Greetings all,
As you may know, we have a top-quality cosplayer coming for GP San Antonio, Christine Sprankle. Christine has been cosplaying Magic events for three years, and cosplaying in general for longer than that.
At GP San Antonio, Christine will be wearing three costumes this weekend: Nissa, Worldwaker; Teysa Envoy of Ghosts; and Liliana Vess. If you want to catch her and Peter Mohrbacher, the illustrator of Nissa, Worldwaker together, you are in luck, because they will both be on site.
I caught Christine for some interview questions, so if you are interested in her cosplay, or cosplay in general, keep reading.
Rob: Christine, you are the cosplayer that we have at GP San Antonio, and you’ve been cosplaying for a while at conventions and other events. How did you get started going to events as a cosplayer?
Christine: It all started in 2011 when I made my very first Magic cosplay, Elspeth! She was my first big armor cosplay and I was so excited to wear her. That year Magic Worlds was conveniently being held in San Francisco which is a short drive from home. The way my friends described it It almost sounded like a Magic convention so I decided to bust out my newest cosplay. Needless to say when I got there it wasn’t what I expected at all, and I thought I would quickly be asked to leave. After a few minutes though (when the shock wore off maybe) a lot of people started coming up and asking for pictures! A few handshakes, questions and a rather infamous picture with Brian Kibler later, I was known at Christine Sprankle Knight Errant! I have been making Magic cosplays (including three more Elspeth cosplays) and going to GP’s and PT’s ever since!
Rob: What is the most exciting thing about cosplaying at a Magic event for you? Is there anything different from a Magic event than a non-Magic event?
Christine: I would have to say the absolute best part about cosplaying at a Magic event is the connection you automatically have with everybody else in the room! We are all there to play Magic and have a good time. You can always feel the camaraderie and for the most part friendly rivalry at an event. I’ve gone to a lot of conventions but Magic GP’s and PT’s have a really unique atmosphere and I really love it!
Rob: You have a wide variety of costumes you use at different events. Are there any you are exceptionally proud of, or think are unappreciated?
Christine: I really love making armor. Sewing is always rather stressful for me and I am still very much learning so I always lean towards costumes I feel more comfortable with making and honestly you feel so badass in armor! Liliana Vess was a perfect blend of armor and cloth and I am really happy with how she turned out, she is also quite the crowd favorite! I feel my most under appreciated has to be my Emmara Tandris. I got her art before they released her and wasn’t able to see her card. Sadly the card didn’t turn out the best and a lot of people forgot her quickly. I feel with each cosplay I make I really improve and learn a lot of new things and It just makes me want to keep going and going!
Rob: Your costumes are incredibly well constructed and detailed. What kind of work and time goes into a costume like your Nissa costume?
Christine: Thank you so much! How long it takes to make a costume really depends on the costume! Nissa took me about a month or so to make. It’s a little hard to give exact time since I really just go with the flow and don’t exactly clock in and out as I work on it. I start with gathering as many pictures of the character as I can. If the character doesn’t have that much reference (the usual with magic cards sadly) I just contact the artist and ask them some questions. The artists always seem eager to help! Then I break the costume down visually from head to toe into separate pieces. Looking at it as a whole can overwhelm you, so breaking it down can make it easier. Then I collect material from anywhere and everywhere I can to start making it piece by piece! There is always contacts, wigs, elf ears, and other miscellaneous accessories to top it all off too!
Rob: When you are doing your work building out a costume, do you use any special references or images? Do you ever contact the artist of a piece to get a high-resolution version to work from to match details better?
Christine: ALL THE TIME! Sadly Magic cards, especially the older cards, have to fit in a small frame and don’t show half the character. And you almost NEVER see the backside of a Magic character which can be a little bit of a problem when you are trying to bring the character to life. At the same time it also allows you to take a little artistic liberty and put a little piece of yourself in the costume and character! I never hesitate to ask the artist questions and they are always super helpful and rather eager to answer any and all questions!
Rob: Are there “dos and don’ts” that fans should know about you when you are cosplaying an event versus just attending normally?
Christine: I am always down to take pictures! That’s what I’m there for! I appreciate it VERY much when you ask. I may be dressed as Liliana, but believe me you will not have to sign a demon contract to get a picture! But please if I am eating or have part of the costume off and resting up come back in a little bit so I can give you the full effect and not a picture of Liliana with pizza all over her face!
Rob: Is there a good way for fans to contact you if they want to try to arrange getting you to an event? We have you on GP San Antonio because of a contact like this, so I would love to hear your preferred contact path for fans to connect you up with organizers.
Christine: Facebook is a fantastic way to get ahold of me! I always try to help out with cosplay if I can! People can also get a hold of me at Cspranklerun@hotmail.com for booking me for a show or general questions/fan mail. Sadly costumes cost a LOT of money to make and while I would really love to make it to more GP’s and meet more people (and play a lot more Magic!) I just cannot afford the travel. So please if you want to see me at a GP near you email that GP and let them know! If enough people are interested hopefully they will extend a helping hand!
Christine, thank you tons, and I am as excited as you for this weekend. GP San Antonio is going to be a great show, and you are going to be one of the stars.
If you want to see Christine, you can just stop by the hall – entrance is free to come check out our artists, vendors, and Christine.
You can also sign up to play in the GP, which is going to be a great time.
