Header by panelist Cathleen McAllister
If you’ve never heard of Lightbox Expo, it’s the convention for digital art pros. And like most art events, it’s going online. Yes, we all miss terrestrial cons, but this presents a unique opportunity for artists worldwide: This year, those of us who wouldn’t have been able to make it to Los Angeles can obtain all that knowledge for pay-what-you-will admission, starting—as the title says—at $1.
…Except there are too many panels to humanly watch.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I attend a meatspace con, I can never decide which panels to go to, jump around almost at random, and end up missing the best ones. This is less of a problem when you don’t have to sprint from one end of the con to the other to catch two back-to-back panels, but since you still can’t catch them all, it’s good to know what you want to learn and seek out the ones teaching it. So I put together a rough guide to what to watch based on your goals.
By the time you see this, the whole expo might be over, but there’s one more advantage to streaming online: The panels will be archived to watch at your convenience after the event. The streams conducted on Twitch will automatically be saved for fourteen days, as per platform rules, and most of the ones conducted through Youtube Live (which Behance Live, host to many panels, runs on) will be up indefinitely.
All panel times Eastern.
To watch them in real-time, once you’ve registered, add them to your calendar or just check the “live now” tab at the time of the panel. To watch past ones, check Friday’s, Saturday’s, or Sunday’s schedule for a rewatch button under the panel listing.
These are just the highlights aimed at digital artists, but definitely check the full schedule for traditional art panels, portfolio reviews, drawing demos, and hangouts, most of which I didn’t include here.
9/20 Edit: Animator Rachel Yelinek has also put together a complete spreadsheet of the panels with handy links to the ones that have been archived in the fourth column. So whether you ended up paying for admission this year or not, you can Ctrl+F the name of the one you’re looking for to see if it’s there. LBX staff says that some panel recordings will remain unreleased at the request of the host, and has asked fans not to share bootlegs of them.
Also, now that the con’s over, I can’t recommend joining the Lightbox Discord enough. With over 11,000 members, it’s become an active permanent home for the community, with 24/7 drawing streams and industry-specific chat rooms.
So, what do you want to do?
- Get an industry job
- Make a living off your original art
- Git gud at:
- Get your mindset right
- See famous artists talk about cool s–t
- Explore the social side of art
- See Wacom products in action
__
Get an industry job
Animation
Everything You Wanted to Know About Feature Animation’s Toniko Pantoja
THE FUTURE OF 2D ANIMATION
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 2:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Tony Bancroft, Tom Bancroft, Sandro Cleuzo, Tomm Moore, Tracy Butler
30-year animation vets and long time animation podcasting twin brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft (Kronk, Mushu, Pumbaa, Simba, Pocahontas, others) discuss with a panel of animation vets like Tomm Moore (Cartoon Saloon- The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers, etc.) and newer players like Tracy Butler (Lackadaisy Kickstarter) what happened to 2D/ Traditional animation in the 2000s and where it lives, and thrives, today. Passcode: 796486
NETFLIX ANIMATION’S ASK US ANYTHING: ART
Friday 2:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jane Lee, Ramille Baguio, Luana Kasych, Amelia Leddie, Robin Linn
Just how important is having your contact information easy for a Netflix Animation art recruiter to find? Wonder if you should only include final images in your portfolio or will those loose sketches catch a recruiter’s eye? Join members of Netflix Animation’s recruiting team to hear answers to these questions and many more!
PORTFOLIOS WITH WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
Friday 4:00 pm – Friday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Matt Roberts
Join artistic recruiter Matt Roberts to hear about tips, tricks and examples for creating your visual development portfolios.
DTVA VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 6:30 pm
Marcelo Vignali, Bobby Pontillas and Samantha Kallis pull the curtain back on the visual development process at Disney Television Animation, revealing the unique collaboration, exploration, and deep thinking that sets DTVA’s shows above the rest! Moderated by: Anna States (Producer). Panelist credits: Samantha Kallis (Art Director, Development), Marcelo Vignali (Art Director, Development), and Bobby Pontillas (Director, Development).
THE PATH TO SUCCESS: BECOMING AN ANIMATION PRODUCTION DESIGNER | PRESENTED BY CONCEPT ART ASSOCIATION
Friday 6:00 pm – Friday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Christophe Lautrette, Justin Thompson, Paul Lasaine, Pierre Olivier Vincent, Tuna Bora, Alison Mann
This panel will cover the artists career paths and will give advice on topics ranging from interviews, portfolios, working with others, and how to stay recharged as an artist. Moderated by Alison Mann, VP Creative/Strategy at Sony Pictures Animation. Featuring Christophe Lautrette (The Croods), Tuna Bora (Pearl), Justin Thompson (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Paul Lasaine (Boxtrolls, What If) and Pierre Olivier Vincent (How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World).
DREAMWORKS’ RECRUITER AMA (ASK ME ANYTHING!)
Friday 2:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jennifer Elrod, Vanessa McAteer, Marina Soto, Sandy Dellamarie, Daujenae Harps, Rabia Abedin
Come chat with our Recruiters in this open forum to learn more about what our Recruiters look for, what a day in the life is like, and answer (almost) anything on your mind!
CAREER CHANGE – FROM ELECTRICAL ENGINEER TO STORYBOARD ARTIST
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 5:45 pm
Presenter(s): Andy Cung
Join Andy Cung online as he shares his experience on how he made the transition from an Electrical Engineer to a Storyboard Artist.
PITCH JAM!
Saturday 12:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Rob Hoegee, Adam Jeffcoat, Jim Bryson
Ever wondered how an animated TV show is created? Join Rob Hoegee, Adam Jeffcoat and Jim Bryson develop an animated pitch live. They will talk story, character, world building, business, selling, everything you ever wanted to know about developing a pitch! It will be fun!
BREAKING INTO ANIMATION – INTERNSHIPS
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:30 pm
Presenter(s): Maria Azellea, Jocelyn Naves, Flora Rees-Arredondo, Zamir Ramirez
Join LatinX in Animation as we invite past interns from various animation studios as we discuss their journey to landing their dream internships. We will also discuss the in’s and out’s of applying to animation internships, and how to make the best of your internship experience to land a job in the industry.
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT FEATURE ANIMATION PATCH 2.0
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Paul Lasaine, Amanda Jolly, Toniko Pantoja, Sunmin Inn
Wait… They paid you how much?! How the heck did you get art approved that your director didn’t like? Your boss s–t on your art baby and said WHAT? That’s your artist trick?! Yes… All delicious questions. I know I know… Even though I (Sunmin Inn) may be a Netflix Art Director, after last year’s talk you may think ‘This classless crook is just trying to give us another wooden nickel! Sell us more snake oil!’ That’s why I got classy & credible top industry pros Amanda Jolly, Paul Lasaine, and Toniko Pantoja to answer questions you always wanted to know about feature animation.
THAT BACKGROUND PAINTING LIFE
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Chrystin Garland, Bonnie Lui
Join Bonnie Lui and Chrystin Garland as they talk about their experiences in television animation and what to expect from the background paint position.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT AT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Camille Andre, Gabby Capili, Tyler McKim
Ever wonder what it’s like to develop your craft under the mentorship of a Disney Artist? Wonder no longer! Join Camille Andre (Visdev Artist) and Gabby Capili (Story Apprentice) as they discuss their paths to Disney Animation and their experiences cultivating their craft in the studio’s Talent Development Apprentice Program. Moderated by Tyler McKim (Talent Development Representative).
BREAKING INTO ANIMATION
Saturday 7:30 pm – Saturday 8:15 pm
A discussion about how the Atlanta and Los Angeles Bento Box teams are successfully navigating the work at home experience, while the studio is continuing to staff up and create great shows during this animation boom. With multiple shows in production (Bob’s Burgers, Duncanville, Central Park, Paradise PD, Hoops, The Great North, Housebroken, and more), Bento’s Atlanta team represented by Craig Hartin (Executive in Charge of Production), Jason Shwartz and Aaron Hawkins (Directors), along with the Los Angeles team members Ashley Long (Supervising Director), Simon Chong (Director) and Brooke Keesling (Head of Animation Talent Development), moderated by Joel Kuwahara (Co-Founder and President of Production) will provide some insight into the current industry and the best ways to get your foot in the door.
ANIMATION CAREER COME TRUE
Saturday 8:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm, Zoom
Women in Animation brings together a panel of animation and VFX recruiters and talent development professionals to share their insights about how to navigate your animation career. They will help you define your own story as an artist to find a unique spot to fit in the industry. They will discuss how to stay one step ahead with your job search; from planning to landing a job. They will go over some important tips and tricks of shaping your animation career with resources and support. Women in Animation is here to help make your animation career come true. Passcode: lightbox
CREATING WORLDS: THE SECRETS OF ANIMATION PRODUCTION DESIGNERS | PRESENTED BY CONCEPT ART ASSOCIATION
Sunday 12:00 pm – Sunday 1:00 pm
This panel will cover the artists’ creative process and where they find inspiration for their art. Moderated by Maggie Malone, Development Executive (Zootopia, Moana, Big Hero 6), featuring Luc Desmarchelier (The Ark and the Aardvark), Helen Chen (Walt Disney Animation), Robert Kondo (Tonko House), Noëlle Triaureau (Smurfs: The Lost Village), Szymon Bernacki (Klaus), Marcin Jakubowski (Klaus), Mathias Lechner (Walt Disney Animation) and Ralph Eggleston (Pixar). Zoom Passcode: 841537
LATINX STUDIO TALK
Sunday 1:30 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Bryan Dimas, Lola Barreto, Fernanda Frick, Gustavo Ribeiro, Luispa Salmon
LatinX in Animation will lead a discussion with leaders from various Latinx studios from Latin American countries. This discussion will touch upon the industry in their respective countries, the scope of their projects and work, and the future of the animation for Latin American studios as these studios are at the forefront of the next wave of Latin American animation.
NETFLIX ANIMATION’S ASK US ANYTHING: PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Julie Kinman, Camille Leganza, Talya Sharps, Jane Lee
Curious as to how to make your LinkedIn profile easier for production recruiters to find? Are production recruiters reading your cover letters? Join members of the Netflix Animation’s recruiting team to hear answers to these questions and many more!
Games
Concept art by Sparth of the eponymous panel. From Instagram
WOMEN IN GAME ART PANEL
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 2:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Lacey Bannister, Jessica Bradley, Yusun Chung, Kim Dray, Amy Kim, Jessica Kutrakun, Nina Modaffari
Hear firsthand how a variety of Animators, Concept Artists, and 3D Artists got into the industry and their experiences at Maxis. This event to be moderated by The Sims 4 Animation Director, Lacey Bannister. Passcode: 475261
KITBASH3D’S GAMEDAY STAGE @ LBX
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 5:30 pm
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 5:15 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 5:15 pm
Presenter(s): Hosted by Banks Boutté and Maxx Burman
KitBash3D’s GameDay stage at LightBox Expo is jam packed with three days of industry all-star artists from movies and video games like Avatar, Halo, Star Wars, Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us Part II, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and so much more! Live world building, tag team demos, career development interviews, giveaways, an interactive chat, and a new contest all brought right to your home in real time!
OUTRO AND AMA
Friday 8:30 pm – Friday 9:00 pm
Join the RATs for a final sign off and a dedicated hour of AMA with the Riot Games and LBX community.
LUAL MAYEN AND RAMI ISMAIL [INDIE GAME DEV] | KITBASH3D
Saturday 1:45 pm – Saturday 2:15 pm
Presenter(s): Lual Mayen, Rami Ismail
As a Sudanese refugee living in Uganda, Lual Mayen used to walk three hours just so he could charge his laptop computer and play video games. Now, as the founder and CEO of Junub Games, he is partnering with other developers to create projects with a social impact. Video games industry ambassador, public speaker and co-founder of Vlambeer, Rami Ismail first met Lual in 2016 and helped him showcase his game to the world. Join us, Lual and Rami for a lively discussion about how we can all use the power of games and game creation to cultivate a better world around us.
ENTERING THE GAME INDUSTRY, FROM EB GAMES, TESTER, TO FULL TIME CONCEPT ARTIST
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Trudi Castle
With over 15 years of experience in the games industry, Trudi talks about taking on all different roles to help her get experience and achieve her dream of becoming a concept artist!
SPARTH [ART DIRECTING] | KITBASH3D
Saturday 3:15 pm – Saturday 3:50 pm
Presenter(s): Sparth
Renowned Halo franchise Art Director Sparth will join us on the Game Day stage for what is guaranteed to be an interview you won’t want to miss!
CONCEPT TO CHARACTER
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Alexandria Neonakis
Demystifying the role of character concept art in AAA games. We’ll talk about what the job actually entails with examples of the type of work day to day during the whole production.
CINEMATICS: AN ANIMATION ROUNTABLE WITH THE DIRECTORS!
Sunday 7:00 pm – Sunday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Borja Peña Gorostegui, Jack Anderson, Trevor Conrad, Sammy Moore, Ewen Stenhouse, Chris Bancroft, Michael Gurman, Eric Reimer
For years we’ve been making animations that showcase the most aspirational view of our mobile games. We want to put a spotlight on a few of the companies and people that have helped make some of our favorite recent spots — Psyop and Goldenwolf Animation. With a few of their directors, we’ll dive into the process of our work, and talk about some memorable pieces; the biggest learnings (and struggles) we’ve had together; and how both Supercell and our great partners have adjusted over the years to keep our quality high and our approach fun for both makers and, more importantly, the millions that view our work.
Film, publishing, and other
Concept art by Cathleen McAllister
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 2:00 pm
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Cathleen McAllister
Learn about what type of artwork makes up a visual development portfolio, as well as a painting demo to discuss composition, color, lighting, and storytelling.
BREAKING INTO ART FOR GAMES, FILMS, AND ANIMATION
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 2:00 pm
Join DJ Welch on his channel Animators vs Games as he talks with mega-talented artists Armand Baltazar and Karla Ortiz. They tell stories of the entertainment industry, how they met/worked together, how you can get in, and the ways the industry has evolved over the years. Also, they goof a lot.
You never know when the fun project you do in your spare time could lead to your big break. Join RJ Palmer (arvalis) / Concept Illustrator (Detective Pikachu, Ubisoft), Claire Hummel (shoomlah) / Concept Artist (Half-Life: Alyx, Westworld VR) and DJ Welch (darkkenjie) / Art Lead at Twitter (Star Wars LucasFilm, Cartoon Network) for a panel detailing how personal work can build your artistic career. Whether it leads to professional connections, a job, or simply sparks your creativity, even the most personal projects can have value for your portfolio and career. Hosted by the CCO of DeviantArt, Justin Maller (ekud).
PORTFOLIO TALK AND REVIEW: MAKING ART THAT IS NOT FOR CLIENTS
Saturday 10:00 am – Saturday 11:30 am
Presenter(s): Djamila Knopf
What makes a good portfolio if there is no client involved? What unique challenges does personal art pose? How important is a consistent style? Djamila takes you through her own portfolio to answer these questions and talk about her approach of creating personal art. Then, she reviews a few pre-selected portfolios and provides feedback and overpaints to illustrate some basic principles. Lastly, she provides a guideline for artists to evaluate their own work.
PEAKS AND PITFALLS OF PUBLISHING WITH THE PROS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Victoria Ying, Bonnie Lui
An hour long talk on how Victoria Ying and Bonnie Lui started their publishing journey. We will talk about the obstacles we encountered and give tips on the industry.
EXPECTATIONS AT WORK
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Pablo Dominguez, Pablo Carpio
Once you get a new job or a position you never had before in the industry, what will the company or the client expect from you? Pablo & Pablo will talk about their experiences in different art roles that can hopefully help you in the future. There will also be a round of Q&A.
DAVID LEVY [DIRECTING] | KITBASH3D
Saturday 3:50 pm – Saturday 4:05 pm
Presenter(s): David Levy
From Star Wars to Avatar to GameDay, David Levy shares insights from his career as a concept artist and director on before his demonstration of his original cinematic project up next!
ARTIST TO ART DIRECTOR
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Patrick O’Keefe, Nick Hiatt, John Bell. Moderated by David Bleich
Join a group of Art Directors including Patrick O’Keefe (Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse), Nick Hiatt (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), John Bell (Jurassic Park) and Dave Bleich (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2) as they discuss their path to, experience in, and life after Art Directing.
A CONVERSATION WITH THE MARVEL STUDIOS VISUAL DEVELOPMENT TEAM
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 8:00 pm
They’re the team of concept artists currently envisioning the future of the MCU! Join VisDev artists Ryan Meinerding, Andy Park, Jackson Sze, Rodney Fuentebella, Anthony Francisco, Ian Joyner, and Jana Schirmer; along with Karla Ortiz, Phil Saunders, Jerad Marantz, Imogene Chayes, Constantine Sekeris, Alexander Mandradjiev, Keith Christensen, John Staub, Phil Boutte, Musk Rizvi , Tully Summers, Mike Uwandi, Saskia Gutekunst, and Henrik Tamm as they discuss their experiences as Visual Development artists.
FROM YOUR SKETCHBOOK TO A PUBLISHED PICTURE BOOK!
Saturday 8:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Michael Relth
“Whether you’re an professional illustrator or are just now pursuing art, everyone has good ideas! During my presentation, I’ll use my upcoming debut book ‘Picture Book by Dog’ (published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) as a case study to explain how you can take your good ideas and get them published.”
NETFLIX ANIMATION’S ASK US ANYTHING: CG
Saturday 10:00 pm – Saturday 11:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jane Lee, Grazia Como, Michelle Duffie, Robin Linn, Sneha Shukla, Paulli Weeks
Ever wonder how to make yourself and your awesome digital imagery stand out from the crowd to CG Recruiters? How about the best way to connect with the Netflix CG/VFX Recruiting team? Join members of Netflix Animation’s recruiting teams to hear answers to these questions and many more!
GUIDE TO AN INDUSTRY READY FILM PORTFOLIO
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Maxim Kozhevnikov, Farid Sandoval
Concept artists Max Koz and Farid Sandoval talk about the ever evolving film industry and how to identify where your skills and taste will be the most valuable for a successful career in visual development
TERRAFORM STUDIOS PANEL
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Join the Terraform Studios Panel hosted by Spiridon; where artists from ILM, Marvel and Avatar will go over how to create the best portfolio, how to create original designs, industry advice, and talk about creating a concept art studio.
FUTURE OF EDUCATION | KITBASH3D
Sunday 2:45 pm – Sunday 3:15 pm
Presenter(s): James Paick, Taryn Southern
What does the future of virtual learning hold? Filmmaker and futurist Taryn Southern joins Tomb Raider concept artist and founder of Brainstorm School James Paick to discuss in a collaborative exploration to find the answer.
THE ART OF BALANCE: KIDS & CAREER WITH WIA (WOMEN IN ANIMATION) | PRESENTED BY CONCEPT ART ASSOCIATION
Sunday 5:00 pm – Sunday 6:00 pm
Join us as we chat with and discuss the art of balancing motherhood and work with concept artists Gina DeDomenico Flanagan (The Boys, Stargirl), Charlene LeScanff (Blizzard Entertainment), Jisoo Kim (Cartoon Network Studios), Griselda Sastrawinata (Walt Disney Animation) and Carolina Tello Zeleski (Oculus).
Make a living as an indie artist
Social Media for Artists‘s Lois Van Baarle. You know her. From Instagram
GOING INDEPENDENT: MAKING A LIVING OFF OF PERSONAL ART
Friday 12:00 pm – Friday 1:30 pm
Presenter(s): Djamila Knopf in collaboration with Chantal Horeis, Kim Myatt and Lorena Lammer
Four illustrators at different stages in their career (already fully independent or transitioning from client work) share their stories and give advice on how to turn personal art into a business. They chat about the process and challenges of creating personal work vs. doing freelance work, building an audience and community, monetizing art, creating different revenue streams, making the transition from freelance work, as well as staying motivated on on track throughout the entire process.
AKI’S SHOP TALK – HOW TO ESTABLISH YOUR BRAND AND SELL YOUR WORK
Friday 4:00 pm – Friday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Amber Aki Huang
A discussion of how to build a brand from the ground up, selling at conventions / online shop / galleries, and marketing for your brand.
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ARTISTS
Saturday 10:00 am – Saturday 11:00 am
Presenter(s): Lois van Baarle, Gabriel Picolo, Kiana Khansmith, Matt Buchholtz
Lois van Baarle (loish)/Concept Artist (Guerrilla Games, EA), Gabriel Picolo (Picolo)/(Disney TVA, Big City Greens), and Kiana Khansmith (kianamai)/Comic Artist (DC Comics, Harper Collins) get together for a panel navigating the challenges of social media for contemporary artists. From asserting your artistic voice, how to gain followers and engagement, and balancing your life with responsibilities to the art community, they cover it all. Hosted by DeviantArt’s Head of Social Media, Matt Buchholtz (ggmattb).
SIMPLY FINANCES
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Tuna Bora, Claudia Yi Leon
Live stream with Claudia Yi Leon (IG @taxesforartists) covering freelance basics and pandemic tips, followed by a Q&A.
AVOIDING CAREER DEATH FOR OVER 50 YEARS
Sunday 4:00 pm – Sunday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Dean Yeagle
None of us want to just be an artist for a few years. Learn how Dean Yeagle has had such a long lasting career through 5 decades, his thoughts on life as an artist and how pivoting is essential.
Git gud at…
Digital drawing
Sketch! Sketch! Sketch! Demo‘s Dawn Carlos
DRAWING A CHARACTER FROM SCRATCH!
Friday 2:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Joshua Stephens
Sketching a character from scratch can be difficult, but Josh will go through his entire process during this livestream! Using the free downloadable brushes, you can follow along with the same reference! The focus will be on gesture and shapes, in order to avoid creating a boring copy of the image.
ILLUSTRATION MASTERCLASS – DIGITAL INKING
Friday 4:00 pm – Friday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Kyle Webster
In this one-hour masterclass, Kyle will cover some of the finer points of digital inking in Photoshop and Fresco, including which brushes to use for specific styles, great techniques to save you time, using textures and special effects in your inking, and more.
FIGURE DRAWING/CHARACTER DESIGN DEMO
Friday 7:00 pm – Friday 8:30 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Kelvin Nguyen
Kelvin Nguyen will be doing a figure drawing demo with an emphasis on gesture, form and anatomy as well as a character design based upon the figure drawing reference.
DIGITAL GESTURE DRAWING
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 1:45 pm
Presenter(s): Normand Lemay
Norm sits down for a session of gesture drawing (human figure), pointing out crucial tips and techniques to express motion, weight and personality in just a few lines.
SKETCH! SKETCH! SKETCH! DEMO | PRESENTED BY CONCEPT ART ASSOCIATION
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Dawn Carlos
The sketch is the basis and starting point for so much of the concept art and design process. It can be one of the most fun and also effective tools in your kit. Dawn Carlos (Lucasfilm Animation) will showcase and demo the thoughts and ideas about the ways that sketching has impacted her professional and personal work significantly. Passcode: 224331
BACKGROUND DESIGN
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): John Nevarez
Quick overview on Background design.
DRAW WITH JB MONGE
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): JB Monge
Send JBMonge one of your characters that needs some help and get a line over, advice on the lecture of your drawing, gesture and storytelling (one-to-one) on Instagram Live.
CARICATURE DEMO | PROKO
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Court Jones
Learn about caricature from an award winning caricature artist! Court Jones has done a lot of published illustration and concept work for film and TV projects, editorial and product illustration for clients such as Atlantic Records, Upper Deck, Rolling Stone Magazine, Wired Magazine, The Washington Post, The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego Uptown News and Blizzard Entertainment, among others. Watch and learn his process in this demo!
HOW I TAUGHT MY WIFE TO DRAW WELL IN 6 MONTHS!
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Anthony Francisco
“This presentation is for beginners and students that want to learn the secret drawing exercises that I taught my wife which helped her level up her art in a short amount of time. We will talk about using abstractions, rhythms and gestures, and how to use tracing to study these techniques as well as best practices to study proper value structure.”
THE POWER OF TRIANGLE : FROM DIGITAL TO TRADITIONAL MEDIUMS
Sunday midnight – Sunday 1:00 am
Presenter(s): Mohammad Modarres
“Going through my process of making artwork and the impact of learning principles of art like drawing and traditional sculpture on it.”
DIGITAL DRAWING FROM IMAGINATION
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 1:45 pm
Presenter(s): Normand Lemay
Norm will go through his process as he draws from his imagination.
SKETCHING CHARACTERS FROM IMAGINATION USING PROCREATE 5X
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nikolai Lockertsen
“In this Demo I will show you how I build up my character sketches, from the first rough strokes all the way to details and color. It is combination blocking in a more painterly way of drawing, like you would with a pencil. I will give you my favorite Brushes I use for this Demo for free! So you can download them before the demo and follow along. And last, but not least, I will be using the brand NEW 5.1 update from Procreate! It is jam-packed with tons of new tools and features, which I will show you.”
DISCOVER YOURSELF, DEVELOP YOUR STYLE
Sunday 7:00 pm – Sunday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Danielle Pioli
Join Danielle Pioli on a journey of self-discovery and developing your own unique art style.
Digital painting
STYLIZED DIGITAL PORTRAITS
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Meybis Ruiz
Join Meybis in a live demo, where she’ll share her approach to create digital portraits, using a flexible and versatile render workflow.
DIGITAL PAINTING
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jason Chan
Jason will be hanging out and doing some live digital painting!
CAPTURING & UNDERSTANDING TEXTURES
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jonathan Hardesty
What is the difference between wet and slimy? How do you make an object look distressed and rusty? Learning to communicate textures simply, quickly, and efficiently can level you up in a significant way. In this session, Jon will be giving an overview of his approach to textures and doing plenty of demos.
ADDING COLOR TO YOUR CHARACTERS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Erika Wiseman
Join illustrator Erika Wiseman for a live demo where she’ll share her process behind adding color to characters! You’ll learn about how to choose a color palette to complement your character design and how to set up a flexible workflow for easily testing color variations!
PORTRAIT SHADING / RENDERING TUTORIAL!
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Joshua Stephens
Josh goes through his shading process for a typical portrait! Emphasis will be placed on lighting, as a means to reveal the form, and how to be more efficient with brush strokes.
DESIGNING FOR MATERIAL WHILE PAINTING
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sam Nielson
In this painting demo, Sam will show how his thinking about materials informs the story of a character or prop. He’ll also show a few techniques he has learned for rendering materials quickly and believably.
GRAYSCALE PAINTING
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Alexandria Neonakis
Tips and tricks to better understand and improve values in your paintings.
DIGITAL LANDSCAPE PAINTING INTERACTIVE DEMO
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:30 pm
Presenter(s): Nathan Fowkes
Paint along with Nathan as he tackles an exciting landscape scene working digitally from reference. You’ll be given the same reference and are invited to paint right along with Nathan and ask any questions you like as the process unfolds.
CREATING AN ART NOUVEAU-INSPIRED ART PIECE
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Yangtian Li
In this demo, Yangtian will share her process of creating an art nouveau-inspired piece via Procreate and sharing her thoughts behind the design.
STYLIZED DIGITAL PORTRAITS
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Meybis Ruiz
Join Meybis in a live demo, where she’ll share her approach to create digital portraits, using a flexible and versatile render workflow.
THE POWER OF GRAPHIC COMPOSITION
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sam Nielson
In this presentation, Sam will talk about graphic composition and how it can be used as a powerful tool to drive decisions while painting. He’ll show a couple of techniques in Photoshop for assessing compositional problems and for quickly correcting them.
LIVE WORKOUT SESSION
Sunday 11:00 am – Sunday 12:00 pm
Presenter(s): Wouter Tulp
Just like athletes, artists need to workout to keep up their skills. Get ready to tone your artistic skills as you paint along with Wouter Tulp. Based on the newly released Schoolism artist workout session, Wouter will do a live workout session along with three students working with him live. And of course you can paint along with them!
OCEAN LIFE PAINTING DEMO
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): David Levy
Explore the mysteries of the deep with concept artist and Expedition Art Co-founder, David Levy. David will be giving a digital painting demonstration on how you can use some elements from the ocean for inspiration on your next sci-fi adventure.
CREATURE PORTRAIT PAINTING – LIGHTING AND RENDERING FOR 3D FORMS
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Wade Acuff
This session focuses on creating 3D forms through lighting and rendering in a digital painting medium. The process walk through and demonstration will show how to paint a creature portrait using lighting sources to create believable 3D forms. Session extra value bonus: Creature creation!
PRACTICAL COLOR FOR DESIGNERS & STORYTELLERS
Sunday 4:00 pm – Sunday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nicholas Kole
Live paintovers and demos designed to turn color theory into useful color practices!
USING PHOTOGRAPHIC TEXTURES IN DIGITAL CHARACTER RENDERING
Sunday 4:30 pm – Sunday 6:30 pm
Presenter(s): Aaron Blaise
Aaron Blaise (Brother Bear, Aladdin, The Lion King) is a world renowned digital artist. Watch as he shows you his tips & tricks for digital drawing that looks like a frame of a finished film!
3d modeling
Unreal Engine background by Leah Augustine
DANAR WORYA DEMO | KITBASH3D
Friday 12:55 pm – Friday 1:45 pm
Presenter(s): Danar Worya
Last of Us Part II concept artist Danar Worya, the artist who’s also behind the cover image for the KB3D Dark Fantasy kit, performs a live set building a world in Blender using the Aftermath kit, Highways and Tanks from KitBash3d.
BUILD A GOBLIN CHARACTER WITH ZBRUSH
Friday 2:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): JB Monge
Let’s Build a Goblin Character with ZBrush 2021
INTRODUCTION TO GAME ANIMATION: A PAIN-FREE STRATEGY TO SURVIVAL
Friday 7:00 pm – Friday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Felix Vivier
“A deep dive into what makes a great run cycle and my specific approach to the art of making video game characters move.”
LEVELING UP WITH LEGENDS OF RUNETERRA
Friday 7:30 pm – Friday 8:30 pm
Let’s pop the hood and see what it takes for animators to build a Champion Level Up Animation in Legends of Runeterra! From storyboards, to pre-viz, to final animation, you’ll get to see how we craft these one-of-a-kind, climactic moments.
CINEMA 4D FOR ENVIRONMENT CONCEPT ART
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sierra Ward
“Blending my love for Cinema 4D and Procreate, I will build a simple exterior space that I will transfer over to create an illustration. I will go over camera settings in Octane, camera perspective, storytelling, and lighting a scene.”
ENVIRONMENT ART FOR GAMES | KITBASH3D
Saturday 2:50 pm – Saturday 3:15 pm
Environment artist at Respawn Entertainment Leah Augustine takes us through her process for creating real time environments in Unreal Engine 4. She’ll also share her passions about what motivates her to explore art for video games deeper.
CINEMATIC LIGHTING IN BLENDER/EEVEE
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Ben Mauro
In this demo, Ben Mauro will show how to quickly light a scene In multiple different ways to convey different storytelling and moods based on cinematic reference.
THE SIMS 4 CONCEPT TEAM: CREATING DESIGNS FOR CLOTHING & HAIR
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
The Concept Team will discuss the approach to clothing and hair design in order to empower Player’s creative expression through character creation. Zoom Passcode: 076240
VR WORKFLOW IN VISUAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT
Saturday 11:00 pm – Sunday 12:00 am
Presenter(s): Armand Serrano
Armand will show how useful VR in the visual development process of environment in games and animation. VR helps in designing, visualizing, and ‘experiencing’ the space as well as the overall design and look of the location.
ZBRUSH DEMO
Sunday 11:00 am – Sunday 12:00 pm
Presenter(s): JB Monge
Join JB Monge as he draws with ZBrush!
IAN HUBERT DEMO | KITBASH3D
Sunday 1:25 pm – Sunday 2:15 pm
Presenter(s): Ian Hubert
We have been dying to get a glimpse into the magic that has been going on inside Ian Huberts secret lab in Washington State called Future Proof. Just check out his IG for background. In this demo Ian will show us how the hottest new real-time application for movies–virtual production–doesn’t need to be reserved solely for big budget blockbusters. Using Blender and the KB3D Library he has made his own virtual production rig and we get an inside look! Don’t miss this one!
GAME MODELING IN CINEMA 4D FOR ‘BAO BOYS’
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Emma Gauthier
“Bao Boys is an indie third person game in the making. I will be modeling assets/props in the game and each asset for the game’s environment. Each asset I’ll be making will be in Cinema 4d such as the chairs, smaller assets/props and placement of the game’s environment. He’s a work in progress game that I hope to publish by 2022 or the end of 2021. If you’d like to follow the game’s progression in the coming years, here are my social tags: @Bao_Boys_studio.”
AARON LIMONICK DEMO | KITBASH3D
Sunday 3:45 pm – Sunday 4:35 pm
Presenter(s): Aaron Limonick
Last of Us Part II concept artist Aaron Limonick builds an original world with KB3D, C4D and Octane.
2D AND 3D: DOUBLE D VS TRIPLE D
Sunday 5:00 pm – Sunday 5:45 pm
Presenter(s): Kristine and Colin Poole
In this talk, Colin and Kristine will go over how to translate a 2D concept into a 3D sculpture, including selecting materials/processes to achieve the best results for various 2D designs and desired outcomes. They’ll also take a look at how you can use 3D to help improve your 2D. Info will be applicable to 2D, 3D, digital and traditional mediums. Zoom Passcode: 632352
Animation
Titmouse smash hit Midnight Gospel
ANIMATION WORKFLOW SHOW & TELL
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): AJ Conrad, Chris Silva, Cristin Mckee, Eric Anderson, Justin Weg
Join Blue Sky Studios’ animators for a round table discussion about their experiences working on Spies in Disguise. They will share some of the sequences they were cast on and talk about their processes from kick off through final animation. Hear the great stories of teamwork and insights from five of the animators that helped bring Blue Sky’s latest feature film to life!
LIVE BANCROFT BROTHERS ANIMATION PODCAST WITH A MAJOR ANIMATION CELEBRITY
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Tom Bancroft, Tony Bancroft, Gary Goldman, John Pomeroy
30-year animation vets and long time animation podcasting twin brothers Tom and Tony Bancroft (Kronk, Mushu, Pumbaa, Simba, Pocahontas, others) host a one on one with AN ANIMATION CELEBRITIES Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy (Co-founders of Don Bluth Animation makers of Land Before Time and Secret of NIMH) that will include behind the scenes talk, hilarity, and inspiring stories that will educate and entertain you. LIVE Q&A will be available at the end. Passcode: 376064
TITMOUSE ‘HOT TIPS’
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Do you often wonder, ‘How can I be the best at making cartoons?’ If so, we have some Hot Tips for ya! Join Chris P. and others from the Titmouse team as they share secret (and not-so-secret) tips on building professional habits you need to make it in the animation biz!
WARNER BROS. ANIMATION ARTISTS PANEL
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Aaron Spurgeon, Bill Perks, Tara Rueping
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms. Join WBA art directors Aaron Spurgeon (Looney Tunes Cartoons), Bill Perks (Green Eggs and Ham) and Tara Rueping (Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai) for an inside look and artist-driven discussion covering the exciting work they are currently doing at the studio.
BLOOD, SWEAT AND FLASH: MAKING STYLIZED VFX FOR BRAWL STARS
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Woohyun Kim
General ideas and disciplines for cartoony VFX, pipeline and pros & cons of making VFX with Flash.
ANIMATING ON THE GO: A PROCREATE ANIMATION DEMO!
Sunday 7:00 pm – Sunday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Michael Relth
The first half of this presentation is geared towards all experience levels, bringing people up to speed on the techniques and technology surrounding animation on an iPad. The second half of the presentation is catered to students and those looking to learn the basics of animation. Come for either or both!
Visual storytelling
Armand Baltazar of multiple panels.
A STORYBOARDART WELCOME TO LBX2020
Friday 2:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Unite with visual storytellers and see what we have planned over the weekend. Bring your story questions! 60 minutes with Q&A.
WORDS TO PICTURES, THUMBNAILING A SCRIPT
Friday 4:30 pm – Friday 5:30 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Victoria Ying
In this panel, Victoria will take a sample script from a film and show you how she interprets the bare bones script into a visual panel layout for a comic.
CREATING THE ILLUSTRATED NOVEL
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Armand Baltazar, Iain McCaig, Greg Manchess, Victoria Ying, Mia Araujo, John Picacio
Whether you are creating your own illustrated novel or graphic novel, you won’t want to miss this in-depth discussion about the challenges of writing and illustrating for your own personal project. We will cover everything from artist’s block and the creative process, to working with agents and publishers.
THE SIMS 4 CONCEPT TEAM: EMPOWERING PLAYER STORYTELLING THROUGH PROP & SET DESIGN
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm, Zoom
From Blue Sky to Final Concept, the Concept Team will breakdown the process of creating appealing designs that empower player customization and storytelling. Passcode: 321409
PICTURE BOOK ILLUSTRATION
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Noah Klocek
“This will be an hour-long presentation by Noah Klocek on the trials and process of getting his first picture book, Cloud Country, published. This will be followed by a half-hour Q&A session in chat that will lead into a half-hour + demo of my picture book illustrating process.”
LIGHTS! PENCILS! ACTION! LIVE-ACTION STORYBOARDS WITH THE ILLUSTRATORS OF IATSE LOCAL#800 | PRESENTED BY CONCEPT ART ASSOCIATION
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Benton Jew, Amy Umezu, Ricardo Delgado, Dave Lowery, Tim Burgard
A discussion on storyboarding your favorite live-action films by the artists who draw them! Panelists include: Benton Jew (Phantom Menace, Logan, Wonder Woman), Amy Umezu (Jurassic World, Skull Island), Ricardo Delgado (Scoob!) and Dave Lowery (Jurassic World, Lion King, The Mandalorian). Moderated by Tim Burgard (Jurassic World, Justice League, Rampage).
THE STORYTELLING BIZ DIRECT FROM THE PROS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Le Tang, Vaugn Ross, Sterling Sheehy, Calvin Tsang, Don Ta, Sergio Paez
Join this Story Artist Roundtable with Le Tang (Story Artist, Pixar), Vaugn Ross (Director, Warner Bros), Sterling Sheehy (Story Artist, Lucasfilm), Calvin Tsang (Story Artist, Blue Sky Studios) and Don Ta (Story Artist, Blizzard). StoryboardArt host, Sergio Paez, leads the talk on the latest trends and ways to succeed in the film industry. 60 minutes with Q&A.
LET’S LEARN SOME STORYBOARDING!
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nic Parris
Join Nic Parris and learn the ins and outs of Storyboarding!
ADVICE FOR ARTISTS GETTING STARTED IN CREATING ORIGINAL STORIES
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:30 pm
Presenter(s): Armand Baltazar
Artists who seek to create their own original stories often jump in by creating the visuals in their head then sometimes find themselves overwhelmed when it comes time to solidify and write their stories. This will be a conversation to share some useful tips and insights on how to get started.
DRAWING TECHNIQUE FOR STORY AND STORYBOARDS
Saturday 4:30 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Louie Del Carmen
Focusing on developing skills, technique and philosophy essential in executing animation storyboards with Louie del Carmen, this 90 minute presentation will demonstrate aspects of drawing specifically for storyboarding. Topics will include Line Quality, Working with Designs, Perspective, etc.
THE ART OF DISNEY STORY, STAR WARS, AND STEAMPUNK
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Brian Kesinger, JJ Harrison
Annie award winning artist Brian Kesinger (Big Hero 6, Zootopia) guides us through his process for crafting compelling stories. Whether for animated features, a single illustration, or picture books, Brian has a knack for creating art that instantly connects with audiences.
THE TOOLS YOU NEED TO BREAK INTO VISUAL STORYTELLING
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Get the low down on the latest tech stack you need to succeed. We talk about setup, software, animatics, remote work and everything else you need to win as a story artist. 60 minutes with Q&A.
STORYBOARD ARTISTS: TV ROUNDTABLE
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Andy Cung, Danny Araya, Allison Smith, Cassey Kuo, Latoya Raveneau, Rad Sechrist
Join Andy Cung as he hosts a roundtable discussion and interview with artists Danny Araya (Powerhouse Animation), Allison Smith (Nickelodeon), Cassey Kuo (Titmouse), Latoya Raveneau (Disney TVA), and Rad Sechrist (Dreamworks). GoToMeeting Code: LBX2020
STORY Q&A SESSION
Saturday 10:00 pm – Saturday 11:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sergio Paez
Taking your questions about all things story related. 60 minutes with Q&A.
ILLUSTRATING A PICTURE BOOK FROM START TO FINISH
Sunday 12:00 pm – Sunday 1:00 pm
Presenter(s): Anoosha Syed
Learn the process of illustrating a picture book with award-winning illustrator Anoosha Syed. From getting the gig to perfecting your spreads, we will go into a deep dive in her picture book, “I am Perfectly Designed.”
CREATING CINEMATIC MOOD, STORYTELLING AND COMPOSITION
Sunday 12:30 pm – Sunday 3:30 pm
Presenter(s): Alexander Mandradjiev
In this talk Alexander will be diving deep into his personal inspirations and sharing helpful tips on how you can create your cinematic frames to feel uniquely alive. He will also be demonstrating this through capturing a story driven moment with light, color and composition.
MULTI-ARTIST STORYBOARD JAM
Sunday 1:00 pm – Sunday 2:30 pm
Presenter(s): Michael Daley, Seo Kim, Andy Cung, Kris Pearn
Watch as story artists Michael Daley (The Incredibles 2, The Peanuts Movie, Cars 3), Kris Pearn (The Willoughbys), Seo Kim (Netflix) and Andy Cung (Netflix) work together to do a create storyboards together in this fun multi-artist collaborative activity!
HOW TO BREAK DOWN A SCENE
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sergio Paez, Nick Sung
Story Artists Nick Sung (Pixar) and Sergio Paez (Pixar, Lucasfilm) team up to talk about story structure and how to break down a scene. 60 minutes with Q&A.
AN ANIMATION MUKBANG: PARASITE
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Maggie Kang, Donna Lee, Yingjue Linda Chen, Victoria Ying, Mingjue Helen Chen, Andy Cung
Join Maggie Kang (Director, Sony Animation), Donna Lee (Story Artist, Walt Disney Animation Studios), Yingjue Linda Chen (Art Director, Dreamworks TV), Victoria Ying (Writer and Illustrator) and Mingjue Helen Chen (Production Designer, Walt Disney Animation Studios) as they eat the Parasite famed dish Jjapaguri and break down the Academy Award winning film Parasite from a story and design standpoint.
STORY Q&A SESSION
Sunday 6:00 pm – Sunday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sergio Paez
Taking your questions about all things story related. 60 minutes with Q&A.
Character design
33 Tips for Character Design’s Ben Balistreri
MY APPROACH TO ANIMAL CHARACTER DESIGN
Friday 1:00 pm – Friday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Aaron Blaise
Watch as master animator & character design Aaron Blaise (The Lion King, Mulan, Beauty & the Beast) shares his approach to design believable and lovable animal characters!
APPLYING CHARACTER DESIGN PRINCIPLES TO ANYTHING
Friday 2:30 pm – Friday 3:30 pm
Presenter(s): Sam Nielson
A semi informal demonstration and presentation, where Sam will show the process of design he uses for objects and environments. He will teach some amazing insider techniques and principles he’s learned in his last couple of decades working as a concept artist and character designer for games and film.
33 TIPS FOR CHARACTER DESIGN
Friday 2:30 pm – Friday 3:30 pm
Presenter(s): Ben Balistreri
Great design is about making conscious choices. In this class, Ben will share 33 drawing tips he’s learned over his career to help your choices be intended and not accidental. The tips are gonna be coming fast and furious and are all short and to the point. They are designed to give you rules so that you can fearlessly choose whether or not to break them.
DRAWING AND PAINTING A CHARACTER
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Pez ‘PeZ!’ Lopez
Join colorist, comic book illustrator, and character designer, PeZ!, as he walks you through his process on drawing and painting a character, focusing on lighting and form, with tips on using Photoshop tools for textures and color variety.
BELIEVABLE BIZARRE: CREATING REALISTIC HUMANIMALS
Friday 6:00 pm – Friday 6:45 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Kristine and Colin Poole
Colin and Kristine will give an overview of how they blend human and animal anatomy in sculpture. Using elements of comparative anatomy and combining choice of pose, body and animal type, they’ll show how to create believable creatures without covering the transition between species with fur, feathers, hair or clothing. Info will be applicable to 2D, 3D, digital and traditional mediums. Passcode: 638380
CHARACTER DESIGN-A-THON!
Saturday 12:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nicholas Kole, Claire Hummel, John Loren
An all-day stream with the Character Designer from Spyro Reignited Trilogy and the upcoming Crash Bandicoot 4, walking through his entire design process from start to finish, with special guests, design analysis, and honest discussion about industry norms and challenges.
CHARACTER DESIGN FOR FILM
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Luis Carrasco
Join Luis Carrasco as he describes his experience working on a variety of film projects including Love Death & Robots, A Quiet Place, Ready Player One and The Revenant. Luis will be sharing his experience with Pre- and Post-Production. He will also be discussing his 2D process and how it translates to 3D pipelines.
HOW TO DRAW YOUR DRAGON: DESIGNING CREATURES FOR EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Terryl Whitlatch, Dr. Michael Habib
Participants will help design a dragon/dracon-like beast that can survive in the harsh environment of a low gravity moon that orbits a gas giant planet (like Jupiter or Uranus). Download the materials, then post and hashtag #TerrylLBX2020 on Instagram when you’re done. Terryl will select a few submissions to sketch out while Dr. Habib talks through the process from a scientific perspective!
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT AT WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Griselda Sastrawinata, April Liu, James Woods, Kellie Hoover, Matt Roberts
Join Griselda Sastrawinata (Visdev Artist), April Liu (Visdev Artist), and James Woods (Character Designer) as they discuss Disney Animation’s approach and process to designing characters, costumes, environments, and everything in between! Moderated by Kellie Hoover (Art Department Manager) & Matt Roberts (Archduke of Recruititude).
RENDERING CUTENESS
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Ellie Horie
Come watch Ellie Horie render one of her original characters! See her workflow and how she approaches painting a furry and cuddly characters.
AKI’S JOURNEY TO BECOMING A CHARACTER DESIGNER
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Amber Aki Huang
A personal and intimate look at Aki’s past living as a third culture kid in Shanghai, being classically trained in fine art, college, and what led her to the animation industry.
DESIGNING DRAGONS WITH PERSONALITY
Saturday 8:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Luis Huerta
Join Luis in this demo, where he will show you the process of designing and painting appealing dragon characters from start to finish.
DESIGNING LOKI’S COSTUME FOR THOR RAGNAROK
Sunday 12:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Anthony Francisco
Join Anthony Francisco (Senior Visual Development Artist, Marvel Studios) as he explains and breaks down his thought process in designing the costume for the God of Mischief. He will do a quick Demo to show how to generate ideas. This will later be available for sale on Gumroad.
SHOP TALK II: CONCEPTS, CRITTERS AND CLAYS
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Kristine and Colin Poole, Dug Stanat, Patrick Masson, The Shiflett Brothers, Dan Chudzinski, Brynn Metheney
A panel of top sculptors from the fields of dimensional Concept Art, Fantasy and Imaginative Realism chitchat on a number of topics including the good, the bad and the ugly in sculpting materials and concept and creature development. Zoom Passcode: 186820
MULTI-ARTIST CREATURE CREATION
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Roberto Ribeiro Padula, Crash McCreery, Kei Acedera,Brynn Metheney, Terryl Whitlatch, Christian Alzmann, Peter Han, Karla Ortiz, Adrian Clark
Wacom presents a creature creation collaboration with some of the best creature designers in the industry, hosted by Adrian Clark from Sidebar Forever!
CHARACTER CONCEPT DESIGN DEMO FOR FILM
Sunday 3:30 pm – Sunday 4:30 pm
Presenter(s): Rodney Fuentebella
Rodney will be doing a demo on the techniques he uses to do concept design of characters like he’s done for Marvel Studios. Focusing on mood and design to get to a look that sells the idea of the concept.
DYNAMIC CREATURE POSING FOR CONCEPT
Sunday 10:00 pm – Sunday 11:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Brynn Metheney
Concept artist Brynn Metheney shares some tips and tricks on creature posing for making an effective and engaging concept. She’ll cover her approach to gesture, volume, weight and action as she draws out different creature concepts. This is a live demo on Zoom and will be recorded. Passcode: 8fPMvh
Get your mindset right
OWNING YOUR CREATIVITY
Friday 4:00 pm – Friday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Danielle Pioli
“Sometimes we feel like we’ve lost control of our creativity. We may feel like we’ve run out of ideas, we feel stuck, we feel frustrated. In this panel, I (Danielle Pioli) will teach you a very powerful tool that will give your power over your own creativity back. Heal it, own it. (PS. Please bear with me since English is not my first language!)”
GETTING TO THE HEART OF EVERY PAINTING
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nathan Fowkes
Nathan Fowkes is a concept artist for DreamWorks, Disney, Blue Sky studios and many others. In this talk he’ll show you how to approach any image no matter how challenging and find a powerful statement that will strengthen your work and please your clients.
HOW TO START, KEEP WORKING ON AND FINISH PERSONAL PROJECTS
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Jama Jurabaev
We all come up with personal projects. However, most of them end up collecting dust and never get finished. Where to find the motivation, time and the inspiration to finish personal projects? Jama will be sharing his journey and experience with personal projects, hoping each finished personal project will force you to step out of your comfort zone and become a better artist.
IDENTITY CRISIS: ART VS ARTIST
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Carmen Sinek
We’re often told that having a successful art career means eating, sleeping, breathing, and binging art. Anything less is failure. I’m here to tell you that this well-intentioned advice is not only wrong, but potentially damaging to your health, your career, and your sanity.
AKI’S ART ADVICE – MENTAL HEALTH FOR THE ARTIST
Saturday 6:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Amber Aki Huang
An open discussion on mental health, burn out, art block, and tips and tricks to help you establish a better emotional relationship and confidence with you art.
See famous artists talk about cool s–t
Kim Jung Gi
COFFEE WITH THE CASAGRANDES
Friday 12:00 pm – Friday 1:00 pm
Presenter(s): Miguel Puga, Rosemary Contreras
Join Co-Executive Producer, Miguel Puga and writer, Rosemary Contreras, for coffee and conversation about their hit show, The Casagrandes. Moderated by Production Manager, Magdiela Duhamel.
LOISH [CHARACTER DESIGN] | KITBASH3D
Friday 3:35 pm – Friday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Maciej Kuciara, Andrew Hawryluk
From Horizon Zero Dawn to a countless volume collection of personal artwork books – Lois Van Baarle, known online and throughout the art world as Loish, will be joining us to share insights about how she crafted her celebrated career over the last decade!
PORTFOLIO REVIEW STREAM!
Friday 5:00 pm – Friday 7:00 pm
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 7:00 pm
Sunday 5:00 pm – Sunday 7:00 pm
Presenter(s): Ethan Becker
“You join my Discord, hop in a voice chat with me, we have a laugh, I review 1 drawing or a whole portfolio, you walk away as a professional in the industry. It’s that simple!”
Q&A WITH KIM JUNG GI | PROKO
Saturday 1:00 pm – Saturday 2:00 pm
Presenter(s): Kim Jung Gi, Stan Prokopenko
Kim Jung Gi is a South Korean artist known for his large brush pen drawings that come from his imagination. His ability to render extremely complicated scenes from memory, without the aid of references, has garnered him a large international following. He’s been commissioned by major brands including Audi and Blizzard and now you’ll hear him answer your questions. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from a living master.
ANDY PARK [VISUAL DEVELOPMENT] | KITBASH3D
Saturday 2:15 pm – Saturday 2:50 pm
Presenter(s): Andy Park
Marvel Studios Director of Visual Development Andy Park has been instrumental in shaping the look of the most successful movie franchise empire ever. Hear him discuss his work and take questions from the audience.
TRIADIC COLOR SCHEMES – KEEPING YOUR COLORS SIMPLE
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): James Gurney
“In this free sample from my new Gumroad tutorial, I introduce the triadic palette, a powerful strategy for creating simple, unified, and dramatic color schemes. By selecting just three pigments plus white, you can achieve an expressive range of hues. I’ll share a practice exercise you can do in the studio and an on-location demos to show the palettes in action.”
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): Loish, Iris Compiet
Join Loish & Iris Compiet in a livestream where they show and discuss some of their older artwork. They’ll share some never before seen, and sometimes embarrassing art showing that we all start off somewhere.
PAINTING WITH HELEN MINGJUE CHEN
Saturday 3:00 pm – Saturday 4:00 pm, Zoom
Helen will be live demoing her approach to painting and design, as well as interacting with attendees and answering questions.
ALL-STAR ARTIST JAM SESSION #2
Saturday 4:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Nneka Myers, Gabby Zapata, Craig Mullins, Jessica Fong, Ryan Lee, Kelly Aleshire, Fernando Peque, Michael Blank, Brie Henderson, Raymundo Mendoza Landa, Nikolai Lockertsen, Ulises Alvarado Llamas, Sparth
Gnomon will be hosting a live drawing session with Nneka Myers, Gabby Zapata, Craig Mullins, Jessica Fong, Ryan Lee, Kelly Aleshire, Fernando Peque, Michael Blank, Brie Henderson, Raymundo Mendoza Landa, Nikolai Lockertsen, Ulises Alvarado Llamas, and Sparth, and answering questions from the audience!
TRANSFORMING FANS INTO VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS
Saturday 5:00 pm – Saturday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Ross Tran
“Creating our own Video Game Character Lineup by transforming my fans into Action Heroes! Photos of fans will be submitted through my Discord. By the end of the stream we’ll end up with a lineup of 5 Characters + Giveaway of NIMA + New Official Merchandise!”
ALL-STAR ARTIST JAM SESSION #3
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Limei Zhao, Mia Araujo, Wendy Tan, Laurel D. Austin, Craig Mullins, Natalie Hall, Heejung Lim, Ben Mauro, John Burton, Carcamo, Alkemy Studio
Gnomon will be hosting a live drawing session with Limei Zhao, Mia Araujo, Wendy Tan, Laurel D. Austin, Craig Mullins, Natalie Hall, Heejung Lim, Ben Mauro, John Burton, Carcamo, and Alkemy Studio, and answering questions from the audience!
INTRO TO GUN DESIGN
Saturday 7:00 pm – Saturday 8:00 pm
Presenter(s): Sinix
Learn about industrial design fundamentals. This demo will walk you through core concepts and teach you how to make a unique and aesthetically pleasing gun prop design from imagination.
WIZARDS/TALES OF ARCADIA PANEL
Saturday 8:00 pm – Saturday 9:00 pm
Presenter(s): Linda Chen, Alfonso Blaas, Francisco Ruiz Velasco
A conversation with Production Designer, Alfonso Blaas, about the design and production pipeline for Wizards, along with Art Director, Linda Chen, and Director, Francisco Ruiz Velasco.
CONCEPT ART AWARDS | PRESENTED BY LIGHTBOX EXPO
Saturday 9:00 pm – Saturday 10:30 pm
On Saturday, September 12th 2020 in Hollywood, California, the Concept Art Association will be live streaming from Gnomon School of VFX and Animation, a night of celebration for the second annual Concept Art Awards Presented by LightBox Expo. Nominees from eighteen categories will be honored by their peers and curated judges, along with a celebration of lifetime achievements to the pioneers of the field.
ART ROAST LIVESTREAM! (#ERGOCRITIQUE)
Sunday 2:00 pm – Sunday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): e r g o j o s h
Josh will be roasting (critiquing) various artworks pulled from Instagram with the tag (#ergocritique). Expect to discover fundamental mistakes you may have not seen, as well as some paint-overs!
HOW TO EXPERIMENT WITH TRIADIC PALETTES
Sunday 3:00 pm – Sunday 4:00 pm
Presenter(s): James Gurney
“Here’s another sample from my new tutorial ‘Color in Practice, Part 2’, previewed here at LBX. I’ll show how you can chart a triadic color scheme in gouache to preview its full range of possibilities, and I’ll show a sample painting done with a selected set of colors. Suitable for beginners and advanced painters.”
LIVE Q&A WITH THE DRAFTSMEN! | PROKO
Sunday 4:00 pm – Sunday 6:00 pm
Presenter(s): Stan Prokopenko, Marshall Vandruff
Listeners of the Draftsmen podcast will have a unique chance to interact with Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff. Ask questions and hear the two discuss a variety of art topics. Sit back, relax and chill for 2 hours with the gang as they enjoy the end of 2020’s Online LightBox Expo.
MAKING OF WISH DRAGON: FROM CONCEPT TO FINAL FILM
Sunday 7:00 pm – Sunday 8:00 pm, Zoom
Presenter(s): Marshall Vandruff, Chris Appelhans
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Sony Pictures Animation’s Wish Dragon – covering the improbable journey of its creation. From original concept, to art and design, animation and lighting, and the challenges building an international co-production spanning LA and China. Passcode: 214188
Explore the social side of art
INCREASING DIVERSITY IN CREATIVE SPACES
Friday 4:00 pm – Friday 5:00 pm
Presenter(s): Esther Wu, Lauren Brown, Mia Araujo, Brie Henderson, Eric Wilkerson
A conversation with POC creators on how they got started with their art, where they are now, and how they are changing the art world by telling their own stories.
NEO-GRIOT-LUTION – MULTI-ARTIST DISCUSSION & DRAWING SESSION
Friday 9:00 pm – Friday 10:00 pm
Presenter(s): Everett Downing, Chrystin Garland, Justin Copeland, Chase Coneley, Ifesinachi Orjiekwe, Kofi Ofosu, Sanford Greene, DJ Welch, Brie Henderson, Marlon West, Mike Uwandi, Dwight Clark, Phil Boutte Jr.
Wacom will be hosting multiple artists to join in on a discussion about black artists in the industry. They’ll also be collaborating on a Wakanda-themed painting while they carry out the discussion!
A CONVERSATION WITH ABELLE HAYFORD AND THE #DRAWINGWHILEBLACK COMMUNITY
Saturday 2:00 pm – Saturday 3:00 pm
Presenter(s): Abelle Hayford, Umaimah Damakka, Manny Edeko, Mariama Alizor
Live panel presentation with illustrator and #DrawingWhileBlack creator, Abelle Hayford. Abelle will be joined by Umaimah Damakka, Manny Edeko and Mariama Alizor to discuss the viral hashtag that promotes and advocates for Black artists worldwide.
Drawing challenges & activities
PERNILLE ØRUM’S DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE
“Join me in this fun Draw This In Your Style LBX challenge! I’ve put together a little insight video into how I’ve created my version and hope it’ll spark your imagination and help you create yours. I can’t wait to see what you do! Remember to share using the hashtag #DTIYSLBXPernille”
JB MONGE’S DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE
“Welcome to this Draw This In Your Style LBX Challenge! I am so excited to see what will be your version of my character. Imagination, creativity and having fun are the only rules!”
DANIELLE PIOLI’S DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE
“Join me on this exclusive LightBox Expo Draw This In Your Style this weekend. Be creative and do your remake on this piece. Remember to post your art using the hashtag #dtiyslbxpioli – I will choose my favorite ones to post on my Instagram! Have fun!”
THE STORY ARTIST DRAWING & PORTFOLIO CHALLENGE
Animation Director Sergio Paez takes you through a series of key guided lessons designed to boost your drawing skills and prep your portfolio. Each lesson includes a unique challenge assignment so you can get feedback from Sergio and apply the knowledge right away. Follow along with each lesson and create your own story images to share and add to your portfolio.
ADOBE’S “BRING A SENSE OF LIGHTNESS TO THE WORLD THROUGH YOUR ART”
“To celebrate the magic of LightBox Expo Online and come together even though we can’t see each other in person, we’re launching an exciting art contest via our social media channels. The winner of the contest will receive an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and a one-year subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud.
“In the spirit of LightBox – and feeling like we could all use as many rays of positivity as we can get right now – we’re asking you to share a piece of art that reflects our chosen theme: Light.”
See Wacom products in action
Mingjue Helen Chen. From Twitter
Shireen Faridniya compiled a great list of drawing panels Wacom is sponsoring, but here are some of them again if you want it:
Wacom Multi-Artist Discussion & Drawing Session
Friday, 9 pm – 10 pm EST; 6-7 pm PST
Join Oscar-winning director Everett Downing, Chrystin Garland, Justin Copeland, Chase Conley, Ifesinachi Orjiekwe, Kofi Ofosu, DJ Welch, and Sanford Greene for a collaborative, live drawing session and chat. The artists will show off their skills using Magma Studio. Register to join in on the conversation!
Wacom Multi-Artist Drawing Super Collab!
Friday, 11 pm – Midnight EST; 6 – 7 pm PST
A super collab with super artists! Join TB Choi, Mingjue Helen Chen, Ami Thompson, Alex Konstad, Kim Jung Gi, Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sunmin Inn for the ultimate creative collaboration using Magma Studio.
Wacom’s VisDev All-Stars Art Jam Session!
Saturday, 12 pm – 1 pm EST; 9 – 10 am PST
Get in on an art jam session with all of your VisDev favorites! Join Nathan Fowkes, Mingjue Helen Chen, Zac Retz, Kei Acedera, Betsy Bauer, Shannon Tindle and Mark Anthony for lively discussion and real-time drawing using Magma Studio.
Wacom Multi-Artist Creature Creation
Sunday, 1 pm – 2 pm EST; 11 am – 12 pm PST
Join Roberto Ribeiro Padula, Crash McCreery, Kei Acedera, Brynn Metheney, Terryl Whitlatch, Christian Alzmann, Peter Han and Karla Ortiz for a creature collab! The artists will bring creatures to life using the new multi-user art application, Magma Studio.
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You can register for Lightbox Expo at lightboxexpo.com, check out their Twitter at @lightboxexpo for live updates, or join their Discord here.
About the Author
CS Jones is a (5-minutes-outside-of) Philadelphia-based writer and illustrator. He’ll be spontaneously rearranging his weekend to check out a couple of these tracks. You can see a finally-updated list of his articles at thecsjones.com, or follow him at @thecsjones on Instagram or Twitter.
