Marie Zhivago isn’t the next big super hero. Nor is she an A-list actress that appeared in last summer’s biggest Sci-Fi box office hit.
But the Chula Vista cartoonist and children’s author will host a panel in room 30CDE at Comic-Con International from Noon to 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 12.
Zhivago, along with elementary school principals Lalaine Perez from Salt Creek Elementary School and Eric Banatao from Eastlake Elementary School, will discuss the importance of digital arts in schools in their panel called “Innovation in Education: Basic Cartoon and Animation Combine Drawing and Vector Graphic Tools in the Schools.”
They will also share a successful three-year program in basic cartoon and animation that utilized digital drawing and vector graphic tools in the schools.
“It’s just a presentation and a workshop,” Zhivago said in explaining what the panel will do during the convention.
Also joining in on the panel is Chula Vista Cultural Arts commissioner Jennifer Rodriguez and business owner/brand licensing partner Soledad Leano and Olympian High School computer art teacher Rick Dominguez.
Leano owns L & L Hawaiian Barbecue and Kuhikuhi Shave Ice in Eastlake. At the panel she will explain how as a businesswoman she supports arts in schools.
“What I will be discussing is what my participation and what my role is in the community as far as supporting the arts,” she said. “ And I do that as a business owner.”
Leano’s daughter takes art classes with Zhivago at the Chula Vista Elementary School District and witnesses firsthand the impact arts has on children.
Dominguez said he advocates for digital arts being taught in elementary school that way when those kids get to high school they will already be knowledgeable of the programs.
Attendees in the panel will get an exclusive opportunity to watch Zhivago draw some of her famous cartoon characters and listen to the professional panelist. Some kids will also get to experiment with what they learned at the panel on an iPad that will be available to them.
This is Zhivago and Banatao’s second consecutive year hosting this panel at Comi- Con International.
Last year, they discussed how Eastlake Elementary students learned basic cartoon using an industry standard vector based app and software on iPads and computers.
Zhivago said she hopes that Comic-Con International can help her spread the message about the importance of art programs in schools and in municipalities.
“I am a local artist representing the city for the arts going to Comic Con International, promoting the arts and the city in a global way,” she said.
Zhivago is an avid arts fan, sitting on the city of Chula Vista’s Cultural Arts Commission and is contracted by the Chula Vista Elementary School District to teach vector arts to children at Eastlake Elementary School and at Salt Creek Elementary.
