Time for picture storyboards
moving from word script to picture script
is where our visual creativity comes into play
I think this part is the most difficult
and energy consuming of all
so when I am doing this part I don't even put on music
and try to make an environment where I can properly focus
This is also the most time consuming part
and we will start to do what we call 'production'
There is an empty canvas
I will draw in a panel here
and arrange character, background, objects
props and etc.
What and how would we place them in this square?
Let's talk about the panel first
I will talk about the size of the panel
There will be variety of sizes of panels
the size of the cut dictates how long the reader stays there
If the panel is bigger, their eyes stay there longer
if it is smaller, the time will be shorter
Panel shapes
determine the emotions of the content
panel disposition determines reading speed and rhythm
panel structure set the efficacy inside it
panel contents will have whatever the author chooses to place there
panel gaps, the longer they are the scrolls will be longer
and you can express time in that way
to express shorter time we use shorter gaps
To start with panel size
As I said earlier, the bigger the cut
the longer readers stay there and vice versa
Which means you can use panel size to adjust reading speed
Capture significant things largely like this and have it be recognized as important
if relatively less significant, you can make them small
and make the readers move forward quickly
If you ask to make all the panel sizes
the same instead of using different sizes
of course that is fine as well
those kind of works exists
There are works where all the panel sizes repeat
like this
that is not a problem
this type of presentation
can create the effect of watching a movie or drama
the webtoon Mystic Pop-up Bar
only uses one sized panels for the whole story
so it makes you feel like you are watching a drama
I prefer to use different sizes for panels
There are clear advantages to varying the size of the panels
You can control the audience's reading speed
you can emphasize on certain things
and smaller cuts, which I personally think
are very cute, they take less effort
so you can save up your energy whilst doing smaller cuts
and use them for emphasizing on important things
Also the variety of sizes reduces boredom for the artist as well
Now I will talk about the different shapes of panels
Here you can see a rectangle
a ploygon
one with no outlines
characters going outside the panels
double lined panels
a panel interrupted by another character, etc.
A published comic would prefer a wide range of panels
but webtoons are a bit different
Unlike published comics
webtoons have limitation on the width size
so the shapes have limitations too
most shapes take form of squares and rectangles
That is just stable and not intrusive
but panel shape is really up to the artist
If you see here
the action scenes are slanted rectangles
and I tried to give a sense of dynamic with that slanted form
If you want you can make your panels hearts
or circles
You should make the decision
to use various shapes
or like me you can mostly use rectangles and squares
and when you want to give some dynamics
you can give some angles or make them slightly slanted
Now to talk about panel arrangements
Most people arrange them like this
If there is a manuscript
the flow usually goes like this
it is streamlinedd
like this
What this means is that
when arranging the cuts
you can put one here and there
a big one here
like this
you can set a flow first
and then make arrangements from there
I personally try to disregard that
and I tend to do it based on my gut feeling
but I try to mix and match the sizes
small panel after big one, middle size after the small one like this
then you can lead the readers rhythmically
Now panel structure talks about what and how things go inside the panel
this is the difficult part
in a director's perspective
how would you arrange things inside the panel
how to place a character inside the pannel
you have to put a lot of thought into this part
The basic rule is this
What you want to show the most will be arranged to be shown
Easy
For example if you want to show a character's emotion
You can emphasize the character's facial expressions from up close
Let's say
a happy emotion
you can zoom in on the person laughing
you can tell this is a happy scene
So you can present them like this
If you feel that props are important
place the prop inside the panel
let's say a broken watch
draw the broken watch
and place it where it is most visible
Where would that be?
usually it is in the middle of the panel
What I want to say is
Inside the panel
draw lines in thirds
and where they intersect
these red dots
If you place important elements here
that is pretty much it
When we are talking photos or videos
We place the important element in the middle
or slightly off the middle
That is the most visible and
natural
webtoon directing is very similar
There is one good practice
for composition
I sometimes practice silhouettes like this
This refers to creating abstract composition
in black and white with small panels
I think a good drawing
has good silhouettes
To practice them well
use black and white
for emphasis
check if it is an adaquet size
and check the tangent
tangents are
the points that touch the lines
For example
There is a panel and
a person like this
You see they come together here
Does this bother you?
It bothers me a lot
These are what we call tangents
you need to be mindful of these
If this kind of composition is inevitable
try placing the person a bit
away from the corner
Now we don't have a tangent
You want to do this
When we have a person here
talking to another person
and there are extras in the background
see there is a tangent here
try to avoid these as well
place them away from the main elements
like this
be mindful of these points
and practice silhouettes
use brightness contrast
Increase the contrast on where you want the emphasis to be
and lowering the contrast
towards the edges
I think this silhouette practices are really helpful to keep in hand
I personally got tremendous help from this practice
Even when I draw the concept art
I make the silhouette first on the far left
and then go into adding details
to draw them
Panel contents
This is what you have already written in the script step
lines, narrations, character expressions, activities
background, props, sound effects, effect lines, etc
These will be going in the drawings
Some will be skipped,
combined or separated
in the process of transferring word to drawing
Having a word script
does not mean you have to follow it 100%
The reason for the word script
is to simplify the drawing script process
So anything could be revised
in the process of making the picture script
Let's talk about Camera Plan
Think of it this way
picture a scene from the webtoon
and imagine the filming set in your head
there will be characters I created in the set that I made
I am invisible here
and my eyes are the camera
Being invisible I will be next to them
watching them have conversations
or I can watch them from afar
or even watch them from the outside
If they want to talk about a prop
I could be looking at the prop from up close
To understand the details of their conversation
really well
where should I be?
That is the Camera
First, there is space between the camera and the character
If the camera is close, there will be more emotions
If the camera is far, it is more objectified and otherized
Looking up close you can see the facial expressions very well
which brings out more empathy
to the contrary watching from afar you can't really see the face
but the character to background, and their situation is
better conveyed
This scene is from Running after a Breake up
The camera is far away and it is up top
we call this a CCTV you can have information on the
background and also how these two people are related here
It is a camera that is objectified, otherized, focused on conveying information
In order to present emotions, the camer comes closer
He is subtly conveying feelings of gratitude
So it is better to bring the camera closer to the character here
Other than camera distance, there is camera position
top, bottom, side, front, back
when the camera is at the bottom it is called low-angle
This low-angle creates the angle like a child looking up at an adult
or a pet looking up at a person
This is used to convey the subject is a strong and powerful being
On the other hand, the camera is on top
When you look down, like at a child
or when you look at a cute pet
it shows that the subject is a small and fragile being
If the camera goes to the front you can see the facial expressions better
you empathize with the subject more
this is paired with zoom-ins often in emotional sequences
in Hwa Rang Kwan in SF
Pen is looking straight ahead with a somewhat dumbfounded expression
You can really see the expressions
He looks absurd
you can see he is saying something like 'nonsense'
A side camera shows a situation very objectively
used mostly for information deliveries
showing relationship between object
like it shows two people are in a certain relationship
Or, it is mainly used when the relationship between space and subject is shown in detail
However, if the silhouette is strong,it may reveal stronger emotions
than when the camera is at the front
for example the silhouette here is strong
One person is touching the other's head
This can be used powerfully as a way to convey emotions
When the camera is in the back it allows the audience
to experience the same experience as the subject
We call this a POV shot
or documentary shots
It shows what the subject is seeing
It allows us to see what this person is going through as if we were watching from behind
On the other hand, I sometimes use the back camera to
hide overwhelmed emotions
I use this view looking at the character from behind
when trying to convey overwhelming emotions
trying to be hidden
We've reviewed the camera distance and position
Let's go into the types of functional shots
I will list the shots that are used in movie directing
Directing a movie and cartoon are very similar
The 4 representative shots that are used only in comics are
Establishing shot, Master shot, Coverage shot and insert shot
Establishing shot represents the theme and atmosphere of the work
It usually shows the background and
give a sense of the surrounding space
Provides awareness of the space where events occur at the beginning
uses a long distance camera to capture the space
and provides information about places like this where incidents may occur
Provides advance notice of the dramatic atmosphere of an unfolding event
Establishing shots are usually present in the beginning or the end of the scene
I use them often about halfway through the beginning
This is one from Dragon Fairytale
A clothing store appears and the curtains are opening
This is called an establishing shot
and also here this shot is showing the hot spring
from far away
Master shot seems to be the hardest for many people
It is a long-take shot taken from the beginning
to end of the scene
This sounds harder but it is really a shot that shows both temporal and spacial background
So we will have the background and characters
and it also shows the atmosphere
So sometimes Master shots take place of the Establishing shots
If there are no Establishing shots, the Master shot shows spacial informatino
It shows in one screen the scene's background, characters and props
This is an example. There is the main character in the cafe
and the two other characters
So you have the background and can see a sort of atmosphere
This could be used in place of the Establishment shot
Now I will talk about Coverage shots
There are many
Coverage shots are a added shot to the Master shots
It is various sizes of close up shots of the Master shots
used in repeat
This is actually the most used shot
Here are different shots depending on the shot distance
Now you can use one Establishment and Master shot eah
and put these coverage shots on repeat
Zoom in, zoom out, go to the side, and back to front
Extreme long shot, long shot, medium long shot, etc.
Use them as needed in repetition
and that is called the coverage shot
So we have different names of shots based on the distance
but you don't need to memorize these terms
just know that there are long shots
and close up shots
Close up for emotions and long shots for information delivery
This is all you would need to know
Which coverage shot to use
is entirely based on the story
If you need to emphasize the action
use a shot that best expresses action
like a long, or medium long shot
If you want to show the details of the action
like you get hit and want to show where it hurts
then you would use close up, or extreme close up shots
and to express emotions, you want the camera close by
to show the background have the camera go away from the character
if you need an insert, use close up, medium close up,
or extreme close up that utilize inserts appropriately
If you look at this conversation scene from Gyerong
Close up and Extreme Close up shots are repeated
The camera can go to the side
and there is an insert of the ramyun
and the Insert shot that I talked about
is a shot where additional information is inserted to emphasize specific situation
A classic example would be Citizen Kane's rosebud
The main point of Insert shot is to deliver information
You won't need this, but it really helps the understanding
Techniques to align your gaze with the cut right in front
adding essential shots when delivering information
is what the Insert shot is
usually an object close up is used
for example when I get a message on my watch and hold it up
the close up shot of my watch would be an insert shot
Insert shots increase the sensitivity of the work
Beginners should be aware
Insert shots are also made fun as the "student shots" in the film industry
because students use a lot of inserts to look cool
Even so, if you want to use insert shots, please use them as much as you want
It is okay to be made fun of. You should make a manuscript that you like
So for me I use inserts to deliver information
or to convey a character's personality
and also to cut through the boredom in conversational scenes
If you have no idea how to use all these shots
Place the establishment shot first
then the master shot and coverage shots, which are just detailed master shots
like medium cluse up, full, extreme close up shots
then the inserts and repeat them as much as needed
then show the master shot again and finish with the establishment shot
With this order, readers will have no trouble understanding the sequence
We will start drawing the script and when you are doing this, write in the lines
Let me open Clip Studio
I already drew until the 6th cut
so I need to start with the 7th cut
Let see what it says
There is a line "My name is Yangmi Jo"
Let's insert the line
try typing in the line before drawing
Why would I do this?
That is because having the lines helps the 'acting' be more natural
the artist need to see the line and really be in the character
If there is no line, it would be fake acting
so it is best to type in the lines and narration at this step
One thing to note is unifying the font size while inserting the dialogues
don't make them too diverse
make about 3: one size for talking, another for shouting
and one small font
Also it is best not to use many different font styles
I recommend unifying it to one font style
I usually use one font
and just one other font for soliloquies
Make sure to check copyrighs while using the fonts
If not, it might get you in trouble later
Even for free fonts, their conditions may vary
and conditions may change later
check thoroughly at first
Using a font that is too unique is distracting
I believe the fonts should not be assertive
I recommend to not use Gulim font
I personally recommend the Gothic font
I use one that is freely dispersed in Naver
like Nanum Gothic or Pen Gothic
Don't make them too small
and upload the manuscript to a personal blog
take a screenshot with your phone
and compare it with another artists work
to see if the sizing is adequate
For me on a 2,000 px width canvas
I use 25 pnt font
Now let's get into drawing
The format of the picture script
is elongated
the size is
2,000 pixels wide
the length is up to you but I use about 20,000 pixels
set resolution to 300
Some use 350 and some use 300
but in webtoons the resolution is not a big issue
When it gets published it will be
I usually just set mine to 300
the 2,000 width is important
because if you have paperback publishing in mind
the paper is usually 15cm wide
so more than 15cm is good if you think about publishing
or else the font may break
15cm in 300dpi will be about 1772
So I think 2,000 will be very adaquate
if it goes too much over 2,000 the file size becomes too large
so that is not good
so you can choose anywhere between
1,700~2,000 pixels
but at least 1,500
As I said the length is up to you but I used 20,000
and those numbers get you this size
Let's make a new setting
set the file name
and I've made a new file
If you go to the first page, there is nearly no layers
It is convenient to set the layer in advance here
Let me show you how to do that
First we need a Conti layer
the word Conti is from Japan
is short for Continuity
Honestly I think the word Storyboard may be a better fit
So I made a storyboard layer
and we will draw the script here
We need another layer
we need pen linens
I will write pen here
we need one more
it is the vector pen layer
I will explain it further later
so we have a pen vector layer
we also need background
backgrounds should go under the characters
so let's make a folder and place it below Pen
name it background and we also need color
create another layer below Pen
I named it color
We also need lines
Make another folder named Text
and I put a highlight layer here
Highlight
We also need a folder for post corrections
Set it to overlay and change the layer properties to overlay
I will go over these in detail again later
This is pretty much it
If anything let's add a layer for sound effects
one more layer for sounds
I have made a total of nine layers
including the folders
there are 10 layers total including the canvas
this will be it
if you make too many layers
It gets difficult to organize later
and makes the file size unnecessarily big
So it's really best to keep it to a minimum
and the reason why I make the names in English is because
Korean language sometimes is not supported
It might just be me
but I did English layer names
but you could do which ever language
but you need to name the layers
If you do layer 1, layer 2, layer 3
It might be okay now
but if you come back to it a year later
or even a month later
you have to keep going back to check what layer that was
it's a waste of time
So make sure to name the layers
For the same reason you must name the file right now as well
If you do it later
you will be wasting lot more time
File name, folder names should be set right now
as well as the layers
Now you can copy the layers
and past them into the
other pages
Now let's click the first file and the Conti layer
and finally get to drawing
I've already inserted the lines before
Let's see
It says "My name is Hyangmi Jo"
and a text says Hyangmi rummages through her backpack
This is what will be drawn
Let's start
Draw in a panel
and let's draw a person going through a bag
sitting down
like this
This is a master shot with the background ,
character, prop and atmosphere
Here it is
8th cut says: and she finds a dry mobile studio
inside the waterproof pack
We need to draw this
How should we tackle this?
we need to make sure we can see the mobile studio
so let's draw a panel
and a hand holding the mobile studio
and since that hand came from inside the bag
we should draw her holding the bag
to show that something came out from the bag
bag, the mobile studio
and show that it is dry
and now we are here
as what it says in the script
but I don't think we've had the character's face really show
so we know
we need to draw the face
this is where the script is revised
without going back to the word script
just apply the changes right to the drawing
we will push down these two panels
add another panel here
and draw a front facing shot
Now I want to draw the part where
Hyangmi was passed out on the beach
and woke up feeling confused
I want to make the
glasses slanted like this too
I want to add this here
Now the 9th cut there is a line saying "I'm a webtoon artist"
and it says Hyangmi takes out the mobile studio
hugs it in her arms in relief saying "phew, it's not wet"
So we have the line here
"Phew, it's not wet"
let's show her hugging the pad
like this
I drew this in blue for a reason
that is because my pen lines are brown
so I wanted to use a color that is different
so I chose blue
By doing that
you can see what is different
while inking over the script
It doesn't have to be blue
it could be red
or yellow
but I recommend to avoid using black
that might confuse you in the next step
try using blue like me
and you can change that later
Also the density of the script is good at this level
You can see I didn't do any detailed depictions
So just a density that only you, as the artist
could recognize and tells you
where things are in the panels
You wouldn't have to
go into too much dense details at this point
details will be sketched in later
So I think this level of density is just adaquate
Shall I show you couple more examples?
This is the picture script of
the front part of the story
If you see there is really no details here
For the hands I like to draw hands while
looking at mine, so it looks a bit detailed
but other then that it looks very rough
it doesn't have that much
I think this is the right amount
I also want to talk about lines
When I am writing the script or inking
There are certain lines that I use
I use the pencil line
Looking up close, it has a pencil-like finish
I prefer to use this pencil lines
but some people
like this kind of
flat pens
some prefer these pens
I've heard many good things about this pen so I tried it
and it was really good
Calipen has its own unique feel
So many people like this
and some even say using calipen makes
my work better, the script is better
So I recommend the Calipen as well
or the pencil line like mine
I recommend these too
and G pens are commonly used to
G pens, like real pens get thinner and thicker
These types of pens are popular among artists too
I hope you try all of them and find your favorite
I use the pencil because I like the handmade feel
So I recommend these 3 pens
Many people seem to like the calipen because it draws smoothly
G pen is common
The G Pen really feels like a handcrafted product
that many cartoonists now use
Among these 3 pens
you will find the one
so you should pick one and use that
to draw your storyboard
this part is always the most difficult
Try drawing the first episode minding what I've said today
how do direct, the kinds of panels
different camera works, types of panels, camera position and distance
Try drawing your first webtoon episode
This is the part that everyone takes as difficult
You are not alone
When you are done with the picture script, the hard part is over
Next is Inking so I hope you could join us there too
Thank you
Create a look using various cuts Size of Cut Size of cut: Determines how long readers' eyes stay Shape of cut: determines the emotion of the content
Panel Placement: Determines reading speed and rhythm Content of the Panel: actual content Interval of cuts: The longer the interval, the longer the scrolling and display time
Camera Position Below: subject is seen as powerful Above: subject appears to be small and fragile Front: increased interaction between the audience and the subject
Side: conveys objective situations, shows the relationship between objects, space and subjects Back: audience experiences the same experience as the subject
Direct using various cuts Representative shots used in cartoon direction Establishing shot: represents the theme, atmosphere, etc.
Master shot: A long take of an entire scene from the beginning to the end Coverage shot: A shot taken by adding a smaller size to the master shot
Insert Shot: additional visual information is inserted to emphasize a specific action or situation
Drawing a picture script Format of picture storyboard: Horizontal 2000px, vertically free Resolution at least 300 dpi or higher
Layer settings Conti layer, inking layer, vector inking layer, background folder, coloring layer, dialogue folder, highlight layer, post-editing folder, sound effect layer
Types of Pen Pencil line, flat calligraphy pen, G-pen Find and use a pen that suits your taste