Storyboarding Basics

Learn the basics of storyboarding! For anyone who likes to tell stories visually through the use of multiple shots with the goal to potentially turn them in videos (animated or live action), or for anyone who likes movies or shows and wants to get a better understanding of the work that goes into them before a camera, mouse or pencil is lifted. In every class, students will learn something new about storyboarding and learn how to transform ideas in their head onto paper to create a narrative that can then be used as a guide to transform it into a video.

This is not an art or drawing focused class, so students with any experience level in art may join. Students may request some art knowledge (including anatomy or character design) from the teacher if they want to, however it will not be a normal subject taught in the class.

Details

Ages: 9-18

Dates: Thursday, September 17 to October 22, 2026

Time: 6:45pm - 8:45pm

Sessions: 6

Price: $210

Materials: Not Included - See Materials List

Skill Level: All Skill Levels

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What Students Will Learn

• Mastering storyboarding panels, character and object placement, and utilizing various shots and angles to construct scenes.
• Applying shading and perspective to add depth and dimension to their drawings.
• Communicating a narrative sequence through a cohesive series of drawings.
• Incorporating technical details into their storyboards, including precise shot descriptions and dialogue.

About the Instructor

Paul Makowski

Paul has 7 years of experience in animation, having worked on 2 animated series productions for TV/Streaming ("Open Season: Call of Nature", and "Best & Bester"), on animated promotional material for various organizations, as an animation instructor and on his own weekly projects. He possesses a strong understanding of the animation principles and process, including timing, posing, staging and exaggeration. He is also proficient in various animation software, including Toon Boom Harmony, Adobe Animate, Spine, Maya and Blender.

In the mid 2010's, Paul studied and practiced art at Sheridan College, Toronto School of Arts and Visual Arts Brampton. After that he moved into studying animation, and then got his first production job working at Nelvana in the early 2020s.. Afterwards, he furthered his animation career working with Brown Bag Films, Shift Grit Psychology and Counselling, Parkaway Cinema and Project Comte Jewelry. He has recently gotten into teaching, with his first animation instructor job at Algorithmics Brampton West.

Materials

• Required:
  • Pencil, eraser, sharpener
  • Sketchbook
• Optional:
  • Markers, colouring pencils or other colouring utensils