The Art of Black Panther
On Thursday, February 22nd, 2018, eight of Marvel Studios’ finest artists will give their first talk on the visual development of Black Panther in Los Angeles at Gnomon School of Visual Effects. Directed by Ryan Coogler, Black Panther is a milestone movie in the 18-film Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that breaks exciting new ground and delivers strength, identity, pride, and grace in abundance – with all the superheroes, royalty, warriors, and complex villains that we expect from Marvel Studios. Led by the Head of Visual Development, Ryan Meinerding, the Visual Development team was responsible for designing the characters, props, and the overall visual look of the movie. The talented line-up will explore various character designs, such as Black Panther/T’Challa, Dora Milaje’s Okoye and Nakia, Killmonger, and many more. Various key-frame illustrations will also be showcased – all of which helped the director and studio visualize what the look and feel of the film could be. The speakers will also discuss and examine how 3D tools were critical in creating many of the characters and assets that are pivotal during the concept design phase of the movie-making process.
The event is free and attendance is RSVP only, with tickets and seating offered on a first-come-first-served basis. This exclusive event will not be streaming live or available as a recording.
Schedule
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM PST: The Art of Black Panther: An Evening with Marvel Studios
9:30 PM – 10:00 PM PST: Audience Questions
Guest Speakers
Ryan Meinerding – Head of Visual Development
Ryan Meinerding has been active as a concept artist/illustrator in film since 2005. He was hired at Marvel Studios for Iron Man, and – after leaving briefly to do concept work on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Watchme – has been full-time since. While working on Iron Man 2, Ryan contributed the design for the new Iron Man armor in the comic-book series Invincible Iron Man. He served as visual development co-supervisor on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron,Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther. He is now working on Avengers: Infinity War.
Jackson Sze – Senior Concept Illustrator
Jackson Sze has worked in advertising, video games, TV, and film for studios including Lucasfilm Animation and Sony Computer Entertainment of America. He’s a founding member of the Battle Milk series of art books and is currently a Senior Concept Illustrator at Marvel Studios. His credits include Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Little Prince, Marvel’s The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, Thor: Ragnarok, and the latest Black Panther.
Anthony Francisco – Concept Illustrator
Anthony Francisco worked in film and games before moving into movie concept art for FX houses such as Stan Winston Studios, and Rick Baker. He’s produced art for Superman Returns, Spider-Man, and many more. He worked as a concept artist at NCsoft Santa Monica on the Guild Wars and Tabula Rasa MMO game titles, and at Offset Software as Lead Concept Artist. In 2010, he worked at Rhythm and Hues on The Hunger Games, R.I.P.D., and Seventh Son. He also creates art for Magic: The Gathering.
Rodney Fuentebella – Concept Illustrator
Rodney Fuentebella was born in the Philippines and raised in San Francisco. He has worked on various projects for EA, Atari, DreamWorks Animation, WIRED magazine, and other entertainment and commercial projects. He’s created key-art illustrations and character designs for various projects at Marvel, including Iron Man 3, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and upcoming MCU films.
Alexander Mandradjiev has been working for the motion picture industry as a cinematic illustrator for over 13 years. He has worked with directors and production designers on titles like Black Swan, Lincoln, Edge of Tomorrow, Rise of The Planet of the Apes, Empire V, X-Men: First Class, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and much more. Alexander is a member of the Art Directors Guild.
Follow Alexander Mandradjiev on Instagram: @alexander_mandradjiev
Constantine Sekeris worked in practical FX for the likes of Stan Winston Studios, Rick Baker, Quantum Creation FX, and many more, with credits including Bicentennial Man, Blade 2, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Where the Wild Things Are, Hellboy II, X-Men: The Last Stand, Van Helsing, and many others. For the past five years he has been a part of the Costume Union, working on the likes of Thor: The Dark World, Star Trek II, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, plus more.
Follow Constantine Sekeris on Instagram: @constantinesekeris
Karla Ortiz is a Puerto Rican, internationally recognized, award-winning artist. With her exceptional design sense, realistic renders, and character-driven narratives, Karla has contributed to many big-budget films including Jurassic World, World of Warcraft, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Thor: Ragnarok, Black Panther, Infinity War, and most notably her design of Doctor Strange for Marvel’s Doctor Strange. Karla has also exhibited figurative and mysterious art in notable galleries in San Francisco, LA, and Paris.
Adam Ross is the Digital Sculptor for the Visual Development department at Marvel Studios. His duties include creating proof-of-concept models and sculpts based on the illustrations created by the Vis Dev team, fleshing out rough concept illustrations into finished 3D models, and helping bridge the gap between concept illustration and props/costumes/VFX. His background in 3D printing and scanning comes from a history working for film, toys, collectibles, and military industries.
Tully Summers has been specializing in creature and character design for film for over 15 years and is known for his work on Independence Day. He has contributed to many blockbuster films, including but not limited to Tomorrowland, Jungle Book, Passengers, Ghostbusters, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Black Panther, and Thor: Ragnarok. Tully is skilled in both traditional and digital illustration and sculpture, and is fluent in ZBrush, Maya, Modo, and Photoshop.
