When it comes to finding employment as a storyboard artist:
the portfolio and the work is the most important thing.
- Get your work out there!
- Search for people that can teach the things that you want to learn.
- Look at the people in the story dept. on IMDB and find them on social media, connect, follow, and reach out.
- Draw every day, every waking moment available and improve your eye-hand coordination.
- Dedicate yourself!
- but also pace yourself and don't become complacent
Portfolio Advice
- A professional presence is important. Your work should be clean and easy to read.
- Have a portfolio, resume, and a cover letter tailored to the studio that you are applying to.
- The resume should indicate:
- Where you came from...
- Position objective: Ex-"I am seeking a position as a storyboard artist on a T.V production."
- Training
- Software related to the task
Story Exercises
- Create a list of the types of shots you would like to practice; such as comedy, action, suspense, drama, etc.
- Grab a script of a show you have never seen before
- Work to meet your practice goals
- Try telling a story in a single panel...it can be quite a challenge!
Books and Resources
- "How to Draw" by Scott Peterson. Teaches perspective drawing and the theory of perspective.
- Andrew Loomis art books
- Robert Valley
- Scorcese films for reference
- Marshall Vandruff
- Dean Cornwell
- JC Leyendecker
- Norman Rockwell
- Draw from Disney films: Expressions, poses, hand shapes.
It is possible to be a working artist!
Cal
"I see the recurring question of how clean the thumbnail should be.
Don't be fooled by the art of books. Although we occasionally have to make our boards pretty for an executive presentation or test screening, I must emphasize
storyboards are meant to be a blueprint for the production.
Rendering won't solve a staging problem and coloring definitely won't make a generic camera angle goes away.
Focus your drawing on accurate proportion, dynamic pose and appealing shape.
Take a look at this panel by Glen Keane. Everything you need to know is there! He didn't even need to draw the grid and you know what shot and how high the eye level is. Most importantly, you know what are they feeling.
