The Heichou Sessions: Midori Heichou
It's been a while since we last met for the sessions! Don't even know where to start on how loaded I've been all of these days... yet all I think of is coming here and write.
It might be just a blog, def not getting paid for it, and not something thousands of eyes go over each day. But I really think of this blog and the next article I'll publish every single day.
So of course coming back here is always exciting for me, and today this excitement will be focused on our next Heichou for the sessions. Haven't you missed all these Levis? I have.
This particular Levi I found through Instagram. My first impression was how much of an enthusiastic cosplayer she seemed, how willing to share and document progress through that network just for anyone who's out there. So, of course, I was happy to receive her positive answer when I asked her to become part of this...
Actually, it made me notice something very important about the cosplay world: from a while ago, social networks have definitely helped us all to share, meet new people, learn new things. And when it comes to the particular area of cosplay, the conclusion isn't hard to make: it creates communities. And that, as we've read from many other cosplayers in past articles, is one of people's favorite things about this form of art.
But our next Heichou, Midori, was the one to make me understand it even better. Her Instagram @levisbutt is filled with little pieces of her life, what she finds funny, what she wants to buy, some drawing she thought was pretty, and of course... cosplay! It's the window of a cosplayer who is progressing with each passing day. This simply made me look forward to more of her work, which she'll be sharing here in The Heichou Sessions! You gotta stay tuned, don't miss her story about her first time cosplaying!
Midori will take the lead from here, sharing her world and passion with you. And as usual, rememer: If you have any similarities with her look-wise, or just want to learn more about make up tips for cosplay... keep reading!
B: How did your passion for cosplay begin?
M: At first, cosplay was little more than experimentation for me-- something I thought I'd try once and not get to do ever again. I was able to cosplay at my first con using my friend's Ciel in Wonderland cosplay and literally, perhaps only minutes upon entering the con, I was greeted by the most perfect Sebastian cosplayer I had ever laid eyes upon who had gotten on one knee, a tray in his hand, and a tea pot in the other, and he uttered the words "Would you like some tea, Ciel?" I'm not sure I didn't explode from fangirling at that point, but I enjoyed two days of that convention and it was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was from that moment forth that I knew I had to keep cosplaying.
B: What do you like about cosplaying?
M: Oh, everything. There's honestly not a thing that I don't like about cosplaying. But my favorite would have to be making everyone smile through my cosplays. It truly makes my day to see someone happy to take a photo of my cosplay.
B: What are some of the obstacles you find when you're about to start a cosplay?
M: Obstacles? Oh man, I run into plenty of these, especially when I'm not exactly sure how to do the make up for the individual character. But practice makes perfect, and it takes time to find a make-up technique that works best for myself and the character.
Practice definitely makes perfect. In a world where there are many cosplayers who seem so out of the screen or manga pages, Midori isn't afraid to keep trying and trying, improving and improving. Her results for Levi are quite the makeover in my opinion. This is her out of character version! From sweet to menacing in just a few steps...
B: How was the process of preparing for your Levi cosplay?
M: Well, it's actually the most difficult of all the cosplays I've done, so I want to make sure I have everything I need before I attempt it. I like to lay out all of the make-up I'm going to use on a desk and try and visualize in my head the way I'm going to attempt the make-up before I actually start it.
B: What do you like about Levi that made you decide you wanted to cosplay him?
M: I really admired a lot of qualities in Levi, such as his willingness to sacrifice for his comrades and the way that, despite his shortness, he's still able to accomplish great things and is well respected. (It gives me hope since I'm only 4'11"!) I guess that, and the fact that since I normally cosplay shotas/younger males, I wanted more of a challenge, since his physical design is quite interesting.
B: Have you cosplayed other characters before? What does it take for you to decide which characters you want to cosplay?
M: Yes, I have cosplayed other characters before, such as Ciel Phantomhive, Shion, Neku, and Yoshiya. When deciding on a character to cosplay, I usually base it off a combination of a love for that character and a love for their design.
Midori is quite the fearless type of cosplayer. Her will to simply go for a challenge, but also mix it with passion is a perfect example of how something as simple as cosplay can even teach life lessons.
B: How long does it take you for you to transform into Levi?
M: It usually takes me about two hours to transform into Levi, but using a few shortcuts, I'm able to reduce the time by half an hour, but it doesn't feel the same as if I'd have spent the full two hours.
B: What habits and qualities do you have in common with this character?
M: Besides the fact that Levi and I are short, there honestly isn't much about us that is similar. We're opposites when it comes to personality, but we do share similar values.
B: What make up products do you use to create the Levi look?
M: To create my Levi look, I use a glue stick, foundation, matte powder, black gel liner, liquid eyeliner, dark brown eyeshadow, medium brown eye shadow, white eyeliner, and a set of brushes which include a small concealer brush, a large concealer brush, a small brush (which is a lip brush, but I use it to fill in my eyebrows), an eyeshadow brush, an eyebrow brush/comb, and a kabuki brush.
I created a visual example of Midori's selection. These are all the products she uses to achieve her look for this cosplay. It's a pretty nice guide of basics in case you want to put together your own kit !
Midori's selection of brushes consists of:
1-A lip brush she uses to draw her brows. That's a personal choice, thin brushes can give you more control, specially for brows as thin as Levi's
2-Eyeshadow brush. Remember if you're using a brush for this purpose, try for it to be fluffy-ish, so you can smudge correctly
3-Small concealer brush
4-Large concealer brush
5-Kabuki brush
6-A brow tamer always helps to keep them in place before using the glue!
B: Between those products, if you had to choose only three for a quick transformation at a convention for example, which would they be?
M: Honestly, I would rather not attempt the cosplay. There's nothing that would bother me more than to know my cosplay is lacking and unfinished.
B: What features of this character did you pay attention the most to recreate them on your on face?
M: Definitely the eyes, the shadows around it, and the eyebrows. I think those are the most important defining traits that give Levi his unique appearance.
B: What is necessary to make a good Levi facial expression? Show us your best Levi face:
M: Haha, that would be a generally unamused or concerned expression for sure!
You'd be surprised to know Midori is the youngest Heichou to cross the sessions. How is that for motivation? Her Levi is intimidating enough to transmit the strength of the character.
And now the extremely useful part! Grab your notepads and pens... or just be ready to copy-paste. Midori has created a step by step guide on how to achieve her version of Levi.
1- Firstly, it's important to apply a moisturizer to your face before you begin to apply foundation and matte powder to your face using the concealer brush (or a sponge). The foundation should be even all throughout, bringing it down to your neck as well so you don't have two different skin tones. You should also apply some onto your lips to pale them, (and it helps to use lip balm beforehand so they don't chap up). You should also put some foundation on your eyelids as well, but be careful to avoid the eyebrows right now.
Being Humanity's Strongest is no excuse to have dry looking skin...
2- Once you're finished applying foundation, use an eyebrow brush/comb to brush your eyebrows upwards, and apply a layer of glue onto them in an upwards motion. Make sure that your eyebrows are glued upwards, otherwise the foundation will not stay on and you'll have a gross mess. You should look like a mad scientist at this point, with your crazy eyebrows.
Probably you at this point. Can't you believe you're a step closer to become Humanity's Strongest?!
3- It's important to wait for the glue to dry, so in the meantime, repeat the process for the other eyebrow. Once the glue is dry, apply foundation onto them. But make sure they are TOTALLY dry, otherwise it'll be icky. Use powder to set the foundation. Repeat this process a few more times until your eyebrows are completely concealed. It usually takes me about four layers to conceal mine.
4- Take some medium brown eyeshadow and apply it to your eyelid, and underneath your lashline, going around to your outer eye. This should make your eye look a little darker and deeper set.
For this particular step, a good idea is taking a look at Levi's actual face. He might be animated, but seeing him helps you locate the exact places where the shadows Midori talks about are.
5- Next, you should begin to work on your eyeliner. I recommend using gel liner first, since the angled brush is so much easier to hold and it's easier to correct than liquid. Start with a line going up from the inner corner of your eyes and then connect it with a basic straight line going a little past the outer corner of your eyes, then bring it down in a slant that follows close to your eye, but not directly next to it, and then finish with another line that goes a little beneath my waterline. Line your waterline with some white eyeliner afterwards. Once you feel confident about your eyeliner, go over it with some liquid eyeliner.
Here's the result! In which you can perfectly see the different shapes she created with the eyeliner to reshape her eye and adapt it to make it seem less round.
6- At this point, you want to work on your brows. You may want to contour your nose with medium brown eye shadow before this, that way you have a guide on where to start your brows. To do your brows, start a little below your natural brows, forming a thin straight line slanted slightly upwards with some gel liner. Thicken the line with some more gel liner, and use a small brush with black eyeshadow to pat the drawn brows. This should make it look a little less harsh.
7- Once you're done with that, follow your natural eye crease (or draw one in if you don't have one) with some black gel liner. Use an eyeshadow brush to smudge the eyeliner and fade it out a bit. This will make your eyes look even more deeper set.
8- Once you're pretty confident with your eyes, contour your cheeks and jawline with a kabuki brush or contouring brush and medium brown eyeshadow.
For this particular step remember to look for contouring shades that match your skintone. If you're too pale, don't go on dramatic brown shades for contouring! And the darker your skin is, you'll have to go for a shade to make your features stand out with the contouring! For example, Midori's choice was a medium brown since her natural skin tone is a lovely cinnamon. Play with shades! It's part of the fun.
And there you have it ^^ The process usually takes around two hours for me, so be patient with the make-up.
B: One of the main insecurities that stops many from doing a certain cosplay, are the lack of physical similarities between them and the character. What do you think of that? Could you share any words to these people?
M: Lacking in similar facial structures shouldn't intimidate anyone away from cosplaying a character they really want to. I'm a sixteen year old girl with a face childish enough to pull of Ciel Phantomhive, and through determination and the power of a few brushes and make-up, turned myself into a 34 year-old man who makes poop jokes. Needless to say it wasn't easy, but with practice, it can be done.
B: You wake up and find yourself literally in the SnK universe. Would you be in the Military? Which Division would you choose and why?
M: I would literally cry if I was in the SNK universe because I doubt I could kill ten meter giants with two swords and some wires. If I had to be in the military though, I'd try my best and score highest and aim for Military Police, but who knows? I might possibly be convinced to join Survey Corps with enough of Jäeger's yelling.
B: Finally, some words for SnK fans and any person who's passionate about cosplay:
M: To all SNK cosplayers: Bless all of you who have your harnesses and were actually able to put them on because I have never cried so hard at attempting to do something. Besides that, every one of you are amazing and seeing SNK cosplayers just fills my heart with so much joy. Keep on cosplaying and being cute Armins and Erens and Cristas. <3 And for anyone who's passionate about cosplay, you have my full support. Keep going if you truly desire it and be the best you can be. You don't need to be rich or have good looks to cosplay. What you need is passion (and a good set of make-up brushes!). If you try your hardest, it will reflect in your cosplay and people will notice. But what's most important is that you have fun doing what you love. Cosplay is about a bunch of people being weird together and doing what they love because they love it. No judging and no shame.
But here I've learned a few lessons for real, and all I can say to anyone out there who's reading and enjoyed Midori's words is: keep supporting this form of art and expression. Cosplayers are out there creating, expressing, growing and learning... and it's exciting.
If you want to follow Midori's development as a cosplayer or just want to have some words with her, you'll find the links to her Instagram and Tumblr below.
Thanks a lot, Midori!!!
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1 comments
She looks very young and kinda innocent so it's really cool to see how she can deliver this character, how this character is like from her perspective and what she does to achieve the perfect look. It's cool to have a youngster around and see that even though she's young, she does an excellent job. I also like how her rendition is not perfect (manga like), it's closer to what a human levi would be like. Lovely interview. She seems like a nice lady. I liked her ciel cosplay. Keep it up!!
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