Hey- So I really want to be a storyboard artist. Like, it is my deepest passion other than being a writer, I'm obsessed with it. Only problem is nothing I do feels right, like there's always something off and I get frustrated. I tend to over complicate things, but even when I get a project finished it never gets seen anyways. May I ask how you got into the business? What would you say the best way to go about this is as a beginner?
Oh, gosh, yeah! I'm always up for talking shop!! :)
And that goes for anyone reading this! Seriously, if you ever have any questions about storyboarding or just career stuff in general, please don't hesitate to reach out! You can hit me up here on tumblr or email me ([email protected]) whatever works best.
Okay. Sorry about that tangent, I just wanna put that out there! I totally understand how you feel. I love storyboarding more than anything. It's one of those things that I can talk about forever!! OKAY! ANYWAY! LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS...
FIRST OF ALL! Let's tackle that first part:
Working on something and it not feeling right or off.
STORYBOARDING... is a lot of things, all wrapped into one job. You have to wear many hats. You're the artist, the actor, the cinematographer, the directorâ you have a lot on your plate to consider and juggle when storyboarding. It can be a lot, so don't feel bad about getting frustrated!! I've been working in animation for close to 7 years now, and that feeling of "oh god what am I doing" doesn't... go away, unfortunately. You have to work with it in the background, and you have trust yourself and your instincts.
You've watched films, you've watched tv. You know what they look like, and how they play. Anyone can storyboard, it doesn't matter if the art is "good." One of my favorite storyboards of all time is this board from the film Knives Out.
The drawing isn't "good" but you know what it is??? IT'S CLEAR! It READS! It gets the POINT THE ARTIST WANTS ACROSS!!!
I totally understand wanting to make your boards just right. But storyboards, as a part of the pipeline, are meant to achieve one thing: getting the idea down visually before spending the money to make it happen. And that's the other thing about storyboarding, your boards will probably end up getting scrapped and redone.
I've worked on productions where the script was rewritten in the middle of me working on my boards. I've had to just redo tons of work, throwing things out, because that's just how it is. And what I've learned from that is you can't afford to be precious with your work. Sometimes you just gotta go "UHH OK WHATEVER WHO CARES" and get it done. It doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it just needs to clearly convey your idea.
All of that to sayâ don't be so hard on yourself. Loosen up and make stuff messy, because you need to be prepared to do it again. Try to make it simple. Simple is always best. Again, the point of storyboards is to get your story across to your audience. You don't wanna confuse them!
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions about that first part, don't hesitate to ask! :)
Okay let's tackle that second part of your question:
How did I get into the industry?
I actually started by doing fanart!! LOL I didn't grow up on the west coast so I assumed I would never have the chance to get into animation. But I would post my work online, and always participated in things like #portfolioday and connected with other artists.
One of my first studio gigs was with WildBrain. I did remote work with them. The producer of one of their shows saw that I made some dopey fanart for a show they worked on, then saw I was looking for work, and then they reached out to see if I wanted to work on another show for them. So my advice for you would be make things you like!!!! Draw what you love, draw what you enjoy, draw things you wanna see in the world!
People will notice, and people with similar ideas and sensibilities come to you if you do. I know how frustrating it can be feeling like your work isn't being seen. But I promise you, industry folks are always looking online for people. Keep making stuff, keep sharing stuff, and keep telling everyone LOUDLY that you're AVAILABLE FOR WORK!!!! Have your email and portfolio available on your socials so they can SEE that work!
I've had the same experience when I've worked for other studiosâ I don't think I've ever actually gotten a job through an application portal. I've only ever had people reach out to me and ask me if I'd like the work, or I've been recommended for jobs by friends. Connect with peers, connect with artists you admire! I know it's hard putting yourself out there, but you're your biggest (and most of the time only) advocate!! :)
Always be a student, too. Look for storyboarding resources and consume media to hone your craft. Pretty much everything I learned about storyboarding didn't come from school. It came from other board aritsts sharing their knowledge online. It's all out there, pretty much all for free. Folks in the industry are always kind and want to pay it forward.
I hope that answers your questions, I'm so sorry about the novel that I wrote but like I said I uhh really like talking about this sort of thing LOL
if you have any follow ups, please DON'T HESITATE!! :)
YOU GOT THIS BTW!! DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF! YOU GOT THIS!!!!!! SHOW ME YOUR BOARDS SOMETIME, TOO!!!!!!!!!! I would love to see them!!! :)
blakekathryn
jacobvanloon
pixelskylines
