In one of the animations courses I took; while majoring in Computer Animation at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit - I had to do a lot of storyboarding and concept drawings, before modeling and animating in 3D Studio Max...
The most important lesson learned
The teacher was very keen on putting us through the ringer and made sure we didn't skip any steps. I remember he even made us dress up when we presented our final animation and asked us to put together a complete presentation of the storyboard and concept drawings before the final animation reveal. I didn't love it at the time, but in retrospect - it was probably one of the most significant lessons I got while studying animation. It thought us how to think like business men not just artists.
Initial concepts and storyboard drawings
Storyboard sketches depicting a camera rotating around a yellow flower growing on rocky terrain.
Photo of handwritten animation theme notes describing a valley landscape scene with flower, seeds, and camera movements.
Hand-drawn storyboard and handwritten notes describing the growth stages of Taraxacum officinale (dandelion).
Storyboard depicting flower growth, seed dispersal by wind, and camera movements across a blooming valley.
Two-panel landscape drawing featuring mountains, cliffs, and a yellow flower with "THE END" text.
Vegetation studies
Pencil sketch of a dandelion flower with serrated leaves, labeled "dandelion leaf."
Pen sketch of two dandelion plants with detailed leaves and seed heads on paper.
Hand-drawn botanical sketches illustrating a plant's growth stages and detailed seed structure.
Color storyboard studies
I really like the look of markers on this sketchbook.
