The Punderful Princess: Mink the Satyr Cosplay Pt 1
7 Minute Read
Dec 6 2018
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A purvayor of Puns. A cosplay artist who combines not only excellent craftsmanship, but a whimsical nature that adds wit and elegance to her works. This week we feature Mink the Satyr, the Siren of Sarcasm and Stitchery. Enjoy!
Gastly (Pokemon) – Photography by Magenta Fantasy Photography
How did you get your start in cosplay? How long have you been creating your projects? What inspires you to work in the cosplay realm?
I often tell people that I came into cosplay through “a back door”. I had gotten my start making plushies for sale on an art site called deviantart. I did that for a few years in college. From there I began making costumes for my theater group, then later for the LARP (live action role playing game) that I attended. It wasn’t until I was already quite the seasoned seamstress and armor maker that I finally tried my hand at cosplay! The most inspiring thing in the cosplay realm is the cosplayers! I am constantly bowled over by how amazingly talented people from all over the world can be! I’m so lucky that I have been able to meet some of my heroes in the industry over the years. Seeing what others have done fuels my fire to push myself further and try new techniques and design builds!
What is your strongest construction aspect?
In cosplay, my strongest skills are in fabric and leatherwork. These are the skills I have over 13 years of costume work under my belt in. Of course, I would also say that, if my cosplay crafting skills were a Dungeons and Dragons character sheet, I put all my character points into speed. I work very quickly and flit like a hummingbird from task to task to complete a cosplay. I tend not to work on a cosplay for longer than 2 weeks before I get bored. So I need to spend up to 10 or so hours each day during those 2 weeks to make sure I get it done! My fastest cosplay? I made a Meowth costume from Pokemon in 24 hours: from first sketch to fabric shopping to final stitch. That was a doozy, but it was a fun challenge to see if I could do it!
Goldeen (Pokemon) – Photography by Chez PhotosWhat is your favorite type of cosplay work to do?
I love working on cosplay that has a secret joke or pun embedded in it. I love working extra hard on a costume to incorporate details literally no one will (nor should) notice. In August 2018, I made a cosplay mashup of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Pokemon’s Weepinbell. I called the creation WeepinBELLE. It was basically the Belle ballgown but with Weepinbell’s face. The eyes of Weepinbell also hid a secret. Each black eye was actually 5 silhouettes of Weepinbell embroidered in a circle shape. From afar, it looks like a pupil. But once you get 5 inches from the dress, you can see the eyeballs for what they really are!
What are your favorite completed projects, or your most popular?
My favorite completed costumes are ones that I pulled out all the stops for (or emptied my pockets for)! I made two cosplays over the last two years that fit that billing and are by far my most popular cosplays. The first is a Ninetales cosplay based on fanart of the character from Pokemon. It was my first armor build, but I build it entirely from leather and faux-fur. My second favorite costume is of Aloy from the game Horizon: Zero Dawn. I worked the most number of hours on that costume building it from the ground up using real furs, leathers, linens, silks, etc to make the costume look as authentic as possible. I even hired a custom cosplay wig company, Hero Hair, to make me a wig build just for me to match the character design. I think it’s the costume I feel the most powerful in.
Meowth (Pokemon) – Photography by Amie E
What material is your favorite to work with?
I think my favorite material to work in is fleece. I make a lot of cosplay hoodies on the side both for friends/giveaways and for commissions. Fleece is a very forgiving and cozy material. I can make a hat in about half an hour and a crop top hoodie in about 90 minutes. It always delights me when I try a new technique using fleece and it comes out just right. I think I feel the most confident using this material since it’s what I got my start in when I was making stuffed animals. Making fleece cosplay hoodies combines all the best aspects of plushie making and costume making. It’s like I’m turning myself into a plushie!
What do you do with your time outside of Cosplay? Any special skills or experiences?
What do I do with my time outside of cosplay? What time?
Just kidding! When I am not teaching, between the months of September to June, I am an elementary special education teacher. I suppose one might call my teaching my “special skill”. I love my students and I can write an evaluation report like nobody’s business! I love the diagnostic element of special education: determining how a student learns best, developing curriculum that targets those strengths, then implementing that program in a data-driven way. Report cards are due soon, so I’ve stepped back from cosplay this week so that I can make sure I put all my focus on working hard for my students!
Despite my full-time teaching job, I still work “full time” on cosplay too, I just work 6 hour days AFTER my 7 hour work day. Sleep is for suckers! (I kid, I kid! – I love my naps!) I am also a member of the Society for Creative Anachronisms, or SCA. This is an international medieval historical recreation group. And of course, when I’m not cosplaying, gaming, LARPing, or sleeping, I am attending conventions or arranging photoshoots so I can share my cosplay with folks online who I wouldn’t otherwise be able to meet in person. Right now, cosplay is one of the major priorities in my life. It brings me so much joy and affords me so many opportunities I wouldn’t otherwise have.
WeepinBELLE (Pokemon/Beauty and the Beast) – Photography by Amie E
What are your favorite fandoms? Favorite characters?
I am so mercurial when it comes to fandoms. I go from fandom to fandom without stopping for breath! For video games, I’m obviously a die-hard pokemon fan! I like American cartoons like Avatar, Steven Universe, and Hilda (I just finished watching it on Netflix). I also enjoy anime! My favorite anime of all time is Cowboy Bebop, but I also enjoy lighthearted anime like Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid. I just finished watching Megalo Box, which is dearly underrated and I strongly recommend it! Outside of that, I will always be a supporter of science fiction shows like Firefly, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. As long as it can balance seriousness with a good laugh, I’m a fan of it!
What kind of games do you play? Videogames? Tabletop? Wargames?
I play all kinds of games! I like watching my partner play games on our Playstation, but I enjoy my casual gameboy games too. I’m currently playing Animal Crossing on my DS. My partner and I just finished playing the Steam game, The Return of the Obra Dinn, which is a point-and-click game. Point-and-Click are among my favorite kinds of games. I prefer games with a good story. I enjoy board games too! I went to the board game convention GenCon in the summer of 2018 and picked up a copy of Good Critters and Professor Evil and the Citadel of Time. Both of them are delightful games to play with friends! I am sad to say I have not been doing as much table top roleplaying as I used to. I’m still a part of an ongoing Dungeons and Dragons game (we were playing 4th Edition, for those who are curious), though we only game a handful of times a year. I am also an active LARPer. I LARP at a fantasy game called Tales of Valor in western, MA. I play, of all things, a satyr! Named Mink! That’s where I got my cosplay name from!
Zubat (Pokemon) – Photography by Amie E
What are your social media/website links? Where can we find you?
Oh boy, I’m all over social media! Here’s my list!
www.patreon.com/minkthesatyr
www.facebook.com/minkthesatyr
www.patreon.com/minkthesatyr
www.facebook.com/minkthesatyr
Ninetales (Pokemon) – Photography by Colin Gray
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
Aloy (Horizon: Zero Dawn), Zubat, Meowth, Seaking (Pokemon), WeepinBELLE (Pokemon/Beauty and the Beast) – Photography by Amie E
Ninetales (Pokemon) – Photography by Colin Gray
Gastly (Pokemon) – Photography by Magenta Fantasy Photography
Goldeen (Pokemon) – Photography by Chez Photos
~Join us next week for more Cosplay! Coverage~
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Author: Jennifer Larsen
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