Anatomy Lab: The Art of Creature Design
Gnomon School of Visual Effects has announced Anatomy Lab: The Art of Creature Design, hosted by professional artists alongside members of the taxidermy department from the Natural History Museum. The free event will be held in Los Angeles on Saturday November 5th at 12PM (PDT) at the Gnomon Campus in Hollywood.
The inspiring afternoon sessions will introduce attendees to the craft of depicting anatomically correct and believable 2D and 3D animal studies and creature designs. The panel of experts will bring together professional artists working in the entertainment industry alongside members of the taxidermy department from the Natural History Museum, to discuss the key skills to observing from life and understanding animal anatomy, as well as how to use that information in the aesthetic visualization of animals. A skilled animal handler will also be on campus with live animals for attendees to observe and sketch.
Learn about the art of live gesture illustration and its relationship to sculpture, discover how taxidermists pursue their craft, and expand your knowledge of the process of digital sculpting as an art form. The afternoon sessions will conclude with ZBrush demonstrations, including the design of a mammalian quadruped, to offer workflow tips and tricks for capturing convincing gesture and anatomy in 3D.
The event is free to attend and suitable for artists of all levels. RSVP or follow along on Livestream. The guest speakers will take questions from both the stage audience and Livestream viewers during the live event (Tweet questions using #gnomon on Twitter).
Schedule
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm: Live Animal Sketching with Mollie Hogan and Andrea Adams
12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: The Art and Science of Taxidermy with Allis Markham and Tim Bovard
1:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Intermission (food trucks will be on campus for refreshments)
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Live Ibex ZBrush Demonstration with Krystal Sae Eua
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: The Art of Creature Design with Jerad Marantz
Guest Speakers
Andrea Adams—Instructor & Director of Educational Administration at Gnomon
Andrea boasts an extensive background in many different aspects of visual arts, from theatre set construction to corporate illustration. Her experiences in independent film and television include storyboarding, conceptual illustration, production design, and costume design. She is also an instructor at Gnomon and teaches Zoological Studies among other classes.
Mollie Hogan—Executive Director at The Nature of Wildworks
After raising and training a wide variety of cats for the Los Angeles Zoo’s cat show ‘Wild in the City,’ in 1993, Mollie founded the Nature of Wildworks Wildlife Center in Topanga Canyon. The organization provides lifelong care for 50 non-releasable wild animals – encompassing 17 different species – that participate with staff and volunteers in programs for both children and adults.
Jerad Marantz—Freelance Concept Artist
Jerad’s career spans over 20 years of design in the film, television and game industries. His many credits include Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, The Conjuring, Transformers, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men, American Horror Story, Westworld, Falling Skies, Grimm, Titanfall, Gears of War 4, and many more.
Allis Markham—Owner of Prey Taxidermy
Under the mentorship of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum Taxidermist Tim Bovard, Allis opened her studio Prey Taxidermy in 2015 and has since received multiple awards at the World Taxidermy Championship. She continues to volunteer at the Natural History Museum and regularly provides inspiring and educational outreach to the community.
Krystal Sae Eua—Modeling & Texturing Lead at The Mill
Krystal trained as a 3D generalist but has since focused her talents mainly on modeling and texturing. She studied traditional animation and graphic design at Brooks College and specialized her talents at Gnomon. Her main goal is to be a part of the great films, games, and commercials of this generation and to create the best that digital art has to offer.
