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Lightbox Expo Programming Highlights Include Panels Spotlighting Nimona, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem, the Spider-Verse, Star Wars and More

Posted on October 3, 2023 by Graphic Policy Team

Celebrated character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu and event organizer and filmmaker Jim Demonakos have created an event unlike any other with LightBox Expo, a three day celebration of the visual arts held in Pasadena, California. LightBox Expo celebrates the artists and creators behind acclaimed films, animation, games, TV shows, comics and illustrations and this year’s event features an impressive range of artists, including Marvel Studios character designers Chelsea Li and Adi Granov, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem director Jeff Rowe, best selling Nimona creator ND Stevenson, webcomic superstar LySandra Vuong (Covenant), Studio Ghibli painter Yoichi Nishikawa, and ILM senior art director Christian Alzmann (The Mandalorian, Rogue One). This year’s event will be held at the Pasadena Convention Center from Friday October 27th through Sunday October 29th.

Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos created LightBox Expo as a way to unite the best artists in the animation, illustration, live action and gaming industries under one roof for the ultimate celebration of art. Highlights of this year’s event, include a series of high profile panels which will be held in the spacious Civic Auditorium of the Pasadena Convention Center:

Hatching A Plan

Join Director Sam Fell and Aardman Animation Co-Founder Peter Lord, as they crack open a soufflé of scintillating secrets from behind the scenes of Aardman’s latest stop frame digital kitchen – Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget. Foxes strictly prohibited.

Guts, Glory, Transformation and HEART

Join Directors Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, and The Creator of the NYT Best Selling Graphic Novel, ND Stevenson as they present a special “Making Of” session that illustrates the process of bringing Nimona’s fearless journey from Graphic Novel to Screen. Uncover the challenges faced and the artistic triumphs achieved while breaking barriers in feature animation storytelling.

A Session with Character Design Legends

Step into the world of animation with character design legends Carter Goodrich, Peter de Seve, and Carlos Grangel, moderated by Renee di Cherri. These master artists have collectively influenced iconic animated films such as “Ratatouille,” “Finding Nemo,” “Ice Age,” “Despicable Me,” “Corpse Bride,” “Hotel Transylvania,” “Shrek,” “The Incredibles,” “Madagascar,” “The Prince of Egypt,” and a multitude more. Dive deep into the minds of those who’ve shaped the faces of animation, exploring their creative process, unique insights, and the journey of character design evolution. Don’t miss this chance to gain invaluable knowledge from the individuals who have defined character artistry in the animated film industry.

Creating the Spider-Verse

Hear from some of the incredible designers at Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks as they discuss their process in creating some of the most exciting worlds featured in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” This session will focus on the artistic and technological innovations of the production, presented by Patrick O’Keefe (Production Designer) and Mike Lasker (VFX Supervisor).

A Conversation with the Artists of Star Wars

Join us as we look at the creative journeys of Lucasfilm designers: Christian Alzmann, Brian Matyas, and Benjamin Last. Discover how they conceptualize their ideas, collaborate with fellow creatives, and approach design challenges. They will be sharing stories about the process of designing characters, droids, vehicles and more!

One of the show’s other highlights is The Concept Art Awards, an annual award ceremony designed to recognize and bring increased awareness of the role of concept artists throughout the world of movies, television, video games, and more. This year’s finalists include Kristafer Anka (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), Debby Coleman & Maria Yi (Elemental), Nacho Molina (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem), Tyler Carter (Nimona), Dawn Carlos (Tales of the Jedi), Genevieve Tsai (Animaniacs), Meybis Ruiz Cruz (Entergalactic) and many more. The 2023 Concept Art Awards finalists can be viewed here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/

Conventions

Lightbox Expo returns in October

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Graphic Policy Team

Academy Award-winning co-director of Brave, Brenda Chapman, Everett Downing, Jr. (co-director of the Academy Award-winning Hair Love and director of the upcoming My Dad the Bounty Hunter), James Gurney (the creator of Dinotopia), concept design artist Mark “Crash” McCreery (Jurassic Park), Star Trek concept design artist Neville Page, and Dice Tsutsumi (co-director of the Academy Award-nominated The Dam Keeper and director of the upcoming Oni: Thunder God’s Tale) are among the 500 participants attending LightBox Expo 2022 this fall. This year marks the return of the acclaimed celebration of the arts to Pasadena, CA for the first time since the show’s inaugural year. LightBox Expo 2022 will be held from October 14-16, 2022, featuring more than 150 panels and the prestigious Concept Art Awards.

LightBox Expo is a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art. The event organizers have announced a slate of more than 125 panels, with even more programming highlights to be announced closer to the show.

One of the show’s many highlights is The Concept Art Awards, an annual award ceremony designed to recognize and bring increased awareness of the role of concept artists throughout the world of movies, television, video games, and more. This year’s finalists include artists working on projects like Encanto, Turning Red, Dune, The Batman, Moon Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Apex Legends, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and award ceremony will be held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium with a live band. Among the recipients of this year’s Concept Art Awards Lifetime Achievement Award is Mary Blair, the legendary concept artist of films including Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella, who will posthumously receive the award on Saturday, October 15th. The 2022 Concept Art

Awards finalists can be viewed here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/

Finalists for the professional categories include:

Animation: Encanto, Turning Red, Luck, Lightyear, Ron’s Gone Wrong, Vivo, The Sea Beast, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Arcane, Maya and the Three, Wolfboy and the Everything Factory, The Ghost and Molly McGee, Star Trek Prodigy, The Cuphead Show!, Prehistoric Planet,
Live-Action: Spider-Man: No Way Home, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Doctor Strange 2 in the Multiverse of Madness, The Batman, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Nope, Antlers, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, Dune, The Matrix Resurrections, Jungle Cruise, The Suicide Squad, Reminiscence, Foundation, Moon Knight, Wheel of Time, Archive 81, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi Wan Kenobi, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Cowboy Bebop
Video Games: The Cycle: Frontier, Lost in Random, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Apex Legends, GRIME, Source of Madness, The Tribes of Midgard, Deaths Door, Risk of Rain 2: Survivors of the Void, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Dying Light 2 Stay Human

Random

Lightbox Expo Online Returns This September

Posted on August 17, 2021 by Graphic Policy Team

This September, celebrated character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu and Emerald City Comic Con founder Jim Demonakos are not only bringing back LightBox Expo Online (LBXO), their unique international virtual art event, but expanding it to six days! The event will be held at www.lightboxexpo.com from Tuesday, September 7 through Sunday, September 12.

Based on the acclaimed celebration of the visual arts, LightBox Expo will feature over 400 guests and more than 200 presentations in a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art. Guests featured in the vast array of programming include a who’s who of talent includes Oscar winner Domee Shi (director of Bao, upcoming Turning Red), Phil Boutte Jr. (costume concept artist, Black Panther), Maggie Kang (director of K-Pop: Demon Hunters), Derek Thompson (story artist, Toy Story 4), Armand Serrano (background designer, What If…?), Jill Culton (director of Abominable), Carlos Grangel (character designer, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride) and hundreds of others.

On Saturday, September 11^that 6PM PST, LBXO will present the third annual Concept Art Awards, hosted by Aldis Hodge (Black Adam) and Krystina Arielle (Star Wars: The High Republic). The Concept Art Awards is produced by The Concept Art Association, an organization that focuses on elevating and raising the profile of concept artists, and remains the only award show of its kind to recognize and bring increased awareness to the role of concept artists throughout the world of entertainment.

During the event, artists will be honored for their artistic excellence in the Professional categories of Live-Action for Film and Series, Animation for Film and Series, Games, VR, and then Original Concepts/Independent, Student Work, and Fan Art. Art was submitted from projects such as: Soul, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Raya and The Last Dragon, Lovecraft Country, Mulan, WandaVision, Cyberpunk 2077, Loki, World of Warcraft and many more. You can view the 2021 Finalists here: https://www.conceptartassociation.com/

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Craig Mullins, a renowned Concept Designer, whom many call “The Godfather of Digital Painting” (Armageddon, Bioshock 2, Halo) and legendary prolific artist and Renaissance Man, Iain McCaig (Star Wars: Episode 1, 2 & 3, Avengers: Endgame). These Pioneers have not only pushed the concept art world forward, but are still actively working in the industry and mentoring the next generation of artists. The LBX Concept Art Luminary Award, celebrating a person from the concept art community who has made an impact with their artwork in the past year, will be presented to Andy Park for his beautiful work on WandaVision and Black Widow.

Bringing the world to one place is key for LBXO, so utilizing browser-based technology, attendees can navigate a 3D virtual show floor featuring over 300 artists from across the globe. Participants hail from Belgium, Chile, Ireland, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Germany, Poland, Japan, Australia, Iran, Peru, Russia, Kuwait, France, Taiwan, New Zealand, Jamaica, the United States and many other countries.

Registration for LightBox Expo Online begins on August 16^th and is open to anyone with an internet connection worldwide! There are four tiers for attendees to choose from. As little as $2 gets you access to the whole weekend, while the highest tier, $45, gets you a t-shirt from award winning animator Eliza Ivanova, as well as a one-of-a-kind enamel pin, plus a digital goodie bag and much more!

The Concept Art Association was founded by Creative Recruiter Rachel Meinerding and Producer and Co-Founder of the BRIC Foundation, Nicole Hendrix. Sponsors for the 2021 Concept Art Awards Presented by LightBox Expo include Artstation, Adobe, Wacom, Legacy Effects, Costume Designers Guild Local 892, The Animation Guild Local 839, Art Directors Guild Local 800, the College for Creative Studies, ImagineFX Magazine, Gnomon School of VFX + Animation, Schoolism, ArtCenter College of Design, and more.

Conventions

LightBox Expo Heads Online in September

Posted on August 24, 2020 by Graphic Policy Team

This September, celebrated character designer and illustrator Bobby Chiu (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) and Emerald City Comic Con founder Jim Demonakos are transforming LightBox Expo, their acclaimed celebration of the visual arts, into LightBox Expo Online, a unique international virtual art event, featuring over 300 guests and more than 200 presentations. LightBox Expo Online will be a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art. Guests featured in the virtual show floor includes Oscar winner Everett Downing (co-director of Hair Love), Rona Liu (production designer at Pixar Animation Studios), James Gurney (creator of Dinotopia), Natalie Hall (artist on The Shape of Water), Loish (internet influencer), Claire Wendling (Spectrum Grand Master 2018), Andy Park (Director of Visual Development at Marvel Studios) and hundreds of others. The event will be held at www.lightboxexpo.com from Friday, September 11, 2020 through Sunday, September 13.

Using amazing browser-based technology, attendees will be able to navigate a 3D virtual show floor featuring over 300 artists from across the globe. Participants hail from Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, Lithuania, Spain, Singapore, the Netherlands, Ghana, Canada, Malaysia, Israel, Mexico, Dubai, Sweden, Australia, Indonesia, Serbia, Denmark, Argentina, the Philippines, France, Norway, the United States and many other countries.

Many of the programs throughout the weekend will include interactive or downloadable elements to enhance the learning experience, all of which will be available from the LightBox Expo website.

Registration for LightBox Expo Online opens on August 24^th and is open to anyone with an internet connection worldwide! There are four tiers for attendees to choose from. As little as $1 gets you access to the whole weekend, while the highest tier, $40, gets you an tote bag featuring with artwork created for LightBox Expo Online by renowned Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, as well as an exclusive print by concept artist, and LightBox Expo Creative Director, Bobby Chiu, and much more!

Conventions

The Concept Awards Celebrates the Role of Concept Artists

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Graphic Policy Team

From Ralph McQuarrie and the original Star Wars trilogy to H. R. Giger and Alien, from Mary Blair and Alice in Wonderland to Eyvind Earle and Sleeping Beauty, concept art and concept artists are a defining part of the modern entertainment experience. Beginning this September, a new industry award will celebrate their role throughout the world of movies, television, video games and more. On September 7^th, the Concept Art Association will host its first annual award show: The Concept Art Awards, presented by LightBox Expo, in Pasadena, CA.

In recent years, with the increased use of CGI in live action and animation, the ability to create highly rendered finished pieces of art quickly have made concept art and artists valuable assets, yet this large group of unsung heroes are rarely recognized. During the event, artists will be honored for their artistic excellence in Live Action for film and broadcast, Animation for film and broadcast, Games (both mobile and PC/console), Original Concepts/Independent, Student Work, and Fan Art, along with a Lifetime Achievement Award and a LightBox Community Icon Award.

Entry to The Concept Art Awards is free with either a 3-Day or Saturday pass to LightBox Expo, a celebration of the visual arts in Pasadena, CA. LightBox Expo (or LBX) will be a multi-faceted experience for everyone from aspiring artists and students, to professionals and fans, with a focus on animation, illustration and concept art.

The Concept Art Association was created with the mission of elevating and raising the profile of concept artists, their art and their involvement in various entertainment industries. It was founded by concept artist and Head of Visual Development at Marvel Studios, Ryan Meinerding; Talent Manager Rachel Meinerding; and producer and co-founder of the BRIC Foundation, Nicole Hendrix.

The 2019 Concept Art Awards Presented by LightBox Expo will be an artist-submitted awards process, with the artwork first going through a peer voting phase to determine the finalists, and then onto a juried judging process where a winner will be selected. Judges include Marvel Studios’ Ryan Meinerding, Gnomon + Gnomon Workshop Founder Alex Alvarez, Weta Workshop’s Krystal Sae Eua, Ubisoft’s Donglu Yu and Vitaly Bulgarov, with more exciting judges to be announced soon.

Submissions open June 3^rd and close July 8^th. There is no fee for submissions, and finalists will be given free admission to the awards.