Artist Spotlight: Jenni Källberg

Country: Sweden

Medium of Art: Digital, Traditional, Cosplay

Website: Pixelninja.se

“My first costume ever was as Link when I was 11 years old.”

Known as “Pixel Ninja” online, Sweden’s Jenni Källberg rose to fandom fame as one of the original Samus cosplayers, but her artistic accomplishments don’t stop with wearable art. Källberg creates tributes to her favorite franchises in a variety of mediums, including acrylic on canvas and digital work, in addition to her expanding cosplay portfolio. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved being creative and drawing, crafting, and sewing,” said Källberg. “For the most part, I draw my art digitally on the computer, but I also enjoy drawing on paper/canvas as well.

Fanart has her heart, and Nintendo appears to hold a special place within it. “Even if I do draw and sew some original pieces, I mostly enjoy drawing fanart or making costumes from the things that I like. It’s a great way for me to combine my hobbies and interests.”

“My first costume ever was as Link when I was 11 years old,” explained Källberg, thinking back to her first foray into the medium. “At that time, I didn’t know about the concept of cosplay, but I dressed up as Link because Nintendo hosted a ‘dress up as your favorite Nintendo character contest’ in Sweden. I did not win, but I thought it was fun to dress up as Link, posing with a fairy bottle and sword, so when I got the chance I made more costumes. Later in sewing class at school I made several cosplay costumes instead of regular clothes, because I thought it was more fun.”

Her costume skills quickly advanced far beyond sewing. Samus’ armor seemed like the perfect costume to challenge her. “First, I made the pattern by drawing and cutting out the shapes in paper. I adjusted the size/shape on me in front of the mirror. Then I cut out the shapes in foam, which I covered in vinyl fabric to get the shiny texture. In some cases, when I could not find a vinyl fabric in the right color, I would airbrush it in the right color and cover it with clear coat so the color would not fade off, and it would be shiny. The whole costume is made of foam except for the shoulder balls which are made of polystyrene.”

Källberg has completed two Samus suit versions: the Varia and Gravity Suits. “I also installed a total of 184 LED-lights in the costumes which are powered by 20 AA batteries. The costumes took six months to complete.”

Källberg’s creative work is expanding to a new frontier. “I started to make animated pixel art a couple of months back and really enjoy it!”