ChrisOatley.com

Disney Character Designer answers your questions about Concept Art, Character Design for Animation, Digital Painting & Illustration.

Storytelling Resources for Comics Creators, Storyboard Artists & Animators

Notecards for a Comic ScriptProfessional visual storytellers draw inspiration from art, history, their own personal experience and the experiences of others to craft meaningful, emotional stories.

But the broad scope of even the shortest stories can make the craft completely overwhelming.

Here you'll find resources for comics creators, storyboard artists and animators - designed to help you find focus and clarity in the chaos...

Finding The Theme Of A Story: Almost Famous

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“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what we share with someone else when we’re uncool.”  

-Lester Bangs in Almost Famous

Finding The Theme Of A Story Is A Complex Process:

A lot of storytellers get upset when you start talking about Theme. But I believe that a Powerful Theme is vital to the craft of storytelling.

Sure, you can write “fun” or “cool” pseudo-stories without a Theme, but you can’t transcend medium, genre and culture without a powerful Theme.

Stories with power are stories with a Powerful Theme.

A Powerful Theme is NOT a “moral of the story” like you might find at the end of an Aesop Fable. A Powerful Theme is NOT a propaganda technique. A Powerful Theme is honest, nuanced and universal. Put simply, Theme is complex.

So what IS Theme? How do you find the Theme of a story?  How do you write a story with a Powerful Theme?

Because the process of finding the Theme of a story is so complex, it’s actually easier to show you where it’s done well than it is to explain.

Enter Philip Seymour Hoffman…

[Read more…] about Finding The Theme Of A Story: Almost Famous

How To Write A Comic Book Script and Other More Important Things

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notecards for a comic scriptA plethora of resources both online and offline will teach you exactly how to write a screenplay but good luck trying to learn how to write a comic book script.

Though comic writers who work for the big publishers typically format their comic book scripts similarly to screenplays, there is still no official industry standard.

And if you write your own independent comics—either webcomics or print—you have even more freedom with your script’s format. After all, you are the only one who ever has to use it.

Working with separate members of a team requires a tighter, more standardized approach if the writer’s intent is to be fully realized by the artists.

We’ll begin with a pseudo-standard approach to comic book script writing. Then we’ll share our own crazy approaches to give you an idea of how flexible this process can be.

And to show you what this looks like, we (Lora and Chris) provided samples of our comic scripts via the links below.

Our regular readers won’t be surprised to hear us say that there is no point in starting a comic script unless you have addressed these 5 things.

So if you are sure that you have a cast of compelling characters, a brilliant, surprising idea and a solid plan for the story you want to tell, read on…

[Read more…] about How To Write A Comic Book Script and Other More Important Things

Listener Questions Answered :: PWP #18

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PWP18-300x183In this episode, listen to Lora and Chris announce big news– both in their personal projects and the future of Paper Wings. Then they answer YOUR listener questions. [powerpress] Press PLAY to hear them answer:

  • How do you deal with the fear of rejection?
  • When is too late to start a personal project?
  • How do you balance readability with visual punch and style on a comic page?
  • What advice do you have on balancing a social life with a successful career?
  • How to I avoid losing the energy in my pencils when I ink my comic pages?
  • How do you approach color theory in storytelling when making comics?
  • Will I be able to make a personal contribution if I work for a large studio?
  • What resources would you recommend for creating a website for my webcomic?

AND discover two resources that will help you solve your story problems! [Read more…] about Listener Questions Answered :: PWP #18