigger 鈥撀爌hysically and mentally 鈥� than anything I鈥檝e done before. But I can look at it and break down the pieces. That鈥檚 the scary part 鈥撀爐his is ambitious but ... maybe I can actually do this. I think I鈥檓 going to do it.鈥�
Just cos
Essential skills: 鈥淣othing about costume making takes a specific talent or expertise 鈥� it just takes time. If you don鈥檛 know how to work with a material or how to sew, give yourself the time, and learn. Sometimes your costume won鈥檛 fit properly, or pieces will break. Don鈥檛 let it defeat you; use it as an opportunity to learn something new and get better.鈥�
Material musts: 鈥�For armour, you can use foam floor mats and buy packages of those cheap at Home Depot. For some projects I use specialty foam that鈥檚 denser and better for sanding and comes in different thicknesses. I usually buy that from tntcosplaysupply.com. There鈥檚 a material called Worbla I use a lot 鈥撀爄t鈥檚 a plastic that you mould with a heat gun. It鈥檚 great for people who are starting out. The place to buy it locally is Coast Fiber-Tek on Boundary Road, which stocks a lot of crafting and costuming materials for beginners or experts.鈥�
Getting started: 鈥�Look up the online tutorials and books from Kamui Cosplay. Lots of talented cosplayers and costume-makers post their work and process online and you can follow their progress on Instagram. Some of my other favourite creators are , , and .鈥澛�
Marielle Fox is on Instagram as
