Game Art Faculty

Lauren graduated from the Animation Major at Laguna College of Art + Design with a Bachelor's Degree of Fine Art in Animation. She specializes in 2D character and environment design, 2D and 3D animation, and visual development and storytelling. She has experience as a freelance artist for over 10 years, and as an art lead on independent studio projects and app games with indie teams and IMAX. Lauren has been teaching character design and animation courses throughout Orange County for over 6 years, and is now exclusive to LCADs Game Art department. She loves the opportunity to share her passion for the entertainment industry and storytelling through fostering a professional and uplifting environment.

Ehsan Bigloo has been a Sr.Character and Creature Designer/Developer in the entertainment industry for 10 years. He resides in Los Angeles, California. He is an active member of Local 800 (ADG) IATSE. He comes from a figurative traditional art background with a bit practical effect, and also digital artworks. He is focused on creature/character/costume/armor/environment/shot designing & World Building from script to screen shots. He has worked with top notch film studios, streaming TV companies, practical effects shops, and AAA video game studios. He is looking forward to helping students visualize their dreams. www.ehsanbigloo.com

Dan Carreker has over 10 years of teaching experience in game arts and sciences. He has industry experience as both a Database Manager for Activisions Production/QA department and as a freelance Game Designer and Programmer. He has worked on over 80 different commercial products; his credits include Medieval: Total War, Star Trek: Armada, and Pizza Morgana.

He completed his M.F.A at Laguna College of Art + Design and has been an active advocate for both the industry and for game students, lecturing and writing articles on subjects such as selecting a college and how to break into the industry. His work, The Game Developers Dictionary (Cengage Learning) is the first dictionary specifically for the video game industry.

Amanda Fisher is a graduate from Laguna College of Art & Design with an emphasis in 3D art for games. Amanda has worked as a 2D and 3D freelance artist for over 10 years, working with both teams and individual clients creating character concepts and illustrations, as well as assets and characters for games. Amanda has also worked at the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California, where she worked in the Digital Media Conservatory as the Game Design instructor. Other than her Game Art courses, Amanda has experience teaching other various game design classes involving character design, 3D modeling, rigging and animation, and more.

Kelly recently graduated from Laguna College of Art + Design (LCAD) with a BFA in Game Art, and has worked in the games industry as a 3D artist since, on projects both photorealistic and stylized. She finds joy not only in teaching others industry-relevant skills and techniques, but also in guiding them to find their own passions. She holds a deep appreciation for the road less traveled - understanding everyone's path is unique - and teaches through compassion and encouragement.

Alexander Gonzalez is passionate about creating interactive settings and worlds as a Game Artist. He is currently an Environment Artist at High Moon Studios and an adjunct professor for LCAD Game Art. At High Moon Studios, Alexander is responsible for creating maps for the Call of Duty franchise. Along with his experience on Call of Duty, Alexander has created props for the Destiny franchise and vehicles for Armored Warfare at Obsidian. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Art from LCAD. Alexander teaches Modeling For Game 1 to help students learn current industry asset creation for the video game industry. Alexander loves exploring architecture, cities, and nature on his travels that he can introduce into the work he creates.

Thomas Olson grew up in the mountains of Southern California, spending many summer days in Newport Beach whenever possible. Lagunas Sawdust Festival and Festival of the Arts were an inspiration, and he is thrilled to now be part of the art tradition of Orange County as full time faculty at LCAD. As the Production Manager at Morpheus International, he was able to meet some of his artistic heroes while producing art books, prints, and gallery events. Inspired by their work and encouragement, he went back to school to study illustration, building a firm foundation that has allowed a robust and flexible career in freelance illustration, full time game development, and instruction.

He has worked in the game industry since 2002. He has been a concept artist, environment artist, VFX artist, character artist, team lead, game designer, writer, producer, product director and business development director. He has worked on titles ranging from PS2 licensed platformers with Nickelodeon and Pixar; original PS3 titles at Insomniac Games; and helping launch the Backflip Studios startup by designing the look and feel of DragonVale on iOS, and leading that team for years. Thomas continues to work on personal projects and consult on commercial projects.

Thomas is an Assistant Professor of Game Art, serving as part of the permanent faculty. He teaches classes in sculpting and creature and character design, as well as classes aimed at helping students develop portfolios and the skills to transform their art education into careers. When he is not teaching, or attending one of his daughters performances, he likes to be sailing, hiking, or playing games.

A life long learner, Thomas holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UCLA , a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Art Center College of Design, and a Master of Fine Arts in Game Design from the Laguna College of Art + Design.

Don Ott is a seasoned industry veteran, currently working as the Modeling Art Lead on the hit MMO New World, published by Amazon Game Studios. He has at least a dozen shipped AAA games under his belt ranging from the Transformers series, Deadpool, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Destiny 2, and more. Don is the founding owner of the game art tutorial website 3dmotive.com, and has been an Adjunct Faculty member here at LCAD for nearly 14 years. Dons classes are historically a rigorous introduction to creating game-ready props, assets, and scenes and work to transform students from humble beginners into confident 3d artists.

More of Dons work can be seen at https://www.artstation.com/donott

Jason is a designer and educator with a background in architecture and mechanization. He began his journey with LCAD in 2016 when he enrolled in the MFA in Game Design program. Since graduation, he has taught in both the graduate and undergraduate game programs and ultimately took on the role of Chair for the BFA Game Art program in the summer of 2020. He has rendered services in a number of different realms ranging from architecture, brand development, animation, games, and of course, academia. With two decades of teaching experience, Jason has influenced and aided thousands of students towards their goals and aspirations and into their careers.

Graduated Art Center College of Design LA/Pasadena in 1978 with a BFA in Illustration. Most influential instructors: Harry Carmean, Gregory Weir-Quiton, Vern Wilson, Kathy Wirch, Ward Kimball, Herb Ryman and John Asaro.

Freelance illustration assignments include movie poster designs, book illustration, magazine illustration, advertising storyboarding and comps, fashion illustration, matte painting, and live action production art. Clients include: Tony Seiniger, TV Guide, The LA Times, ILM, and Introvision Systems.

Animation companies worked for: Ralph Bakshi Animation, Richard Williams Animation in Los Angeles, DIC, Warner Bros.Television, Warner Bros. Feature, Walt Disney Television, Disney Toon Studios, Walt Disney Feature and Fox. Responsibilities at these companies include: character design, background design, background painting, storyboarding, visual development and art direction.

Teaching experience: Art Center College of Design, Cal Arts, Laguna College of Art & Design, Woodbury University and The Fashion Institute of Los Angeles.

Western themed fine art gallery work represented by Trailside Galleries in Scottsdale AZ and Jackson Hole Wyoming.

Currently teaching at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Laguna College of Art and Design in Laguna Beach.

PJ Raines is a 16-year veteran of the entertainment industry. Disney Animation Studios, Warner Bros Animation, Obsidian Entertainment, and Jam City are among his credits. He is a 9-year adjunct professor at LCAD. He is currently a Principal Artist at Zynga. PJ is based in California.

Brandon works at Blizzard Entertainment as an associate 3D Environment Artist working on the game World of Warcraft. He is passionate about the hand-painted style of games and specializes in 3D hand-painted environments. He was featured on the Games Artist website for his piece "Adventure Inn." He is also a fellow alumni of LCAD and majored in Game Art.

Michael Rocchio is an architectural historian and an archaeologist. Michael has undergraduate degrees in Anthropology and Classical Civilizations from Indiana University, a graduate degree in Greek and Roman Archaeology and another graduate degree in Architecture and Urban Design from UCLA. Michaels main areas of research are Roman urban infrastructure and his particular area of expertise is in the perception of Pompeian intersections and how they served as navigational tools in the ancient world.

An alumni of Otis College of Art and Design, Patrick is an Environment Artist in the videogame industry currently employed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Sucker Punch Productions. Hes worked at Xbox Game Studios, The Initiative and most recently apart of Santa Monica Studios team on the upcoming God of War Ragnarok. Hes excited about joining the faculty teaching GA304. He has a love for sculpting in zbrush, storytelling in the 3d medium, and looks forward to helping students craft their own projects this upcoming semester.

As a child, Eric could always be found playing with his action figures, drawing, or making movies. When asked at a young age, ""What do you want to do when you grow up,"" there was only one answer: ""I want to make cartoons!""

Over the years Eric has had the privilege of working at studios like Rockstar San Diego, Sony Online Entertainment, Majesco Studios, and Zya. Currently he is knee deep in VR development, rigging and animating at Dreamscape Immersive. Along with his daily development role, he teaches here at the Laguna College of Art + Design. As a teacher Eric loves being a part of building the students' foundations, helping to provide them with the tools to seize their futures.