If your Internet travels have ever steered you toward the naughtier, sexier side of the cosplay community, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with the lovely and talented Vivid Vivka. A model, artist, and Suicide Girl, Vivka’s ever-increasing fanbase is a result of her willingness to completely embrace her inner geek, and it’s not unusual to find her wandering the floor at E3, Anime Expo, or Comic Con, dressed as some of the most iconic and recognizable characters in pop culture.
We reached out to Vivka a few weeks before WonderCon 2014, and invited her to sit down with us for a special episode of the Drinks and Discourse podcast. Scheduling proved to be a bit tricky, as the revival of her popular Mad Moxxi costume left her in high demand for photo ops on Friday afternoon. Of course, we couldn’t resist jumping in for a quick shot of our own.
Saturday proved to be much less hectic, and after participating in a group photo shoot of DC characters, Vivka accompanied us to an upstairs hallway (not nearly as creepy as it sounds) to record her very first podcast.
“I went to the bathroom and touched up my lipstick beforehand,” she says with a laugh. “Then I was like, wait, no. That’s not quite right.”
As an art school graduate with a BFA in illustration, Vivka had plenty of experience sketching the naked form, and her inaugural set for SuicideGirls also served as her first foray into nude modeling. She credits her family for teaching her that “a body is a body, it’s just skin,” and for raising her in an open, supportive environment.
“My mom thinks it’s awesome,” she says proudly. “I’m one of the lucky ones, where my parents know everything that I do, and my mom is like my biggest fan. She actually makes me outfits for my photo shoots.”
Aside from modeling, Vivka is also an entrepreneur, and operates a successful Etsy store specializing in “human hair extensions and crazy wild wigs.” She tries to keep herself busy with plenty of projects, which allows her the freedom to accept the modeling jobs that she’s truly passionate about, rather than just working for a paycheck.
We spent an hour chatting with Vivka, discussing her favorite video games, which comic book movies brought her to tears, and how she found herself in the hospital during Comic Con 2013. Afterward, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab a few more photos, and Vivka (clad in her Joker-cosplaying-Batman creation) was happy to oblige.
The full podcast episode is available for download here, or can be streamed via the embed below:
For more Drinks and Discourse, be sure to subscribe via iTunes (or Podkicker, for Android users). For more information on Vivid Vivka, visit her at the following links:
Etsy Store: vivka.etsy.com
Tumblr: vividvivka.tumblr.com
Instagram: @vividvivka
Facebook: TheVividVivka
Twitter: @VividVivka
2 Comments
i finally have a voice to go with the face ^_^
It almost takes away a bit of the mystique. But not quite.