A storyboard artist must be able to draw anything, and do it fast and confidently.
This is something that can be worked on and improved on to a large extent, but some artists simply 'talk and think with a pencil' [ or in my case a digital pen] better than others.
Storyboards for movies, games and TV commercials fulfill the same job as the hieroglyphs of ancient times, they are there to tell a sequential story in pictures.
It is a labor intensive art, and fluidity, speed and experience are a major asset to these industries.
Unlike comics and graphic novels, storyboard sequences need not always be tightly rendered and look as though the idea has been hammered, cast and set in stone by the creative team.
Rather, and in most cases, the whole presentation benefits from a loose and energetic feel.
After all, the client, hard pressed for time, is there to see an idea presented to him.
An idea which may change in the next twenty minutes, and he is not there to jury an illustration contest.
Plus, he is usually the one who will be paying for the artists time too.
And we're not talking about scribbling thumbnails down either: it is a matter of the artist being that proficient that he can show what needs to be shown using only the necessary lines and color.
Give or take a few extra dashes for flavor.
Neither does this mean that we want to see a minimalist rendition or a graphic design, but ideally, evocative, lively lines that flow from the artists hand and mind, much as words would flow from the copywriters mouth.
To me and others who love what we do, it is an art form, and we would love to see some of our work framed and in MOMA some day!