Hi! My name is Ashlyn Anstee, and I tell stories with words and pictures. Sometimes, that’s picture books (like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Select “Hedgehog”), or graphic novels (my series “Shelby and Watts”), and sometimes it’s animation (I’ve directed at places like Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network).
This column, “For the Fun of It”, will also have words and pictures. Sometimes it will be stories, or how-tos, or thoughts. A little bit of everything. Hope you enjoy!
I promise this will not always be a tips and tricks blog, but since I’ve worked in animation for about a thousand years, and starting directing board artists, I’ve gathered some information over the years that I thought might be fun to share. I used to say that I’m a lazy board artist, but now I refer to myself more as efficient. I really like to find the path of least resistance to getting something down on paper, and polishing it up once everything story-wise is where it needs to be.
Every artist works differently- some prefer to think more, and then sketch something more finished or clean, and some people like to make dirty rough sketches as quick as possible. Storyboard is not black and white, right or wrong. What might work for me as an artist might be not great for you. What I might think of as efficient might be slow for you! That’s the type of advice I hope to give. This won’t be a hot takes zone. More like a warm gentle takes zone.
So- thumbnailing.
This is the first part of storyboarding where you’re starting to plan out your shots and character movements to whatever it is you’re working from (a script, an outline, or even just a vague idea).
What is the purpose of thumbnails? They are a plan, a sort of precursor to storyboards so you don’t have to waste time drawing absolutely every detail to see how everything is coming together. On television productions, sometimes you’ll have to pitch your thumbnails to directors or supervisors before you dive into making the boards look pretty. Sometimes, it’s just for you.
With that in mind- thumbnails can be messy, but they should be clear. They should be readible to others, hopefully (especially if you’ll be passing the thumbnails on to other artists to clean up), but most importantly, they should be legible to you. The you here is the board artist. Because future you is the one who is going to have to take these storyboards to final. So if you can’t read em- you’ll have to just redo all that thinking you did when you go to fial!
Let’s dive into a few methods of thumbnailing! We’ll use this little script chunk I literally just threw together. Maybe in a later column, we’ll talk about board-driven shows (when I have time to write a 20,000 word column)(JK)(mostly).
Paper Thumbs
Early in my career, I loved thumbnailing on paper copies of the script. You have the benefit of all the lines being right there. Since all your thumbnails are on one page too, it’s easy to see how shots flow together. The downside is that you have to eventually translate those into Storyboard Pro (the software TV artists use most often). Some people scan em, but I usually just redraw them.
Index Cards / Post-it Notes
Another method is index cards- beloved by board-driven shows. If you use sharpies, you can get a nice clear line. You can easily chuck ones that aren’t working! You do have to have to put them into the software eventually.
Blender / 3D camera mapping
A new style I’ve seen lately is using CG sets, and mapping out all your shots in Blender first. You’ve got a ton of benefits there, as far as the background being drawn for you, and you really think about camera then. I think the only danger there is that you might not always think as much about composition, and things can feel a little stiff. For me, I prefer to save the CG stuff for a little later.
Text-based
Some folks I know write out all their shots first, in Storyboard Pro. By putting out the dialogue, and the shot choices, you have a sense of exactly how much work you’ll have to do when you start drawing, because you have a sense of what shots you’re using. If you find yourself overboarding early on, you might like this method for early thumbnailing, because it really helps you see how many shots you’ll have to do. Also, you can see if you’re using a nice combo of establishing, mediu, close up shots and on and on.
More!!!
There’s more and more methods. I usually use some combination of the above, and sometimes will change it up depending on the circumstances. I think it’s helpful to think about what you like to draw the most, and what seems daunting (I don’t prefer drawing BGs, so I usually try to keep the bgs quite rough and enjoy the characters and acting.)
Again, there is no right answer when it comes to thumbnailing except KEEP YOUR SCREEN DIRECTION CONSISTENT (from your friendly neighborhood Sup Director). What’s screen direction? A more complicated answer (and maybe we’ll go into that a little more in later columns). One thing to watch for is characters consistently traveling in the same direction on the screen. If a character is running from left to right in one shot, they shouldn’t run from right to left in the next. It’s more nuanced than that, and I promise I’ll get into a more deeply at some point!
If you start from consistent screen direction, and well set-up cameras, your next passes can all be adding fun stuff like gags or acting! And then you can finish early, take a nap, and pat a cat.
Anyway, if you have any questions or thoughts about thumbnailing, feel free to ask them below!
Thing of the Week
I was thinking about how in college, our teacher (Nancy Beiman), would have us storyboard with wax crayons (or grease pencils). Those big crayons got great range of tone, and you can’t do details with them- perfect for storyboarding in a clean way. I love that you can peel it off to sharpen them.
I’ve been super into Stabilo crayons lately for that reason- just nice chunky crayons that make me feel like I’m a kid again. These are also so buttery and smooth, on par with Neocolor II if you are a crayon aficionado like me. Also they’re water soluble. They call these crayons “multi-talented”, which is what my dad calls me too.
They come with their own sharpener cos they’re just too big!! You can’t get any details with them, and that’s perfect. Think big shapes! I think it’s funny that my first two things of the week are just BIG PEN and BIG CRAYON. But that’s about where I’m at right now.
ok love you bye.
ahh I LOVED drawing with china markers in art school