How to Sequence Small Sketches into a Clear Illustrated Story

Start by completing this sentence: “At first, ___; by the end, ___.” Keep both states drawable. For example: “At first, a little robot has loose mosaic tiles and a star design; by the end, it has assembled the star.”

Then add a choice that connects those states. The robot initially uses square tiles, notices that triangular tiles fit the angled outline, and changes its approach. That choice gives the sequence something to reveal beyond a series of assembly steps.

For this exercise, limit yourself to one character, one workspace, and one main object. These are working constraints, not requirements for every illustrated story. They let you concentrate on sequencing without also having to explain several locations or separate activities.

You do not need finished drawings to make these decisions. The Museum of Science’s exhibition developed with Pixar describes storyboards as sketches that convey a movie’s story one drawing at a time, with plot, pacing, and camera angles refined during the story phase. Apply that principle here: settle the sequence while revision is still simple. Story and Art — The Science Behind Pixar

Spread your existing sketches where you can see them together. Give each a temporary label describing its story function: “shows the goal,” “shows an attempt,” “introduces a useful shape,” or “shows the result.” A label such as “nice robot drawing” describes the picture’s appeal but does not explain where it belongs.

Use three groups to make the selection manageable:

• Essential: The drawing establishes something the reader needs or shows a meaningful change.
• Supporting: It clarifies an action, location, or detail that might otherwise be unclear.
• Optional: It repeats information or adds decoration without advancing this particular sequence.

Keep optional sketches nearby rather than forcing them onto the page. A detailed tile collection might make an attractive standalone drawing, while a simple close-up of one triangular tile could do more work in this story.

If several sketches show almost the same moment, select the one with the clearest action. If no drawing shows the connection between two essential moments, make a rough bridging sketch. Existing artwork is your starting material; the story can still require a new image.

Write a short action caption beneath each thumbnail. Use concrete verbs—looks, places, compares, replaces, assembles, displays—so you can identify what changes. These captions are planning notes and need not appear in the finished work.

The following is an illustrative exercise, not a required storytelling formula. Each panel has both an event and a specific piece of information for the reader.

Panel	What to sketch	What the reader learns
1. Goal	Robot beside an empty work mat, with a star design card above it	The robot intends to make a tile star
2. Attempt	Square tiles arranged against the star outline, leaving the sloping edges unmatched	The first arrangement does not fit the design
3. Discovery	Robot holding a triangular tile beside one angled edge	Another tile shape could fit
4. Choice	Square tiles moved aside as triangular tiles are placed on the mat	The robot changes its method
5. Progress	Several triangular tiles forming the recognizable star	The new arrangement is taking shape
6. Result	Completed mosaic displayed beside the original design card	The opening goal has been completed

Read only the action captions. If they describe a coherent progression, inspect whether the drawings actually show those actions. A caption saying “discovers a better shape” cannot compensate for an image that merely shows the robot holding an indistinct object.

Six panels are a useful limit for this exercise. You may discover that five communicate everything, or that a seventh is needed to clarify a transition. Decide by examining what the reader must understand, rather than preserving a number.

Now inspect the joins. For each adjacent pair, ask: “What changed, and what lets the reader connect these moments?” In the mosaic example, the triangular tile in panel three must resemble the pieces used in panel four. Otherwise, the connection depends on information outside the pictures.

Try a simple removal test: cover one panel and read the remaining sequence. If the same action and meaning remain clear, consider cutting or combining that panel. If the robot suddenly has a completed mosaic with no visible change of approach, restore the missing step.

A useful distinction is whether you are leaving out repetition or leaving out a decision. You can probably omit the placement of several identical tiles. The switch from square pieces to triangular ones deserves a visible moment because it explains the result.

This approach follows the planning questions in artist Steve Ellis’s layout guide: identify the beginning and end, determine the steps between them, and translate those steps into panels. Here, the pair-by-pair check turns those questions into an editing method. Pro Artist’s Guide to Comic & Manga Layouts, Paneling, Flow

Once the order works, decide how much of the scene each drawing needs to show. For the mosaic story, try a wide view of the workspace at the beginning, a closer view of the mismatched tiles, and a detail view of the triangular piece against the outline.

Return to a wider view when the robot changes the arrangement. That makes room to show both the discarded square tiles and the replacement pieces. The final drawing can echo the opening composition, letting readers compare the empty mat with the finished mosaic.

Keep a few visual anchors consistent: the design card above the mat, the tile tray beside it, and the robot’s distinctive shape. Make a tiny reference sketch of these elements if necessary. Clip Studio Paint’s comic creation guide recommends character reference sheets for consistency and establishing views to clarify a setting. How to Make a Comic: Step-by-step comic creation

Avoid changing the viewpoint merely to make every panel different. Before using a new angle, identify the information it makes easier to see. If a close-up hides which object the robot is handling, widen the view or include a recognizable part of the mat.

For this English-language exercise, start with two rows of three panels, read left to right across each row. Use similar panel sizes and clear gaps between them. This gives you a straightforward layout for testing the sequence.

Ellis recommends beginning with roughly equal-sized thumbnail panels before choosing which moments need larger spaces. Follow that order: first establish a readable progression, then experiment with emphasis. Pro Artist’s Guide to Comic & Manga Layouts, Paneling, Flow

Make two rough versions. In the first, keep all six panels equal. In the second, give the completed mosaic more room by combining space in the final row. Compare them at the same viewing size: does the larger ending help readers inspect the result, or does it squeeze the assembly action too much?

Treat pacing as a choice about how many moments you show. Three drawings of individual tiles being placed invite attention to the assembly process. One drawing of a partly assembled star moves past those repeated actions. Neither choice has a fixed reading time; select the version that gives the activity the attention you want it to receive.

First read the sequence without captions or dialogue. This is a diagnostic pass, not a requirement that the final story be wordless. Look for actions that depend on your explanation.

If panel two needs the caption “The squares do not fit,” try making the mismatch more visible before adding text. Show the star outline and the square tile edge together. If you want a small line of dialogue that adds character—“Triangles, then!”—leave room for it while the layout is still rough.

The comic creation guide advises planning speech-bubble placement during thumbnailing so words do not cover important drawing elements. Write the actual proposed text into your rough layout rather than using an empty oval. How to Make a Comic: Step-by-step comic creation

Keep text that contributes something useful: a goal that is difficult to depict, a brief exchange, or a deliberate passage of time. If both picture and caption repeat the same obvious action, test whether the caption earns its space.

Show the rough page to a willing reader without narrating it. Ask three specific questions: “What is the robot trying to make?”, “What changes during the task?”, and “Which picture comes after this one?” Their answers can reveal where to revise.

What the reader misses	First revision to try
The intended star	Make the design card clearer in the opening
Why the robot changes tiles	Show the square edge and angled outline together
Whether the pieces are the same objects	Repeat distinctive shapes and keep the tray recognizable
Which panel comes next	Simplify the layout and separate competing panel edges
Whether the story has ended	Show the completed mosaic clearly, with the tools set aside

Inspect the page at its intended reading size before adding detail. Can you distinguish the tile shapes? Can you follow the action without zooming in? Refine whichever lines carry those answers, then proceed with your preferred drawing style.

A sequence is ready for finishing when its goal, main change, and result are visible in the pictures. Keep the opening and ending together as you work: the empty mat and completed star provide a concrete check that the small sketches still tell the story you set out to draw.

• Story and Art — The Science Behind Pixar
• Pro Artist’s Guide to Comic & Manga Layouts, Paneling, Flow — Art Rocket
• How to Make a Comic: Step-by-step comic creation — Clip Studio Paint