First day of MCM ComicCon Stockholm 2016

Scandic Victoria Tower

We arrived to Stockholm yesterday already (Thursday), just for the fact that on Novermber 3rd we celebrated our first year together. Nothing fancy, a three course meal at the hotel and a movie after. The movie we went to see was The Girl With Many Gifts. Not bad...but a little wierd. Pretty damn tired since I got an ear infection with horrendous amount of pain last weekend and that I am eating antibiotics that makes me really dull, we crashed in bed somewhat late.



The hotel by the way, Scandic Victioria Tower, is amazing. It is a three star hotel, but it is the tallest hotel in northern Europe with 34 floors and standing 117,5 meters tall. All glass ofcourse. Some people do not like these kind of structures but I think they are cool. The view over Stockholm is magnificent.

Today was the first day of Comicon Stockholm, and it is right next door to our hotel. Great venue, and a hell of a lot to see...and buy ofcourse, duh! We pretty much browsed through the vendors this day to maybe do some buys tomorrow. I got myself a couple of novels since I have started reading before bedtime again. Malin (my gf) made some christmas shopping.

Cool stuff to see aswell, among other things a full size Jabbba The Hutt and an iron throne replica from Game of Thrones!

We also went to a Q&A with Linda Le aka VampyBitMe. I enjoyed her cosplays for a while now and I think she is doing a great job. Now after I have seen her live and heard her speak about how she look on herself as an artist and cosplay in general, I think she seems really down to earth, kind and eager to share her knowledge to others. I am for sure getting an autographed print from her tomorrow, and I will attend her second Q&A ofcourse.

We'll see tomorrow what eventual shopping takes us. Many cool items to want I¨ll say =)

Later, awesome Nerds!

Exclusive with Linn Eriksson for upcoming Närcon Winter 2016

NärCon is Swedens largest cosplay convention with about 8000 visitors and participants every year (170 the first year, 2002) in SAAB Arena in Linköping. One of the greatest moments of the three day convention is of course the Swedish Cosplay Championhip. This is a prestigious  contest, obviously, and the cosplay quality of the finalist is always high.
NärCon is famous for its cozy, friendly atmosphere where everyone is welcome, regardless of gender, sexuality, politics or how familiar you are in the culture. The event is completely drug and alcohol free.

If you are attending NärCon Winter 2016, you will not be unoccupied. NärCon will provide you with shopping, exhibitors from all over the world and special areas for you as a visitor to entertain yourself and your friends. There will be an Arcade hall with all the classic and new arcade games, AMV(Anime Music Video)- and CMV(Cosplay Music Video)-Contest and in the Artist Alley area you can buy and get inspiration from cosplay artist showing their own work. You can also visit lectures about anything from how to be a voice actor to cartoonist or a cosplayer.

NärCon Winter 2016 is aired in its full on SVT24 in Sweden and it is the first cosplay contest in the world to be aired live on TV.
 
I have had the honor to speak with last year's winner and reigning champion of Swedish cosplay, Linn Eriksson (Mayo-chan) from Stockholm. Enjoy this warm up for the Swedish Championship 2016 this upcoming weekend!

Photo: Shila Forsman Photography

Hello there Linn, how is everything?
—It is all good!

Last year you won with a character called The Emperor from the game Final Fantasy 2. This year you will compete with Margaery Tyrell's weddingdress from Game of Thrones. A little different than what you did before, what was appealing with this character?
—I have made the character before in other versions and this costume I was of course interested in doing when it was shown in season 4, I think. When I saw it in reality in an exhibition two years ago, I became really in love with the design and the amazing detail. For example, the roses on dress is all handmade and there are about 400 of them. It takes 15-20 minutes to make a single rose. The fact that Game of Thrones is a rather new show, the material still is available get hold of and I have used the same fabric, the embroidery thread, the same beads and so on provided you spend the detective work to find them, and I have now done that for the last two years.

How many hours have you put down, and will you be ready in time?
—I'm at the "crunch time" now and I have spent at least 1,000 hours on this costume. The last few days are basically about detail work that will not affect anything in the competition itself.

You are directly qualified for the Swedish championship this year since you are the reigning champion. Do you feel pressure to deliver even this year?
—It's a little toned down because I entered several times before, even if the competition is aired live on TV now. But I feel a little bit of pressure even if I don't think I will perform better than last year.
It's really about doing something that I think is fun and something I can feel proud of and keep my own high standards and not underperform.

The pressure comes from yourself you mean?
—Yes, the only one I compete against is actually myself.

Photo: Shila Forsman Photography

 
It feels as if the armor is the hardest to do when you cosplay, what do you think is the most difficult part?
—It depends a little bit on what the design looks like. I think sewing is in many ways more difficult, even though I have been doing it all my life. Regarding armor, it's fairly easy to correct mistakes if you work in plastic. With sewing it is more how different fabrics behave and less forgiving if you cut it wrong from the start.

How do you sculpt props? I'm doing a mask that I sculpt partly in clay and then make a cast. Then I use fiberglass for the mask itself.
—Clay is usually a pretty good solution because you can quickly see how the outcome will be and it is easy to correct mistakes. I've had a lot of sculpted details of the armor and similar things. Many times I  have sculpted from different types of foam. The best thing with cosplay crafting is that you can work in a great variety of materials and everything that works is good. Fiberglass is very good.

How is the cosplay community in Sweden do you think? I get the feeling that it is very humble and everyone knows everyone. Internationally it feels like the atmosphere is a little tougher. Do you think I have the correct image?
—It's a little hard to say. Sweden is quite small and there is a tight community, and I think  it means that most behave reasonably well among others in greater extent. You have to be concerned about your reputation as well. This has probably a lot to do with the fact that Sweden has no cosplayer who is internationally known yet. It gets pretty drama-free here and everyone is a little more at the same level.

What would you say is a good beginner's tips for those who want to start with cosplay? 
—The best is always first and foremost to do something you are motivated by. Not just because something is cool, but also because it's a character you like. Motivation comes from two directions,  because it is fun to do and it will be cool. Should you not combine them, the fun is lost in a way.

 
A big good luck for Linn this Saturday the 13th in her efforts to defend the title!
Linn is also the first contestant to enter the stage.

Later, awesome nerds!

First two weeks....

So the blog has been running for about two weeks and I got really great feedback from readers, especially on twitter, and I've received a lot of ideas for future content and articles. A big thank you to everyone that contributed and pointed me towards interesting directions.

Earlier I wrote a post about Loot Crates upcoming monthly them "Invasion" and they did post their theme video for January. Let's say it didn't get less interesting than it already is. Check out the video on the left. Hopefully my Loot Crate will come a little earlier this month. December with all the holidays did slow down the last delivery a bit. I mean it is a little like Christmas once a month.

One of the franchises represented  in this months crate is The X-Files and we are looking forward to the upcoming reboot of the show starting on Fox January 24th. There are far more greater fans than me for The X-Files, but I did like the show, followed it and also have seen the two movies. I have not heard which channel here in Sweden that will pick it up but a fair guess is TV4 who aired the original show. Not more than a couple of days behind I hope. I will see it in some way though.

Another show is starting with its 6th season later this spring, on April 24th. Yes its The Game of Thrones people! This is the type of show I normally do not follow, but what the hell...it is contagious. The big question....is Jon Snow alive?

Some news that makes me proud and happy as a Swedish person is the fact that makeup artists Love Larson and Eva von Bahr have been nominated for an Academy Award for Makeup & hair styling in the Swedish movie The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared. It is truly amazing how they transformed actor Robert Gustafsson to make him look like he is 100 years old. I sure hope they win! I will try to get a hold of them for an interview.

Later awesome Nerds!