ILL 302: Visual Storytelling and Storyboarding
Create polished storyboards expressing your narrative ideas
Professional illustrators are frequently hired to create visual narratives and storyboards for a variety of media and purposes such as publications, books, sequential art, ad campaigns, exhibitions, and film/television. This course provides you with the opportunity to advance your storytelling ability and produce well-conceived and compelling visual stories and high-quality storyboards for a variety of applications.
Visit the Student Gallery.
About This Course
Project-Based Learning
Students will learn from a professional illustrator how to create visual narratives and storyboards for a variety of media and purposes. Students will create a story and learn a systematic approach to turn it into a polished storyboard. Multiple rounds of feedback give this project the opportunity to become a portfolio piece.
What Skills Will I Develop?
Students in this course can expect to learn to:
- Analyze, evaluate, and synthesize historical concepts and artistic styles when exploring and researching multiple visual narratives and storyboards in a variety of media purposes such as publications, books, sequential art, ad campaigns, exhibitions, and film/television with consideration of the nature, flow and structure of visual storytelling.
- Professionally present research and creative concepts in alignment with the course content, creative brief, project criteria/expectations, and presentation guidelines.
- Actively and professionally participate in class discussions/meetings, constructively assess the work of your peers, and enhance your creative work based upon feedback.
- Demonstrate effective and efficient use of your digital and traditional drawing, painting, and other image making skills to create quality portfolio ready pieces.
- Effectively conceptualize, create, finalize, and present a series of illustrations (digital and/or traditional) based upon research, with consideration of the following (where applicable): historical context, anatomy, gravity, movement, scale, proportion, light, value contrast, perspective, color, mood, art/design principles, and visual storytelling.
- Apply and demonstrate technically proficient digital illustration/image making skills utilizing appropriate software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.
What Software and Supplies Do I Need?
- Computer with Internet connection.
- Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator CC (InDesign optional).
- Drawing and art supplies may be required depending on your choice of project.
Course Instructor(s)
The course is taught by the following instructor(s):
Anne Catharine Blake
Anne Catharine Blake is an internationally published freelance author, illustrator, and designer. Her illustrations and sketchbooks have been exhibited in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Canada, England, and France.
Course Outline
Visual Storytelling and the Storyboard
We will discuss how the storyboard developed from our passion throughout history for visual storytelling, and look at examples of how storyboards have been used to plan live action and animated movies.
Visual Storytelling Techniques
We will explore visual storytelling techniques to brainstorm and create well-conceived and compelling stories suitable for a storyboard project.
Storyboard Tools of the Trade
We will explore various storyboard drawing tools and templates, discussing what is needed to get started as successful storyboard artists in the various fields of visual storytelling.
Storyboarding
Putting It All Together. We will explore the various types of camera shots used in the storyboard and how they are used to move the visual story forward.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Do The Courses Work?
Our courses are project-based and instructor-led. In each course you’ll complete a series of lectures, projects, discussions, and critiques designed to stretch your creative skills. Weekly assignment deadlines keep you on track, so you can build your studies around your schedule. Two live Zoom meetings in this course provide the opportunity to work 1to1 with your instructor.
Who Are The Instructors?
Our courses are developed and taught by our industry-leading faculty of creative professionals. This means that you’ll learn in-demand skills, get feedback on your work, and build a portfolio of creative work. View our Student Gallery for featured student projects.
When Can I Start?
Classes start January, April, and August, and this course is completed in a 15-week term. This course is part of a Bachelor's Degree program at Sessions College. You can enroll in this course on an individual basis or as part of a program.
How Do I Register?
To register for a program, complete our program application. To register for this course on an individual basis, please contact our admissions team at admissions@sessions.edu. An Admissions Advisor will contact you to setup your enrollment.
| Course Tuition and Fees | |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $300/credit |
| Registration Fee* | $200 |
| Total Course Price | $1100 |
Registration fees are nonrefundable after 5 days from enrollment.
Is Sessions College Accredited?
Yes. Since 2001, Sessions College has been accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).