Hello, traveler! Thanks for joining me here to peer into my paint-covered world of costuming, design, makeup, glitter, late-night crafting madness, and the joy of MAKING. I’m a Pennsylvanian artist, cosplayer, prop maker, curvy model, published author and artist, comics lover, reading enthusiast, and all-around geek girl.

My peers in the cosplay community affectionately refer to me as “the Foam Queen.” I love using EVA foam to bring armor, creatures, costumes, and props to life. I see everything around me as a canvas, and while I love using foam to create, I also utilize thermoplastics, sculpting, FX makeup, textiles, and more to create immersive, intricate character designs. Paint is magic! I enjoy approaching paint and makeup as storytelling tools to bring my works to life—props and armor made of foam can turn into weathered or battle-damaged wood or metal, there is no limit to what you can do with imagination and paint. I live for the transformative magic of detail work, faux finishes, weathering, and makeup effects!

I believe that cosplay is for any BODY, cosplay is for EVERY body. As a plus-size woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), I advocate for cosplay inclusivity and body positivity. I’m an admin for the Cosplay and Comics™ affiliate page Full Figured Cosplay, which celebrates body diversity in cosplay and costuming. I am also an admin for SheProp!, a prop-making forum for women and nonbinary makers at all levels. As a woman prop maker and artist, creating safe spaces where women can educate, empower, and encourage other women makers is critical.

MY COSPLAY JOURNEY

I was that kid in school who was caught doodling in the margins of her notebook instead of writing notes in class. I have been an artist since childhood, but after college I found myself stuck in the rut of an uncreative job, and I just kind of...stopped painting, stopped creating, and stopped making art. I felt lost, mentally. Diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), I had to come to grips with a body that felt like it had betrayed me; I was wrestling with acne, hirsutism (I am a bearded lady), weight gain, constant fatigue, and more. I felt lost, physically. I was confused and depressed. I felt like I had lost my identity as an artist and as a woman.

I looked to the escape and strength of characters in books, comics, and movies, and I decided to make a cosplay to attend a comics convention with my friends. Working with my hands for hours on end late at night, buried under piles of foam and paint and hot glue, let me cathartically process everything that was happening to me health-wise. Learning cosplay makeup techniques helped me learn how to cover my five o’clock shadow and feel feminine and beautiful again.

My first major armor build was Captain America, and when I put it on, I walked differently. I held my head high. I felt confident and powerful and strong. From that day forward, cosplay helped me learn how to truly accept and love my body, with the acne and beard and lumps and bumps and all. Cosplay helped me reclaim my inner artist — now, my body is my canvas, and my armor, garments, and makeup are my art. Cosplay literally transformed, and saved, my life.

To me, cosplay is the most complex, breathtaking performance art — it’s design, sewing, sculpting, engineering, problem-solving, painting, faux finishing, beauty and FX makeup, acting, and so much more. I have never felt more energized and challenged as an artist before I embarked on my cosplay journey. I never thought I would find myself behind a sewing machine, but here we are! I am no longer afraid to fail; I embrace making mistakes as the path to education and skill-building. Every costume experience is an experiment filled with joy.

I now push myself to learn new techniques with every costume build, and I hope I inspire you on YOUR journey to learn, grow, and create!

Looking for a more formal bio? Check out the Media Kit page.