Steampunk Cosplay Spotlight: an Interview with Ariel Amelia Dixon
Introducing Ariel Amelia Dixon
Like many cosplayers, Ariel Amelia Dixon has her on Facebook fan page, which I discovered via a steampunk group. I felt impressed by her Bollywood cosplay, which is different from any steampunk cosplay I’d seen up to that point, and decided to chat with her.
Steampunk worlds are set, most of the time, in Victorian England, and sometimes the Wild West (like my own upcoming novel, Bodacious Creed). But in a world with that technology, any moderately industrial country would adopt similar styles. So there would be a steampunk India, steampunk China, steampunk Egypt, and so on. And personally, I really appreciate seeing that aesthetic applied to different cultures. So I asked Ariel for an interview, made friends with her on Facebook, and here is the result of our conversations. Enjoy her steampunk costumes! And don’t forget to visit her websites. The links are right below the interview.
The Interview
Jonathan Fesmire: Please tell us a bit about yourself. What was your life like growing up? What are your interests besides cosplay, and how did you get into cosplay?
Ariel Amelia Dixon: I’m born and raised in Miami, Florida. I am mix Jamaican, Portuguese, and Irish, so I grew up in a pretty interesting household. I work as a chef for most of my days, while I cosplay and do makeup in my free time. I got into cosplay around the end of collage. I always had a love fantasy and anime, but never went to a convention until collage. That first convention I went to pretty much led me to where I am now.
JF: What do you like most about steampunk and cosplay?
AAD: When it comes to cosplay in general I love how creative you can be with it. When I got introduced to steampunk, my love for cosplay when over 9000s! I love how original you can be when it comes to steampunk. Your look is your own and can’t be duplicated.
JF: It’s obvious from your profile pictures that you’ve been working hard at your cosplay skills. I like how you show pictures of one attempt, then the next, such as with the witch doctor mask and the sci-fi breastplate. Do you notice yourself frequently improving?
AAD: I do. I learn a new skill every time I work on a new costume. I try to take any new skill I learn and make improvements to any later cosplays I create.
JF: If you had to leave Earth and live in any popular science fiction or fantasy world as an average citizen, which would you choose?
AAD: I would like to live in a steampunk world with a touch of mythological fantasy. I have a fascination with dragons, demonology, and Greek mythology. I would love to live in a world with that. I think Skyrim is a good example of what I am talking about.
JF: It was your steampunk Bollywood cosplay that prompted me to interview you. What prompted you to think of that costume?
AAD: have always had a love for Indian culture. The fashion aspect is my favorite. I can go on for hours looking up different saree outfits and jewelry styles. I find that my favorite style mostly come from Bollywood films. I was researching some new cosplay ideas when I ran across a steampunk Capitan Nemo cosplay and the idea popped in my head instantly. It’s a mix I don’t see a lot of people do, so I wanted to create a beautiful blend between the two for my own collection.
JF: I also really like your steampunk cosplay with the bowler hat. Can you tell us about that character and putting together the costume?
AAD: That one is my western steampunk cosplay. The character name is Lady Jacqueline. She is a gunslinger/chemical engineer for hire, so I created a cosplay to match that. The cosplay with the blue corset is my newest version of her. I really feel that the bottle gun powder collection really brings out the chemical engineer side to her.
JF: What kind of materials do you use in your costuming?
AAD: Oh, just about anything I can get my hands on. I like using mixed art in all my work that I do. I find it interesting and friendlier on your budget. The one material I use the most is craft foam. You can make some amazing thing once you’ve got a handle on how to use it.
JF: Since I’d like to (eventually) do a couple of cosplays myself, I may have to ask for advice! As a follow-up, I’m a 3D modeler and have a 3D printer. 3D printing is probably cost-prohibitive for bigger pieces, but have you considered using 3D printing for smaller costume parts?
AAD: I have. I never used 3D printing, but I have seen some cosplayers use it to make smaller props and accessories for their cosplay. It looks great and really seems like it cuts time on costume production. If I had a 3D printer I would use it for the same purpose.
JF: I’ve been finding that many cosplayers work on their costumes a lot. What do you do to relax when you’re not designing?
AAD: I enjoy listening to music. It really relaxes me and also inspires me as well. Another activity I like to do to relax is go to the beach. I find the waves very soothing. Going there around sunset is the best.
JF: Who in the cosplay community inspires you, and why?
AAD: I have two people that inspire me to do what I do now, Yaya Han and Outland Armour. Yaya has so many amazing costumes and I remember going to one of her panels about cosplay that made me want to really get involved. She really shows you that you can create with a little creativity and hard work. Outland Amour was the group that introduced me to steampunk. Their work is amazing and they really had me fall in love with the steampunk culture when I went to their demo panels. They were very helpful to my understanding of steampunk and I was very grateful for that.
JF: I see that Outland Armour has some pictures of Star Wars steampunk cosplayers. Have you considered doing a Star Wars steampunk mash-up costume? If so, whom would you like to cosplay?
AAD: I never really considered doing a Star Wars cosplay, but if I did I would do a steampunk version of Ahsoka Tano. I always like that character from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. That would be a mash up I love to see.
JF: A steampunk Ahsoka Tano would be awesome. Thank you for interview, Ariel!
Ariel Amelia Dixon Online
I'm happy to share Ariel's main pages with all of you where you can see more of her cosplay images. You can see her makeup work, how she put together some of her costume pieces, pictures of herself and others from conventions, and more.
Check out her Facebook fan page, MakeupSiren, and give her a like! You'll find even more of her lovely images on her deviantArt page.
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