It’s that time of year again for graphic artists and fans of graphic art. Lightbox Expo 2023 will open this coming weekend, from October 27th to the 29th at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event is filled with many exciting panels and demos, and fans may have trouble deciding which ones to attend. To shed some light on what’s new this year, we recently had the pleasure of sitting down once again with Bobby Chiu and Jim Demonakos, the co-founders of Lightbox Expo. I will start by sharing what Bobby Chiu, the talented and ever-busy co-founder, had to say.
Learning Never Stops
GVN: Thanks once again for sharing some moments with us, Bobby. I know you have been extremely busy “dotting all the I’s and crossing all the t’s” in preparation for Lightbox Expo 2023. But that’s not all you have been up to. As part of the Lightbox “off-season,” I know you, Schoolism and Lightbox Expo have been very active doing online classes with various creators through Discord this year. How have those interactions gone and what do you feel are the benefits of keeping connected to your followers in this manner?
Bobby: It’s wonderful that people can find each other through our LightBox Expo Discord. It’s really thriving with artists from all over the world, of all sorts of disciplines, and all sorts of skill levels, even many that have never been to a LightBox Expo in person. This also gives them a way to connect, learn, and grow their network. Then with Schoolism, we are able to do all sorts of free events where people can meet and learn from our instructors for free and it also helps create more awareness about learning more at Schoolism.
‘Chui on This’
GVN: If you weren’t busy enough, you also started a new YouTube channel named aptly enough, “Chiu on This.” What made you decide to take this on and what kinds of topics would those interested in following you learn about?
Bobby: The last video on my old YouTube channel talks about why I started a new channel but it’s because I wanted a fresh start. I felt the same way you feel when you’re done with a sketchbook, and you want to start a new one. With this new channel I really want to take my time and make content that I want to make. Talk about the things that are truly important to me. If you’re an artist, I really recommend that you check out my “Chiu on THIS” YouTube channel. I talk about things that relate to artists of any level. Things to think about and that could affect your career. Things that I think about and talk about with my other industry friends.
[If needed for a link, the channel is: https://www.youtube.com/@chiu-on-this]
New to Lightbox Expo
GVN: I do encourage any of our followers in the Los Angeles area who have an interest in graphic art to check this out. So, as I said, Lightbox Expo 2023 is literally right around the corner. I looked over the schedule and there are so many exciting panels and demonstrations planned that it will be hard for Expo attendees to decide what to take in. Is there anything totally new that you are most excited about?
Bobby: You’re right. It’s very hard to decide. Some that come to mind are the fact that Co-Founder of Aardman Animations, Peter Lord, will be coming to LightBox Expo to talk about Chicken Run 2, the new movie from Aardman Animations.
Djamila Knopf will be doing a demo live with traditional paint. There’s also character designer Carlos Grangel coming to join us all the way from Spain. He’ll be joining Carter Goodrich and Peter de Sève for a panel of character designing legends.
Welcome to Lightbox Expo 2023
GVN: Thank you once again for sharing a moment of your time, Bobby. Before I let you go, give us your best sales pitch on why artists and fans alike will want to take in Lightbox Expo 2023.
Bobby: You are going to love it. It’s the place to meet all the artists and creatives behind your favorite movies, animations, illustrations and games. For people that have been around the industry for a while, you’ll meet friends and colleagues you haven’t seen in years. It’s also a great way to reconnect with everyone or to pass on your knowledge and experience to the next generation.
For people that have started in the industry in recent years, it’s the perfect event to connect and grow your community, create new opportunities and level up in your career. For students and aspiring artists and creatives, you’ll be able to meet your artistic heroes, get advice and instruction from the people doing the things that you eventually want to do! And it’s the perfect place to meet and build up a network of like-minded people with the same passion and drive that you do.
Lightbox Expo 2023 starts this Friday, October 27th and goes through the 29th. If you are in the Los Angeles area and love graphic art, this is the place to be. Look for our conversation with Lightbox Expo co-founder Jim Demonakos tomorrow, coinciding with the first day of Lightbox Expo 2023.
Senior Writer at GeekVibesNation – I am a 60 something child of the 70’s who admits to being a Star Trek/Star Wars/Comic Book junkie who once dove headfirst over a cliff (Ok, it was a small hill) to try to rescue his Fantastic Four comic from a watery grave. I am married to a lovely woman who is as crazy as I am and the proud parent of a 21-year-old young man with autism. My wife and son are my real heroes.
