feature / alumni / illustration / entertainment-design
August 29, 2019
Writer: Solvej Schou
Images: Courtesy of LightBox Expo

Animation to Gaming: See ArtCenter alumni artists at first annual LightBox Expo

With the flick of a wrist (plus developed skills and a lot of effort), artists create colorful characters and worlds that suck in audiences all over the world.

Lucky for us, more than 250 of these top artists—including ArtCenter alumni—will showcase their work at the first annual three-day LightBox Expo (LBX) at the Pasadena Convention Center from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, September 8. The expo’s mission is to bring together the best artists in animation, gaming, live action film and television, and illustration for the ultimate celebration of art.

Co-sponsored by ArtCenter and a number of industry heavyweights, including DreamWorks, Riot Games, Sony Pictures Animation and Walt Disney Animation Studios, the expo offers portfolio reviews, instructed life drawing, panels, live demos, keynote speakers and other special programming.

The Concept Art Association will also hold its first annual Concept Art Awards, presented by LBX, at the expo on September 7. Marvel Studios Vice President of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding, an ArtCenter alum who studied in the Illustration Department, co-founded the association.

Here are 10 ArtCenter alumni—among many—who will be at the LightBox Expo with their vibrant and eye-catching work.

Celine Kim (BFA 16 Illustration) is a visual development artist and character designer at DreamWorks Animation who worked on the upcoming film Abominable. She has also illustrated children's books for clients such as Disney Publishing Worldwide. Born and raised in South Korea, Kim currently lives in Glendale with her fluffy cat.

Estella Tse (BFA 16 Illustration) is an Oakland-based VR and AR creative director and artist whose work integrates emerging technology and visual storytelling with the goal of inspiring new ways to connect, educate and build empathy. Tse has been an artist-in-residence at Google, Adobe and Cartoon Network Studios. She also gives talks and performs internationally.

A feature animation artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay (BFA 05 Illustration) fell in love with animation as a little girl in Indonesia watching Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Her credits include Moana, Olaf's Frozen Adventure, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Puss in Boots and the upcoming film Frozen II. She and her husband Norman Lemay make up the art duo “Griz and Norm.”

Karen Kuo (BFA 15 Illustration) is a Pasadena-based visual development artist who currently works at DreamWorks Animation Television and previously worked as a 2D environment artist at Insomniac Games. Her credits include the animated TV series Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny.

Longtime illustrator and creature designer Mark “Crash” McCreery (BFA 89 Illustration) was born into an Air Force family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. During his early childhood, he developed a knowledge of light and color and a passion for prehistoric animals, dinosaurs and paleontology. His credits include Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean.

The son of circus performers, Emmy-nominated creature and concept designer Neville Page (BS 90 Product Design) started out acting before diving into designing detailed monsters, aliens and other creatures. Page has worked on such films as Avatar, Star Trek (2009) and Watchmen, and a number of TV shows including Falling Skies, The Terror and Star Trek: Discovery.

Originally from Southern California, Robert Kondo (BFA 02 Illustration) landed his dream job as a sketch artist at Pixar. While at Pixar, he worked as a set art director on Ratatouille, Toy Story 3 and Monsters University, and as a production designer on two shorts. In 2014, Kondo left Pixar and co-founded Tonko House, where he co-directed the Oscar-nominated animated short The Dam Keeper.

Marvel Studios Vice President of Visual Development Ryan Meinerding, who studied in ArtCenter’s Illustration Department, grew up in Ohio with a crayon in his hand, and traded it for an airbrush in high school. Meinerding has been with Marvel Studios since 2008’s Iron Man, helping to design the look of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Other members of Marvel Studios’ visual development team at LBX include ArtCenter alumni Andy Park, Rodney Fuentebella (BFA 06 Product) and Jackson Sze.

Los Angeles-based Teny Issakhanian (BFA 15 Illustration) is a storyboard artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios. Before that, she worked at DreamWorks Animation Television, Disney Television Animation and the Jim Henson Company. She enjoys storytelling in any shape or form, reading scientific research articles, learning languages and sticking googly eyes everywhere, she says.

Victoria Ying’s (BFA 07 Illustration) career in the arts began when she fell in love with comic books. Her animation credits include Tangled, Wreck it Ralph, Frozen and Moana. Los Angeles-based Ying is the author and artist of the picture book Meow! (HarperCollins) and the illustrator of Not Quite Black and White and Lost and Found, What’s That Sound?, both written by her brother Jonathan Ying.