How to Draw Storyboards

By an eHow Contributor Draw Storyboards

Storyboards are visual maps of the story you will be telling with a comic book, video or movie.
Each frame should advance the story, using a sketch of the basic action and only a few words.
Storyboards for comics are usually very detailed.
Difficulty:
Easy
Instructions
Things You'll Need
Ruler
Pencil
Paper
1. Develop Your Story
o
!egin by asking yourself whom the story is about, what will happen to your
characters, how and when the action will unfold and why the story is being told.
o "
Select the main characters for your story. #ou should have a protagonist $the
hero% and an antagonist $the villain%.
o &
'rite a brief script. !efore you can draw out the action, you will need to know
what each character will say. (his is especially important for storyboarding
comics because you need to leave room in each frame for dialogue bubbles.
2. reate !odel Sheets "or !a#or haracters
o
)se action figures or other &*D models to get ideas for character design.
o "
Draw a full*length picture of your protagonist. +n the same page, sketch out the
character from various angles. ,nclude a few different facial e-pressions as well.
o &
.ake a model sheet for each ma/or character. +nce you begin to draw your
comic, you can refer back to your model sheets to keep the character consistent
throughout.
$. Draw Your Storyboards
o
Draw a frame on your first piece of paper. (he frame si0e and shape can vary,
depending on how much action must take place in the frame.
o "
Determine the positions the characters in the frame will take. Remember to leave
room in the frame for the dialogue that accompanies the action.
o &
'rite a brief description of the plot point you are illustrating in the scene. (hese
notes will help you keep your place in the narrative as you move forward.
o 1
2eep your drawings simple at this stage. Storyboards are only a mid*process
guide to help you as you develop your story. (he final version of your comic will
be drawn separately.
o 3
4reate one frame for each segment of action or plot point in your script.
o 5
Review the entire storyboard of frames once you finish. 6sk yourself whether this
storyboard would e-plain your story to someone else.
Tips % &arnings
Storyboards are time*lines, so draw your storyboards in chronological order.
,f you are storyboarding a movie or video, try tacking each frame onto a corkboard,
making it easy to rearrange the frames as needed.