Storyboarding Techniques and Tips

Develop your storyboard drawing by starting with loose, rough lines to build pencil control and confidence. Draw from life and online references, and commit to daily sketching for lasting consistency.

Gesture drawing captures the figure's energy with loose, expressive marks for clear poses used in animation and story art. Practice scribbles, keep the pencil on the page, and refine later.

Develop dynamic storyboards by drawing clear poses and silhouettes, exaggerating actions, and using the line of action along with S and C curves to convey character.

Keep character volumes on model sheets consistent across side, front, three-quarter, and back views as you redraw poses, then use geometry and contrast to design stylized characters that reflect backstory.

Learn to create and adapt layouts for storyboard sequences across one or more locations. Use establishing, long, and close-up shots, with quick floor plans to position characters and cameras.

Direct the audience with staging in storyboard-driven visual storytelling by arranging characters and space for clear action. Plan seamless transitions by leaving room for movement and the next action.

Learn to guide the audience's eye in storyboards using diagonal lines and framing, directing attention and isolating characters for meaning, with In the Mood for Love as a reference.

Master two depth techniques: prospective lines with a grid, overlapping elements, and camera angles to guide the viewer's eye. Use a scene—barn, tree, fence, hills—to practice depth.

Identify the story point by asking why a character acts in each moment, then use economical close-ups and visual language to convey the point.

Learn to identify beats and rhythm in scripts, map timing to storyboards, and plan shot lists with thumbnails to match frames per shot and animatic timing.

For the second class project, identify beats from the script and create rough thumbnails before the storyboard; post your thumbnails for feedback and explore linear storytelling and standard storyboard patterns.

Learn to apply standard storyboarding patterns and sequencing formulas to opening sequences, using linear storytelling and a wide-to-close sequence to establish setting and mood.

Reframe opening sequences in storyboarding by reordering shots to heighten tension, using extreme close ups and wide shots to signal mood, with examples like Blade Runner.

Learn when to cut in storyboarding by using emotion, information, and action cues; master cutting on the action, reaction shots, and staging to streamline scenes and pacing.

Learn how match cuts and hook ups create seamless edits by aligning character placement, actions, and background elements across shots, using footsteps, cutaways, and close ups.

Use close ups and medium shots to convey emotion and establish relationships, while re-establishing scene context and guiding audience identification through framing and the rule of thirds.

Celebrate completing the course by practicing life drawing and figure drawing to strengthen your storyboard artist skills, and refine storyboard clarity, character design, and online groups for inspiration.