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This week’s cosplay spotlight focuses on Ashe Lynne Cosplay. We met her last year at Impulse Creations during ‘Free Comic Book Day’ and have been a fan ever since. With a terrific eye for detail, she’s a fantastic ambassador for fandom and we couldn’t be happier that she took the time to tell us about her approach to the craft.
Name:
Ashleigh McDonald
Aliases:
Ashe Lynne Cosplay, Ashe
Favorite genre/characters/myths:
Completely obsessed with Greek mythology since my mother would read myths to me as bedtime stories when I was little. Also Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and #Marvel. Favorite characters include- Red Sonja, Captain Marvel, Captain Picard, Severus Snape, to name a few.
How did you get started?
Started in theatre and stage performance from the age of 5, and never stopped. I was very into musical theatre, and trained in opera in high school. In college, I worked for Disney World for a year as a character performer (Tink, Wendy and Alice), before returning home to Tulsa in 2011. From there I worked with a group of cosplayers doing princess parties and other events around town. After I had my beautiful baby girl, I started building my own cosplays up and decided to go professional with it. Now I run my custom art business, princess parties, kids costume charity, and cosplay, trying to network and build every day.
Who/what is your inspiration:
When I was younger, my inspiration definitely came from my mother, and hugely from my grandfather. My mother scraped by to get me anything I needed to express my creative side and my grandfather constantly brought me with him to impress all of his buddies with my singing and artistic abilities. We were from a very small town (way out in the country) and he would take me into his favorite dives and prop me up on a bar stool to sing in front of everyone. We lost him when I was very young, so his encouragement has always stuck with me through all of my darkest moments. Today, my inspiration comes from my beautiful little girl. She is so full of life and love, and so much my mini me when it comes to super heroes and the nerd-World, that I wake up excited every day to work on New cosplay challenges for the both of us.
Favorite materials or techniques:
I love working with craft and EVA foam. They are super affordable and extremely easy to work with. They are also pretty durable and easy to fix whenever damage does happen.
Favorite resource for learning:
I have always been a wing-it type of person when it comes to art and crafting. But when I do look for resources to help me guide my ideas, I use Pinterest and YouTube A LOT.
Any tips for beginners?
Never give up. Everyone starts out having no idea what they are doing or where to start. Go at your own pace and practice. Seek out friends for help and advice, and be welcoming to collaboration opportunities. Also – no judgement! Cosplay is for everyone, so don’t let anyone get you down and don’t hate on anyone else due to their skill level or physical looks.
Where can people see more of your work?
Cosplay Page
Facebook: AsheLynneCosplay
Instagram: AsheLynneCosplay
Kids costume charity
Facebook: HardKnockLifeCostuming
Princess Events
Facebook: GingerSnapsEnt
Custom Art
Facebook: Arte by Ashe
Thanks so much to Ashe Lynn for taking the time to chat with us regarding her cosplay approach and inspiration. We’d encourage all of you to go and visit her social media pages and really support this talented artist by sharing her pics and works as well as following/liking her pages!
