Meet Your Mentors
Industry Veterans with a Passion for Teaching
JONATHAN BENAINOUSFounder and CEO of Vessel Forge
Specialty: Environment & Material Art
Jonathan Benainous has spent nearly 20 years in the video game industry, collaborating with studios around the world on major AAA titles such as The Last of Us Part I, Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost Recon Wildlands, Heavy Rain, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. His work has been featured in top industry publications, and he is widely regarded as a leader in his field. His eye for detail and passion for knowledge-sharing has led him to serve on judging panels for awards like the Rookie Awards and to present at high-profile industry events such as the Game Developers Conference.
Jonathan spent the majority of his career as an Environment Artist, and over the last 10 years he’s specialized in material art. He’s worked at numerous acclaimed studios – including Naughty Dog, Guerrilla Games, Ubisoft, Quantic Dream, and Warner Bros. Currently, Jonathan is a Lead Material Artist at Lightspeed L.A. and the Founder & CEO of Vessel Forge.
Ivanna LiittschwagerSenior Environment Artist
Specialty: Environment Art & Sculpting
Ivanna Liittschwager has been in the video game industry for over six years, starting her career at Santa Monica Studio working on the critically acclaimed God of War: Ragnarok. After shipping her first AAA title, she quickly moved up to Senior Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment and shipped Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.
She is known for her skills in sculpting organics and her eye for detail in creating environments for games. In her free time, she enjoys creating her own sculpting projects that express her full creativity and passion for art.
Jared SobottaPrincipal Environment Artist
Specialty: Environment & Vegetation Art
Jared Sobotta has been in the video game industry for over thirteen years, and has shipped several renowned AAA games like Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Part II, Batman: Arkham Origins, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. For the last 10 years he has called Naughty Dog home, where he crafts stunning environments as a Principal Environment Artist.
Jared is known for his work in Organics, Foliage, Material Art and hand-crafted Sculpting, but he got his start in the industry as a Cinematic Lighting Artist at Digital Domain. He later transitioned into Environment Art, honing his skills at Whitemoon Dreams and Bioware. Jared has an extensive background in mentorship, with eight years of online teaching experience with a focus on Vegetation and Plant creation for Games.
In his free time he enjoys drawing, collecting retro games and Pokémon cards, live music, and exploring the beaches of Southern California.
Grayson CotrellTechnical Artist
Specialty: Houdini, Technical Art
Grayson Cotrell is a seasoned CGI artist with five years of experience across the full production pipeline, specializing in Technical Art and Procedural Workflows. He got his start at Naughty Dog as a Props and Texture Artist on The Last of Us Part I and The Last of Us Part II Remastered, eventually shifting into a Houdini Technical Artist where he builds tools to help teams work more efficiently and create high-quality assets.
Now focused on combining art and technical systems, Grayson crafts tools that empower artists to work smarter and faster in Houdini and Unreal Engine. His work has been featured in a number of articles, spanning prestigious academic institutions like Gnomon to well-known publications like 80 Level.
Outside of studio work, Grayson is passionate about teaching. Whether it’s breaking down complex workflows or mentoring one-on-one, he loves helping others bring their ideas to life.
