We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Elaine Page a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Elaine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I had always enjoyed drawing and animation has always been a constant source of inspiration for me, such as anime and old Disney movies. I believe sometime during my sophomore year of highschool I knew I wanted to pursue animation as a career path, because at the time shows such as Adventure Time and the Regular Show were gaining popularity in my age demographic. It was incredible because, although a younger audience could watch the shows too, it felt like the show creators were making a great effort to ensure there was a space for teenagers to enjoy it as well. I also had a lot of nostalgia for western cartoons around that time, and as my studies in school began to ramp up I sought comfort in old cartoons I watched when I was younger. I remember sitting back one night, watching the credits to a show, and there it began to click that I could create cartoons as well.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Elaine Page and I am a Storyboard Artist! I originally went to school to become a Graphic Designer and graduated in 2019, however, not long after graduation I found that I really wanted to explore storyboarding and animation. I had always loved storytelling growing up, and would write or draw short comics in my school notebooks. When COVID-19 hit and sent everyone home in 2020, like many people, I found myself with a lot of time on my hands. I was given a lot of time to contemplate and think about what I wanted to do with my career, and I began to use the time that was given to start pivoting my career toward storyboarding. I drew a lot, studied, took several online art courses, sought mentorships, and met a lot of really cool artists; looking back I am proud of myself for taking that leap of faith because I had basically put myself through school again. I am an extremely fortunate person because since then I have had the pleasure of working with clients such as Moonbug Entertainment, Nickelodeon, and LinkedIn. Through this journey, I want to continue to learn and grow from my peers and higher-ups, and like many artists, I hope to create my own original stories to share with the world!

As a Storyboard Artist clients will come to me with a script or concept and my job is to create a visual representation of my client’s narrative through a sequence of drawings, then once the storyboards are finished and approved they are given to the animators to use as a blueprint for the final animated product. Being a storyboard artist can come with challenges, as you are required to hit tight deadlines occasionally and actions written in a script will not always translate well visually, so often times I have had to come up with work arounds that will get the same idea across to the viewer, but differently compared to how it was originally planned; there are several reasons as to why, but a few are budget restraints, character rigs, production schedules, and more. I love the challenges this job brings, because not only do I get to draw for a living, but I have the opportunity to learn and work with a lot of amazing and intelligent people. I have always been a proactive person who loves to meet and talk with people, and because of that it has opened my mind and has helped me create a dialog with my clients and teammates; where they can come to me with any concerns or ideas about the project, and vice versa.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This is a very deadline oriented field and there have been some very tight deadlines I have had to meet and still do. There was a drastic change from classes to working professionally; while in class I usually had a 6-8 week deadline to finish an assignment for a 2 character scene, but, when my first client reached out to me they presented me with a 6 page script with 5 characters and a 2 week deadline. The idea was overwhelming at first, but eager for the professional experience, I took on the challenge. Although it was a tight deadline, I believe I really lucked out with this first client, because they were patient with me, kept an open line of communication, and I was able to work and get the boards done on time. This client ended up becoming a recurring client of mine and through working with them I have learned to work quickly and decisively, which has come in handy with other projects.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

As an artist, it is easy to become somewhat isolated while working and in turn it can make you shy, but your peers will always be one of your greatest resources. When I first started I wish I had reached out to other artists sooner, because at the end of the day we are a community and there is always room for more!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hilainey.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lainey_ru/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaine-page-426a3a224/

Image Credits
Artwork by Elaine Page