Peek Behind the Masks of Charlotte Cosplayers

`“My favorite part is creating a 3-D version of something 2-D, like with comic book characters. It’s an art and science — it’s someone else’s illustration, but bringing that to life with color, texture, ‘feel’ and dynamic flow in three dimensions is the challenging and exciting part.” – Amberle Linnea

With Halloween upon us, we wanted to share inspiration from the world of cosplay or “costume play” by meeting some Charlotte-based cosplayers.  

While children and adults prepare to let their alter egos out for one night of revelry, cosplayers make a hobby or even a career out of dressing up as their favorite characters from movies, books, comics or video games year-round. 

Cosplay is big business. According to a report by Allied Market Research, the global cosplay costumes market was estimated at $4 billion in 2020 and is expected to hit $23 billion by 2030 with the growth of conventions, theme parties, and events.

Cosplay can combine art, sewing, make-up, acting and even wood or metal work into its own art form. Cosplayers often make their own costumes, with a build taking anywhere from hours to years! Some said the creative process is almost as fun as the reactions they receive at events and conventions. Almost.

Here are six local creatives who shared their love for cosplay with us. From comics to movies, anime to historical, these folks take dressing up very seriously. Or do they?

Cheralyn Lambeth  

Lambeth as Princess Leia from Star Wars: A New Hope

Cheralyn Lambeth has loved playing dress-up ever since she was little. She’d put together costumes from scraps of fabric or other found objects. But once her mother taught her to sew, she said, “I really took off and started making costumes for myself.”
She was able to turn her hobby into a career, making costumes and props professionally for film, TV, and feature films including The Muppet Christmas Carol, The Patriot, and Evan Almighty.

Longest Costume Build?

“Sarah’s ballgown from the film Labyrinth — that’s still one of my favorite movies, and I always wanted to get that costume just right. I’m constantly seeing things I missed in making my own version and am always reworking or adding things to it. While the first version took me only about five months to build, I’ve been working on it for several years!”

What do you love most about cosplay?

“The best thing for me about cosplaying is the opportunities I’ve had to put my cosplays to good use for positive outreach to others. As a member of the 501st Legion (an international Star Wars costuming club engaged in charitable work), I’ve joined my fellow members in taking our characters to visit children (and sometimes adults!) who are in the hospital, and participate in wish visits for Make-A-Wish children.I’ve been very glad to be able to take a hobby I enjoy and use it for good.”

Any favorite character(s) to cosplay?

Princess Leia, Marty Mcfly, Ghostbusters and Harry Potter

What’s next?

Catch Cheralyn at MarsCon in January in Williamsburg, Virginia, and Far Point in Hunt Valley, Maryland, in February. She has a new blog titled Arts, Crafts, Film and Phantoms launching in November.

Kara Miller

Miller as Daphne from Scooby Doo

Kara Miller is a more recent addition to the cosplay scene. After years of chasing Halloween parties, she realized in 2020 that there was a whole group of people that built costumes year round. 

Last year, she set a goal to have five costume builds by September 2021, and had them finished by the end of March. A self-described nerd and theater kid, Kara said cosplay scratches her creative itch. Perhaps that’s why she’s been working on her Black Cat costume for months.

How many different characters do you play? 

I have 48 builds at this point. My first was Starfire from Teen Titans (DC Comics) and my most recent is The Bride from Kill Bill. 

Do you make your own costumes?

Yes and no. Every cosplay is customized in some capacity, but some have more bought pieces than others. 

Any favorite character(s) to cosplay?

I always love characters that I connected to and admired growing up. I was very much into comics, especially Marvel, so characters like Rogue and Psylocke have a special place in my heart.

Where can people find you next?

I’m holding off on Cons until the world’s a bit safer, but you can always find me at @cosplaybyKara on Tiktok and Instagram.

Jennifer Halverson

Halverson as Hornet from Hollow Knight

Note: photo credits listed in her email

Jennifer Halverson started cosplay as a hobby in 2016 when she was invited to Dragon Con by friends. By 2018, she says, the hobby “snowballed” and she started considering herself an official cosplayer. 

Jennifer loves the challenge of cosplay and brings her talent as an acrylic painter to her builds. She also loves learning new skills, like LED work, make-up application, foam-smithing, photography and posing. 

Do you make your own costumes?

“Every costume I do is a combination of store-bought items and handmade. Sometimes the ratio leans more one way than the other. I haven’t taught myself to sew yet, so if a costume is more fabric/dress oriented, I have to purchase or commission it. I usually work with Erin at RCB Fashion in Charlotte, who does outstanding work! Any props or armor, I make myself.”

Which costume took you the longest to make?

“That, hands down, is the Samus Aran Varia Suit [from the Metroid video game series] I’m currently building. It started as my COVID lockdown project in early 2020, and I’m still working on it. So I’ve been at it for over a year and a half. I’ll be debuting it at a convention in Washington, D.C. in early 2022.”

Do you have a favorite character to play?

“Samus from Metroid. She’s the strong, silent type, with whom  I greatly identify. I’m also a big fan of sci-fi and horror, so I love the games! I’m very involved in the Metroid Cosplay community which gives me access to a lot of resources and lets me connect and chat with other fans and cosplayers that have cosplayed as her.”

DeAnna Cooper

Cooper and @@black__jedi as Green Lanterns

DeAnna Cooper was born and raised in Charlotte and has been cosplaying for 20 years. In that time, she has both built her own cosplays and has also bought costumes. DeAnna has done so many characters at this point she says she’s lost count of how many she’s done. 

What costume took you the longest to make and what’s your latest?

“It took me two months to make Final Fantasy’s White Mage. My latest cosplay is Nightwing [Robin’s identity after he grows up and moves on from Batman].”

What is your favorite character and why?

“My all-time favorite character to cosplay is Ryomou Shimei from Ikkitousen, a beautiful blue haired anime character. Ryomou is a third-year student at Nanyo Academy but very powerful. She specializes in submission wrestling moves, throws, and joint attacks which she uses in conjunction with a pair of handcuffs she carries. I love her personality- even though she can be tough, she’s a loyal, great friend to her team.” 

What do you love most about cosplaying?

“What I love most is the creative process and meeting other fans and learning from them.”

What’s next?

You can see DeAnna at the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention Oct. 28-31. 

Bob Kieffer

Kieffer as the many cowls of The Dark Knight

Bob Kieffer moved back to Charlotte from Philadelphia 10 years ago but says he’s been into cosplay his entire life. He went down a much deeper rabbit hole in 2009 when he started making more elaborate costumes. Kieffer makes most of the soft parts of the costumes himself, but commissions items like cowls, emblems, helmets and armor from artists who he said are “way more talented” than he is. He’s always sure to give credit when posting photos, hoping it helps them as small business owners. 

How many different characters do you play? What was the first? What’s the latest?

“That’s a tough one. So many. Mostly Batman, though. A blue and gray Batman costume (Bronze Age Batman – 1970-1984) was my first build and has also been one of my most recent builds, as I update and upgrade. I’ve also been working on a Mandalorian, ‘89 (Tim Burton) Batman, and Batman from the 2002-2003 comics mini-series, Hush.” 

What do you love most about cosplay?

“The ability to express creativity and learn new skills. Sometimes super enjoyable…sometimes super frustrating. But, I’m always learning. I also love interacting with people while in costume and visiting folks during various promotional events. It’s the best!”

Where can people see you next?

“In the current environment, who knows? I’m hoping to make it to the Giant-Size Charlotte Mini-Con that Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find is putting on November 6 and 7, but we will see. Social media would be the best place, I guess. That’s my biggest creative outlet at the moment.”

Amberle Linnea 

Linnea as Shadowcat with Lockheed

Amberle Linnea remembers her first very cosplay, a white kitty costume her mom made her as a little girl, and answering the phone with a “meow.” But it wasn’t until 12 years ago that she taught herself to sew and began going to cosplay conventions. Amberle enjoys playing characters across pop culture fandoms: comic books, movies, video games and TV series. 

What do you love about cosplay? 

“My favorite part is creating a 3-D version of something 2-D, like with comic book characters. It’s an art and science — it’s someone else’s illustration, but bringing that to life with color, texture, feel and dynamic flow in three dimensions is the challenging and exciting part.” 

What are you known for?

“I tend to be a villain more often than a princess. If anything, I’m known for outrageous costumes: Shadowcat with a real Lockheed ‘dragon’; Effie Trinket’s butterfly dress; a Medusa with a 6-foot-long mechanized tail.”

Which costume took you the longest to make?

“By far, the Avatar Priestess Mo’at. I hand-strung more than 30,000 seed beads for her breastplate alone. And when the whole costume was done, the body paint itself took six or seven hours standing (pretty much naked) in my kitchen. @ambermichaelart does most of my FX make-up, prosthetics and body paint. She’s amazing!”

Where can people see you next?

“Halloween night, for the seventh time, I’m the emcee at the front of Rosemont Manor Haunt in Elizabeth. After that, I’m one of the Bingo Verifying Divas for Gay Bingo Charlotte, a fundraiser benefitting RAIN, Inc.”

These creatives are just a sampling of some of Charlotte’s cosplayer talent. If there’s someone you think we should know about, please encourage them to submit a creative profile.

The creative profiles above are sponsored by

About the Author

Read more from Erika Lopez on her blog: landingserikalopez.wordpress.com

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