TigerCon 2025: A Celebration of Creativity, Community, and Career Insights

Apr 25, 2025
tigercon images
Ä¢¹½´«Ã½â€™s annual comic and animation convention, TigerCon 2025, was once again a tremendous success. Since its launch in Spring 2022, TigerCon has grown through a collaborative effort between ASÄ¢¹½´«Ã½, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Department of Art & Art History (Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Animation), Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Applied Digital Media, and the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Library. This year’s event expanded even further, thanks to the additional support of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½D Distance Education, the Black Student Success Initiative, and MakerSpace.
students getting food at tigercon
Held on Thursday, April 24, at the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Digital Library, TigerCon 2025 kicked off with an exhibition floor filled with the creativity, talent, and energy of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ students showcasing and selling their work.
 
From 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the event featured a series of inspiring guest artist panels. First, Marcos Elizalde, an Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Art Department alumnus and current designer in the animation industry (including work with Netflix Animation and DreamWorks), shared his academic and artistic journey—offering students an especially relatable and motivating story of success that began at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.
 
Next, Daron Nefcy, Emmy Award-winning artist and creator of Disney’s Star vs. The Forces of Evil, spoke about her creative process, behind-the-scenes insights, and advice for students aspiring to join the animation industry.
 
The panel series concluded with John Jennings, a renowned Marvel comic artist and UCR professor, who led a discussion titled "Black Comic Artists in Indie-Comics" alongside acclaimed artists Sebastian Jones and Kevin Grevioux. Their conversation offered valuable perspectives and advice, and many students commented afterward on how meaningful it was to see the importance of Black artist representation emphasized throughout the discussion.
 
Following the panels, students enjoyed free snacks and giveaways provided by ASÄ¢¹½´«Ã½ and MakerSpace before participating in the Cosplay Competition and the Whiteboard Doodle Competition, judged by Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Art faculty, guest panelists, and alumni.
 
TigerCon 2025 was a vibrant celebration of our students' talents and achievements, providing them not only a platform to share their work but also direct access to inspiring industry insights and professional connections.