Cosplayer Spotlight: Ammie Cosplay
Updated: May 28, 2019
A little delayed but we are back with another edition of Cosplayer Spotlight! This week we are back with Ammie Cosplay!
Droids: Easy/typical questions first. What was the first convention you attended? What was the most memorable part of that convention?
Ammie: The first convention I ever attended was Fanexpo Canada 2006. I had a great time and met a lot of great and interesting people that enjoyed the same movies, TV shows and video games I loved. It was a really great experience! I was interviewed a lot for various pod casts, web shows, media etc. I also met a lot of my best and closest friends. That to me is the most memorable part. All those people I met are still very much a part of my life to this day.
Droids: Is there a cosplay you will not do? If so, and Why?
Ammie: I’m not the biggest fan of provocative costumes. I tend not to relate too much to those types of characters anyways. I really enjoy making costume of characters I feel a connection with or I have a genuine intrigue for the design. But if I had to narrow down to a costume I wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole…probably the battle suit of Satsuki from Kill la Kill…that is just….yeah T_T.
I also said I would never cosplay Aya from Onechanbara….and a few years down the road I ended up making her costume…..so I sometimes do come around with a costume I say I will never make.
Droids: What was your favorite cosplay costume that you've done so far?
Ammie: That is actually a pretty hard question, as I have well over 100 costumes! My Jill Valentine battlesuit from Resident Evil 5 was extremely difficult to make, but I am still very proud of it to this day…and I made that over 5 years ago! I’m also very proud of my Five Nights at Freddy’s Freddy Fazbear mascot costume I made. It was the first mascot costume I ever attempted at, and I am very proud of it. I also made Mina Murray’s red (absinthe) gown from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which was very difficult, but I’m proud of how it turned out! I really love wearing my Penguin/Oswald Cobblepot costume from the TV show Gotham. It is a makeup heavy costume with a prosthetic nose. I look incredibly different in the costume. The actor that plays the character on the show, Robin Lord Taylor, even loved my cosplay of him when I showed him!
Droids: Do you have a favorite convention? If so, which one is it, and why?
Ammie: My favrourite convention will change through the years depending on how it is run. My favourite use to me Fanexpo, but then it started getting too crowded for my liking. I usually enjoy Anime North, but it also tends to get over crowded. Any convention my friends like to go to, I usually attend. It’s not the convention, but rather the company you’re with that makes it worth while.
Droids: What was the hardest costume for you to make to date? What made it so difficult?
Ammie: The Jill Valentine Battlesuit was very hard to make. The entire suit is form fitted and made with non stretch fabric. It’s actually kind of difficult to sit down in, but it looks really nice.
The Mina Murray Red gown was also very challenging. I hand drafted the entire pattern, fitted it, lined it and used about 14 yards of red taffeta fabric. Freddy Fazbear was also very challenging with the mascot head and robotic body frame. The entire suit is made with ½ inch thick foam then hand sewn the outer fleece to the foam.
My Suigintou from Rozen Maiden was difficult. It was also hand drafted and the appliqué on it took awhile, as well as making it fitted with the petal shaped skirt. I do love selecting challenging costumes that I find many people don’t attempt at.
Since I have so many costumes, it’s hard for me to narrow down most difficult to just one.
Droids: Is there a cosplayer that you look up to for inspiration?
Ammie: When I first stumbled upon cosplaying it was by finding cosplayer Yaya Han’s webpage. I really loved her unique approach to costume making and designing. It was after seeing her costumes and convention photos I started to understand what cosplaying was. I also really admire cosplayer Kelldar for all her super accurate Star Wars costumes. She has just about every Princess Leia and Padme costume! It’s incredible! My really good friend Straywind has also been cosplaying for much longer than I have. I remember seeing her Cosplay.com profile years before I met her and really loving her costume work. I’m so honoured to be one of her close friends.
Droids: Is there a Con that you have not gone to yet but aspire to do so?
Ammie: My dream convention would be SDCC. One year I do want to go before I completely retire from the convention scene. I would also love to see NYCC at some point too.
Droids: Do you have a funny experience from a comic con that you want to share?
Ammie: I’ve had some funny experiences while dressed in crossplay. The best example would be when I was dressed as Alucard from Hellsing one year. I was actually mistaken for as a guy because my face was mostly covered by the wig and sunglasses; I also wore platform boots to make me much taller. Some girls thought I was a guy and decided to flirt with me…until I started speaking and they realized I was a girl, to which they went red in the face and ran away…oops!
Droids: Is there anything else you want to add about cosplay or yourself in general or perhaps promote something that may not have already been covered?
Ammie: While I use to love attending conventions, they are getting a little bit pricey to attend many each year. I do enjoy being invited as a guest, this is due to the fact that I love to engage the crowd, share tips and tricks on how to make and construct costumes (I make all my own costumes 100%) I get many inquiries online and in person about how I craft my costumes, so teaching workshops and running panels helps me teach people in greater numbers on how to do that. I love teaching people and helping them out when they may think they don’t have the skills. My motto has always been:
If I can do it, anyone can!
What I have started doing more frequently in place of conventions is attending charity events and doing hospital visits to sick kids. I feel this is a better way to utilize my costumes to help bring happiness to people who are normally not at their happiest point in life. Helping people in need is something I’ve always aspired to do, and hopefully it will inspire others as well. There is always a need for volunteers and people willing to help others.
Droids: It was an absolute pleasure sitting down with you! Congratulations on your continued success as an amazing cosplayer!
We hope to see you at a Convention some time!