Created by a year two animation student Ryan Lavigne.

PROP SHEETS consist of normally two to three various positions of an object. Only one prop per sheet is shown. The prop sheet is used to ensure consistency in size, form, structure and proportion.

As illustrated above, a storyboard is included to indicate where the prop is used. The details supplied on each prop depend on the type of animation the show consisted of.

LOCATION DESIGN consists of an overall view of the environment where the animation will take place. Traditionally, a story, in the form of a script is provided to the lead location designer. Working with the director, it becomes the designers responsibility to shape the style, or look of the show. This includes artwork of floor plans, aerial view artwork, long pan backgrounds and tonal interpretations of the concept. The art director has final approval of any material designed.

Once the layout department receives the storyboard, prop, location and character designs, the work begins.

The layout department dictates the quality and direction the artwork will take on. If the perspective is off; if the characters are off model; if the background elements are not designed with character movement in mind, then the overall quality will be lost.

LAYOUT IS THE CRUCIAL STEPPING STONE TO THE REST OF THE PRODUCTION. PLAN THIS STAGE THOROUGHLY!

By not fixing perspective, continuity, fielding and staging problems all following departments, (ink-and-paint, BG painting, animators, and compositors), will unfortunately produce inferior work. Remember, when in doubt; draw a thumbnail sketch to fix it.

Whether for television, or feature production, it is always advised to re-read your assigned storyboard sequence several times to ensure it is understood. In feature film, always check with the lead layout designer for continuity and style questions that may arise.

The focus of the layout artist is to now dissect the storyboard scene by scene, and panel by panel, looking for: perspective, required camera shots and angles, composition and framing, staging and perspective grids, element placement and level separation. This has all been covered thus far.

Having read to this point of the book, you should now be more familiar with the foundation building blocks of the layout artist. The next chapter prepares the layout artist for the technical side: the dark side.

Animation Background Layout: From Student to Professional by Mike S. Fowler. Caistor Center, Ontario, Canada: Fowler Cartooning Ink, 2002. 168 pages. ISBN: 0-9731602-0-9. US$35.00. Buy it online at Mike's Website.

Do not miss this chance to meet Mike Fowler at this year's SAFO 03 in Ottawa, Canada. Mike will be signing copies of his book, Animation Background Layout: From Student to Professional on Sunday October 19, 2003 at 3:00 pm. His book will be on sale through out the SAFO 03 Animation Festival.

Mike S. Fowler has a passion for art and animation. His animation abilities as a supervisor, layout artist, poser, storyboard artist and fun pack designer are showcased in numerous shows. Credits include: Bob and Margaret, Ned's Newt, Hoze Houndz, Elliot the Moose, Little Bear, Eckhart, Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, Rainbow Fish, Anthony Ant, Franklin, Redwall, Ace Ventura and Blazing Dragons, to name a few.

In addition to being a published political and panel cartoonist, graphic artist and classical animation graduate from Sheridan College, Mike has supervised various Flash Web series, promotional bumpers for major television shows and segments of an educational Flash-HTML based University learning program for U.S. and Canadian markets.

Mike has developed, from concept through to production, several critically acclaimed montage/demonstration films, artists' showcase books and educational promotional material.

Fowler's educational background covers Graphic and Advertising Design at Conestoga College, a diploma in Classical Animation from Sheridan College, Management and Human Relations at Conestoga and Sheridan Colleges and a Certificate in Adult Education from the University of New Brunswick. As the lead animation college instructor, he teaches animation, layout, storyboard, Flash and computer graphics.

With the release of his first book, Animation Background Layout: From Student to Professional, Mike adds being a published author to his list of achievements. Read more about Mike.