The LUX HUMANS MASTERCLASS SERIES — a new program celebrating the art, craft, and creative process behind animation, illustration, comics, and visual storytelling.
Over two weekends, August 14–16 and August 21–23, Lux Humans / Hikari Ningen Gallery will welcome an extraordinary lineup of twelve acclaimed animation professionals, artists, designers, directors, writers, and storytellers for a series of in-depth masterclasses.
Each guest will share their expertise through lectures covering a wide range of subjects, including:
Master Session 1 : CHARACTER DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS with Chris Mitchell
Join Emmy and Annie Award-nominated Character and Production Designer Chris Mitchell for an in-depth exploration of professional character design. This master session breaks down Chris's complete design process—from concept to final execution—while sharing proven techniques and methodologies to elevate your work. Discover what distinguishes exceptional character design and learn how to bring intentional design principles back to the forefront of your practice. Whether you're beginning your career or are an established professional, this session offers valuable insights for all skill levels.
Date and Time: Friday, August 14th at 12:00 PM
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Chris Mitchell
With over 30 years in the animation industry, Chris Mitchell is an Emmy and Annie Award-nominated Character and Production Designer whose credits include SAMURAI JACK, THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, SPONGEBOB, THE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE, THE MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN SHOW, SUPER ROBOT MONKEY TEAM HYPER FORCE GO, ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, and ULTRAMAN RISING.
Master Session 2: Designing and Building Worlds with Dan Krall
Join acclaimed designer and visual storyteller Dan Krall for an in-depth exploration of world-building fundamentals. Learn how shape language, composition, and strategic color palettes work together to establish iconic locations and unforgettable characters. Drawing from three decades of industry experience, Dan will share the techniques behind some of animation's most distinctive visual identities.
Date & Time: Friday, August 14th at 4:00 PM
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Dan Krall
Dan Krall is a 30-year veteran of the Los Angeles animation industry, Emmy Award-winning art director, and published author-illustrator. His art direction credits include the groundbreaking series Samurai Jack, Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated, Chowder, and My Gym Partner's a Monkey, as well as supervising producer work on Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai. His visual development contributions span beloved films and series including Coraline, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon, Boss Baby, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Powerpuff Girls, and Dexter's Laboratory. With eight published picture books and three author credits to his name, Dan is currently developing a debut graphic novel trilogy launching summer 2027. His accolades include one Emmy Award for Individual Achievement in Animation and three Annie Award nominations for Art Direction.
Master Session 3 : STORYBOARDING : METHODS AND PRACTICES FOR FILM AND TV with Vince Aparo
Sometimes you just need to keep your butt in the seat. Creating a space for the flow state is just a portion of what Vince's storyboarding workshop will go over. Vince’ll be sharing an overview of his best practices for constructing a scene from start to finish. He’ll also touch on the importance of gathering reference from film comps as well as your own lived experiences, not to mention the power of thumb-nailing as your cutting room floor. Bring some paper and something to draw with cuz we’re ALL gonna be storyboarding!
Date and Time: Sat Aug 15th, 12pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
Master Session 4 : HOW THE DISNEY SAUSAGE IS MADE: CREATING A BLOCKBUSTER FRANCHISE FROM NOTHING with JEFF RANJO
Very few people have been “in the room where the Disney sausage is made” - and Jeff Ranjo is one of them. Step back in time with Jeff to the days when it was just him, a director and a writer, dreaming up characters, story ideas and the big twist that made Frozen a box-office smash.
Learn about the research, the story pitches and the shuttered films before Frozen came into being - and how those unmade films influenced the film Frozen eventually came to be. Jeff is a veteran storyperson, visual designer, character developer and co-exec producer, with 18 years of experience at Disney alone. Join him as he pulls back the curtain on how a blockbuster story like Frozen’s is born.
Date and Time: Sat Aug 15th, 4pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
Master Session 5 : STORYTELLING IN COMICS with Victoria Ying
Join critically acclaimed author and artist Victoria Ying for an in-depth exploration of the comics creation process. This master session covers every essential stage—from scriptwriting and thumbnailing to inking and color work. Victoria will share real examples of professional scripts and deliver a live demonstration of her techniques.
Date and Time: Sun Aug 16th, 12pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Victoria Ying
Victoria Ying is an award-winning author, illustrator, and animator based in Los Angeles. Her career spans animation, graphic novels, and comics, with film credits including Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Paperman, Big Hero 6, and Moana. She is the author and illustrator of the graphic novel series City of Secrets and City of Illusion, as well as Marvel/Scholastic's Shang-Chi and the Secret of Immortality and DC's Diana: Princess of the Amazons. Her YA graphic novel debut, Hungry Ghost, received the 2023 Harvey Award for Best YA/Children's Graphic Novel.
Master Session 6 : WEBCOMICS 101 with VIOLAINE BRIAT
Learn the art and craft of webcomics from an industry veteran. Violaine Briat will walk you through every essential step—from conceptualizing your story and developing compelling characters to mastering the visual language of sequential art and successfully launching your work to a global audience. Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to refine your skills, this master session delivers insider knowledge from someone who has built a thriving career in comics and animation.
Date and Time: Sunday, August 16th at 4:00 PM
Location: Lux Humans Gallery, 406 E. 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
About Violaine Briat
Violaine is an accomplished webcomic artist, director, and storyboard artist with 15 years of professional experience. She created and ran the acclaimed webcomic Rodney R Rodney for four years before successfully Kickstarting it into a 400-page graphic novel. Her work has been featured in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), The Doomies (2026), and Adult Swim Smalls (2018). Violaine brings her deep expertise in animation, visual storytelling, and long-form narrative to every project she undertakes.
Master Session 7 : TRAVEL SKETCHES AND BG COMPOSITION with Aaron Spurgeon
In this master session, Aaron Spurgeon explores the art of creating compelling environments that feel grounded in reality while showcasing the artist's unique perspective. Learn how to develop environments that balance familiarity with originality, drawing inspiration from the world around you. Spurgeon will walk through his complete creative process—from initial thumbnails and rough sketches to polished final artwork.
Date and Time: Fri Aug 21st, 12pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
Master Session 8 : MY TIME IN BIKINI BOTTOM with Paul Tibbitt
Paul will discuss his experience taking the helm of a multi-billion-dollar animated series at its creative peak, and the challenges of preserving SpongeBob's distinctive optimistic spirit while stewarding the franchise forward.
Date and Time: Fri Aug 21st, 4pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
Master Session 9 : EXPRESSIVE STORYBOARDS with Zach Bellissimo
Learn dynamic storyboarding techniques directly from industry veteran Zach Bellissimo. This master session explores the art of creating expressive boards through advanced acting, staging, and visual storytelling—essential skills for elevating your work as a storyboard artist.
Date and Time: Sat Aug 22nd, 12pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Zach Bellissimo
Zach is a director and storyboard artist with 11+ years of professional experience in animation and visual development. His work spans acclaimed series including Rick & Morty, Teen Titans Go!, Victor & Valentino, and Clone High. Beyond storyboarding, Zach has contributed as an animator, writer, and character designer. He is also co-creator of Long Gone Gulch, a successfully crowdfunded indie pilot that showcases his versatility in comedic storytelling and world-building.
Master Session 10 : CARICATURE 101 with Asia Ellington
Join acclaimed character designer Asia Ellington for an immersive masterclass in the art of caricature. Learn directly from a Disney, Cartoon Network, and Netflix veteran who built her foundation as a theme park caricature artist. This hands-on session covers caricature fundamentals, the rich history of the art form, and practical techniques including line weight, speed, and strategic exaggeration. You'll walk away with actionable skills and insider insights from someone who's shaped animation for major studios.
Participants will need to bring sketch pads and black markers!
Date and Time: Sat Aug 22nd, 4pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Asia Ellington
Asia is a Character Designer, who has worked for Disney Television Animation, Cartoon Network, Sony, and Netflix; and has illustrated for various projects for Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Before getting her break in animation, she started her art career as a theme park caricature artist, and has credited a lot of her unique skills and artistic growth today to the fast and crazy world of caricatures.”
Master Session 11 : CHARACTER STORYTELLING with Leo Matsuda
In this class Leo will be examining character development and how design and research can inform and add deeper complexity and meaning to a character. Leo will be going over relatable film and TV characters whose choices end up being determining factors on how a plot and emotional journey would unravel.
Through his knowledge and expertise on visual storytelling, Leo will give a breakdown of his approach on how he creates dimensional characters that are not only merely designs but that have an actual soul.
Date and Time: Sun Aug 23rd, 12pm
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Leo Matsuda
Leo is a Japanese-Brazilian born and raised in Sao Paulo, where he played soccer almost everyday of his life.
Leo worked as a story artist on Walt Disney Animation feature films such as Ralph Breaks the Internet, 2016 Oscar-winning film Zootopia, as well as 2014’s Oscar-winning film Big Hero 6. He was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production for his work on 2012’s Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph. Leo also contributed with story development and character designs for many different studios such as Illumination, DreamWorks, Paramount and Netflix. Recently, Leo was the Lead Character Designer on the Paramount Studios Feature Animated film “Under The Boardwalk”.
Leo also directed the short film Inner Workings that debuted in front of Walt Disney’s Animated Feature Film, Moana and is now developing new ideas for both film and children’s books.
Master Session 12 : THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF SELLING A SHOW with Ciro Nieli
Join animation producer and director Ciro Nieli as he shares insights into developing and executing major IP productions. This masterclass explores the creative and logistical challenges of bringing ambitious projects from concept through completion, offering real-world perspective on navigating the entertainment industry.
Date and Time: Sunday, August 23rd at 4:00 PM
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
About Ciro Nieli
Ciro Nieli is an Emmy, Annie, BAFTA, and PGA-nominated animation producer and director based in Los Angeles. His career spans two decades of work on some of the industry's most successful franchises.
Beginning as a storyboard artist on FOX's Family Guy, Nieli advanced to directing for Warner Brothers Animation on the acclaimed DC animated series Teen Titans. He created the original action series Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! for Disney Channel's JETIX block—the first action series at Disney Television Animation and the first to generate a toy line.
At Marvel Animation, Nieli developed and produced Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. His reimagining of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for Nickelodeon became a cultural phenomenon, spanning 124 episodes across five seasons and generating over $5 billion in worldwide revenue.
His additional credits include work on Batman, Jonny Quest, Transformers, and a Tron series for Disney. Nieli continues developing original and established properties across animation and comics.
Master Session 13 : Closing Symposium : The Future of Visual Storytelling
Join an exclusive evening symposium featuring leading voices in animation and visual storytelling. Industry pioneers will explore current trends and emerging directions shaping the future of the craft. Expect profession insider stories.
- Jeff Ranjo
- Leo Matsuda
- Justin Thompson
- Yuhki Dehmers
- Aaron Spurgeon
- Ciro Nieli
- Vince Aparo
- Chris Mitchell
Date and Time: Sunday, August 23rd at 8:00 PM
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012
Master Session : Masterclass Series Pass
Unlock exclusive access to the complete Masterclass Series—12 intensive sessions plus a closing symposium designed to elevate your storytelling and design skills. Your pass includes everything you need: attendance at all sessions, a curated instructor resource booklet with bios and credentials, and exclusive download codes for lecture videos to review anytime after the event.
What's Included :
12 Master Sessions
Closing Symposium
Instructor Resource Booklet
Lifetime access to lecture video downloads
In-person and online attendance options
Limited to 10 in person seats
EVENT DETAILS:
Date and Time: August 14-16 and Aug 21-23
Location : Lux Humans Gallery 406 E. 2nd St LA CA 90012