Learn from the Pros at the Third Annual Gigacon Convention

(Arlington, VA  January 2012) – Animators, illustrators, sculptors and designers from the across the country will descend on the DC area for Gigacon, January 14-15 at The Art Institute of Washington, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta.   Learn the tricks of the trade from pros including DC Comic illustrator Freddie E Williams II and National Entertainment Collectables Association in-house sculptor David Silva, just two of more than 20 professionals at this year’s convention.  The Art Institute of Washington is located in Arlington, VA, at 1820 North Fort Myer Drive; 1-877-303-3771.

Open to the public, the convention started as an annual animation forum, but it soon broke out of its cage and morphed into Gigacon.  The transformation was the brainchild of Bryan Tillman, Chair of Media Arts & Animation and Game Art & Design at The Art Institute of Washington.  Unlike many major cities, Washington lacks a true comic convention. Tillman, who has hosted a panel at the granddaddy of animation events, San Diego Comic-Con, set out to change that.  "There is so much talent in this area, there's no reason DC shouldn't have its own big convention," he said.

Now in its third year, Gigacon continues to attract professionals from throughout the industry and provide aspiring artists with tips that will help them succeed.  Activities at Gigacon 2012 include drawing contests, open life drawing sessions, demos and panel discussions with the professionals, and portfolio reviews.  Artists can also promote themselves and sell their work at the Artist Alley.

Tickets for Gigacon are $10, and students and alumni from The Art Institute of Washington are admitted at no charge.  To register for the convention or to reserve a time for a portfolio review, visit www.giga-con.com.

For the complete schedule and full list of speakers, visit www.giga-con.com.

The Art Institute of Washington is a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta and one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of more than 45 educational institutions located throughout North America. The Art Institutes schools provide an important source for design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals. Several institutions included in The Art Institutes system are campuses of South University. See aiprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info.