This spring, two School of Art students stepped into the world of professional creature design during a workshop with legendary designer Jordu Schell — discovering how their studio skills might shape future careers in film and effects.
For recent graduate Isaac Hess (BFA ’25) and rising senior Kate Myers (BFA ’26), the chance to learn directly from film industry legend Jordu Schell was an opportunity straight out of a movie. This spring, the two School of Art students traveled to Los Angeles for a multi-day workshop at Schell Sculpture Studio, a creature design shop renowned for its work on Avatar, the Alien and Predator franchises, Edward Scissorhands, Men in Black, and many more films.
Held May 3-4, 2025 — just in time for “May the Fourth” — the workshop brought Hess and Myers together with professionals in character design, mask making, and special effects, as well as a Disney Imagineer and a handful of other students. Each participant was tasked with painting a life-size latex mask of Admiral Ackbar, a recurring character familiar to any Star Wars fan, cast from Schell’s hand-sculpted original.
Below, Hess and Myers catch us up about their whirlwind weekend in L.A., what they learned, who they met, and what surprised them most.
Why were you excited about this workshop?
Isaac Hess: I’ve always been really into special effects and monster making. I’ve worked at Kennywood as a special effects artist since 2018. I do a lot of face painting, basic prosthetics, mold making, and mask making. I also paint, sculpt, and do creature design — lots of world building and character stuff.
Kate Myers: I’m very interested in practical effects and makeup, especially horror as a way of exploring different topics. I always say I’m a storyteller, because I do animation and film and painting — and this workshop kind of combines all of that.
Tell us about the process behind your Admiral Ackbar mask.
IH: It was a cast of a sculpture Jordu did of Admiral Ackbar from Return of the Jedi. It was a latex mask with a little bit of plaster powder inside. We used latex-based paint, alcohol-based paint, and acrylics. We could ask for advice, but we were mostly left to explore. I did Predator-type markings, though I didn’t know they were from Predator — I’ve never seen it. It was cool to see what everyone else came up with.
KM: Jordu provided everything — airbrushes, paint, even the eyes. We had orange, which is the classic Mon Calamari alien color, or blue, like in Andor, as base options. We followed his general directions but then had freedom to do whatever we wanted.
What new techniques or tools did you learn?
KM: The technical stuff was the most difficult for me. This was the first time I used an airbrush. We learned a lot about how the materials work — how you have to paint latex a certain way. We did a rub-out, where you paint a base coat, then a darker coat, and rub out the high points so the cracks and crevices show through.
IH: I’d never used an airbrush before, so it was good to figure it out with people around who knew how. We got tips and feedback from Jordu and from people in the class while we worked.
Is there a moment from the workshop that sticks with you the most?
KM: We had guest speakers, like Kirk Thatcher, who worked on the background masks for Return of the Jedi, and he was Leonard Nimoy’s personal assistant. I’m a huge Star Trek fan, so I was so excited. He also worked on Dinosaurs with Jim Henson, and he still does Muppet stuff. I made some great industry connections — some people had worked on my favorite movies, which was really cool.
IH: I brought my sketchbook, and Jordu looked through it. He told me I should stay focused and keep going because he thought I was pretty good. That was really important for me to hear. It’s hard to imagine myself succeeding in an industry like that, so it really meant a lot.
What would you say to a student curious about doing something like this?
IH: Ask questions. Ask for opportunities, even if you can’t take them right now — write them down for later. You never know what’s going to get you to where you want to go. Don’t be afraid to ask.
KM: We have access to the Stan Winston School of special effects online. Jordu has sculpting classes there, and it’s free through the CMU library. You can take hour-long courses — it’s great. I’ve been doing that this summer. Also, just talk to people. Find others who are into this stuff. I’m happy to talk to anyone interested, and we can find more opportunities together.