In support of The Elder Scrolls Online: Markarth, our Nordic Community Manager had the opportunity to work with the ultra-talented Starbit in the crafting of a Lady Belain costume. Check out the amazing results and learn more about its creation with our interview.
Tell us about yourself! How did you get started as a cosplayer?
Hi there! My name is Ida, but I’m mostly known around the internet as Starbit. I come from the far North, a.k.a. Norway, but I usually travel all over the world to cosplay at different conventions (well you know, when there’s NOT a pandemic going on!)
I’m an overall creative person who does everything from cosplay, art, photography, and filmmaking! I’ve been a cosplayer for about 10 years now, which for some people makes me a cosplay grandma in the community.
What was it about Lady Belain’s design that makes for such a compelling costume?
The thing I really adore about Lady Belain’s design is all the different shapes and details put into the outfit—some that you wouldn’t even notice unless you took a really close look. The amount of details made it seem very daunting at first, but also made me excited for how I could problem solve to figure out how to craft certain parts.
Was there a part of the costume that was particularly challenging to craft?
I’m not the most talented seamstress. I prefer gluing things together more when it comes to cosplay (haha!), so trying to figure out how to make the cosplay sit in a similar way on my body as it does on Lady Belain in the game was quite scary. I think figuring out how to make the coat sit as close to my body as possible, but still find a way to get in and out of it was the most challenging. The solution ended up being Velcro!
What was the most fun part of this cosplay?
I really enjoyed working on the gloves! The armored hands are such a cool look, and I used something called foam clay to make all the tiny pieces. It’s a type of clay that dries into craft foam, basically, so the pieces turn out very lightweight and flexible.
I used the same technique for the tiara, which was probably my favorite part of the cosplay!
What materials did you work with?
I worked with faux leather and lace for the outer coat, red Lycra for the shirt (I did want to use some stretchy faux leather for that, but I couldn’t find any in time), craft foam and foam, and a little bit of hot glue here and there.
What did it feel like to become such a formidable and compelling character?
It felt pretty darn good actually! Putting on your finished cosplay for the first time is always a bit scary—there’s always the fear that you will end up looking like a potato or that things might fall off, but with Lady Belain, I just felt badass! There’s something about that majestic collar that really makes you feel like you could take over the world, you know?
Do you have any tips for other cosplayers who want to become Lady Belain?
Foam clay is your best friend! And if you can, try drafting the pattern to your own body shape, since it’s such a tight fit outfit. And just have FUN with all the detailing. You can sit there for a long time, watching Netflix while cutting and painting!
Is there any other character from ESO you would like to make in the future?
I’m kind of tempted to cosplay my main character, actually! She’s a sorceress, so it would be fun to make some sort of mage’s robe and have a photoshoot where I can add lots of magic effects!
And if I ever feel brave enough to dabble in more armor making, then I’ll definitely want to cosplay Lyris!
Where can we find more of your cosplay work?
You can find me over on Instagram, YouTube, and my website where I keep a gallery of my cosplays, and where you can check out my art and photography as well!
That’s it! If you love what you’ve seen, be sure to check out more of Starbit’s work via the links above, and if you’d like to meet Lady Belain in game, you can find her in The Elder Scrolls Online: Markarth!