Below is a list of books that will help inspire and improve your craft as a storyboard artist. The list is in no particular order and the books vary between topics and mediums. The images contain Amazon links.
Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen
This is an industry standard for storyboarding and editing, along with some production and directing commentary. It’s widely recognized as an essential read for anyone looking to direct.
Framed Ink (series)
Marcos published a series of books that explore different fundamentals from composition to perspective that will ultimately improve your storytelling abilities. His drawings are sublime and truly inspiring. Be sure to check out all of his books!
Drawn to Life
This is one of the most popular books in the industry for drawing and essentially serves as an animator’s bible. It contains great demonstrations and provides foundational drawing techniques that will help elevate the acting in your storyboards.
Star Wars Storyboards: The Original Trilogy
This book contains the entire original trilogy of storyboards by Joe Johnston and several other artists. They describe the problems they had to solve and remind you how beautiful traditional art is.
Picture This: How Pictures Work
Molly breaks down art to it’s simplest form exploring the visual implications of staging, color and shape language. Just through the use of one image you can convey several different ideas. These principles can be applied to all formats of storytelling.
The following books are not directly related to storyboarding but can help you achieve your storytelling goals.
The Power of Habit
The power of habit recounts several stories of people changing their lives through the power of…habit. Habits can be applied in all areas of your life, especially in the areas where you are looking to improve.
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
This is a classic book on writing for film that is a must read to help keep your stories focused on what matters most.
Grip: The Art of Working Smart
This book is primarily useful for more corporate careers, but provides valuable insights for structuring your day to day work and life.
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