STORYBOARDING FOR COMEDY
Storyboarding For Comedy 3-day workshop at The Art Club is open to all levels of students. This workshop focuses on the core skills behind making storyboards genuinely funny and visually clear. You’ll learn how composition can set up and subvert expectations, how subjective and objective camera choices shape the joke, and how to guide the viewer’s eye through both single images and full sequences. Through demos on thumbnailing comedic setups and payoffs, you’ll create multiple gag ideas and learn how to recognize which ones land best. You’ll also study the differences between visual and scripted comedy, identifying where the humor comes from and how acting, timing, and tension support it. Step-by-step demonstrations walk you through building and roughing out both visual gags and scripted jokes, followed by techniques for refining your boards without losing what makes them funny. With critiques, draw-overs, and focused assignments throughout, you’ll leave with a practical toolbox for crafting stronger comedic moments.
Dates
COMING SOON
Time
COMING SOON
Location
Creative Lab Workshops - Discord: <https://discord.gg/TZb8wK292j> Green Classroom
FORMAT
Class meets once a week on Discord
Recorded Access: Class recordings are provided after the course, viewable for one year.
Homework must be uploaded to Google Drive folder before the next class begins
The class enrollment is limited to a maximum of 10 students.
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
-
On Friday, we’ll explore how composition can be used to set up and subvert expectations in comedy. We’ll look at the difference between subjective and objective camera choices and how to guide the viewer’s eye in both single images and storyboard sequences. After a short demo on creating thumbnail setups and surprising payoffs, students will spend time composing and thumbnailing their own ideas.
Assignment: Create ten funny setup-and-payoff moments, compile them into a single page for Saturday’s critique, and select one to be reviewed in class. -
On Saturday, we’ll focus on finding the funniest point of view. We’ll look at how visual comedy and scripted comedy work, and discuss how acting, timing, and tension help humor land. After a demo on storyboarding both a visual joke and a scripted joke, students will begin roughing out their own scene.
Assignment: Finish the scene with rough drawings.
-
On Sunday, we’ll focus on cleaning up and refining storyboard work while keeping the comedy intact. The demo will cover how to polish drawings, clarify poses, and tighten timing without losing what makes the moment funny. We’ll wrap up with some final thoughts on how these comedy tools apply to other genres like drama and action. The session will finish with critique and draw-overs to help students strengthen their final passes.
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
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.
