Sharing the stage with the Women of Concept Art for Film & TV at Comic-Con San Diego

Every July, 150,000-ish people flock, er, frock (that’s a nod to all you cosplayers) to the San Diego Convention Center for San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). People come from all over the world to see their favorite comic characters in both print and animated form. Yes, even real human actors and actresses are there from various hit TV shows and movies for eager fans to meet, get autographs, swoon over, etc. And the amount of swag - t-shirts, collectibles, original prints and more - attendees come away with? Well, it's staggering. Of course, SDCC is really all about having fun, catching up with friends, old and new, and dressing up. You see some amazing costumes at Comic-Con and come away from the event with a great deal of appreciation for costume design.

While having a good time at SDCC is important, there is also a serious side to the event with lots of opportunities to learn new things about the media and entertainment world. Many young people who attend are seriously interested in pursuing a career in animation, graphic design, illustration, or game development and looking for information and pointers on how to break into the industry.

Enter Xencelabs and the Women of Concept Art for Film & TV. Two organizations that care deeply about educating the next generation of artists and giving back to the community. On July 21st (SDCC ran from the 19th to the 23rd), the Women of Concept Art for Film & TV event brought together a group of talented panelists - Gina DeDomenico (The Boys, Star Trek: Picard), Barbra Araujo (Haunted Mansion, The Acolyte), Maybelle Pineda (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Black Adam), Robin Richesson (Mars Attacks!, The Spiderwick Chronicles) and Jen Hancock (Haunted Mansion, Violent Night) - all professional concept artists working in the fields of costume design, production design, and storyboard artistry for film and television. They shared their unique journeys into the world of concept art and the ways they adapt their styles to new projects. The panel explored the influence of comic books on their work and discussed their collaborations with creative teams in film and television productions. Additionally, the artists spoke about their role models, the rewards and challenges of being concept artists in Hollywood, and the significance of mentorship in their careers. The event concluded with an engaging Q&A session, led by costume designer and moderator, Mairi Chisholm. Xencelabs helped sponsor the event, providing each panelist with a pen tablet and also a giveaway pen tablet for a lucky attendee, won by Madison S.

The panel session was one of the most popular at this year’s SDCC, with over 1,000 people in attendance. All in all, it was a fantastic program and the Women of Concept Art for Film & TV and the entire team at Xencelabs are proud of the contributions they are making to the world of art and design and look forward to helping artists succeed everywhere.

Photo credit: Ryan Hartford @eclipticphoto