Storyboard artist to cartoonist
A storyboard artist already meets 56% of what the cartoonist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
46.4/ 100
1 How much of what a cartoonist is expected to do is already part of a storyboard artist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the cartoonist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cartoonist role treats 9 of its required skills as things a storyboard artist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adapt to type of media
- copyright legislation
- create animated narratives
- create sketches
- develop creative ideas
- follow work schedule
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cartoonist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a storyboard artist background worth leading with.
- already held create animated narratives communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create original drawings communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use traditional illustration techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held select illustration styles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use digital illustration techniques working with computers
- already held create 2D painting communication, collaboration and creativity
All 17 carried skills, including the 9 the cartoonist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn interpret illustration needs required
- still to learn maintain an artistic portfolio required
- still to learn practice humour required
- still to learn consult with editor required
- still to learn follow a brief required
- optional, not held write captions optional
- still to learn analyse texts to be illustrated required
- still to learn follow the news required
- still to learn finish project within budget required
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cartoonist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 analyse texts to be illustrated practise this
- 02 follow the news practise this
- 03 interpret illustration needs practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 17 skills that carry over
- already held adapt to type of media skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held create animated narratives skill
- already held create sketches skill
- already held develop creative ideas skill
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held graphic design knowledge
- already held select illustration styles skill
- already held study media sources skill
- already held ICT software specifications knowledge
- already held create 2D painting skill
- already held create original drawings skill
- already held design graphics skill
- already held multimedia systems knowledge
- already held perform image editing skill
- already held use digital illustration techniques skill
- already held use traditional illustration techniques skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held write captions optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
16 held skills the cartoonist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse a script skill
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role cameras knowledge
- not needed by the target role consult with motion picture producer skill
- not needed by the target role consult with production director skill
- not needed by the target role create digital images skill
- not needed by the target role develop animations skill
- not needed by the target role digital content creation skill
- not needed by the target role familiarise with personal directing styles skill
- not needed by the target role film production process knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage feedback skill
- not needed by the target role photography knowledge
- not needed by the target role present storyboard skill
- not needed by the target role use storyboards skill
- not needed by the target role work with playwrights skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held desktop publishing optional
Common questions about this move
Can a storyboard artist become a cartoonist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A storyboard artist already covers 56% of what a cartoonist is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 9 of which the cartoonist role treats as required.
What skills does a storyboard artist need to become a cartoonist?
8 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is analyse texts to be illustrated.
How hard is the move from storyboard artist to cartoonist?
Its learning distance is 46.4 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.