Cosplayer of the Week: Silly Penguin Cosplay

Hey friends! We have a great cosplayer for you! She is a homie of mine that I previously thought that U had never met before but realized while going through old photos that I actually had met her! This is Silly Penguin Cosplay and she is one of the sweetest people I have ever had the chance to talk within my life! She does fantastic cosplays that range from Star Wars to Marvel and everything in between!

I hope you enjoy!

The Geek Lyfe: There may be a few Geek Lyfers who have not seen your work before, would you be alright introducing yourself?

Silly Penguin Cosplay: Hi, there! I’m Silly Penguin Cosplay, a 24-year-old Arizona based cosplayer. I guess it would be safe to say I specialize in Star Wars costumes and aliens.

TGL: How long have you been into cosplay and what led you down this path?

SPC: I’ve always loved dressing up! When I was a tiny little kid, maybe four years old or so, my grandma made me a tiger costume for Halloween. It was really just a onesie with a tail, but I begged my mom to let me wear it all year round.

As for “real” cosplay, the first time I put on a costume and attended a Con was in 2013. But before that, I had no idea cosplay even existed until I stumbled upon a Mass Effect cosplay group that did silly little videos on YouTube. Turns out it was led by Commander Holly Conrad (you may remember her from the TV show Heroes of Cosplay). The more research I did, the more I fell in love with the idea of cosplaying. I fall in love with characters and absorb as much info as I can about them, so dressing up and becoming those characters just seemed like the perfect next step!

TGL:  What has been your favorite moment?

SPC: I think my most favorite moment in costume was the day I won the Veteran Class cosplay contest at Game On Expo and got proposed to, on stage, at the same time. I was nervous for the contest, but turns out my boyfriend was nervous for a whole different reason!

TGL:  What was the worst day for you in your cosplay career, what happened, and how did you deal with it?

SPC: You’re always going to have off days, you know? It just happens. But I think my worst day ever was at Star Wars Celebration 7.

We had jammed waaay too many people into a house, so there was no privacy at all. My friend and I ended up painting me in the kitchen since it was the only empty space. (I needed her help since I can’t paint my elbows or the back of my neck) We were rushing because we were late when the airbrush clogged. She went over to counter, took the brush apart to clean it, and a major component rolled straight into the sink and down the drain.

My friend burst into tears and walked out of the room. I was left with the splotchiest paint job in my life, and I was pretty mortified. I mean, Star Wars Celebration is the biggest Star Wars event in the world. The best costumers from all over the world are there, so I was feeling the pressure.
But, you know, there was nothing we could really do. So, I smiled my biggest smile and tried to make the most of it. The thing about Star Wars fans? They’re usually the nicest people out there, so no one mentioned my bad paint job. Ended up have a ton of fun!

TGL:  When you aren’t doing this, what do you do in your spare time?

SPC: I run a small Etsy shop, selling T-shirts and vinyl decals. Most of my inventory is Star Wars and Mass Effect related, but I’m working on coming up with more stuff soon! (Etsy.com/shop/SillyPenguinCosplay)

TGL:  What geek medium(Video Games, Comic Books, Novels, Movies, etc.) made the biggest impact on your life and why?

SPC: Video Games, for sure! I’m a sucker for deeps stories and customization. I’m the kind of person that spends three hours in the character creator then deletes and starts over when the nose/makeup looks bad in the first cut scene. Dragon Age: Inquisition was a test of my convictions before the Black Emporium came out. Thank you, BioWare!

TGL:  If you could live in any geeky universe, which one would it be and why? (Naruto, Harry Potter, Pokemon, Lord of the Rings etc.)

SPC: Ooooh, this is a really hard question. Not Dragon Age, because of giant spiders and Darkspawn. Not Mass Effect, because of Reapers. Not Elder Scrolls, because of even MORE giant spiders…

I’d have to say Pokemon! And I’d specialize in fire and dragon types. And my starter would be a Growlithe or a Houndour. Because of fire puppers!

TGL:  Do you have any projects in the near future we should be excited to see?

SPC: I have too many projects because I don’t have enough self-control! Ha!

But in all honesty, Clone Wars seasons 3-5 Ahsoka Tano is pretty close to being done! She’s been a long-standing dream of mine. Oh, and I’m going to start working on a new Mandalorian soon! A Togruta this time.

I may have a slight addiction to aliens.

TGL:  Out of the costumes you have done in the past, which one has been the most difficult and why?

SPC: This is a very tough question, but I’m going to have to go with the costume I’m most well-known for: my twi’lek Mandalorian.

Pretty much everything on that costume was made by hand or heavily modified. I made the lekku (the red headpiece) myself out of foam and latex. The armor is made from a thermoplastic called sintra. It’s best cut with a dremel, and I had never used one before. We had to make major modifications to a resin cast helmet base I purchased to be able to wear it and my lekku at the same time. Then I had to learn how to body paint!

All in all, I spent a little over a year and a half working on her. Completely worth it, though!

TGL:  What advice do you have for any aspiring cosplayers out there?

SPC: My advice for future cosplayers? Don’t compare yourself to others, especially the big-name girls like Jessica Nigri or Yaya Han. They simply have more experience than you. You’ll get there someday! In the meantime, look back at your accomplishments as you grow. Be proud of where you started, and where you are now.

There’s a lot of negativity and bullying in the cosplay community nowadays. Having experienced it first hand, my best advice is this: The only person you need the approval of is you. If you’re happy with your cosplay, then your cosplay is perfect! And don’t forget, you can always go back and “upgrade” or improve a costume once your skill level increases. A costume is never truly “done” unless you give up on it.

A huuuuge shout out to Silly Penguin Cosplay for answering our humble questions! Please please please go and check out all of her stuff on her Facebook! She is so wonderful and fantastic! 😀

Cover photo: https://www.facebook.com/courtexphotography/

Huntress: https://www.facebook.com/AlvinJohnsonPhotography/?hc_ref=SEARCH

Snow: https://www.facebook.com/speedforcephotography/