STORYBOARDING FOR COMEDY
Storyboarding for Comedy at The Art Club is a 2 day workshop and open to all skill levels. With a focus on composition’s role in making people laugh, students will first learn approaches to using the design principles, camera placement, and perspective. In between classes, students will complete an assignment to be reviewed the following day. On the second day, students learn to use composition to design a character’s movement. With live demonstrations, assignments, critiques, and draw-overs, students will leave with the groundwork of a scene along with a practical toolbox to compose stronger comedic scenes.
By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:
Understand the process behind storyboarding for comedy
Create clear, effective comedic setups and payoffs
Use composition, staging, and camera choices to enhance humor
Integrate character movement and acting to support comedic timing
Rough out sequences that communicate jokes and rhythm
Refine boards without losing comedic impact
What You’ll Make: Active students will leave with a set of setup-and-payoff thumbnails and a rough storyboard sequence ready to be refined to put in a portfolio.
Participants may join as Active students, receiving drawovers and feedback, or as Viewers, with access to the live sessions and text chat interaction with other viewers.
Dates
Saturday & Sunday March 7 - March 8
Time
3:00 PM - 6:00 PM PST
Location
The Art Club - Discord: <https://discord.gg/TZb8wK292j> Green Classroom
FORMAT
Class meets on Discord
Homework must be uploaded to Google Drive folder before the next class begins
Active Student spots are limited to 15 participants, and Viewer access is limited to 50 seats.
THE FACULTY
Greg Leysens is a storyboard artist, 2D/stop motion animator, and illustrator/designer with 10+ years of experience in the animation, video game, and commercial industries. His clients include Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, Titmouse, Dreamworks, Epipheo, Warren James, Good Mythical Morning, ShadowMachine, & more.
Greg has taught on the collegiate level for 5 years at the Cleveland Institute of Art.
You can see more of his work at: https://gregoryleysens.squarespace.com/
Prerequisites
This is an all-level class. In order to have a productive learning experience for all, prospective students need to fulfill the following requirements:
A solid grasp of drawing fundamentals and basic storyboard workflow.
Drawing/Painting software (Adobe Photoshop, ToonBoom Storyboard Pro, Procreate, etc.)
Computer with microphone (camera optional)
Access to Google Drive
Access to Discord
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In this session, we’ll explore key design principles, followed by examining the difference between subjective and objective camera. We’ll look at how setup and payoff function in visual storytelling and consider how point of view can change a scene. The lesson will include a demonstration on thumbnailing and shifting point of view.
Assignment: Create ten setup-and-payoff thumbnails and choose one to bring into tomorrow’s lesson. -
In this session, we’ll compare visual comedy vs dialogue-driven comedy and discuss acting choices from a compositional standpoint. We’ll move into a demonstration on composing movement, followed by critique and draw-overs to help refine your work. We’ll wrap up with final thoughts on how these concepts can be applied across other genres.
Assignment: Finish the scene with rough drawings.
Who is this Workshop for?
The Storyboarding for Comedy workshop is designed for all-levels of artists who want to strengthen their comedic storytelling skills through visual structure, timing, and character acting. While some foundational storyboarding principles will be reviewed, the class focuses primarily on how to build setups, payoffs, and comedic tension through composition, performance, and camera choices. Students should have a solid grasp of drawing fundamentals and basic storyboard workflow.
Current College Students – looking to improve their comedic timing, visual clarity, and ability to communicate humor in story sequences.
Professionals – who want to sharpen comedic sensibilities, refine visual storytelling decisions, and develop stronger tools for creating engaging, humorous sequences.
Hobbyists – who want to explore storyboarding for comedy in a structured, approachable, and creative environment while building confidence in visual storytelling.
Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, students will be able to:
Understand the decision-making process behind storyboarding for comedy
Learn how to build effective comedic setups and payoffs through visual clarity and timing
Improve the ability to use composition, staging, and camera choices to strengthen humor
Develop stronger character acting that supports comedic intent
Gain confidence in roughing out sequences that communicate jokes, tension, and rhythm
Learn how to refine boards without losing comedic impact
What You’ll Make: Active students will leave with a set of setup-and-payoff thumbnails and a rough storyboard sequence ready to be refined to put in a portfolio.
