James Gurney
Storyboard 1993

Like a director planning an animated or live-action film, James Gurney maps out the action in his books by creating a storyboard. This visual script helps him think about how a story will unfold from page to page before final paintings are even begun. The artist takes time to consider when and how each character will enter a scene what mood to establish, and what perspectives would be most interesting==from bird's eye to ant's eye views.

James Gurney's storyboards are completed before finished text because pictures come first in his artistic process. "What I love about Dinotopia," he said, "is that it allows for all sorts of pictures, from landscapes to portraits and still lifes, including quick sketches and elaborately finished paintings."

Studies for Dinotopia: The World Beneath
Marker on paper mounted to board

Link to image of plaque at Norman Rockwell Museum