FLINT, Michigan — Flint native Charlie B. Dobson is no stranger to the art of cosplay as she's transformed herself into a Disney princess, mermaid, and several R&B stars over the years as part of her annual cosplay photoshoot series. This year, Dobson channeled the stylish Disney villain Cruella de Vil of the animated film '
101 Dalmatians.'
Titled 'The Return of De'Vil,' the photoshoot features Dobson and a crew of Dalmation cosplayers which included young students from her swimming class,
We Swim Aquatics. Mari Copeny, widely known as Little Miss Flint, also made a special guest appearance.
Dobson's cosplay series began in 2021 at a time when she wanted to demonstrate her love for fashion and creative direction. Although she doesn’t partake in the spookiest night of the year herself, she thought it would be a great opportunity to tap into her creative side.
“I actually don't celebrate Halloween (hence why I call them a cosplay series), but I noticed that a lot of makeup artists did their more creative looks during this time and since I have a lot of downtime at the end of Summer/early Fall, I could work on my projects then,” said Dobson. “Plus, the algorithms are always really good around this time because people are dressing up as well.”
The team for this year’s photoshoot included photographer/editor A.D. Hester, makeup artist Lonnie Isaac, hair stylist Nash Moore, and Dobson leading as creative director and stylist. Keeping things local to Flint, the photoshoots were held at Cafe Rhema (432 Saginaw St.) and Sauce Italian American Kitchen (352 Saginaw St.) inside the Hilton Garden Inn hotel.
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Dobson is surrounded by Dalmation cosplayers inside Cafe Rhema during her annual cosplay photoshoot series. (Photo credit: A.D. Hester)
When it comes to deciding who or what to cosplay, Dobson relies on a higher power to give her the vision and direction.
“One of the ways the Lord speaks to me or shows me His will is through visions, whether it's of the people, an item, a scene, or concept,” said Dobson. “From there, I start building around the idea given to me. Sometimes, I will start with an item or location idea that will bring me close to the concept at hand. Organization and creating structures of concepts and ideas come naturally to me so I am always grateful that it doesn't take much to bring something together. At the same time, I am always grateful for people who are willing to be a part of my ideas to help bring them to life all the more.”
Dobson stated that the highlight of the annual photoshoot is seeing her creative visions come together as she learns to trust the process even when plans suddenly change.
“Sometimes things don't always go as planned, but learning to pivot with God has never disappointed me yet,” said Dobson. “'
101 Dalmatians' wasn't my original idea to do this year. I had another idea in mind that fell through. When I decided to pivot and seek God about an idea, Cruella de Vil and the '
101 Dalmatians' idea came to mind, and everything came together with ease for it.”
To view more photos from Charlie Dobson’s annual cosplay series, visit her Facebook page.
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