THE COSPLAY: Noelle Silva is one of the characters from the Black Clover anime who overcomes overwhelming challenges throughout the series. From being blamed for her mother’s death, to not being able to control her magic, Noelle is ostracized by her siblings and treated as a laughing stock to the royal lineage. She develops a gruff and egotistical exterior as a defense mechanism, only to be broken down by the love she feels from her found family, the Black Bulls. Also seen as the butt end of ridicule, the Black Bulls is comprised of outcast magic knights. Through the power of their love and trust in each other, they grow to be the most formidable force in the series. Noelle is able to learn to control her magic, and rises to be among the most powerful magic knights in the entire series.

Just like her character arc, creating this cosplay was its own journey! I began my process by training myself in methods of classical painting to recreate the look of refracted water on the armor. As I worked on honing my brush, I also began to create the base layers of the cosplay. Created from ribbed spandex, the base suit of this cosplay is fairly simple but features a heavily starched band of bias tape and lace to mimic the original collar Noelle wears in the anime.

The armor is fully self-patterned and constructed mostly using a combination of EVA foam and worbla, a thermoplastic used to create structure and smoothness. Featuring over 300 handmade scales, the armor was definitely the most time consuming aspect of the build. The chest plate, itself, took one month to complete. I created the shape of the breastplate to mimic a large, natural chest fully suspended in water, and to comment on the unrealistic proportions depicted in anime.

I used over four gallons of foam clay to create the rippled water effects, as well as many cans of expanding foam to create the sea foam on the cosplay. When I was comfortable with creating the placid water texture, I mixed my own paints using airbrush colors and powdered pigments to create the hues I would use on my piece. The placid water texture was created by layering these paints, and translating the water lines slightly down and to the right. I also used pure white pearlescent paint for the final highlight on the texture.

The lance was created from an EVA foam cone wrapped with a spiral helix of foam, Expanding foam, and finally the foam clay. I used my fingers and sculpting instruments to create each ripple in the water.

My wig features a glued middle part, an elaborate worbla headgear, and structural shapes for the ponytails! There is still much I want to add and upgrade for her next iteration, but I am so proud of what I was able to create in a few short months.


BIO: Hi, I’m Poppy of Poppy Lop Cosplay. I am a native to the California Bay Area. My first loves in life are my dogs and STEM, but cosplay is a passion that takes up much of my spare time. I began cosplaying, and making my own cosplays in January 2021 due to an abundance of free time during the pandemic. Since my first convention in late August 2021, I have won over seven awards for my cosplays including Best Recreation at WonderCon, and Best in Show at Fanime. I have also been a part of panels for craftsmanship, judging cosplay competitions, and in publications.

Even with these achievements, I still find myself having much to learn! With each cosplay I craft, I teach myself at least one new skill, or figure out more efficient techniques for creating cosplay. Documenting my cosplay journey on Instagram has definitely had its challenges, but I am so honored to be able to learn from so many talented foam smiths, seamstresses, wig makers, prop builders, and more! Every single day I feel so inspired by my fellow creators, and motivated to create the cosplays of my dreams. With each build, I make as many tutorials, WIP posts, and videos as I can to share what I have learned. Join me on my Instagram page as we continue to grow, together!

COSPLAY & WORDS BY @POPPYLOP_COS
PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN BY BRIAN NISHIMOTO