Hayao Miyazaki Visual Image Boarding

Explore the Hayao Miyazaki animation process using watercolor image boards to establish key cinematic beats and mood before formal storyboarding.

4 time blocks, 70 minutes in total.

Time blocks

Atmospheric Palette Wash: 15 min
Paint a fast background wash to set the lighting and emotional mood
Key Character Pose and Placement: 20 min
Block main character figures and silhouette actions within the scene
Narrative Focal Framing: 20 min
Define camera perspective and highlight the key narrative interaction
Movement and Lighting Notes: 15 min
Annotate wind direction, light source, and character motion paths

About this routine

Before turning a story into full storyboards or production animation, Hayao Miyazaki spends months crafting detailed watercolor image boards. These conceptual paintings explore character design, environmental mood, and core narrative moments. Rather than starting with a rigid script, Miyazaki uses these visual panels to discover the heart of a film.

The Hayao Miyazaki animation process relies on image boarding as a bridge between broad story ideas and technical layout. By working with loose watercolors, artists can test color palettes, atmospheric depth, and key dramatic beats without getting bogged down in frame by frame timing.

You can adapt this approach for film, illustration, or graphic novels. Set aside seventy minutes to translate a story beat into a single expressive image board, focusing on lighting, scale, and motion notes.

Why this routine works

Clarifies environmental mood and color palette early in production
Establishes strong character gestures within setting bounds
Reveals narrative beats visually before writing detailed scripts

FAQ

What is Hayao Miyazaki's image boarding process?

Hayao Miyazaki paints watercolor image boards to establish the mood, characters, and key story beats of a film before writing a final script or drawing storyboards.

How does an image board differ from a storyboard?

An image board focuses on single expressive watercolor illustrations capturing atmosphere and character emotion, whereas a storyboard maps out sequential camera shots and timing.

Sources

The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, directed by Mami Sunada (2013)
The Art of Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli