"China, IL" Storyboard Test

Since season two of the hit Adult Swim show, "China, IL" has started airing, I figure it's time to reveal my Storyboard and Character Design tests I took for the show over a year ago.

Storyboard Test

There were three parts to the Storyboard Test. The first was the Thumbnail. I was given a short piece of a script and told to thumbnail as much as I could. Here it is:

China, IL Storyboard Test - Thumbnails by ryanrosendal

Next came the Rough Storyboard Panels, where I was asked to create around 20 or so rough storyboard panels.

China, IL Storyboard Test - Rough Storyboard Panels by ryanrosendal

And finally we have the Cleaned-Up Storyboard Panels, which should be self-explanatory.

China, IL Storyboard Test - Cleaned-Up Panels by ryanrosendal


I won't lie, it was a difficult test. The characters were harder to draw than they initially seemed and there wasn't much action so I really had to focus on believable acting. I didn't get the job obviously, but it was a very worthwhile experience. I learned quite a bit from doing it and if Titmouse is reading this, I just want them to know I'd love to test again!

Special thanks to Corey Barnes for posting about the position on Twitter and Joshua Rogers and Dave Newberg for offering me the test. And Brad Neely for creating the show.

"Adventure Time" Storyboard Test

After finding out that I did not receive the storyboard revisionist position on "Regular Show" I sent out all my "thank you" emails, thanking everyone for that incredible opportunity. One of the people I thanked, Brooke Keesling, informed me that "Adventure Time" was looking for a storyboard artist, and asked if I wanted to take a test.

I said yes.

For this test I was given a short paragraph and told to construct a scene based on it. Even more than the "Regular Show" test I was allowed to improvise and create something unique and new. This was no simple task, and I tried my best to pull stuff from my own subconscious and plug it into the sequence. The result is something that I'm still very proud of.

Here's a link to the Scribd version if you'd like.

Much like with the "Regular Show" test, I didn't get the job, but I still made it one step closer to working on "Adventure Time" than most people. That does an ego good.

Special thanks to Brooke Keesling and Patrick Seery for all their help. And to Pen Ward for creating such a brilliant show that I had a chance to play with for a bit.

"Adventure Time" is copyright Cartoon Network and Frederator.

"Regular Show" Storyboard Revisionist Test

A few months ago I got the opportunity to do a storyboard revisionist test for Cartoon Network's "Regular Show." A storyboard revisionist, for those of you who don't know, is responsible for cleaning-up the storyboard artists' drawing and preparing them for the animators in Korea. Revisionists also storyboard new scenes or sequences the producers deem necessary for the episode to truly work.

Being a huge "Regular Show" fan, this was an incredible opportunity and I had an absolute blast putting it together. I've been told my submission made it to the final round of consideration, which I can assure you, is the nicest rejection I have ever received.

Thumbnails

The first part of the test was the thumbnail section. I was given a brief paragraph that described the basic outline of the scene and I was charged with writing the dialogue and staging the action in 40 panels or less.

Scribd Link

Thumbnails are a little rougher than storyboards and are more about getting the basic pacing and staging down.

Cleaned-Up Storyboards

After the thumbnails, I was asked to provide 10 cleaned-up storyboard panels, much as I would do as a real storyboard revisionist.

Scribd Link

There was also a written test, which I'm declining to post in respect to Cartoon Network and "Regular Show." I was entrusted with this material, and I don't want to give it all away. Where's the fun in that?

I'll do another post in the future where I talk a little bit more about the process of putting the test together. I figure it might be useful advice for anybody doing a test like this.

All in all the whole test was a fantastic experience and I'm absurdly lucky that I even got the opportunity. I want to thank Brooke Keesling, Marcy Mahoney and everyone who looked at my test for all their help and guidance.

 I'm posting this on the permission of Cartoon Network. If, for any reason, Cartoon Network or other "Regular Show" employees want me to take this down, please let me know.

"Regular Show" is copyright Cartoon Network.