Feature Friday: Alexander Mégas Art and Things
Happy Friday! Can you believe it is the end of January already? Remember the great Saturnfire that was my Feature last week? Well, this week I have the pleasure of featuring her partner in crime, and my friend, Alex. He is a pretty fun guy, and does some pretty amazing things. He dabbles in crafting worlds outside of cosplay too. Keep reading, and go give him some social media followers when you’re done reading.
What is your cosplay name? Alexander Mégas Art and Things
How did you come about your cosplay name? Alexander is the name my mom and pop gave me, so I inevitably wound up reading up on the guy who made the name so popular: Alexander the Great. His name in Greek is “Aléxandros ho Mégas”, which is where I got the idea for my pseudonym.
What is your real world name? They call me “Alex Davis”.
What do you do when you aren’t cosplaying? I do graphic design for a living. I create visual art as a hobby. Right now I’m working on an alien conspiracy mixed media piece, and I’m also finishing up a submission sample of my comic to send to publishers. Other than that, I spend way too much time playing Overwatch.
How old are you? 27
How long have you been cosplaying? Mmmm…. Depends on what counts. I did my first cosplay at Dragon Con 2009, but it involved zero sewing; mostly just assembling articles of clothing. My first costume that involved a lot of sewing was for Momocon 2015.
What made you want to start cosplaying? Halloween is a gateway drug. My brother and I were always pulling out our old Halloween costumes at any random part of the year. I stopped wearing store-bought costumes when I was 13. At that point I started putting together my own. By high school I was way into comics, video games, et al, so I naturally fell into it. Also, Saturnfire Cosplay inspired me.
Why do you continue to cosplay? Because it’s fun, and I live to be the center of attention. Win-win, baby.
What is your dream cosplay? That’s a tough one… I’d love to do something big with armor. Something like Reinhardt from Overwatch or Octavia from Madoka Magica.
How do you choose who you will cosplay? I have to love the character. That’s really my only criteria.
What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? Probably Goku from Dragon Ball Z. It’s weird… you can make something that almost kills you; literally has your blood in it… and it becomes like your child in a way. I didn’t sleep for four nights making that wig, but that just made me more fond of it when it turned out the way I wanted it to. I guess that’s why people go rock climbing or jump out of planes. There’s a real thrill in challenging yourself and coming out on top or on the ground unscathed.
What has been your favorite experience in cosplay? When I cosplayed Murdoc from Gorillaz, ran around with my best friends drinking all night, covered in green body paint, yelling at strangers in a horrible British accent. Either that or the first time I cosplayed Tuxedo Mask, stood on ledges all day, and threw roses at people.
You also are an artist. Tell us more about this. Everything I’ve ever made that’s looked any good is at least partially by accident. If I map out every single detail in my head and try to put it on paper, it looks stale. I work mostly with ink, but lately I’ve been on a real kick with assembling strange things I find at thrift stores into… sculptures, for lack of a better term.
What is your personal artwork you are most proud of? My comic! I’ve been developing that thing for 10 years now and it’s so surreal to finally see it on paper.
What is the anime you are most looking forward to in 2017? Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0, but knowing Hideaki Anno, it might keep getting delayed until I’m 80. If we’re counting American animation, I’m so stoked for Samurai Jack season 5.
Are there any costumes you are extremely excited about making in the next few months? Soldier 76, reporting for duty!
Who is your favorite cosplayer? All of my friends <3 My whole life I’ve needed people like them to motivate me to do things I never would on my own. I owe them everything for that.
What’s the hardest thing about cosplay for you? Making the time. I have too many time-consuming hobbies.
What is the best advice you have for other cosplayers? Think about silhouettes. When creating characters, most cartoonists and comic book artists think to themselves “If I saw a silhouette of this character, would I know who they are?” I feel like that translates well to cosplay, especially when dealing with wigs, shoulder pieces, etc. Think about what these elements are going to look like at first glance or from afar, and the rest will fall into place.
Top 5 resources/tutorials you have found for cosplay help? The internet, the internet, the internet, the internet, ask a friend. Google, YouTube, and my peers have got me out of more jams than I can count. If you’re stuck on something, don’t try to fix it in a vacuum.
Anything else you want to add? Create what you love. Wear what you love. That’s all that really matters. Nothing gives my heart the warm fuzzies quite like looking at something that I made with my own two hands, and I encourage you to do the same.
I love these interviews because I feel like I learn so many things about my friends that I might not have known if I hadn’t asked them to be a feature. Which cosplay by Alex was your favorite? Go give his social media a follow at the links below. Leave a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe via email or Bloglovin’ to never miss a post.
Alexander Mégas’ Social Media:
Facebook: Alexander Mégas Art and Things
Instagram: @flyinghumanoids