Featured Cosplayer: Knightess Rouge

Batgirl is a character I tend to see often at conventions, though I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cosplay as great as Natascha (who goes by Knightess Rouge on her Facebook fan page) who is a huge fan of Barbara Gordon and has one of the best Batgirl costumes I’ve ever seen. She was kind enough to donate some of her time to chat about her cosplay, The Walking Dead, and Star Wars.

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Hi! My name is Natascha and I am 24 years old. I live in Germany, but I am actually half Polish, half German. Comicbooks, Tolkien’s works and Star Wars are probably my biggest loves, but I am also a big fan of things like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, & Metal Gear Solid. I started sewing about six years ago, but I’ve never done a Superhero costume and especially not such a big project before. Batgirl was the beginning of a long and exciting journey I guess.

2. How long have you been cosplaying as Batgirl?

I finished my Batgirl costume in August 2012. Only five months ago, but is has been a wonderful journey and I still can’t believe all the things that have happened in the past few months.

3. How long did it take you to make your suit?

I started planning & gathering material information in December 2011, but the actual work (sewing) started in March 2012. I know it seems like a really long time (March to August), but since I am no professional seamstress it took me a while to make the things how I wanted them to be. I made three different suits in that time and experimented with different materials until I was satisfied with the results. Since I am a University student my time is also limited and there were weeks where I couldn’t work on it at all. To be honest I didn’t even expect to ever finish this project. I’m really happy today.

4. What made you want to start cosplaying as Batgirl?

Well, Barbara Gordon was my childhood heroine. She wasn’t only someone I found “cool”, but she was kind of an inspiration and I really wanted to be her when I was small. Of course as a child you don’t have the resources to make such a costume, and so I put that thought away and didn’t dig it out until I grew older. However, I didn’t dare to start the project until last year, because I didn’t feel ready to pull off such a costume.

5. Being a Star Wars fan, is there any interest to cosplay (or cross-play) any of the characters?

A huge interest! I have an almost finished Princess Leia Senatorial Gown costume here and I wish to do all of her outfits (except for Slave Leia) someday. I’d also love to make a Padmé and a Mara Jade costume. Star Wars is really an exciting subject, because the costumes are made out of so many different materials. I can’t wait to start one of these challenges! To see Star Wars costumes always makes me me feel warm and fuzzy, because I have so many wonderful memories of the movies.

6. You’ve kept us updated on Facebook of your upcoming Miss Martian cosplay and it looks great! Do you have any other future characters in mind?

Thank you so much! Unfortunately I didn’t have any time yet to take some proper pictures of the costume, but I really hope to do that soon. She’s such a wonderful and deep character and I’m so glad many agree. For the future I have many characters in mind. Right now I am working on the Silver Age Batgirl costume, a Mera (Aquaman’s wife) costume and a Dove (Hawk & Dove) costume. Mera and Dove are among my most favourite characters ever and I’m so excited I finally have the chance to make their costumes. I got the fabric for Mera’s costume many months ago, but I only started this month with the costume. To my surprise I was able to finish it faster than expected. For next month I already have a few new plans. One of them will be Jennifer-Lynn Hayden (Jade). Also one of the characters that are really dear to me. I’m still unsure about the rest, because my plans always depend on the fabric offer available in the time I visit fabric shops.

7. You are a fan of the Walking Dead; do you prefer the comic books or show? Who is your favorite character?

Honestly I prefer the comic books, but I am also a big fan of the show. In the comic book my favourite characters were Glenn, Andrea, and I also really like Michonne, because she’s so different and strong. For the TV show…before season three my favourite characters were Shane and Daryl. I could understand Shane’s thoughts and emotions pretty well and Jon Bernthal did a fantastic job in portraying him. I loved him until the very end. Now in season three Daryl is still the top (surprise, surprise), but I also grew very fond of Glenn and Maggie, whom I didn’t like at all in season two of the TV series. Did you play the The Walking Dead game? Now THAT was amazing. I am looking forward to Season two of the game!

8. Is there any advice you’d like to offer to beginners?

Just get started! You don’t need to have any experiences if you want to start costuming. Those things come during the process. Take an old shirt, rip the seams apart and sew it back together. Get a feeling for your sewing machine and for shapes. If you fail, don’t worry, the next thing you make will be better. Sewing is only practice, practice, practice. The more you make, the better you get. Just never be scared and give it a try. If you’re unsure I’d advise to buy similar looking clothing, rip the seams, learn about the shape and then try to draw your own pattern and use it as a base. I promise you’ll have lots of fun during the process and be even happier in the end. There are also tons of forums about superhero costuming, which could be a help for you. Also don’t be scared to ask someone for advice. Most people will be happy to share their experiences with others. We all have to start somewhere, but the love for our favourite characters drives us further and will be what counts in the end.

For more photos, visit Knightess Rouge on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KnightessRouge and ‘like’ her!