Faculty + Staff Directory

Daniel‌ ‌is a multifaceted ‌artist‌ with expertise in illustration,‌ ‌graphic‌ ‌design, brand‌ ‌strategy, apparel‌ ‌design,‌ ‌and‌ ‌art‌ ‌direction. He‌ ‌has‌ ‌worked‌ ‌with‌ several ‌brands‌ ‌that‌ ‌share‌ ‌this‌ ‌same‌ ‌vision‌ ‌of‌ ‌a‌ ‌better‌ world, ‌such‌ ‌as:‌ ‌Access‌ ‌Support‌ ‌Network‌ ‌of‌ ‌San‌ ‌Luis‌ ‌Obispo,‌ ‌Whalebird‌ ‌Kombucha,‌ ‌Samabzon,‌ ‌HyperIce,‌ ‌Earnest‌ ‌Eats,‌ ‌Coromega,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Arctic‌ ‌Zero.‌ He holds a Bachelor of Art in Illustration from LCAD and a Master of Fine Art degree in Single Subject Art, Illustration from California State University at Long Beach.

Beverly Arce is an illustrator, designer, and Visual Development Artist who has been active in the entertainment industry for nearly a decade. They have worked with a variety of publishers and studios in both illustration and animation. Work credits include: Disney/Marvel Animation, AGBO Films, HarperCollins publishing, Gallery Nucleus, Octopie studios, Lionsgate, and more. They really (really) like Tolkien and re-watching 90's anime.

Emily Atwood is a Graphic and Type Designer who specializes in identity, campaign, type design, editorial and digital work. She is a senior designer at Order, a New York-based design office specializing in brand identity, publication, signage and wayfinding design. Emily’s career includes her role as a Senior Designer at Pentagram Design in New York City for Paula Scher, leading identity, editorial, campaign and web design projects. She also worked as a Product Designer at Envoy in Irvine, California developing visual design for mobile and TV interfaces. Emily holds a BA in Visual Art from Fordham University and a BFA in Graphic Design + Digital Media from LCAD. She completed the Extended Program Certificate in Type Design at The Cooper Union. Emily brings her extensive knowledge and passion to typography and graphic design courses.

Alla Bartoshchuk is a storyteller at heart and uses symbolic imagery to tell those stories. The symbols in her work are usually implied and are not always used in a literal sense. Rather they are private, imaginative images that arise from the depth of the psyche and embrace the surreal quality of dreams, fantasies and premonitions. She often employs human body to tell a story and convey specific emotions. Even the tiniest movement of a muscle isn't arbitrary. Every detail, every movement adds to the drama of the overall painting. Born in Rivne Ukraine, Alla received her BFA from Memphis College of Art (2010) and later completed her MFA at Laguna College of Art and Design (2013). She currently lives and works in Huntington Beach, CA.

Jerry Beck is a writer, animation producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. He is a former studio exec with Nickelodeon Movies and Disney, was instrumental in launching Animation Magazine, co-founded Cartoon Brew and has written for The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. He has curated cartoons for DVD and blu-ray compilations and has lent his expertise to dozens of bonus documentaries and audio commentaries on such. He is on the faculty here at LCAD teaching animation history – and is currently editing two blogs, Animation Scoop (for news) and Cartoon Research (history).

Dave Bittorf has a BA degree from the University of Wisconsin, 17 years as a CG instructor with Platt College in San Diego, and an additional 3 years teaching for the Art Institute and the Digital Media Academy. In 2010 Dave was awarded "Teacher of the Year" and in 2012 he won a world-wide competition and was named "CG-VFX Instructor of the Year". He is currently working as a 3D modeler on a children's cartoon series and several apps have been developed using his complex 3D anatomical models. He has also worked with a team that created the box cover art to PS4's "The Order 1886". Dave has worked professionally doing CG modeling and rigging for almost 20 years. He is one of the ZBrush instructors at LCAD.

Laura Black is a curator, educator, and writer based in Long Beach, CA. Her practice is dedicated to developing culturally significant projects and supporting emerging and mid-career artists.

Black is the Founder and Executive Director of Universal Voice, a non-profit dedicated to providing exhibition, publication, and professional development opportunities for artists from historically under-recognized backgrounds. Additionally, Black serves as Chief Curator for Universal Voice’s ‘Gallery UV’ in Carson, CA and is the Gallery director and collection curator at Golden West College. Black has developed and led courses in Art History, Exhibition Design, and Writing for the Arts at several local colleges including Laguna College of Art and Design and California State University, Fullerton.

Black holds an MFA in Exhibition Design from California State University, Fullerton and is currently working towards a PhD in Cultural Studies at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. Her scholarly interests focus on the history and theory of Minimal and Post-Minimal Art (late 1960s to present) and contemporary museological ethics.

Dan Boulos is a classically trained animator and story artist with screen credits including Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney Feature Animation), Space Jam (Warner Brothers Feature Animation) and The Prince of Egypt (DreamWorks Feature Animation). After more than a decade in the feature film industry in Los Angeles Dan moved to Honolulu where he founded Wiki Wiki Cartoons. During his years in Hawaii he developed animation programs for the University of Hawaii Community College System as well UH Manoa, the 4-year research campus.

Christina Brubaker was married with two small children when her husband’s job relocated them to Brooklyn, NY. For him, a native Californian, the change was a bit of a shock, but since Christina was born in Queens and lived on Long Island until she was nine, the move felt more like going home. She decided the sudden change was a sign-- an opportunity to finally pursue writing full time, something she’d been planning since the fourth grade. Planning while simultaneously letting life get in the way, they spent a year in Brooklyn. In that time, she took three writing workshops at The Writers Studio. Once they were back in Orange County, she continued workshopping at UCLA Extension, but it was an acceptance into a community workshop at Chapman University that led to a fellowship which allowed her to pursue an MFA in creative writing, which led to a teaching position at Orange County School of the Arts. There, she discovered a knack for helping students learn how to unearth and cultivate their own unique creative voice. In the ten years since that move back east, she's had several short stories published, as well as a non-fiction piece, and one really bad poem. Recently, she finished the first draft of a novel and while it took her a lot longer to get here, she likes to think her younger self would be pleased.

Alejandro Buchner was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina where his passion and career in the visual arts began. Alejandro studied fine arts at the University of Bellas Artes and trained privately with artist Fernando Arranz. Alejandro has worked as a digital artist developing concepts for animated commercials and advertisements and has worked in concept design for Le Elephant Blanc in Paris, France. Since returning to the United States, Alejandro has exhibited his figurative sculpture throughout Southern California and teaches classical drawing and sculpture in Los Angeles and Orange County.

Dan Carreker has over 10 years of teaching experience in game arts and sciences. He has industry experience as both a Database Manager for Activision’s 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 Developer’s Dictionary (Cengage Learning) is the first dictionary specifically for the video game industry.

The Chilean native was born in 1994 to a Graphic Designer and an Advertiser, which laid the foundations for his own passion in arts. In 2009, Gabriel Castro began his art school career with interests in concept design and graphic novels in the Visual Arts Department at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. His interest in Fine Arts peaked there, thanks to history classes taught by art historian, Lori Rusch. Craving the regal, traditional styles and training, he attended Laguna College of Art + Design for Drawing + Painting with a minor in Sculpture. In 2015, Gabriel made it to the Florence Academy of Art in Italy, where he was the first LCAD student to attend their Sculpture department as part of a study abroad program. While there, he studied under renowned sculptor Robert Bodem for two trimesters before returning to California to finish his BFA with LCAD. Then he returned to Florence for one more year before returning home to Los Angeles.

Aleah Chapin (b. 1986 Whidbey Island, WA) is a painter whose direct portrayals of the human form have expanded the conversation around western culture’s representations of the body in art. She has exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the world, including Flowers Gallery (New York, London, Hong Kong), The Belvedere Museum (Vienna), Cascadia Art Museum (Seattle), and the National Portrait Gallery (London). Chapin has attended residencies at the Leipzig International Art Program (Germany) and MacDowell (United States). She is a recipient of the Willard L. Metcalf Promising Young Painters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (New York), the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant (Canada), a Postgraduate Fellowship from the New York Academy of Art, and won the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery (London) in 2012. She holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art and a BFA from Cornish College of the Arts. Chapin’s work has been published extensively in print and online, including New American Paintings, Juxtapoz, Art Maze Magazine, London Sunday Times, the Seattle Times, as well as being a subject in the BBC documentary titled “Portrait of an Artist”.

Xun Chi is a Professor of Visual Communication Design, International Curator, and the Rotating Chairman of the Association of Chinese Artists in American Academia. He holds a MFA degree in Visual Communication Design from Purdue University, where his design work achieved national recognition. Xun completed a medical degree from Tianjin Medical University in China. His professional awards and recognition include the “10 Young Chinese of Excellence Award"" at Chinese Magazine's 40-year anniversary; “Excellent Advisor Award” from the International Green Design Competition; “The Best Advisor” of Beauty of Chinese Characters Global Youth Design Contest; “Outstanding Curator Award” of Pingyao International Photography Festival, and the Winner of the Idea Festival “Best 2D Award” for two consecutive years.

Xun’s photographic work has been published in magazines worldwide including Juxtapoz, Harper’s Bazaar China, Elle UK, and Vogue. His photography and artworks have been exhibited in notable institutions at Stanford University, Nixon Presidential Library, San Francisco Public Library, and Ningbo Museum of Contemporary Art. He has been an invited guest presenter and lecturer at Beijing University, China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Art Center College of Design, Stanford University, Tongji University, Beijing Normal University, Dakota State University, Biola University, College Art Association, AIGA, and LA LIVING TV show. Xun teaches a broad range of courses at both foundation and advanced levels including graphic design, composition and color, 3D animation, motion graphics, and photography.

Ellen Coons has worked in animation, specifically stop motion, since her graduation in 2012 from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan. Her focus of study was indeed that ridiculous but entrancing art of bringing inanimate objects to life. Her professional career includes work on 3 feature length films, 7 network series, 1 live stage musical and a slew of commercials and odd bits in between; all of them are stop-motion productions. She has worked in multiple roles on these projects including animator, art director, set builder, set dresser and visual effects compositor, mostly based in Los Angeles. Her experience also includes 3 semesters as an on-site Adjunct Faculty in the animation department of her alma mater.

My career has focused on developing and refining my skills for creating highly detailed models and textures for medical 3D illustrations and animations. I have built my skill set as an artist from a traditional foundation into a network of mentors embedded in the entertainment industry. The education I receive from them is celebrated daily within the work that I do. My ability to grow with industry standards continues to be one of my most valued assets.

With 18+ years of work experience in the medical device industry creating a variety of medical based visuals. I have a passion for maintaining and learning industry standard workflows for 3D development. I enjoy the process and development of 3D animation, illustrations and building XR optimized for the Oculus Quest. I'm proficient in figurative and scientific anatomy as well as traditional and digital execution. I have experience leading a team with building XR (Extended Reality) pipelines and scaling resources to support and service corporate XR deliverables.

Now with the opportunity LCAD is giving me to come back and teach again, I look forward to doing my part to help the students continue to grow into the dawn of their professional careers.

Matteo Di Ventra is a contemporary painter who works in traditional and digital media. His work has been displayed in multiple galleries on the West Coast. He is currently teaching representational painting at Laguna College of Art and Design as well as other art academy’s in Orange County and Los Angeles. Matteo also works within retirement communities and memory care facilities sharing his passion for art to Seniors.

I'm a primarily based 3D artist with a focus on creating props and hard surface assets for the gaming and film industry. While my passion is bringing virtual worlds to life, my goal is to produce high quality assets that help to create immersive and engaging experiences for players and viewers alike. I've had the honor of contributing to projects at Little Bang Inc. and Normal VR!
Originally from Philadelphia, I recently moved to Orange County in my pursuit of the arts. When I'm not working, I enjoy playing cozy games, reading novels, and going on hikes in the local area!

Kristin Donner is a Los Angeles-based artist, educator, and 17 year veteran of the animation industry. Her portfolio includes creative work for Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Warner Bros. Animation, and Cartoon Network. Her screen credits include color design on the 2D animated series Harley Quinn (Warner Bros.) and The Fungies! (Cartoon Network), as well as background paint for The Fairly OddParents and T.U.F.F. Puppy (Nickelodeon).

As an active member of The Animation Guild, Kristin has served as a committee chair, convention delegate, and panelist. She has been featured in industry publications such as Keyframe (2021), Toon Boom (2021), Cartoon Network Studios First Look (2020), and The Pegboard (2019). Kristin has moderated professional panel discussions at San Diego Comic-Con International and The Animation Guild, and has shared her passions for creativity and inclusivity at schools, conferences, and exhibits around the globe.

Kristin holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Illustration from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco (2003), a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Entertainment Art/Animation from California State University, Fullerton (2000), and is currently a Co-Executive Producer in Development at Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

Jason Dowd has been a professional freelance illustrator and fine artist for over thirty years. His clients include Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, UCI, Anheuser-Busch, and Chase Bank, among others. Most recently, he has completed sixty full color illustrations for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which will appear in 2025 for the 125th anniversary. In 2019, he received a commission from a UCI astrophysicist to illustrate the future
capabilities of the James Webb telescope. The digital diagram produced was needed as a visual presentation tool for NASA, to show how deep into space the telescope would actually see. Jason graduated with distinction from Art Center College of Design in 1990, majoring in Illustration. In 2006, he and his family moved from the Midwest to
Orange County, CA. In 2007, former LCAD President Jonathan Burke hired Jason as an Adjunct Faculty at LCAD, where he has been teaching talented and inspired students for fifteen years.

John Dubiel is a graduate of The California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Character Animation and extensive studies in the School of Theater, having previously studied Film and Animation at the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts). He has several years of Animation Industry experience and has worked at Warner Bros. Animation, Universal Cartoon Studios, Film Roman, Hyperion, Mike Young Productions and Rich Entertainment, primarily as a Storyboard Artist. Projects worked on include: Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, The Mummy: The Animated Series, Family Guy, Toddworld, Chloe’s Closet, Care Bears, Life With Louie, HBO’s Happily Ever After, American Heroes: William Bradford, The Swan Princess and The King and I. He has done Live Action Storyboarding on a couple of projects for Generation Entertainment and Development work for The Disney Channel. He has also done Illustration Work on
Collectible Pin Designs for Disney.

John has been part of the adjunct faculty of Mt. San Antonio College for 20 years, having taught classes in Figure Gesture, Figure in Motion, Storyboarding, Character Development and Drawing Fundamentals among others. He has taught Fundamentals of Story and Storyboarding at Laguna College of Art and Design. He has lectured at California State University Northridge and Information Resource Systems. He has been a guest artist at The Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA.

John is also a Screenwriter and Playwright. He has written for Steven Spielberg / Warner Bros. Animaniacs and done script work on the animated feature, My Little World. John is a member of The Company of Angels, the oldest repertory theater company in Los Angeles where he co-facilitates the Playwrights Group and has worked as a director. He has had several theatrical plays produced.

Taber Dunipace is a southern California production artist and educator specializing in 3D art and animation. He has taught a wide range of subjects for more than 10 years, including 3D modeling, 3D character animation, rigging, 2D digital animation, digital painting, and game design. He also frequently does freelance work for both commercial animation and mobile games.

Rachel Elese Morales has been working in the Animation Industry for five years as a Visual Development Artist. She has worked for studios such as DreamWorks Animation, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros., Bento Box and more. Before working as a Visual Development Artist, she was a Production Intern where she learned the ins and outs of the Animation pipeline. Now as an artist, she specializes in using color to evoke feelings and better tell her narrative. Her past opportunities to work in a studio have provided her with the skills to make quick and wise decisions, work patiently and well with other people, and most importantly, be creative. She is looking forward to helping students experiment and learn the power that color has in their field.

Chris Engel has been employed as a professional Industrial Designer for 25 years and counting. He is currently employed at Titleist Golf in Carlsbad, CA as an Advanced Senior Industrial Designer. His job at Titleist is to create design concept sketches and renderings that help sell his ideas. He holds a BFA degree from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, MI, specializing in Transportation Design. After CCS, he went on to earn a Master of Science degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA - also specializing in Transportation Design. While he is relatively new to teaching, it is an area that he has been looking to explore for quite some time now, and he is very excited about the opportunity to be an adjunct professor at LCAD. He comes from a family of life-long educators (and designers), and he is sure he will be successful in helping LCAD students improve their overall design skills.

Mollie Engel is Vice President of Design and Development for Shawmut Corporation, a 106 year-old textile company for Automotive, Footwear, and Medical industries, with a Design studio in Laguna Beach, California. Mollie is an experienced Designer and Design Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the Automotive Industry and bringing Sustainable Design solutions to mass production. She has worked as a Designer and Design Manager for Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Hyundai Motor Company, and KIA Motors. Her expertise is in Sustainable Materials, and Color, Materials, and Finishes/CMF, Color Marketing, Product Design, Automotive Design, Concept Generation, and Design Management. Mollie graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and holds a BFA in Industrial Design. When not teaching, Mollie travels the world to Automotive Design studios, helping Design teams find sustainable solutions on a mass production level. Mollie teaches courses in CMF and is an active contributor to the LCAD materials library.

Focusing on caricature and editorial Illustration Richard Ewing has been illustrating professionally since 1987. His black & white work is done in ink using a range of tools from various quill pens to brush; his color art is Acrylic, or Acrylic and Brush & Ink and various other media. His clients include: The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Hollywood Reporter, Time Magazine, AARP, BBDO(LA)-[Blue Cross], Ogilvy & Mather-[AmEx], Wells Rich & Greene-[Ford Motor Co], Merkley, Newman, Harty-[National Thoroughbred Racing Association], The Orange County Register, and LosAngeles Lawyer magazine among others.
Richard's original artwork is kept in private collections of notables such as Kurt Vonnegut and Englebert Humperdink. Richard Ewing is a native of Southern California receiving his BFA and MFA in Illustration from C.S.U. Long Beach in 1987 and 1998 respectively, studying under Richard Oden. Richard is currently living with his family in Long Beach.

At LCAD, Richard teaches figure drawing and anatomy in both the animation and drawing & painting department.

With over 10 years of experience at Blizzard Entertainment, Ariel served as a core artist in creating memorable in game character assets for World of Warcraft, taking the role as a forefront for new, innovative content and thriving within cross-disciplinary team-oriented environment in a variety of leadership roles. She's been employing her skills in both 2D and 3D disciplines to create whimsical and captivating characters that enrich gameplay experiences. Within her time working for Blizzard she has on boarded employees as well as mentoring interns and college seniors. She loves sharing her knowledge learned over her career and thrives watching her peers and students grow as anartist.

Rick Farmiloe has been animating childhoods for over 30 years, and is best known for breathing hilarity into iconic Disney sidekicks Scuttle, Lefou, and Abu in the beloved Academy Award winning films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.

During his 11 years at Disney, he animated on seven features and one short, which included The Black Cauldron, Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol, The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver and Company, and The Rescuers Down Under.
Beyond his work for Disney, Rick’s feature film credits include The Swan Princess, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, Rugrats Go Wild, Curious George, The Simpsons Movie, Boxtrolls, The Iron Giant: Signature Edition, and four Tom and Jerry DVD features. He also animated on numerous Snoopy commercials for Bill Melendez.

In 2011, Rick was an animator on two Annie Award productions: Adam and Dog, and Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Furious Five. He animated on yet another Annie Award winning commercial, Coca Cola’s Man and Dog in 2015. Recently Rick has been working with director, Henry Selick, on his new project, Wendell and Wild.

Peter Ferk is a 37 year veteran of the animation industry having worked with Disney, Discovery, Warner Bros. Film Roman, Universal, and Sony among others. Peter's career started with studies at the Ontario College of Fine Art in Toronto and Florence, Italy. His beginnings as a layout artist in Canada for "Teddy Ruxpin", Nightingale and "Meerkats" led to advanced responsibilities with “My Pet Monster” and "Care Bears" and setting the show style for "Babar". He also served as overseas supervisor for "Chipmunks Goes to the Movies", "Beetlejuice", "Batman The Animated Series", "Where’s Waldo" and "Hero 108". During his time overseas, he taught drawing and layout classes. Back in the U.S. Peter assumed directing responsibilities on "101 Dalmatians the TV Series", "Sabrina The Teenage Witch the Animated TV Series", and "Pigs Next Door" as well as "Camp WWE" for the WWE. Thus far he has worked on many animated series and direct to video projects including: "Superman", "Freakazoid", "Tutenstein", "Pinky and the Brain", "Animaniacs", "Dorothy of OZ", "Disenchanment", "Scooby-Doo","The Jetsons" and "Tom and Jerry", and most recently background design work for “Minnie Bow Toons”. Peter also produced the animated title sequence for the Christmas hit, Elf. Since 2019, he has been an adjunct professor for LCAD Animation sharing his knowledge and work experiences in Layout and Storyboarding. Peter has received three Emmy Nominations for his work on "Pinky and the Brain" and won his first Emmy for Discovery Networks "Growing Up Creepy".

Maria Ferreira Kercher is a visual development artist specialized in material behavior and cultural stylization for animation. She is a professional Costume Designer and an adjunct professor for LCAD Game Art and Entertainment Design programs.

Her expertise is featured in the book, "Talking Threads: Costume Design for Animation, Games, and Illustration", through Design Studio Press.

Maria has also worked as character designer for indie games as well as illustrator for live-action films and brings specialized experience helping connect foreign cultures with an American audience through well researched costume design.

Born and raised in Brazil, she fell in love with the idea of breathing life into a fictional world and came to the U.S. to study animation. Now based in Seattle, Maria is focused on expanding her knowledge of materials and world cultures to better connect audiences to each other.

Ananda Fetherston received her education at the City College of New York in Mathematics and Physics. After discovering the work of painter, Jacob Collins, Ananda chose to abandon her graduate studies to join the prestigious full time student body of the Grand Central Atelier. Upon graduating from the Grand Central Atelier, Ananda assumed the position of Director of Public Programs for the school. She is also currently an instructor there with an emphasis on figure drawing, color theory and materials. Ananda's work is heavily, albeit indirectly, influenced by the quatroccento and the Italian Mannerists. She is the author of "The Whimsy Manifesto", an essay outlining an artistic ethos she calls whimsy. Her work can be found in private collections around the world and she is the recipient of the 2021 Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities grant by the Society for Classical Studies.

Justin “Goby” Fields is a creative director, concept artist, and illustrator for Feature Films, Video Games, and the Broadcast Industry. As a freelance concept artist, Justin has created design content and illustrations for Jupiter Ascending, Maleficent, Noah, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Marvel’s Spider-man PS4, Bright, Falling Skies, The New Mutants, League of Legends, The Wolverine, Star Citizen, Goosebumps, Max Steel, Prey, and Black Adam.

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.

Born in Gardena, California, James Fujii attended Santa Barbara City College majoring in Biology. During his time in college, James Fujii found his passion for Animation and decided to change majors. He attended CalArts and graduated from the Character Animation Program in 1983 with a BFA degree.

In 1984, Fujii started his first union job at Filmation and have been working in Animation ever since. James worked as an inbetweener at Filmation working on She-Ra and He-Man, and finishing his time there as an animator on Brave Star.

Fujii’s resume includes working on prop and character models for Muppet Babies at Marvel before going to Disney Feature Animation, where he started again as an inbetweener on Oliver and Company, The Little Mermaid, as well as Beauty and the Beast. He finished his story training working on Aladdin, Mickey’s Runaway Brain, Fantasia 2000, and Hunchback of Notre Dame.

In 1995, James moved to Dreamworks to work on Prince of Egypt, Antz, and Shrek. Since 2000, Fujii has worked at studios like Warner Bros TV Animation, Universal, Stars, Imagi, Paramount, and Netflix Animation Studios. As a result, James Fujii has contributed to over 40 theatrical features and over a dozen shots, direct-to-video animated features, and numerous TV series. James is currently working for Netflix Animation Studios on one of their feature productions.

Robin Fuld brings a wealth of experience and passion to her role as the Director of Career Services at Laguna College of Art + Design. Robin's journey has evolved from a dynamic 22-year career in various facets of the visual arts field to her current dedication to equipping students with the tools and resources needed to achieve their professional aspirations. Holding a BA in Education from the University of Massachusetts underscores her commitment to education and mentorship.

Robin's professional trajectory spans corporate and residential art consulting, as well as gallery management across renowned art hubs such as Vail, Los Angeles, Palm Desert, and Laguna Beach. She has been actively involved in the art community, serving on the Board of First Thursdays Art Walk in Laguna Beach. Notably, she created the first student mentoring program, establishing effective partnerships between Laguna Beach galleries and senior LCAD students, thereby enriching both the educational and professional landscape.

Beyond her professional achievements, Robin is committed to giving back to the community. She volunteers her time with nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving people's lives through art, promoting art education and appreciation. As a resident of Laguna Beach, she is deeply connected to the local art scene and contributes to its growth and development.

James Galindo (b. 1983) is a Southern California oil painter and a graduate of Laguna College of Art & Design’s bachelors and masters programs. He is currently represented by Dawson Cole Fine Art in Palm Desert, CA, where he exhibits three dimensional paintings on glass and acrylic. Notable commissions include paintings for the Nolet Distillery in Schiedam, Netherlands, Green Valley Hospital in Tucson, AZ, and artwork featured in various shows and advertisements in the Los Angeles TV industry. James has taught at a number of art studios and colleges in Southern California, including Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, Brentwood Art Center, Kazone Art Academy, FT Art Academy, Rio Hondo College, Saddleback College, Orange Coast College and Laguna College of Art and Design. James has more than 15 years of teaching experience and specializes in foundation level drawing and painting.

Ben Garceau has taught at multiple universities in the United States and abroad, including Indiana University, the University of Paris X – Nanterre, and the University of California, Irvine. He has published research on Old English poetry, Seamus Heaney, and Jorge Luis Borges. As an academic, his research specializes in the cultures and contexts of late antique and early medieval translators, from Britain to Bactria and beyond. For the last decade he has played a small role with other scholars in the field to decolonize medieval studies, and to disrupt the myths about race and gender in the European middle ages that white supremacists and other reactionary forces have weaponized. In his free time, he applies this same skill set and political interest to creative writing and worldbuilding, collaborating with friends and fellow travelers on vibrant new imaginaries that are capable of reflecting the whole human family and its struggles. He loves tabletop role-playing games, record collecting, hiking, and eating delicious food, which is why he has chosen to call Southern California home.

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.

Isabelle Gioffredi is a designer at Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House. She works closely with authors
to bring their ideas to life in book form. On top of designing the cover and interior of books, she also
hires and art directs photographers, stylists, and illustrators. She has worked with and managed high profile
authors such as Jennifer Latham of Tartine, Glen Weldon of NPR, Hawa Hassan, Miyoko Schinner of
Miyoko's Creamery, and Lauren Toyota.

In 2013, Isabelle graduated from LCAD with a B.F.A. in Illustration with an Emphasis in Graphic Design.
She is a proud member and supporter of AIGA and continues to be a volunteer for the non-profit.

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.

Emily Gordon has a BFA in Illustration and completed 7 years of private study with nationally known artist William Whitaker. Named as an “Artist to Watch” by Riviera magazine, her art has been juried into numerous exhibitions, including the prestigious ARC Salon held by the Art Renewal Center. She received her MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art + Design and was invited to be a live demonstrator at the Huntington Library’s Brushstrokes: Beyond the Gallery event. Emily currently teaches art at the university level and exhibits her work in galleries in Utah and California.

Graduate Alumni: Painting

Kevin Harger is a visual development artist for film and animation, as well as an avid landscape painter. Hailing from Texas, the dusty winds and his passion for art swept him up and dropped him in sunny Los Angeles. From digital matte painting roles on live-action films and series, to storyboarding for animation, and now into environment design and background painting, he has run the gamut of illustration roles in the industry. The studios he’s had the pleasure to work with include Rooster Teeth Animation, Netflix Animation, Warner Bros. Animation and others. Kevin is thrilled to be teaching Digital Landscape Painting with LCAD and looking forward to the unpredictable and challenging nature of painting outdoors.

Kenny has been a fixture in the Los Angeles art scene since arriving in Venice Beach in 2001. He paints atmospheric interiors, cityscapes, and figure in his work, and has exhibited around the world. Drawn to quiet subjects, his muted palette and spare spaces evoke a calming energy. He has had over 20 solo exhibitions.

Kenny teaches figure painting and drawing at LCAD, as well as guiding students through their Senior Portfolio as they find their artistic individuality and voice. He has been an instructor with the school since 2006, full time since 2018.

He as studied at the atelier of Charles Cecil in Florence, with Frank Mason at The Art Students’ League of New York, and more recently he earned his MFA at Laguna College of Art + Design focusing on portraiture.

Kenny is an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at Laguna College of Art + Design and was awarded the prestigious Elizabeth Greenshields Grant in 2016.

He currently shows at Koplin Del Rio Gallery in Seattle, George Billis Gallery in New York, and Galerie Mokum in Amsterdam.

Rustam Hasanov is an interdisciplinary artist based in Atlanta Georgia. He studied in California at the Art Center College of Design. After graduating he worked on film, TV, and animation, including clients like Laika, DreamWorks Animation, Sony, Nickelodeon and Paramount.

Ashton Haugen is a voice talent, actor, teacher and coach from the greater Los Angeles area. She is currently a working voice actor and acting coach and is represented by Trailer Voice Artists.

Ashton has worked for the past 20+ years to expand her skills as an actor and voice talent by studying and taking class from many working voice actors and casting agents as well as obtaining private coaching and building her skills and resume. She has diverse experience in voicing projects for many different areas of the voiceover industry including commercials, animation, video games, trailers, podcasts, and over 200 audiobooks. Ashton has also been fortunate enough to act on stage as well including roles as "Sandy" in Grease (2007), "Mary Warren" in The Crucible (2005), and "Philia" in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (2006). She has loved working both on stage and in the booth. Both have taught her so much about the craft of acting as well as herself.

In addition, Ashton has teaching experience at all levels (pre-k, elementary, high school and adults) and education dating back to 2008. Ashton also currently teaches her own online course (Voiceover for Beginners) in cooperation with Tessa Livingston SLP and offers private acting and voiceover instruction.

Ashton also is a Podcast host and content creator for the upcoming "Good Talkers Podcast" with two other voice actors where they discuss the voiceover and acting industry, including personal experiences as working actors in the post pandemic world. She is so looking forward to working with the students of LCAD this year!

Austin Haynes is a dedicated and impassioned Illustrator and Graphic Designer, proficient in drawing and design with a focus on creating work digitally in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. He is the Creative Director at the Orange County based branding agency, Dyno Creative, and an Adjunct Faculty for LCAD Graphic Design + Digital Media (GD+DM) and Liberal Arts programs. At Dyno Creative, Austin focuses on pushing the visual identities of its partners’ brand voices to be heard loud and clear, through digital and print branding and design. Throughout Austin’s professional career, he has worked on a variety of Illustration projects which include Key Art creation, Toy and Packaging design, and Commercial storyboards. Austin has crafted illustrations for clients including Netflix, Discovery +, Super 7, and Cryptozoic Entertainment. Austin holds a bachelor’s degree in Illustration from California State University, Fullerton. He is passionate about fostering a welcoming and supportive creative community both inside and outside the classroom.

Dana Herkelrath is the Chair of the undergraduate Graphic Design + Digital Media Department and a Professor of Visual Communication Design. Dana brings more than 25 years of experience as a designer in Brand Identity, Packaging, Environmental Graphic Design, Merchandising, Marketing and Design Consulting. Her Background includes working with clients in entertainment, medicine, urban community development, education, publishing, hospitality and international aid organizations.

Dana holds a BFA with honors in Graphic Design and Packaging from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and an MFA in Graphic Design from California State University Long Beach. She has been teaching graphic design courses for 20 plus years and has been faculty at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and Art Center Europe in Switzerland. Dana currently teaches the Senior Portfolio and Graphic Design History courses.

Grant Hier was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Anaheim (2018-2020). Other literary honors include Prize Americana, the Nancy Dew Taylor Prize, and the Kick-in-the-Ass Prize for poetry. For his community service, he was named recipient of “The World Refugee Day Courage Award” (2019). The author of three books of poetry—Untended Garden, The Difference Between, Similitude—he’s also co-authored a book of historical flash fiction—California Continuum, Volume 1. His individual poems, essays, and fiction have been widely anthologized internationally. Grant has been entered for multiple Grammy Awards: once as a producer for “Best Folk Album,” and twice and as a writer for “Best Album Notes.” As a voice actor he contributed to the audio book of George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo, which won the 2018 Audie Award for “Audiobook of the Year.” Grant is also a musical artist and visual artist, and he previously earned his living via various stints as art director, graphic designer, and journalist. He’s edited several literary journals and magazines, is currently poetry editor for Chiron Review, and serves on the advisory boards of Citric Acid and The Journal of Radical Wonder.

He gives readings and lectures worldwide, and lives in West Anaheim with his wife, Laura. Grant holds MA and MFA degrees in literature and creative writing, has been Full Professor at LCAD for more than two decades, and insists: “Teaching is a creative dynamic. The passionate students at LCAD always inspire me. It’s by far my favorite and most rewarding job ever."

Rick Hoppe is a 40 year professional artist and Disney character animator. Since starting in 1980 on the film "The Fox and the Hound", he has contributed his talents to most of the traditional Disney features up through "The Princess and the Frog" in 2009.

He majored in illustration at Art Center College of Design and later studied drawing and painting privately with Glen Vilppu. In his early years at Disney he trained with Disney veterans Eric Larson and Glen Keane. He has been known for his superb draftsmanship and acting ability, and has been much in demand by Directors.

During Rick's tenure at Disney, he had the opportunity to develop a training curriculum and lecture and mentor new artists. Much to my delight, I discovered that I am a natural teacher. Some of my fondest memories at Disney are mentoring assistants, fueling their enthusiasm and watching their talent flower. Many artists who Rick trained are now leaders in the industry.

Rick Hoppe is an excellent communicator. He is fully present to the needs of the student and is able to impart a clear understanding of the key skills of expressive drawing, fluid animation and eloquent acting. He inspires and empowers his students, "I'm committed to my students becoming top notch animators and leaving LCAD prepared to excel in the animation industry."

Caroline Hu has been in the animation and consumer products industry for over 20 years and is happy to be working at LCAD. She has worked at WB studios, Disney, and is a freelance animator and designer.

Pixote Hunt is a director, art director, animator and designer in the film industry with more than 40 yearss of experience in animation. A BFA graduate of the School of Visual Arts in media communications. His experience in combining 2D and 3D animation with live action began in 1977. In 1979 he started his career at the Walt Disney studio in Burbank CA. In 1994 he directed, and art directed THE PAGEMASTER and designed the 3D opening and interstitials for FANTASIA 2000.

Eyvind Earle, Walt Peregoy, and Eric Larson were a few of the mentors in his animation Career.

Pixote is now working as an instructor, visual development artist and background painter. His unique achievements in film and music have garnered him the honor of being a voting member of both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Grammys/Recording Academy.

Mark James is an instructor in Graphic Design and Digital Media at the Laguna College of Art & Design. His courses focus on graphic design, ideation and drawing, brand strategy, typography, and motion graphics. His teaching emphasizes design intentionality and creating visual engagement in one's approach to solving communication problems.

Prior to LCAD, he was a professor at Lesley University College of Art & Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York, and has lectured and held workshops at the Maine College of Art in Portland, Maine. He has also served as consulting Creative Director to the Santa Fe Workshops in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Professionally, his work focuses on branding and digital communications for large companies and organizations in education and technology, as well as work for small start-ups and non-profits. Mark’s client engagements have included work for The Harvard Innovation Labs, Harvard Business School, CVS Health, MIT, Major League Baseball, The National Hockey League, Physicians for Human Rights, and numerous start-ups in the technology space.

In addition to design, he is an accomplished editorial and portrait photographer and video editor. Mark holds a BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Awards:

Graphis Interactive
AIGA Design Annual
Publish Magazine
USA Graphic Design2
Type Director's Club
AR100
M-Real Awards

Exhibitions:
Type Director’s Club
2012 New England Museum Association Exhibition on publication design
2014 57th New England Book Show

Dan Jensen leads the Graphic Design department in the areas of motion, 3D, experiential design and programming. His professional work is focused in motion design and digital art. Dan’s clients have included Igloo, Nvidia, Hurley, Barton Perreira, RVCA, Stussy, Union Bindings Co, Adidas, Champs, Footlocker, Capitol Records, Warner Brother Records. Previously, Dan was the creative director at Paul Frank Industries, Stirstick Interactive, Groove Productions, and Daily Bread Magazine. He enjoys challenging students to engage in new and immersive technologies while maximizing their creative potential. Dan holds a BFA in Graphic Design from LCAD. He grew up snowboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding, rollerblading and now enjoys bouldering with his children.

Justin Jones is a Product/Motion Designer, Illustrator, Content Creator and Voice Actor based out of Orange County, CA. Justin has been in the design industry for over 10 years working for multiple design agencies and product companies. Throughout his career he has had the privilege to help create digital products and experiences for such companies as: Toyota, Ubisoft, Radio.com, Honda, Lexus, and LEGO. Justin previously worked for SaaS companies Sketch & InVisionApp Inc. where he created educational content for the greater design community.

Justin Jung is a Director and Cinematographer based in Southern California. He has spent the past ten years traveling worldwide, capturing breathtaking videos, and directing campaign and documentary projects. Jung’s work combines visual elements inspired by his love for nature and open landscapes. His work features top-action sports athletes, branded campaigns, lifestyle, documentaries, technical product videos, and stylized beauty photography. He has worked with industry-leading brands such as Rip Curl, Sony, and USA Surfing. Justin conceived and directed his first Documentary following the USA Surf Team to capture the first debut of Surfing in the 2020 Olympics. His passion in combination with his extensive professional experience brings technical and practical knowledge to his courses.

Mark has been part of the game industry for the last 15 years. Mark's journey began at Carbine Studios, where he contributed as an environment artist for the WildStar MMO. He later moved on to Riot Games, shifting into a VFX role while working on League of Legends. During his time there, he worked on a variety of skins like Star Guardian and Project skins. Following that, he joined Blizzard, on the Hearthstone team. While he was there, he focused on concepting and creating summons for legendary cards. Currently, he is at Player First Games, working on an exciting multiverses fighting game. His responsibilities cover character VFX and environmental effects, all to enhance the game's visual experience. Apart from the game world, he has a strong passion for painting and enjoys sharing his techniques as a part-time teacher.

Sunkyung Kim (B.A., M.A., Seoul National University, Korea; Ph.D., Duke University) specializes in the history of religious art, focusing on Buddhist sculpture, ritual space, mortuary practices, and the visual culture of medieval China and Korea.

Before joining LCAD as faculty, she was an Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral fellow and taught at the University of Southern California, UC Riverside, and UCLA. She published journal articles on various topics including cave sanctuaries, steles, and sacred mountains, as well as their modern historiography. Her works have appeared in Asia Major, The Journal of Korean Studies, Acta Koreana, Journal of Basic Design and Art, Archives of Asian Art, Ars Orientalis, and A Companion to Korean Art (Wiley Blackwell Companion to Art History, 2020).

She was selected as a recipient of the Field Research Fellowship from the Korea Foundation in 2023, and will be working on her book, Stone, Mountain, and Light: The Art of Sculpting in Medieval Korea.

A painter with interest in critical theory and modernism, Susan King received her MFA from USC. A professor of both art studio and art history, she also earned a MA in Art History at UC, Riverside and a PhD in Visual Studies at UC, Irvine. Her art historical thesis focused on the reception of German modernism in England, and her dissertation centered on surrealism in the late 1930s. In addition to presenting papers at College Art Association (CAA) annual conferences, she contributed a review to CAA Reviews on the Getty’s J.M.W. Turner exhibition and catalogue.

Her other publications include a book review on European interwar avant-gardes and two book chapters—one on the painter Max Liebermann and another on the Women’s Caucus for Art’s legacy of honoring women in the visual arts. Susan leads the thesis writing seminars and is the thesis advisor in LCAD’s Drawing/Painting MFA program. She’s equally at home in artist studios, galleries, museums, libraries, and archives and is thrilled to share in the rich dialogue among LCAD’s MFA and liberal arts faculty and students.

Marty Kline has been in the business of creating what “no one has ever seen before” since pixels were “this big”. As the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for Illustration from his own Local 800, the Art Directors Guild, he has worked in motion pictures, television, video games and themed entertainment for over 40 years. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon and a recipient of an MS in Materials Science, he is also a graduate of Otis College of Art and Design. He is a founding member of the Visual Effects Society as well as recipient of a Ford Foundation Fellowship for the study of Fine Art Lithography.

As Senior Visual Effects Art Director for Sony Pictures Imageworks, he supervised the art of effects on Contact, Stuart Little, Spider-Man, and Beowulf. Other credits include concept illustration for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Dune, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Parts II and III, The Flintstones, Batman Returns, Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump. He has done video game Art Direction for THQ Games and created user interface designs for Microsoft.

He was born in Brooklyn, NY. That’s significant.

He participated in EPCOT design and Fantasyland redevelopment at Walt Disney's design group, WED Enterprises.

Published in Perspective Magazine, The Journal of the Art Directors Guild, March April 2018; Stuart Little, The Art, The Artists, and the Story Behind the Amazing Movie, 2000, Edited by Linda Sunshine, Marty Kline on Matte Painting, pp. 84-85; and https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/concept-art-and-vfx-managed-collaboration.

Brad Kuha has worked professionally as a Character Animator for the past thirty years. Originally trained in the classical Disney Character Animation technique, Brad began his career with Disney, animating on such films as “Rescuers Down Under”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Aladdin”, “Lion King”, “Pocahontas”, and “Hunchback of Notre Dame”, as well as the Dreamworks features “Prince of Egypt”, and “Road to El Dorado”. Brad has also worked as Supervising Animator for over a decade at Wiki Wiki Cartoons, animating in various techniques, including full animation and digital puppetry. Brad has also animated in CG, working on the original “Scooby Doo” live-action/ animation feature as well as five years at Electronic Arts, creating animation assets for video games.

John Lam is an alumni of Laguna College of Art and Design where he found his passion for game art and began his roots in 3D sculpting. With a passion for creating creatures and characters, he specializes in high fidelity 3D sculpting for a variety of industry pipelines from: toys, 3D scan and game. After an internship with Blizzard Entertainment, John has gone off to do work for Toyota, Dreamworks, Funko and more.

Bernard Lee was born and raised in Southern California, graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University and worked for a time in New York City. As a former Art Director, he has had the privilege of collaborating with countless talented illustrators on award-winning projects. He now spends his days creating illustrations for the publishing, editorial and entertainment industries, and teaching as an instructor in California. His work has been seen in annuals and shows around the world.

Norman Leonard is an educator and writer with a diverse academic background, holding a B.A. in English with a Creative Writing Option from California State University, Long Beach, an M.A. in English from the same institution, and an MFA in Film: Screenwriting from Chapman University. When not teaching, Norman is a prolific writer, having published children's picture books and personal essays, and having scripted feature documentaries narrated by Meryl Streep and JK Simmons. Additionally, he has written myriad short films showcased at festivals worldwide. Norman's teaching philosophy emphasizes storytelling's power as a communication tool, fostering creativity and critical thinking among his students.

Lisa Liang received a BFA with honors in Illustration from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Upon graduation, she worked at ILM, creating matte paintings for films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Evan Almighty. From there, she designed concept environments for games such as, Call of Duty, Star Trek Online, Neverwinter Online, among others.

She began her teaching in 2015 when she developed an advanced digital painting tutorial on Pluralsight, and her passion for environments led her to create fine art works for exhibitions in galleries, museums and national parks. Currently, in addition to working on commercial and independent projects, she teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Nicole Lima-Hartshorn is an art historian and independent scholar of Roman art with a sub-specialization in Global Arts. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California and California State University Long Beach, and received additional art history training at California State University Fullerton. Nicole has over 16 years of University and College teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A nominee for Fullerton College’s prestigious Teacher of the Year award, Nicole is heralded as one of Southern California’s leaders in education. She holds numerous certificates in the field of higher education, and lectures both locally and internationally. In 2016, Nicole was the closing speaker in Saddleback College’s competitive “Distinguished Guest Lecturer Series.”

In addition to teaching, Nicole has worked as an educational consultant locally and abroad, and is published in the field of Roman Art, and its intrinsic narrative, commemorative and propagandistic qualities. Nicole has extensive gallery curating experience, consulting and writing for galleries since 1999, in both the private and collegiate sectors. She has exhibited emerging and established artists including world-renowned fine and contemporary artists, and graffiti artists of the infamous CBS crew. Nicole is an active member of the College Art Association, The Western Museum Association, and the American Alliance of Museums. She has taught art history and liberal arts courses at LCAD since 2008, and loves being in the classroom sharing her passion for art history and the world’s cultures. When Nicole is not attending seminars, teaching, or researching she spends time with her family and travels internationally.

Eric Liss is a 3D generalist, motion designer, commercial editor/colorist and sound designer. Eric leads Motion/Division where his client projects include Art Direction, Motion Graphics, 3D, Augmented Reality, Sound Design and Audio Scores. His experience includes 10 years at FUSE Interactive.Throughout his career he's had the opportunity to work with global brands such as Sony, Verizon, Asics, Kenmore, Generac, Elizabeth Arden, Yokohama, Prestone, Nugenix and action-sports brands including Kawasaki, Oakley, IKON Pass, FOX Shocks, TaylorMade/Adams Golf. Eric’s post-production and technical direction has been viewed by many from television to Times Square. He holds a BFA in Graphic Design from LCAD and brings his extensive experience to the 3D and Motion courses he teaches.

Julian Lozano is a Senior Visual Designer located in Los Angeles. Presently, he ais part of the talented team at Huge, Inc., where he gets the fantastic opportunity to collaborate with major tech giants like Google, Ticketmaster, and LG. Together, they strive to create improved user experiences that will shape the future of design. Having immersed himself in the industry for over 5 years now, he hs gained valuable experience and insights. In 2016, he graduated from LCAD with a focus on graphic design, particularly in action sports. Now, his aspiration is to pass on some of this knowledge to the next generation of students, helping them carve their paths and contribute to the ever-evolving landscape of design. Exciting times lie ahead, and he is eager to be part of the journey towards a more innovative and immersive future!

Dan is the Lead Men’s Designer for prAna Living, part of the Outdoor Lifestyle industry. He is a dedicated steward of sustainability and is part of a positive progression towards sustainability and circularity in the apparel industry. Growing up in Laguna, Dan made an early connection to the Ocean and surrounding hills. Surfing, Skateboarding and riding bikes gave him the freedom to experience the environment in a creative way. Building and fixing the toys of the trade offered a technical glimpse into the importance of design and function. Dan’s career began as a Sample Coordinator helping to build garments for Rusty Surfboards in 1996. He went on to design apparel for many Action Sports brands including Billabong, Quiksilver, C1RCA, Element and Captain Fin. His career includes being part of innovative projects in local manufacturing with both startup brands and established workwear makers. Dan shares his passion, experience, process and community with students in his Action Sports courses and honor labs.

Glen David Miller, BFA, MFA, began his career in the early 90's. He has worked over the years creating and supervising award-winning CGI for Steven Spielberg's Amblin Imagining (seaQuest, Star Trek Voyager), Digital Domain (James Cameron's Titanic), Marvel/Seban (Silver Surfer and Captain America), DNA/Nickelodeon (Jimmy Neutron), was a founder of Station X Studios (Dogma, Hunley), and continues to create for the industry as a director, cinematographer, and visual effects supervisor.

Amber Miller is a Graphic Designer at Nike working in Global Sports Apparel on Basketball uniforms for the NBA and WNBA. Amber was born and raised in Southern California and attended Laguna College of Art + Design where she received a BFA in Design + Digital Media with an emphasis in Action Sports. Since graduating, Amber has worked at Nike for almost 10 years working across the NBA, WNBA, NFL and NCAA for uniforms and apparel. She teaches Team Identity Apparel as a Special Topics Design course. Amber also has a passion for helping students to grow in their careers by helping them outside of the classroom prepping portfolios and resumes.

Kelley Mogilka (b. 1995) is a figurative painter originally from Edmond, Oklahoma. After obtaining her BFA in Studio Art at Oklahoma City University in 2018, she attended a summer artist residency at Otis College of Art and Design that inspired her to relocate to California. Spending two years struggling as a working artist and taking online courses to improve her technical skill, she built up her portfolio to attend Laguna College of Art and Design for her Master of Fine Arts Degree in Painting. Since then, she has lived, worked, and studied out of Laguna Beach, winning several awards for her paintings at the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association and being featured in Southwest Art Magazine’s 21 Under 31, Young Artists to Collect Now. Mogilka is represented by Vanessa Rothe Fine Art in Laguna Beach and Pence Gallery in Davis where she was the recipient of their annual Emerging Artist Award.

Molly Enholm Velazco is a contemporary artist, curator and art historian. Molly is passionate about modern and contemporary art, with a focus on California Art History. In addition to teaching, she has contributed to several publications as a freelance editor and contributor, including Art + Cake, Fabrik, ArtScene, Hi-Fructose, TheArtStory.org, Visual Art Source and served for nearly a decade as managing editor of the contemporary art publication, art ltd. magazine (2008 – 2017). Her most recent curatorial project, “Solace/Sublime” featuring the work of contemporary Southern California artists, was recently on view at Angels Gate Cultural Center during the Summer of 2023

Rodolfo Montalvo has been working as a children’s book illustrator and writer for nearly a decade and has multiple published books and several more on the way. His published works have been produced in collaboration with imprints that include Atheneum of Simon & Schuster, Viking of Penguin Random House, and Roaring Brook Press of Macmillan.

Rodolfo is currently an adjunct faculty at Laguna College of Art and Design in the Entertainment Arts and Illustration departments, and an affiliate faculty at Antioch University, Los Angeles in the Creative Writing MFA Program.

To learn more about Rodolfo and to view his illustration works go to www.rodolfomontalvo.com.

Luis Emilio Morales is an adjunct lecturer and researcher with more than six years’ worth of combined research and teaching experience at the secondary and university level. He holds two advanced degrees, one in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (MA), and the other in qualitative sociological research (MPhil).

While a student at the University of Winchester (UK), Luis undertook a research program which mostly explored the nature of evolving gendered behaviors among ethnically diverse young male athletes in liberalizing US and UK contexts. More than a dozen of his projects have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals and books, including the Journal of Gender Studies, the International Review for the Sociology of Sport, and Debates in Mathematics Education, among others. As a fellow with the Sport Collision Injury Collective, he is committed to activism and pedagogy that promotes human health and well-being.

Professionally, Luis been invited to present at more than ten forums and international conferences—including the British and American Sociological Association’s—on topics as diverse as gender, sexualities, and education. A fellow of the Higher Education Academy, he is dedicated to helping students develop the skills and knowledge necessary to live ‘free’ and positively affect change through critical thinking in tandem with the use of their natural ingenuity and creativity.

Max Murphey is a teacher and researcher working in philosophy, mathematics, logic, and other related areas. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and mathematics from Columbia University and a doctorate’s degree in Philosophy from University of California, Riverside (UCR). Since 2015, Max has been teaching middle-school and high-school math classes at ACI Institute in Rowland Heights. Since 2017, he has been working as an adjunct philosophy instructor at Pomona College, UCR, and Norco College. In 2018, Max began teaching mathematics at LCAD. Outside of work, he enjoys reading philosophy, watching videos of physics lectures, biking, hiking, spending time with his fiancée, two young sons, and two dogs, and thinking about how to make the world a better place.

Michael was presented with the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association “Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2015. He recently won the "Collector's Choice Award”, “Artist Choice Award” and the Southwest Magazine “Quick Draw” Award at the Laguna Beach Invitational Plein Air Competition as well as the "Best of Show" at both the Kern County Plein Air Invitational and the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, and the Gold Medal at the Carmel Art Festival. Collectors include the Marriott Hotels and Resorts, The Irvine Company, Hoag Hospital, California State Parks and many corporate as well as private commissions.

Michael is the President of the prestigious California Art Club, and a Signature Member of both the California Art Club and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Michael is an adjunct faculty member at Laguna College of Art & Design (LCAD) where he teaches Landscape Painting. Currently, his paintings are showing at galleries in Pasadena, Carmel, Balboa Island and Laguna Beach, where he is a regular exhibitor at the Festival of Arts.

He maintains his studio in Laguna Beach, California.

MICHAEL OBERMEYER STUDIO

3251 Laguna Canyon Road #D-1
Laguna Beach, California 92651 949-433-6149
obermeyerstudio@cox.net
michaelobermeyer.com

Thomas Olson grew up in the mountains of Southern California, spending many summer days in Newport Beach whenever possible. Laguna’s 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. Don’s 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 Don’s 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.

Michael Overman is an accomplished Creative Director, Art Director and Show Designer with 17 years of experience in Themed Entertainment. He is a graduate of Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration with emphasis in Entertainment Design. Michael demonstrates a passion to create astounding attractions, places and experiences. He strives to lead design and champion creative, all while providing quality art direction from concept through production to installation. He has collaborated, designed, worked and installed many multi-million dollar experiences, attractions, lands and parks both domestically and internationally. He currently works for Hasbro as a Creative Manager in Location Based Entertainment. And has also worked for other Fortune 500 companies such as Walt Disney Imagineering, Universal Creative and 20th Century Fox.

Michael worked on notable projects and held roles as Art Director on ""Test Track presented by Chevrolet"" Epcot, Walt Disney World Florida. Field Art Director on ""Roaring Rapids and Challenge Trail"" Adventure Isle, Shanghai Disney Resort China. Lead Creative Designer on ""Iron Man Experience"" Tomorrowland, Hong Kong Disneyland China. Creative Director on ""Blue Sky Zone"" Genting Skyworlds, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Creative Director on ""Avatar: The Experience” a traveling exhibit. Show Designer on ""Epic Universe"" Universal Orlando Resort, Florida scheduled to open in 2025. Michael received two Thea Awards in 2017, both for Outstanding Achievement, Theme Park: Shanghai Disneyland and Attraction: Camp Discovery, Shanghai Disneyland.

Gwendolyn Oxenham is a writer, teacher, and producer. Her new audio docuseries, HUSTLE RULE, hosted by Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, features the untold stories of women's soccer players, and is based on her book Under the Lights and in the Dark. She also wrote Finding the Game: Three Years, Twenty-Five Countries and the Search for Pickup Soccer and contributes to Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and The New York Times. She directed Pelada, an award-winning documentary about pickup games across the world. A former Duke soccer player, she played for Brazil’s Santos FC. She has taught writing courses at LCAD for nearly a decade.

Mark Pacella has been drawing for the communication arts since the age of 9. Working in publishing as an Editorial illustrator for clients such as The New York Times, The National Law Journal, Notre Dame Magazine etc, he eventually went on to work at Heavy Metal magazine/Marvel comics/DC and Image comics etc.

Tired of shoveling snow, he eventually relocated to sunny California where he worked in animation for a short time for Hanna Barberra etc. before embarking on his storyboard career for commercials and film, where he currently enjoys a rich diversity of material to apply himself in the service of helping to tell cool stories.

An avid video game developer and a gamer, Shreedev has been playing games since their childhood and their passion for it and programming turned them towards a game development career. Shreedev has a solid 6+ years of experience working in indie and AAA quality mobile games as a programmer and as well as a designer. Shreedev has worked on single-player and multiplayer games with a strong mind for monetization and gameplay design, with a good understanding of the field in both technical and design aspects. Shreedev has strong design creativity backed up by experience in coding it. Shreedev spends a lot of my time playing games apart from making them. Shreedev’s favorite games are Dota2, Valorant, Overwatch, Xcom, Zelda Breath of the Wild, World of Warcraft, and Elden Ring. Competitive games are Shreedev’s hobby. Shreedev has played in various professional Esports organizations as a lead player for DotA, Counterstrike, Valorant, and Overwatch. Shreedev loves being a part of a gaming community and played a major role in building one from the base for games like Overwatch, CS, and dotA in their region. Shreedev has been coaching people, hosting local tournaments, and scrims to encourage more people to start playing.

Kimberly is an inquisitive and driven Physical Therapist in the outpatient orthopedic setting with an emphasis on manual therapy treatment. She is a Physical Therapist and an adjunct professor for LCAD, teaching Scientific Anatomy. She has always been fascinated by the human body and all of its unique, dynamic intricacies, and she finds great pleasure in guiding patients and friends to restore function and decrease their limitations while increasing their body awareness and overall health. She has worked in the outpatient orthopedic setting since her graduation, and throughout these 17 years, she has continued to deepen her knowledge base through continuing education. She is a Fellow of Applied Functional Science through the Gray Institute, where she completed a 40-week fellowship in 2015 which deepened her knowledge in the principles, strategies, and techniques that improve human movement, limit pain, and improve daily function. She has also completed a series of Functional Soft Tissue Transformation courses to strengthen her manual therapy skills and knowledge of the human body. With this background, she has found highly effective tools to decrease soft tissue dysfunctions and provide faster, longer-lasting results for patients. Kim holds a Master’s and Doctorate in physical therapy from the University of the Pacific. She loves swimming, paddle boarding, all things water, and her kids and family.

Andrew Pena is a Background Designer at Warner Brothers by day and a plein air painter the rest of the time. He paints because it keeps him sane and it's his form of meditation. Whether it is a landscape, cityscape, or interior painting, he loves to focus on the light and shapes that give each location its feeling.

Ashlyn Pentoney has over 25 years of graphic design experience in print design. Her expertise includes bringing projects to fruition from concept through production of final art for print collateral and packaging. Ashlyn holds a BFA and an MFA in Graphic Design from Cal State Fullerton. She brings her passion for print and design education to her foundation courses in graphic design and typography.

Vee Peony is a 2D animator and character designer from the South Bay Area. She recently graduated from LCAD with a BFA in Experimental Animation, and is currently developing her own animated series while working as a freelance artist.

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.

Tim Pryor is a production specialist in the game industry that consults with other studios to organize and manage development from mobile development to commercial location-based entertainment. Tim is also an entrepreneur with interests inside the game industry and out. His most notable work has been with companies such as: Warner Bros Interactive, Universal, Universal Theme Parks, Tencent, Google, Scopely, Sega, and Nintendo. Tim is passionate about building experiences rather than products.

Hope Railey is a passionate and driven fine artist and teacher who has dedicate the last 20 years to painting in the studio and teaching future generations of artists. Hope has exhibited throughout the country and was most recently featured in December 2021 issue of Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, is an Associate Professor, and currently serves as chair of the Fine Arts department since 2011. She is a regional juror for the AXA Art Prize and has served on artist panels at the 2021 LPAPA Invitational.

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.

Anthony Ramirez is an experienced designer, proficient in both game design and programming. He is a Senior Game Designer at WhiteMoon Dreams, Creative Director at ArcanForge, and an adjunct professor for the LCAD MFA Game Design program. Over the years, Anthony has worked as a designer and programmer on many projects with companies such as SEGA, Adult Swim, Sony, Scopely, and NBC Universal. He has a passion for tutorials, systems design, and level design and is constantly learning,about modern game design practices with every new game released. Anthony holds a master’s degree in Game Design from LCAD. While teaching, his goal is to engage students with deep conversations about game design while relating to both the past, present, and future of games by using the most up-to-date information and providing insight on the modern games industry. Anthony’s passion and enthusiasm for game design shines both in and out of his classes, and he is always willing to chat with anyone about games in any capacity.

Christopher Ramsey is currently based in Orange County. He works with both Illustration and Fine Art techniques in his professional work. Christopher is passionate about figurative and landscape works and uses these elements in his paintings and illustration. His recent works include a Second Place award for the Tustin Plein-air Competition in October 2023.

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.

Industry Veteran 3D Animator - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0719799

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. Michael’s 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.

Robert (Bobby) Sassone is a traditional animator and story artist from Cypress, CA. During his college years he workedas a concept artist for See Here Studios, a Bay Area production company owned by Pixar Alum Valerie Mih. Hegraduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 2016 with a BA in Creative Media, and was awarded theUniversity’s inaugural “Future Animator” Award for his work in short fi lms. Currently he works as a freelance artist in thecomic industry while furthering his artistic studies with the 212 Creative Network, a mentorship program based out ofFort Wayne, Indiana.

Michael Savas, currently serves as Chair of Illustration. His professional career spans both traditional and technology-based methods. He began his professional career as an advertising and technical illustrator in the early 1980's, creating illustrations for the aerospace and retail industries.

Some of his clients have included: Mitsubishi, Seiko Instruments, Mars Candy, Beckman Instruments, Sega Games and more recently, the Morongo Casino. His personal work has been recognized by the Society of Illustrators, New York, Society of Illustrators, Los Angeles, Spectrum, Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art, and Applied Arts. His digital work has been featured internationally in exhibitions and publications including The National Association of Desktop Publishing Journal, Artistry Magazine, and Corel Painter books.

He received his B.F.A. Summa Cum Laude from Laguna College of Art & Design and continued his graduate studies in illustration and printmaking at California University Long Beach where he received his M.F.A. degree. He began teaching at Laguna College of Art + Design in 1996 and was initiated into the National Honor Society Phi Kappa Phi in April 2005. He loves to draw and paint fantastical imagery using all mediums.

Hilary McCarthy is a contemporary figurative painter living in Laguna Beach. She is currently adjunct faculty in the Fine Arts Department at Laguna College of Art + Design. Prior to that she lived in NYC for 18 years. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries in the United States and Europe. She received her BFA from Hartford Art School and her MFA from New York Academy of Art. She also attended The Art Students League and Columbia University. She has attended art residencies in Puglia, Italy; Victoria, Australia; Leipzig, Germany, and Johnston, Vermont. She received the Fostering Creativity in a Time of Crisis Grant in 2020 from the Laguna Beach Community Foundation.

“My paintings aim to be visual poetry based on dreams and the subconscious. As a subject in my recent work, the ocean is healing both physically and emotionally to me. It existed before we did. It is wiser than we are. We need it more than it needs us. I am constantly inspired by its majestic beauty. The women I paint in the foreground deal with the messy complexities of the human condition. In the background, the ocean forms a vast rhythmic backdrop. The narrative of the painting tests these two interfaces. “

When I was nine, the things I liked best in the world were writing rambling stories, tennis lessons on Toronto's weather-cracked courts, and playing "school" with the kids across the street. In high school and college, I didn't write as much, played less, and studied more boring things. In 2005, I got an MSc in Social and Public Communication from the London School of Economics, where I learned about rhetoric and got excited about words (and school!) again. After a decade-long career in communications, I returned to school for an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. I moved to SoCal in 2013, and although I do miss Canada, this has been the perfect place to reunite with all my childhood loves: writing, tennis (year-round!), and, of course, being a teacher. My first novel, Catch My Drift, will be published by Goose Lane Editions in Spring 2018. I have published short stories in North America and the UK, and my short films have screened at festivals worldwide. In my free time, I volunteer with WriteGirl, a creative writing and mentoring organization for underserved teen girls in LA.

Betty Shelton is an accomplished and award-winning artist whose work has been exhibited extensively in the United States. Betty has received numerous painting and drawing awards throughout her artistic career, most notably she has been a finalist in the Art Renewal Center Salon, and the 6th Annual TAPPED at the Manifest Gallery. She has shown recently at the “Watercolor West International Exhibition,” “Women by Women - Depictions
and Interpretations by Greater Los Angeles Women,” and “Poet’s and Artists,” at the Arcadia Gallery.

Betty has BA, MA and MFA degrees in Drawing and Painting. She has been teaching 40 years, and has been privileged to spend the last 28 years teaching painting, drawing, and watercolor at the Laguna College of Art + Design.

Her metaphorical realistic figurative paintings are inspired by contemporary culture and yearly pilgrimages to the great museums of the world. Currently she is working on paintings, commissioned portraits, and maintaining a studio in Laguna Canyon.

Sara came to the role of teacher after practicing as a psychotherapist for 20 years. As adjunct faculty in the Liberal Arts department, she has been teaching Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, and First Year Seminar over the past five years. Sara obtained her BA in Psychology from UC Irvine, and then went on to graduate school at CSULB where she received a Master in Social Work degree. These days she happily splits her time between teaching at LCAD and her psychotherapy practice. When she’s not working you can usually find her somewhere outside - walking or biking along the beach, paddle-boarding, camping in the desert, or working in the garden, along with her husband of 29 years and 2 almost-grown daughters.

Todd Smith is a seasoned artist who has worked as a concept illustrator and fine artist since 1998. He has worked in film and television in addition to showing his work in galleries. Todd studied Art History at UCLA, Drawing and Painting at Claremont Graduate University, and Entertainment Design at Art Center College of Design.

Jamie Stark is a design and branding consultant. A native New Yorker, Jamie, holds a BA from Fordham University and studied fine art at The Art Students League of NY. Jamie worked at a number of design studios and advertising agencies in NYC. Ultimately, he founded his own firm with offices in NYC and NJ with several employees that provided design and branding to a number of Fortune 500 clients. In 2013, in search of a better lifestyle, he came to California and set up as an individual practitioner. Along with teaching at LCAD, Jamie maintains a design practice creating packaging, branding, and design for a variety of clients in different industries. He also currently consults with several LA-based advertising agencies designing key art and title treatments for the entertainment industry. He has worked on projects for Warner Bros, Disney, HBO, Lionsgate, Netflix, Amazon, and AMC. He has won design awards for his work from Graphis, Graphic Design USA, Adobe, AIGA, Logo Lounge, and others. Jamie has a deep and abiding love of typography that he brings to every project and most particularly to the classes he teaches at LCAD.

Josh Steadman is joining LCAD for his first year teaching the course Sketching for Entertainment Design. Previous to joining LCAD, Josh has spent nearly 23 years as a Set Designer, Concept Designer, Show Designer, Illustrator, Production Designer, and Creative Director, working in T.V., Theater, and Theme Park Design and Build.

He has worked with numerous clients and on fun projects including Shanghai Disneyland, MARVEL Avengers; S.T.A.T.I.O.N. in Las Vegas and Singapore, Cartoon Network’s The Wave Cruise Ship, Evermore Park as Director of Show Design and Production, Genting Skyworld’s as Art Director and Creative Director, and recently as a Show Designer/Experience Designer for Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.

While working at Walt Disney Imagineering he conceptualized The Enchanted Storybook Castle Walkthrough for the Enchanted Storybook Castle, as well as designed, storyboarded and oversaw implementation of several items in three lands of this future park.

He holds a MFA in Set Design for Theatre from the University of California - Davis (2010).

Marcella Stockstill is Associate Professor and Co-Chair, Liberal Arts + Art History. Her research and teaching explore the interconnected histories of the visual arts and sciences from the 15 th to 17 th centuries. After completing her undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, Marcella earned her MA in Art History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a thesis tracing 15 th -century exchanges in optics, color production, and alchemy between Netherlandish and Italian artists.

A fulltime lectureship in Art History at Chapman University inspired Marcella to pursue her doctorate at Claremont Graduate University, where she earned her PhD in History and Early Modern Studies. Her work restores a new class of natural philosophers to the historical record—firemasters who practiced alchemy and handbook illustration—reestablishing their place at the intersections of art and science.

Marcella’s research is supported by The Newberry Library in Chicago, The California Rare Book School at UCLA, and the Center for European Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. A $10,000 Transdisciplinary Dissertation Award in 2017, in addition to the Friedman Award, and the Ida Lloyd Crotty Endowed Scholarship at CGU proved essential to her research. Her publications include the Bodman Collection of Italian Renaissance Manuscripts (Libraries, Claremont Colleges), and book reviews for Routledge and Laurence King Publishers in the UK.

Currently, Marcella is engaged in reverse-engineering a 17 th -century pyrotechnic dragon from the illustrated handbook central to her dissertation. Most important, she is honored to teach at LCAD, whose students serve as a constant source of pride with their uncommon talent, insight, energy, humor, and inspiring turn-of-mind for processes of the natural world.

Tim is an art director, visual development artist, and background designer with over 25 years of experience in the animation industry. He received a BA in Studio Art from St. Olaf College and also attended the Kansas City Art Institute. Tim started out as a traditional animator in Minneapolis before moving to Los Angeles in 2000. In 2010 he transitioned from animation to design and visual development. Notable projects include Cosmos, Mortal Kombat, Injustice, Bojack Horseman, Elena of Avalor and Teen Titans Go to the Movies. In 2015 he was hired to art direct Bunnicula and two Lego DC Superhero Girls films at Warner Brothers. Freelance clients list includes Disney, DreamWorks, Fox, Cartoon Network, Bento Box, Renegade, Oddbot, Six Point Harness, Titmouse, Nickelodeon and The Mayo Clinic. Currently he is doing visual development and design on a new series for Disney Junior and teaching background painting at LCAD.

Poe Tan is a Professor, Instructor and Concept Designer, helping students and professionals realize their creative potential. Poe balances two roles professionally, alternating between concept artist with over 23 years in the animation field as a background and prop designer. Poe works tirelessly as a professor and instructor educating and mentoring college-level students at some of Southern California's most accomplished art schools including: Art Center College of Design, Otis College of Art, Pasadena City College, EIDO (An industry conduit between individuals and the local entertainment unions), Computer Graphics Masters Academy (CGMA) and Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA). Also, working on several book projects and developing a new intellectual property for independent publishing

Joseph Michael Todorovitch is a figurative artist in the Los Angeles area with an undivided curiosity for the academic traditions and the conceptual possibilities that proliferate the modern art world. He explores the craft with a naturalist’s lens, employing rich technical details and implied psychological narratives in his paintings. Awarded the Draper Grand Prize by the Portrait Society of America, his work has been included in exhibitions at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C., the Butler Institute of American Art, and the Beijing World Art Museum in China. An Assistant Professor at Laguna College of Art and Design in Southern California, Joseph has taught at various institutions nationally and abroad. Currently enrolled in the MFA program at LCAD devoted to the pursuit of mastery, he enjoys numerous gallery partnerships and is proudly represented by Maxwell Alexander Gallery in Los Angeles CA.

Andrew Dat Tran is a Laguna College of Art + Design Entertainment Design alum and works in games, film, and television. He has contributed to clients including Marvel, 343 Industries, Turtle Rock Studios, AMC Networks, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and more. Andrew currently works as a Background Painter at Titmouse Inc., as an adjunct professor at LCAD, and as a Freelance Concept Artist and Illustrator. He loves working in Blender and Virtual Reality and is always on the lookout for new fun tools to create and play with. Andrew is passionate about technology, education, and storytelling, and is a perpetual student who’s always learning.

David Vargo has an intense love of the mysterious. From an early age his art sought to transcend realism to the realms of the imaginary. After service to his country in the US Marine Corps as an Infantryman, David enrolled in art school. He earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Illustration from the Laguna College of Art + Design. Soon after he decided to take his education further and earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Illustration from California State University at Long Beach. His Illustration medium of choice is Oil, Acrylic and sometimes digital paint. David has painted Illustrations for companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Lucasfilm, Lord of the Rings and Wizards of the Coast.

He is currently an Assistant Professor of Illustration at the Laguna College of Art and Design. David’s love of the mysterious, combined with his passion for the figure has led to a long term art affair with Imaginative Realism.

Noelle Volkmann graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 2016 with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Animation and Entertainment Art. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Art in Art Education from California State University, Long Beach with an emphasis in creativity and play. Noelle brings her passion for and understanding of playful curriculum to her classes to help students retain content and expand creative processes.

Daniel Von der Ahe is a writer/illustrator and teacher living in San Juan Capistrano. He trained at the Florence Academy of Art and has worked as a classical portrait artist, illustrator, and visual development artist for animation where he discovered a love for story and writing. He teaches figure drawing, color and painting in any medium. His teaching focuses on clear, strong, fundamentals to give students the ability to achieve any style, understand different types of expression, and ultimately discover their own. Everyone has a story and it’s worthwhile to develop the best, clearest way to tell it. Following his first illustrated novel, Daniel is currently completing his second novel in addition to working on his first hybrid graphic novel. Meanwhile, he keeps up with painting commissions and changing diapers.

Eric Walls has had a career in animation for over 30 years, with an extensive and versatile background in both traditional hand-drawn and CG animation for animated & live-action film and theme park attractions. His animation has been featured in many projects for Disney, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers, including The Lion King, The Prince of Egypt, Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, The Princess and the Frog, and the Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi theme park. His scope of work includes character animation, effects, illustration, digital cut-out animation, and a considerable list of previsualization projects.

Through his career, Eric has had the opportunity to teach and mentor new artists, including serving in Disney Animation’s prestigious Apprenticeship Program, training several artists now in prominent roles in the field.

Eric’s goal is to help students become clear communicators with their art, while building on their skills to reach their career goals.

Renae Wang is a California-based artist working in oil. Her subject matter focuses on nocturnal landscapes and “non-places” like gas stations, diners, and airports. Her work is characterized by exaggerated colors, vibrant artificial lights, and immersive compositions with first-person point of view. These nocturnal paintings explore the universal human condition of isolation, as well as its relationship with public spaces of transience. The viewer either becomes the one observing a solitary figure or the one being isolated.

Renae started receiving professional art training at an early age. She recently received her master’s degree in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design. Prior to that, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and had built her traditional art skills at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the oldest art institution in the United States. During her graduate and undergraduate studies, Renae was granted multiple awards for her figure painting skills, which includes the Earl T. Donelson Figure Painting Award, the Susan MacDowell Eakins Figure Painting Award, the Taft Award, and the Campbell Scholarship. Her work in the Annual Student Exhibition at the Academy is collected by art connoisseurs in the Greater Philadelphia region.

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. He’s worked at Xbox Game Studios’, The Initiative and most recently apart of Santa Monica Studio’s team on the upcoming God of War Ragnarok. He’s 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.

Lisbeth began her LCAD teaching career in 1987, but after taking a full-time high school teaching job and having a family, she stepped away from LCAD, returning in 2016 to an utterly reimagined campus and college. Lisbeth regularly teaches Language Arts 104 and 111. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing and Magazine Journalism from Long Beach State and a Master’s degree in American Literature from Chapman. Lisbeth has worked as a high school Creative Writing and English teacher for 33 years; she has been the Saddleback Valley Unified District teacher of the year twice and an Orange County nominee for Teacher of the Year in both 2001 and 2011. From 2016 through 2020, Lisbeth stepped out of the high school classroom to serve her district as an instructional coach and mentor and to work as a curriculum specialist, but in Fall of 2020 she returned to the classroom full time to open the new SVUSD Virtual High School. She has published a children’s novel, and many education related articles and is also a regular presenter at educational conferences, speaking abou collaboration, curriculum design, and using technology to shift teaching and learning towards 21st century practices. She enjoys traveling, and she lives in Trabuco Canyon with her dogs, Zeke and Honey.

Born near Los Angeles Lori Werstein immersed herself in the art, design and diversity of the area. Attending Art Center College & Pasadena City College while in high school - studying painting, printing, 2D design, as well as model drawing. She completed her Bachelors Degree in Art at CSULB, later attending Otis College of Art and Design this time earning her BFA in Fashion Design. With many years of design experience working for lifestyle brands across various categories, mens, womens & childrens apparel, footwear & accessories. Brands including: Quiksilver, Roxy, 26 Red/Sugar, & Billabong. Additionally working as a fashion consultant with expertise in Print & Pattern, Logo & branding infringement, & comparative analysis of historical surface design. Lori combines her love of art, color, and composition helping students transform their creative passion into practical application, developing surface designs across many mediums.

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.

Jeramy Zapotosky is a software engineer in the game industry. His passion for polished and creatively interesting experiences has led him towards a diverse background of projects. He has shipped numerous titles on a variety of platforms including mobile, console, PC, web, VR, and location based entertainment. His belief is that the best ability is adaptability. Jeramy aims to streamline the development process and empower teams to work more collaboratively towards complete experiences starting and finishing from a player's perspective.

Mark Zoeller is a veteran entertainment industry artist who has a long affiliation with film and television, being awarded two Emmy Awards in Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Storyboarding. He’s worked for all the major studios, Warner Bros., Disney, DreamWorks SKG, Fox, Marvel, and Technicolor to name a few. During his time at LCAD, Mark has taught a spectrum of classes including storyboarding, visual storytelling, background layout design, character design, Photoshop and advanced Photoshop and figure drawing. Other classes he has taught at other universities include animation pre-production, storyboarding, illustration, and drawing. When not teaching, Mark lives and works in the heart of Hollywood.

Peter Zokosky was born into an artistic family where creativity and independent thinking was encouraged. He has been painting and drawing since his earliest memories. After receiving his MFA from Otis Parsons in 1981 he apprenticed under art restorer/conservator Richard Saar for six years. He has been working and exhibiting internationally for over 40 years.

An art educator for over 30 years, he taught at the following Museums: The Getty Center and the Getty Villa, the Long Beach Museum of Art, the Norton Simon Museum, the Laguna Art Museum, and the Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art. He has taught courses at ArtCenter, Otis Art Institute, California State University at Long Beach, The Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh and Laguna College of Art+Design, where he has been the chair of the Master of Fine Arts program in Painting and Drawing since 2016.

Zokosky finds few things as gratifying as teaching and helping emerging artists to find their own creative voice.

Jini Zopf is an accomplished designer with a career path that includes packaging design at Mattel for Marvel, Star Wars, Hot Wheels products and at the Walt Disney company for their retail stores. As a 4th generation designer, her earliest memories involve drawing & discussing design themes with family. Jini has over 20 years in branding, packaging, product design, style guide creation and design leadership. She graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Illustration and teaches Packaging Design to emerging product and graphic designers. Jini’s design leadership inspires and strategically guides teams to success.