Meet Your Board: Christopher Erickson, Social Media Coordinator / Member at Large

Why costuming? What brought you here?

After a painful breakup, I started reading more comic books and graphic novels. I went to my first convention at WonderCon in San Francisco in 2007 and saw everyone in costume having fun. I finally put together a costume (the Golden Age Sandman Wesley Dodds) and started making friends through costuming.

What’s your costuming focus?

Mostly Science Fiction, but I have been focusing on Old West and Victorian more recently.

Do you do anything else crafty or artistic?

I do a lot of photography and some writing for fanzines.

What’s your day job?

I am an Environmental Health and Safety Manager.

What was the first costume you made? Is there a picture?

The first costume I put together was the Golden Age Sandman and I modified a Nerf gun for it. The first costume that I sewed was a “Tron”-ified version of the Sorcerer’s Apprentice from “Fantasia” for a WonderCon Masquerade entry. I have photos of both.

What’s on the sewing table now?

I just finished doing a modified outfit of Darkwing Duck for Dapper Day. My current “relaxing” project is a Victorian vest and pants using a blue plaid that I picked up at one of the previous GBACG Open Houses.

What was your first/most memorable costuming disaster/learning moment?

My first learning moment would have to be trying to sew a costume for a masquerade entry.

Costume you’re most proud of?

It has to be the three-piece suit version of Spider-Man that I made for Dapper Day before the pandemic hit. I based the look on the original John Romita Sr. artwork from the 1960s comics and had to do a lot of designing for it. I even got a compliment from Spider-Man at Avengers Campus.

What’s your holy grail costuming project? The one you dream of doing?

I have an expensive fabric for the Eighth Doctor that I have yet to tackle yet as I need to get the right pattern for the vest. I need to make the vest and frock coat for it.

Tell us one (or two or three) things about you that others might not know.

I used to watch a lot of college hockey since the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers were on one of the local UHF channels when I was a kid. And then I had season tickets every year I was in college.