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Action Storyboards! Super Dynamic Storytelling on Spider-Man by Sahin Ersoz

I recently found the online portfolio site of animation storyboard artist Sahin Ersoz. His samples from THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN animated show are some of the best action storyboards I have ever seen.

spider-man shoots his web toward camera animation storyboard

These drawings are so full of action, depth and dynamic posing, they're a real inspiration!

vulture and helicopter chase spider-man thru the manhattan skyscrapers

I love how loose the drawings are, while still having such strong construction and weight.

gunman antics with rifle swinging at spider man animation storyboard drawing

The best part about his website is that you can watch the storyboards in a little movie player. When there in sequence, they look like they're practically animated already!

cartoon storyboard big bad guy throws box at spider-man

These boards pass the toughest test, which is that you can watch and read the whole story without any words, dialog or scene description notes. Fantastic stuff!

There's also storyboard sequences from Hellboy, Lilo and Stitch, and even more playful preschool cartoons like Clifford The Big Red Dog. I highly recommend checking out his site at:

http://www.ersoz.com/storyboard/storyboard_main.htm

9 comments:

David de Rooij said...

Great boards, really inspirational! I went to the website immediately!
Can't you post some of your own boards too?

Sherm said...

Hi David...I finally got myself a good scanner (with a document feeder), so I'll be scanning all my old storyboards soon, and I'm sure I can find some juicy samples to post. Thanks for asking!

P.S. -- Your package is on its way as we speak! I did a sketch for you on the DVD, and I included some helpful handouts. Hope it gets to you soon!

Bob Flynn said...

I started watching, and then I couldn't stop. It's amazing how someone can have so much control over something as abstract as storyboarding (cuts between images where you brain needs to make the connection). This is almost equally as engaging as the real deal---definitely more interesting because the thought process is more apparent.

Thanks for sharing, Sherm!

Sherm said...

Bob -- I'm glad you liked watching them too. I found them totally hypnotic...they flow so well that you forget you're looking at storyboard sketches.

I forgot to mention in the post that you can pause and toggle forward and back using onscreen buttons AND using the arrow keys on your keyboard. So you can watch them at whatever pace you want.

Will Finn said...

Sherm, i saw an old post about the TV paint program, which you swore by at the time for your storyboarding needs. I am a Autodesk Sketchbook die-hard, but an looking for something more flexible...

Do you still like the TP PAINT program?

Sherm said...

Hi Will...I still swear by TVPaint, and I still use it to draw my boards at Disney (even though the studio wants us to use ToonBoom's Storyboard Pro).

Sketchbook Pro has very fast-response drawing tools, but the response on TVPaint is just as fast. There are "blue pencil" drawing tools that magically erase when you need them to, layers, rotating canvas and a TIMELINE to work on (something Sketchbook Pro and Photoshop have never had) that lets you move forward and back thru all your drawings, and a bookmark-able "lightbox" that let's you see any previous or subsequent drawing in your timeline.

It is as flexible as you could ever want, which is also its only drawback; Since it's so customisable, that means there are a lot of options which can cause the interface to look scary at first.

If you like the free demo and want to see how I use it, drop me an email and we'll get together for lunch sometime. --Sherm

David de Rooij said...

I like to use Sketchbook too, because it feels like drawing with a real pencil, but the lack of a timeline makes it harder to use for things like storyboards.

I'd like to see how you use TVPaint too! Unfortunately, I can't join for lunch...

kris.w said...

bless you, Sherm, for posting these boards and links!

i'm so excited about your DVD, and i can't wait until you have another batch ready to go so i can get one! i've learned lots from your blog, and i hope it keeps coming. i've rescently started rebuilding my portfolio and i owe lots of my growth to you (even though i've never met you). thanks a lot for posting gold like this for us determined newbies trying to break into the industry! i hope some time you'll be able to check out my blog. perhaps you'll see something you like :0)

Sherm said...

Hi Kris...thanks for the nice comments! I'm glad that you've gotten a lot from the CartoonSnap blog because I sure get a lot from reading other cartoonists' blogs too. I checked out your Optik Nourishment and Sketch and Sniff... nice to see a bunch of cartoonists challenging each other to keep getting better!