Maleficent Cosplay
JaW Images Photography photographed the stunning
Brie Creative as Maleficent! Here's what they both had to say:
I first met Brieana (Brie Creative) at Wasteland Weekend in 2014. After seeing some original leather pieces she made, we talked about costuming, and I eventually learned that she didn't live too far from me. Since then, I have been following Brieana's work. Brie creates beautiful, detailed leather accessories and costume pieces, and I'd been hoping for an opportunity to collaborate.
Brie's Maleficent costume was the first full costume I had seen her working on, and I followed its progress since she first posted a photo of the headpiece. Every time she posted more details (the feathers, gems, staff, etc.), I got more excited about the finished product. A week or two before the 2016 Los Angeles Comic Con, Brie put the word out that she was looking for a photographer to take photos of her finished Maleficent costume. Excited at the chance to shoot her new costume, I messaged her, and we met up that weekend to shoot.
“I started this costume about 2 years ago. I bought a cheap costume online to wear in Germany for Halloween; the headpiece was terrible. So, after I got back, I looked up online how to make a better headpiece and improved on the design. I work with leather primarily, but have a vast skill set when it comes to making art. I sculpted horns out of paper clay but they were too heavy so I used those as a mold to make paper mache horns instead. (There's about 20 layers of newspaper to make them sturdy.) The neck piece is made with a couple hundred feathers, layered and sandwiched between two shaped and molded leather pieces.
The staff was made from a wooden dowel and sculpted paper clay (to get the vine effect), with a plastic Christmas ornament (painted with translucent green), and a small plastic skull. I made the shrug using 3 different types of fabric. I took apart a cheap Halloween costume and modified it to use as a pattern. The corset and skirt were made by a friend of mine. After I reinforced the seams on the skirt, I added a sprinkling of crystals with a purple/green shift to it.
I have always loved Maleficent, even when I was a child. Sleeping Beauty was always my favorite Disney movie, but not because I wanted to be Aurora... I wanted to be Maleficent. I think what initially drew me to her was the fact that she could turn herself into a magnificent dragon at a whim. As I grew older, I realized there were other facets of her character that appealed to me on a deeper level: just wanting to be invited to something and always feeling like you have to do everything yourself because you can't rely on other people to do it they way you want/need it to be done. Those are probably the two most prevalent feelings I identify with, among the other aspects of her character. I love that I've finally been able to cosplay her in a beautiful way, where I am proud of what I made and how I look in it; beautiful, fierce, desirable.”
-Brie L. (Brie Creative)
Shooting Brieana's Maleficent costume was one of the high-lights of LA Comic Con for me. I had shot her once before for a small project and knew she'd be a great model. As for location, we shot by a random isolated area close to the LA Convention Center parking lot. Initially, there was nothing special about it, I just liked that there wasn't a lot of people in the area. The area ended up working out really well, since it was heavily shaded, and the contrast between the stone wall and walkway and Brie's costume looked great on camera. When shooting with her, Brie embodied Maleficent and all of her fierceness, and it was awesome working with her. I love how our photos came out and couldn't wait to edit and share them.
Model:
Cosplayer/Costumer Designer:
Brie Creative - Instagram @BrieCreative -
Brie Creative on Etsy
Photographer:
JaW Images Photography - Instagram @Scarecrobot
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January 19 2017