Alien Race: Visual Development of an Intergalactic Adventure

Alien Race is an illustrated narrative of an original science fiction tale. Three Art Center College of Design entertainment design students discuss the process of and develop the visuals for one of the most unique stories today - combining action, adventure and captivating art to introduce the reader to the fascinating world of concept design.

Peter Chan was born in Taiwan in 1980 and moved to Hong Kong at the age of 10. Interested in drawing and painting, Peter attended Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, U.S.A. where he began to focus his skills in fine arts. Afterwards, he received his B.F.A. in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. It is not until Peter went to Art Center that he found his passion in the entertainment industry. Peter now works as a concept artist in Los Angeles, and feels very lucky to be drawing and painting everyday with great people!

At a young age, John's creative process began by doodling images from his imagination. He started attending Saturday High at Art Center for high school students, then transitioned into product design at Art Center College of Design. During his early educational terms at Art Center one of his greatest mentors, Scott Robertson, inspired John to commit to entertainment design. Now John is an entertainment design student at Art Center with a few terms left, ready to take on the next challenge ahead.

Justin was born in Los Angeles in 1986. At an early age, Justin started recording his experiences and surroundings through drawing, including his doctor visits, family vacations, trains, etc. Inspired by his grandfather, a painter in Thailand, he was determined to pursue the visual arts. Justin took classes in painting, figure drawing and comic book design in his teen years. Later, he attended Saturday High classes at Art Center College of Design, where he was subsequently accepted. For two summers, he interned at Design Studio Press, where he worked on various video games. Justin recently graduated from the Entertainment Design department at Art Center.

Ben Mauro is a Los Angeles-based artist and designer. He studied industrial design and entertainment design at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He is currently working on freelance projects and looking for design opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Thom Tenery holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture and studied entertainment design and illustration at Art Center College of Design. Eight years of architectural and interior design, along with a passion for art, science fiction and film, led him to a career in concept design. When not roaming the stacks of used bookstores he can be found immersed in the visual development of his own worlds. Thom is currently a concept artist at ID Software.

Scott Robertson started his secondary education at Oregon State University, then transferred to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. He graduated in 1990 with honors and a B.S. degree in Transportation Design. After Art Center he immediately opened a consulting firm in San Francisco, where he designed a variety of consumer products. In 1995, he began teaching at Art Center College of Design, first with a year-and-a-half stint at Art Center Europe in Vevey, Switzerland and then in Pasadena, California. Scott’s clients have included the BMW subsidiary Designworks/USA, Bell Sports, Raleigh Bicycles, Mattel Toys, Patagonia, Minority Report feature film, Nike, Universal Studios, Rockstar Games, Sony Online Entertainment, Buena Vista Games and THQ to name a few. Dedicated to art and design education, he founded the publishing company Design Studio Press in 2002. He has authored or co-authored 8 books furthering design, drawing and rendering education and has co-produced 41 educational “how to” DVDs with The Gnomon Workshop. Scott himself has instructed on 9 DVDs, focusing on drawing and rendering techniques for industrial and entertainment designers. He continues to teach at Art Center and serves as Chair of the Entertainment Design department. Scott is married to film editor Melissa Kent.