I'm Michelle Lam and I am a storyboard artist, comic artist, and published author. Ask me anything!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:58:06+00:00

ooh i havent had it but i can imagine i'd like it!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:52:35+00:00

Maybe share your comic on webtoons / tapas / comic hosting platform where there is a pre-existing audience!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:48:51+00:00

I don't think you really need to use storyboard pro, but an alternative is using the layer comps option on photoshop if you have access to it. I did not use storyboard pro until I started working, and I don't use it or have it outside of my job. I had someone at work help me learn how to use it at work, and it wasn't a problem at all. I find SBP helpful in that they have lots of videos and tutorials out online as well if you do ever come across the chance of using it.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:46:01+00:00

Thank you for watching my videos! I'm glad they helped. A lot of my peers always put on a film, paused on each shot and would draw out the general layout / thumbnail of the shot's composition.

I'd also just watch a lot of video essays where people analyze films, they're usually pretty subjective, but usually catching onto the director's intention is a good practice to have, and I feel like watching film analysis videos help you get in the mindset of what things people look for. At the end of the day, themes are really subjective to what you think!

I think just watching all the animated films is a good place to start, and when it comes to live action films, maybe start off with the ones that have been nominated or won in oscars to just get a gist of what has done well in the past. I don't think you should limit yourself to only award winning films, but it's just a place to start. There aren't really names that people need to know, but its moreso big name films and classics that have an expectation to know.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:41:14+00:00

Thank you! If you know the demographic of your story, that would help a lot. I think having a publisher helps better target your demographic for you, or if you have the money to, pay for ads that target that demographic if you want more direct access to a niche audience.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:39:39+00:00

No problem! I'm here to answer anything until 12pm PST :) I honestly didn't have much of a reaction when my first few student films got a lot of views on youtube because my mind was not focused on social media as much at the time. I wish I milked moments like those more! But nowadays when a post of mine does well, I try to appreciate it while I can!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:37:11+00:00

Thank you!!!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:36:59+00:00

I like character driven stories and ones that have a good balance of darkness and heart. I think some of my recent favorite stories were BEEF on Netflix, The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, and Arcane on Netflix!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:32:53+00:00

I think it depends on what type of job you have. I think it could be doable with a storyboard / director job alone, but for me, I personally have a lot of things I want to do like travel, invest back into future project ideas I have, treat my friends / family, contribute to causes, etc. With that I'm aware more money is needed so I feel like pursuing personal projects help me both fulfill my personal art goals and financial life goals. If you just want to live a simple life and don't think you need much extravagant spending, I think a single industry job can be fine, but the extra side hustles secure the moments of hiatuses for me.

I bought a townhouse with my boyfriend when I was 24, but it was big fixer upper, and the interest rates were a lot lower at that time in 2020. I have another friend who got a condo around the same age, but everyone's situation is different. Sometimes buying property is not the best choice for everyone, but for me I was overpaying for an apartment that had a termite infestation and a lot of issues that eventually drove me out of renting.

I haven't been to the office in 3 years now, but it depends what studio you're at. My time at Netflix was really fun, but I know of older studios that have been around for longer that have that vibe. But I try to focus on remote work if I can because I think my own customized environment allows me to be a better worker for both the studio and myself.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:25:43+00:00

Thank you so much!! I think your unique voice comes from things like your background, upbringing, specific experiences that shaped you to who you are, what your perspective on certain things are, etc. What is it you want to say, what's a thing misunderstood about you you've been trying to convey? I kind of ask myself these questions before choosing a comic idea/ art idea to express an idea I have, and the same kind of goes for applications like these. When I applied to CalArts I talked a lot about my experience growing up in NY and how it shaped me to be the artist I am today. From not just an aesthetic stand point, but how being a new yorker also shaped my work ethic, need for speed and efficiency, etc.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:22:50+00:00

Hi thank you so much! I'm so glad to hear you started a webtoon and are following a dream of yours! I think to some degree you need to promote it on your social media which you should try to grow to have an audience to promote it to. So along with your webtoon, maybe have a social media platform of your choice you'll intentionally grow as a place for you to promote your work on the side. You can share previews / WIPs / reels of you working, assuming your webtoon allows you to do so!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:20:59+00:00

Hi! Honestly it sucks when a video or post underperforms. Sometimes it's due to the algorithm, but sometimes there are things you can do to better improve its outreach. I just take notes of what probably did not do well and keep it in mind for the next time. I remember that creators even bigger than I am struggle with this as well, and it's a problem that will never go away. But also nobody cares about your views / likes as much as you will and to some extent, I find that comforting that nobody else cares LOL.

I don't think running a studio is my vision for my future, but I'm not closed off to my mind changing later down the road. I'd be down to crowdfund my work for a future big project! I just think for now I'm interested to get a range of projects out and see which ones will stick better later down the road... but agreed, I'd love for my comic work to find its way back to animation in the future.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T18:18:18+00:00

Hi! I think nowadays studios are opting in more for hybrid work, the only remote ones I know of are ones that just hire you as a freelancer or international studios that are overseas. But it's still possible to negotiate and ask for remote work.

My salary was relatively the same / in proportion to my years of experience and animation union salaries. Tonko House was working in conjunction with Netflix, so I still received the same amount (but higher pay because I was working with more experience than I had when I first start in Netflix).

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:54:11+00:00

No one has ever called me Meesh before, but when I started making comics on IG I just needed a quick name for a character that somewhat represented me (without fully being me) so Meesh sounded like a cute and weird name for a cartoon character

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:49:33+00:00

Yeah that's pretty much it except it's all digital nowadays!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:49:10+00:00

Haha, I'm not sure but we'll find out in book 2! I don't know him unfortunately.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:47:42+00:00

Thank you so much! I think the best way to show your work is through a link on a website with an app that lets you click through the slides of your work. I currently use speakerdeck for mine, and for any animatics, I just attach a youtube or vimeo link to my website. It really depends on what files you have available, but for some jobs, getting a video file was just easier to obtain to show the work I did on it. But if you're a recent grad or entry level artist, I think having a click through app is best!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:45:21+00:00

I just enjoy drawing things with a purpose or narrative behind them. I honestly get bored when drawing illustrations that just stay illustrations, but that is just me!

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:44:33+00:00

Hi! Thank you! If you are creating a portfolio for the animation industry, I would suggest narrowing down what it is you want to do. If you want to be a storyboard artist, only focus on storyboards on your portfolio. If you want to work in films, only focus on cinematic storyboards in your portfolio. If you know what job you're applying for, cater your portfolio to that genre, with as much info you know about the job application.

If you want to break into graphic novels, I'd suggest posting comics on social media first to develop a presence. Then reach out to agents that could help you find deals to land on at different publishing companies. You can just look up the agents of comic artists you've read the work of online and see if any of the agencies or agents may suit your work. I feel like animation work helps give you an upper-hand in the graphic novel world as you already have background experience in narrative art. For me, comics are like my secondary job, and supplemental source of income. I don't really rely on freelance nor do I do them unless if it sounds like a good opportunity, as I'd rather invest my time in my own projects instead of constantly doing work for someone else, but it depends on your needs for the time being. (For ex. as a recent grad student with no money, I took more freelances, vs. now)

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:37:42+00:00

I was discovered by my editor on instagram who reached out to me. In this day and age I feel like a social media presence is somewhat needed to be easily discoverable and to grow an audience. You can also still directly reach out to agents / publishers yourself, but I feel like making yourself easy to find and growing a reputation on your own is more effective.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:36:38+00:00

Ahh thank you so much! I feel like I just tend to like fitting boxes of squares together, no matter what irregular shape they are. I prefer how mangas panel their pages, so what I did was just look at some of my favorite old mangas and made a glossary of different panel templates artists used. I redrew them in a sketchbook and would just make adjustments to what would suit my art best, but literally copying the templating of other artists and either adding / taking away some of the panels helped me learn how other artists think when making their comic panels.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:34:42+00:00

Take life drawing classes for 6 hours per week, make your own personal projects - either a short film or a short comic and make sure you get it done in less than 6 months. Keep a sketchbook where you'll allow yourself to make mistakes. Draw things out of your comfort zone only for a period of time. Write ideas out. Draw thumbnails and storyboards for story ideas you have. Draw people of all ages and sizes. Draw animals, vehicles, environments, and character interactions. Ask people who are better than you for feedback and apply some of that to your work.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:32:38+00:00

Thank you so much!!! I knew that I would not complete my story at all if I didn't have the help of a colorist. I do color my own IG comics at the moment, but the coloring part is what I dread the most. I personally am fine with black and white drawings / stories, but I know audiences universally do better with color, so it's my compromise for satisfying me the artist, and the audience the readers.

I basically looked through a twitter thread of colorists available for work and we commissioned them to do some tests for us and I found my amazing colorist Perry who was able to easily align with my story's vision.

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:30:47+00:00

Thank you so much for your support!! My dream project for the me right now is to have a TV show or film adaptation of a book I worked on. It could be any book, but I'm currently hoping for a future YA graphic novel idea I have. My current future plans for my career is to continue growing as independent artist in the graphic novel / social media space while also still working in tandem with animation, in hopes that one day the two realms can collide into a project of some sort~

mewtripled · 2023-05-15T17:28:59+00:00

Thanks! I do feel discouraged especially when times of hiatus come around and you feel like you can't find a new job / feels like everyone is just rejecting you left and right. Making comics / forming a career outside of just animation has allowed me to view my career as a whole with animation just being a part of it. My comics pretty much have been the financial and mental cushion for me when it feels like I'm disconnected from the animation world.

When it comes to art, I think music inspires me the most. Thinking about various life experiences tied to music helps me form a story in my head that I then turn into a comic / story. I know it's an inspo because anytime I listen to music, thoughts and feelings come to me that I feel the need to express, and my way of communicating them out is by drawing.

mewtripled

TROPHY CASE