THE SIKETCHNOTE HANDt 00K VIDEO EDITION:

The illustrated guide to visual note taking

Mike Rohde
Peachpit Press
Peachpit Press is a division o f Pearson Education.
Copyright 2013 by Michael D. Rohde
Acquisitions Editor: Nikki Echier McDonald
Development Editor: Anne Marie Walker
Proofreader: Liz Welch
Production Editor: katerino, Malone
Indexer: James Minkin
Cover Design and Illustrations: Mike Rohde
Interior Design and Illustrations: Mike Rohde
Video Producer: Brian A r t k a
Media Producer: Eric G e o ff roy

NOTICE OF RIGHTS

,
.
TA
HAT
TE
'A
SM
!
M

- - - - ,

Alt rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without

the prior written permission o f the publisher. For information on getting permission f o r
reprints and excerpts, contact permissions@peachpit.com.

NOTICE OF LIABILITY
The information in this book is distributed on an "As Is" basis without warranty. While
every precaution has been taken in the preparation o f the book, neither the author
nor Peachpit shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or
damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the instructions contained
in this book or by the computer software and hardware products described in it.
TRADEMARKS
Many o f the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their
products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and
Peachpit was aware of a trademark claim, the designations appear as requested by the
owner of the trademark. All other product names and services identified throughout
this book are used in editorial fashion only and f o r the benefit of such companies with no
intention o f infringement of the trademark. No such use, o r the use o f any trade name, is
intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.
ISBNI3:17g-0-321-gg511-1
ISBNIO: 0-321-55511-2
9 g 7 6 5 LI 321
Printed and bound in the United States o f America

To Gail, Nathan, Linnea, and Landon,

thotnk you for your support on this
long and challenging journey.
You are the reason I work so hard
to create things and share tvly ideas.

i love you.

17
Dr
TAKING ON A PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE is a great reminder of just how
r''
valuable my family, friends, colleagues, and community are. Without them, I'm
certain The Sketchnote
- Handbook would not have happened.
N
SAIL, you are the first and most important person on the list. Even though you
were expecting a baby, you encouraged and supported me on many late nights
and weekends. Thanks for sharing the vision with me. I love you!
NATHAN, LINNEA, AND LANDON, thanks for supporting me during the creation
of the book and video. As your dad, I hope my work makes you proud.
VON GLITSCHKA, you get credit for sparking this book over Thai food in Portland.
Thanks for believing in me and pitching my book idea just minutes a f t e r dinner.

NIKKI MCDONALD, you've been behind me on this book from the beginning to the
end. Thanks for considering my book idea, selling it to your team, and keeping
me on track and encouraged through the long, hard creation process. Most
important, thanks for helping me create something truly unique and different.
ANNE MARIE WALKER, you've been a fabulous editor, challenging me to make the
book better. Thanks for keeping me on my toes and making my prose look so good.
AMY VAN VECHTEN, thanks for providing excellent direction and feedback on the
video project. Thanks for trusting me and Seal Team Sketchnote as we worked.
PEACHPIT, your team has been ajoy to work with. Everyone was professional cknd
so easy to work with. Thank you Nancy, Glenn, Katerina, Mimi, Lupe, Charlene,
Eric, Liz, and James for making my f i r s t book experience a great one.

DAVID FUGATE, thanks for your expert guidance through the book contract
process. I couldn't have asked for a better agent.

vi

BRIAN ARTKA, you're a great friend and an amazing videographer. Thanks f o r

capturing my vision and helping me "Be Mike" for the camera.

DELVE WITHRINGTON, thanks for creating fonts of my hand lettering.
Your typefaces have saved me many long hours of drawing every letter by hand.
GABE WOLLENBUR6, you have a great knack for timing. Thanks f o r making the
video script happen when I hact no idea how to even begin the process.

FEATURED SKETCHNOTERS: Binaebi Akah, Creighton Berman, Boon Chew,

Veronica Erb, Jessica Esch, Alexis Finch, Michelle George, Eva-Lotta Lamm,
Gerren Lamson, Matthew Magain, Timothy Reynolds, Francis Rowland, Chris
Shipton, Paul Soupiset, and kyle Steed, thanks for your contributions.
STEPHEN MORK, thanks for creating an uplifting and cool soundtrack.
Your music adds an important richness and positive vibe to the video.

MARK FAIRBANKS AND CYNTHIA THOMAS, thanks for sharing your Translator
space f o r the video shoot and f o r your encouragement throughout the project.
JON MUELLER, thanks for speaking on the video and allowing my sketchnotes of
your talk to become such a key p a r t of the book and video. I've been honored to call
you a friend and appreciate your guidance in the creation of my f i r s t book.

FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES , thanks for your reviews and feedback about the
book and video in production. This is (A better book because of your help.

TOTHE SKETCHNOTING COMMUNITY, thanks for your support through the years.
I'm excited to see where our community will go and how it will grow once this book

reaches new readers and viewers.

vil

ABOUTTHIJ LITHOR
MIKE ROHDE has a passion f o r simple and usable
design solutions. That passion, along with his lifelong
habit of recording concepts and observations
through sketching and doodling, inspired him to
develop sketchnotesa practical art that translates
simple and complex ideas into easily recalled bits
o f information.
Professionally, Mike focuses on user interface,
user experience, visual design, and icon design f o r mobile and web applications
at Govnoll Research + Design in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
As a sketchnoter, Mike provides live, real-time sketchnotes of events,
meetings, and experiences in venues across the United States.
In his illustration practice, Mike uses his unique drawing style to amplify and
clarify ideas. His work has been featured in REWORK, the best-selling book by
Jason Fried and David Heinenleier Hansson; The $100 Startup, a best-selling
book by Chris Guillebeau; 11 CI The Little Book o f Talent b9 Daniel Coyle.
Community and sharing are important cornerstones of Mike's philosophy, as
evidenced by the creation of The Sketchnote Army, w e b s i t e dedicated to
finding and showcasing sketchnotes and sketchnoters from around the world.
Mike has also shared his thinking, design process, and samples of his design and
illustration work at his personal website, rohdesign.com, since 2003.
Mike lives with his wife, Gail, and children, Nathckn, Linnea, and Landon, just
outside of Milwaukee. He's an avid Green Bay Packers fan.
Learn more about Mike at rohdesign.com.

ix

CONTENTS
WHAT E

SKETCHNOTES?
Sketchnotes Were Born of Frustration%
How Are Sketchnotes Created?
Can I Create Sketchnotes?
%decks, Not Art%
One Step at a Time

WillY SKETCHNOTE?26
Sketchnoting Eng
M
i
Sketc
a
g
e
s
Your
Whole
Sketchnoting Creektes ot Visual Map n d
hnoting Helps Your Concentrtio
a
n
Sketchnoting Taps Your Visual Language
Sketchnoting
Creating
I sis Relaxing
Is Dynamic and Fun!

LISTEN UPI 'of

The Ke9s to Listening

M9 Listening Approctch
practice Your Listening Ski IS

ErcHA
P OE
torlive

c
Resectech

Gather Materialis
Arrive 41,9
Cr'eate G .
SketchnoteTit/
Photograph
Scan, Tune er Post

Anatomy fa Sketchnote
to Pinish
A Sketchnote from Start

56

SKETCH4OT
mo. APPROACHES,
1HIE RCHY, AND
PERSONALIZATION122
NG
te

PES
OF

ge
atti
me
s k 0
e t
c h
n o
t i
n 9

t I n k A proach
E I C I H N O T E S 8 Two-stage
Sketchnoting
Two-stage
Penc
Style Plus Thinking
Two-stage Rough to Refined Approach
Structure, Then Style!
Creatiny a Hierarchy
The Art & Structure Scale
PerSOnaliZO,tiOrt
Sketchnotiny Patterns
Commentary
Linear
Humor
Radial
Whims
Vertical
Path
Modular
Skyscraper
Popcorn

Patterns Are Startin g Pointsy

KILLStelt
TEClitgliQUES
SOT
COWING
Sias &Techniques of u A
i
c
StetentS D r a n
t
5 Basic elements EXerCiSe
ht r a t t i n g PeOpte
e Drawing People exercise
5 Praying faces
e tordOing f aces exercise
s Drominglype
n Drawing 'Type exercise
l Penmanship
e Drawing Visuat elements
t .130,11aavistwayubrar9
EXerelSe
Visual Ubrox
s
Drawing Metaphor
loots for SI(etchnoting

INT OEY ' T O N

\

IT WAS THE WINTER Of 2006 AND I COULDN'T TAKE I I

I- was done. Fed up. I vowed not to take another note with a mechanical pencil or
ANYMORE.
with a giant notebook until I'd found a better way to take notes.
Thinking back, I'm not sure how note taking had become such a burden. In high
school and college, I enjoyed expressing ideas visualltieasily blending words

with drawings, diagrams, cknd typography in my notebooks.

Somewhere in the process of growing up and getting ajob, I lost my way. The
relaxed, visual note-taking approach from my college days had morphed into
a fanatically detailed, text-only death march. Ironically, I became a great note
taker who couldn't stand taking notes.
The solution to my note-taking problem was a blank pocket Moleskine, stacked
neatly on my bookshelf. I'd bought it on Ck whim (A few months before and I realized
t h a t its small size, paired with an unerasabte pen, could be a perfect way to
challenge my overly detailed, note-taking mind-set.
In January 2007, I brought my Moleskine and a gel pen to Chicago f o r a
conference to try sketchnoting. Could I take fewer but better notes? If I focused
on quality, could I live with seeing my mistakes in pen? Would adding drawings to
my notes bring back my joy of note taking? Could taking notes become fun again?
The answer to these questions wcks a resounding yes! As I captured my f i r s t
sketchnotes, I was able to stow down and listen f o r big ideas. I loved the
no-turning-back attitude of using a pen. Best of all, I had ck great time taking
notes again.
Ever since that mind-altering experience, I've been working hard through my
Wog, The Sketchnote Army, and at live presentations and workshops to share my
passion for sketchnoting. I take great pleasure in talking (About why sketchnoting
enables you to take better notes, explaining how to create sketchnotes, and
persuading people to give sketchnoting a try. This passion f o r sketchnoting is

xii

what drove me to spend hundreds of hours writing, illustrating, and designing this
book. I want you to enjoy taking notes as much as I do, and I hope that by the end
of this book you will.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

Whether you believe you can or can't draw, I'm here to tell you that anyone who
can make marks on paper can benefit from this book. Sketchnotes Ckre about
hearing and capturing meaningful ideas, not how well you draw_
Take it from me, you can create sketchnotes In this book, I will show you how to
draw simple objects, create custom lettering, and use other hand-drawn elements
to help you express your thoughts visually. Even if you can't draw a straight line,
you can learn to sketchnote with a little practice.

cfrifoos3ANG? Use Pyiptc,p(es

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WHAT IS THE SKETCHNOTE HANDBOOK?

The Sketchnote Handbook is a simple, ViStAat Manua( designed to teach you basic
sketchnoting concepts, ckpproaches, and techniques quickty, so you can s t a r t
creating sketchnotes ilinkYlediCkte19
Each page of this book has been lovingly hand-sketched to show you how much
fun it is to learn from notes that incorporate pictures and words equally. Rather
thool write a lot of words ckbout sketchnoting, I decided that if I was going to talk
the talk, I'd better walk the walk (or, nlaybe, sketch the sketch?). So, I created the
entire book as one, long, funhopefully inspiringitlustration.

gi CI T E P h T T E

ASLL___grogb
(
1
Hike to oso W h o m e
0
to find photos of t h :
for rviere
cspeaker
.
7
oft mg title page.
1
, A compfoted title r o o d g to go.
, 1
7 / ONCE I'VE SETTLED IN,1checkthe topic aandthe
speal,er's name, verif g spellings and sometimes
7
4 find a photo on o f phone to create avisuallg
m interesting title page f or the speak.er or the topic.
1
,
complete my title before the
0
speaker begins, so I can focus
0
on the talk rather than rushing
to create a title at the start
4
of the presentation

The Sketchnote Handbook Chapter 4

X
I
V

SKETCHNOT
the tall< begins,
EWhen
listen, sgnthesize the
Ideas h e a r i n g a n
s t a r t drawing w h '
about as
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W h e n I'm done s e t c h r i c o t i n g ,
I shoot photos of
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and
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v1HING

THE SKETCHNOTE COMMUNITY

Of course, I'm not the only person in the world who sketchnotes. I'm amazed and
energized by the wide variety of people all over the world who create and actively
share their sketchnotes. I love the sense of community that has sprung up around
this process, and I've made a great many friends through sharing and discussing
sketchnotes online and at conferences.
I invited IS of these friendsleading sketchnoters from around the worldto
each create a two-page spread for this book that shares a bit about who they are,
how they came to sketchnoting, and a tip or two to help you take better notes.
What I hope you'll notice from looking at their work at the end of each cho,pter
is that everyone sees the world differently; everyone processes information
d i ff e r e n t l y ; everyone has their own, unique style, and that's part of what makes
sketchnoting so much fun! There's no right way Or wrong wcty to do it.
I will teckch you the basic principles of sketchnoting, but the reo,ljoy will come
when you start creating sketchnotes and discover how taking notes can unleash
your creativity and make paying attention, even at the most boring meetings,
something you look forward to doing.

REACH OUT
As you learn from this book, I encourage you to share your own sketchnotes
At The Sketchnote Handbook Flickr group (www-flickr-comigroupst
thesketchnotehandbook)- I plan on hanging out there a lot, and I'd love to see
how you've taken this process and made it your own.
You can view more of my work and contact me through my personal website at
rohdesign-com or on Twitter at twitter.comirohdesign. I look forward to hearing
what you think of the book and learning about your sketchnoting experiences.

IT'S Til : . TO GET STI'

LET'S
,11 tAJ TAKE SOIL.,. l i '
, : D . 6 R i
J, O T E S I
,,/z)
A
W
.

CHAPTER1

hatare

SKeCH TES?

SitElreffHOISS ARE NCH VISUAL

MoTES eRSINTED FilloMA MIX oF
11
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SKETCHNOTES WERE BO

44, L, 6,

pt

W A S M U S T , T E D by the highly detaited, text-only

notes I was taking at conferences and in meetings.
The stress escalated as I worked hard to capture

IARG!

every last detail in very large, lined

notebooks. Worse, I never looked
at my notes after their completion.

THIS!

A PENCIL
/was so worried about - - - - 1
making mistakes, I took
hly notes in pencil, so
I could erase any errors.

A LARGE, LINED
NOTEBOOK
Because I tried to
capture every
detail, I needed large
pages t o store all
o f that information.

eci ectelo

GIVE UP
T
and

S metalling

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CHALLENGED MYSELF
to write and draw notes more

1 erat
waseitzloyliNeitlis
P
2 b
0

THIS NEW WAY OF NOTE TAKING)

F
a

U
a

N 0'

I was able to focus on the BIGGER PICTURE,

expressing CONCEPTS with drawings, type, and text.

ATUELJ..S1

i_ta dwril
6456r r
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lorn
15
tl

* I CoINEDaNA E *
ivr THISPROCESS:

5Ket'

SKETCHNOTES AREN'T DRY AND

DETAILED BUT ARE Simple and Clear.

personality
WAS BAKED INTO MY SKETCHNOTES
LIKE CHOCOLATE CHIPS iN A BATCH Of

chocolatechipcookies.

SKFTrt .
'.
rs0S SUM_
,J T E
a r e

They're built from meaningful thoughts and ideas

your mind collects and squirrels away during:

TALKS 1 1PANELS

10

I
f

Experiences
1
-(
,
1
) ,

THIS VISUAL and HOLISTIC APPROACH

to note taking engages your mind so you can understand
the ideas you're hearing wilile activating your hand
to turn those ideas into concrete, VISUAL NOTES.

BECAUSE YOUR MIND AND BODY ACT TOGETHER, YOU

CAN RECALL MORE Of WHAT YOU HEAR AND DRAW.
11

SKETCHNOTERS INFUSE THEIR OWN

SKETCH

TES

ts JNALITY
o
o

c'
0
0

0 , - ,
1/4#

111
PrusF
-K
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Fromdrawing and handwriting style
tol the ideas included and how those
l
ideas
are expressed on the page.
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Cooto10
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R ere,
EACH SKETCHNOTE IS UNIQUE
EVEN THOUGH
THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES
1
Of SKETCHNOTING REMAIN THE SAME.

12

How are sketchnotes

CEATED?

SKETCHNOTES are crectted in real time while listening

to a presentation, talk, or panel discussion.
To sketch note, you listen closely to
meaningful ideas, consider what the9
mean, and then create a visual map of
them. The goal is to forgo the details and
instead listen for big ideas that resonate,
converting those ideas into visual notes
t h a t include both words and pictures.

MIL-alger JU create sketchnoJs

with pen and paper or digitally,
the approach is the same.

THE M I E S T I O N :

Canyou create
sketchnotes?
1
.
(
KIDS draw
constantly!

You were a kid once:

1bei you
-drew like crazy.

MANY PEOPLE tell me they

can't create sketchnotes
becctuse they can't draw.
YOU can draw; you just
need to awaken your
grade schoot

Ana

They doodle ideas

with ease and wilt

draw what they

imagine without

a second thought.

\ A P

1
KIDS1 VAIN
TO EXP1SS IDEAS.
They don't worry
about how perfect
(
their drawings are, as long as their

I
D

A E CONVEYED.

15

5 asic Elements

CIRCLE S Q U A R L T R I A N G L E L I N E

EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO DRAW

CAN BE CREATED WITH THESE 5 ELEMENTS.
Can gou identifg the 5 basic elements in these simple drawings?

El'

ONCEYOU REALIZE how the objects around you are made from
these 5 elements, it becomes easier to draw all sorb of things.

16

17

TI
wat
,

di0.0

dolma a m * l a m p

a n f t

. 1 0

Sketchnoies are aboui

capturing and sharing
ideas, not about art.

O f t e .

. 0

m
e

m
o
o
o
r

SKETCHI\OTES

A E WAY TO
\

kCsIN
USINO AGES I WORDS
I
Pi
/
A
T
E
o f t * ammo . o . 0

O f t ,

owe I M O

m o w o m o goo.

BAD DRAWING G O O D DRAWING

Either wa9 it's still a dog.

16

Even the roughest

drawingscanexpress
ideas effectively.
INSTEAD Of WORRYING ABOUT WHAT

YOU CAN'T DRAW,

START WITH SIMPLE ITEMS

YOU CAN D 'PAW.

The chapters that follow and lots of practice,

will help 9ou build *
your
d r a w i n g
s k i l l s
.
19

NE
IISTEP

AT A TIME.
WHEN YOU'RE STARTING
ANYTHING NEW, IT MAKES SENSE
TO TAKE IT SLOW & BUILD ON SUCCESS.

14
0:,."- %
r c4e,
s,0

t 1,%%1
0.%

-
-

3
.
0
1
4

Take the first step: Reserve a small

area in your regular notes to try
some sketchnote techniques even
if it's a drawing of the speaker.

As you experiment and try out the simple

techniques in this book, you can add more
toots to your visuat-thinking tootbox,
and as a result, add more richness
to your notes, one step at a time.

20

RECAP
got+ Regular notes were frustrating, so used
drawings to help express the big ideas.
3 Setting limitations helped me become
more deliberate with what captured.
Sketchnotes are rkh, visual notes that
act as a map of the ideas you see and hear.
0 4 Keeping an active mind and body helps you
engage and recall more detail later on.
-410 Sketchnotes let you add your own
personality, creating richer notes.
You can draw nearly anyhing using just
a square, circle, triangle, line, and dot.
Sketchnotes are about ideas, not art!
One step at a time. Build on success.
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WHY SPEW& EXTRA ErIFORT

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SKETCH NOT G EllgA( es

YouWHOLEMOND

10

THE DUAL COMO THEORY,

proposed in the 1970s by Allan Paivio,
suggests that tile brain processes information
using two primary (tunnels: verbal and visual.

VER5A11. * V I S U A L '
Concepts as words

C o n c e p t s

as inick9es
27

WHEN BOTH MODES are ACTIVE,

YOUR BRAIN CREATES AN ASSOCIATIVE
LIBRARY of WORDS and IMAGES with MENTAL
CROSS-REFERENCES BETWEEN THEM.
P G
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HOUSE

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CAR
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SKETCHNOTINe activates verbal and visual modes to

capture concepts. YOUR WHOLE BRAIN is absorbed
in hearing, synthesizing, and seizing ideas.

iLl

28

SKETCHNOTING C EATES A

AMU

.munmeamAP

When your brain codes verbal and

visual concepts together, it's also
building a visual map of what you
are hearing, seeing, and thinking.
4

ENO/WING your whole bro,in has other positive

effects, like improving your memory and remit.

29

THEVISUAL MII \ PYOU C EATE

IA

\.

Can help you recall the details of a presentation. I often recall

thoughts, feelings, and other details when viewing my sketchnotes

SXSW 2012
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evq(Vqk q6IieAk+ q5
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could be so expensive
to pursue was very
important, so I
captured it as a
bold headline to
focus my attention.

iN AN EXAMPLE STUDY, a group of 1

40
v o l u n2-minute
t e e r sphone message. 20 of the participants
a
monotonous
l i s boxes
t e white
n listening,
e d
shaded
the other 20 simply listened.
t
o

e
I
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S
30
R
R

l 2 " '9
N
U
P
I S

THE GROUP OF 20 DOODLERS l'PECALLED

% MORETHANTHENON-DOODLERS.
Source: The Guardian, Feb 26, 2001

SKETCHNOTING HELPS
c
r
u
r
C
O
N
CREATING SKETCHNOTES from the ideas you are
Cheo,ring helps focus your mina on the present moment.
E
N When your mindandbodyare
working in tandem, there is
Tlittle room left for distractions.
R
A
T

Ci)
Asyou practice
andimprove
your sketchnoting
techniques,

LISTENIN6
andD 'PAW/NO
at thesametime
will feel more

32

WHEN I SKETCHNOTE,
I'm completely engaged with what
i'm listening to and turning into

Sketchnates
The focused activity of listening, analyzing ideas,
and mapping those ideas on paper puts me

33

SKETCHNOTING T PS
_g
a
g
-ADETAILED
A SIMPLE
DESCRIPTION
DRAWING
u

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moreeffectively as drawings.

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take just a fraction of the time
neededtodescribethesame
ideain verbal detail.
o

tt's
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o
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KANSAS
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Thisis especially important

whenyou're processingideas
in real time, andideas
arecomingin fast.

35

SKETCHNOTING IS

WHENVTOOK
PLAIN OLl NOTES,
WASALWAYS

R1ED+ABOUT MISSING
IMPORTANT DETAILS.
--+-0

36

SWITCHIN6:n.2

S ETCHN TES

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points, and capture those ideas

I
j
37
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C
r
e
a
ti
n feeling I get from being
The
S
completely
connected while
k using my full verbal
eand visual thinking skills
t keepsme sketchnoting.
cSKETCHNOTING allows 9ou to relax,
in the speaker's points,
handengage
have fun turning what's in your
into visual notes you'll want to
nhead
share and refer to again and again.
o
t
e
s

Irn d
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mc

36

ECAP
W
M process concepts in verbal and visual modes.
+
D Using both modes creates cross-references,
forming a visuoil map of what you capture.
u
a Your visual map can help you recall details
l
days, montls, and even years later.
c
o
Sketchnoting improves your concentration
because when you're engaged there's little
d
room for distraction.
i
n
3 Practicing your sketchnoting technique again
g
and again helps it feel more natural.
t
h. + Sketchnoting can help you get into a zone.
e
o
0 4 Simple drawings can be quicker to create and
more effective t 'Ian detailed verbal descriptions.
r
y
s--+ Sketchnoting relaxes you; you let go of details
in favor of large ideas.
u
g
NEXT: LISTEN LIPI
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s
t

39

Lekyour

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t a l c i n

CAPTUIVNG cREATING 5KETcHotivrE5

BEGINS VOTH ACTIVE liSTENING SKolbS
AFTER ALI
D ACCUIRATsLY
0
ot u EFFECTIVE SWEICHI4QcrE5t
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your attention on the speaker.

the distractions around you.

yourself in the presentation.

\ % ,
1 6
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1
+
6

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A P P ACH

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IMMPSE My Mind
INTHEPresentation
giving my undivided attention and managing
distractions allows me to concentrate completely
on the message being shared. When I'm successful,
I'm absorbed in the ideas I'm hearing and I'm able
to synthesize them and process the
information on paper.

CACHEIdeas
Through practice I've learned
to hold an idea in my brain's
cache area a temporary 0
space
where I store thoughts \
I , -/
1 - listening for the next idea. - - - - - 4 , '
/while
;---0
I sometimes use my cache and
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0
on paper to help identify
connections between ideas. %
0
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d

LIZ

d o
h o
bl o 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 4

EC 6NIZE Patterns
When I'm listening actively, I can often pick up
patterns in a speaker's presentation. Listening
for patterns helps me illustrate those patterns
in my sketchnotes, like these:

e3 P I N T

SE M N
I ,

3 clear, logical steps

much like a sermon.

MEANDE IN
STOieYTEILLIN6
3 seemingly unrelated
stories t h a t connect
a t the end o f a
presentation.

I \-/'

P Acta y
LISTENING SKILLS!
our
LISTENING SKILLS
STRENGTHEN WITH USE.
Find opportunities to apply these listening
techniques at meetings and conferences, and
while watching video presentations online.

Asyou train your ears and mind,

your ability to listen and to capture
ideas will keepimproving.

50

ECAP
-Raring
1111
curate information.
*
C
a+ When you listen actively, your mind can
spot patterns and cache ideas.
p
t0 4 Give your undivided attention.
u
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n
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s
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t
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h
at every opportunity.
n
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NEXT: THE SKETCHNOTING PROCESS
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A n n YEARt oF RIPER IENCE

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THAT WoRKS WELL FOR
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CREATE A pRocESSAIR gm%
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56

E E A E THESTEPS FOLLOW
WHEN SKETCHNOTING EVENTS:
I.

iPads are great tools for

research before and at
an event.

Before I arrive onsite,

I research the event,
the speakers, and
the topic.

RESEARCH
GIVES ME
INSIGHT
and confidence,
especial(9 when
sketchnoting
People or ideas that
I'm new to.

S
as
as anbackup addition
o
to printed pages
i
illy
electronic
research
tools.
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6. . . . t o . '
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57

GAME MATE IALS

GATHERING KEY MATERIALS

before arriving at an event is critical.
I like to bring two or three Moleskine
sketchbooks; multiple pens; and rel9
iPhone to access photos and research
motterials, and to act as a flashlight
in a pinch. A book light is useful if
the venue is dark.

ALWAYS BRING BACKUPS

You never know when a pen might
run out of ink or a sketchbook
might get damaged. Bring
spares along to be safe.

58

500
1d
ig
h

A f e w years ago, I was a t

an event in Chicago when
my sketchbook literally
came apart at the SEAM&
Now!always carry at least
one spare sketchbook,
j u s t in case.

A OVE EA LY
I arrive at a presentation eart9 and scout out the
best seating. Spots underneath lights and ctose
to the front attow me to hear and see the speaker.

SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF A ROW can reduce

anno9ances or disruptions if others are coming in
late or leaving eart9.

Seek out a light source.

Choose a middle seat.

1
59

CEATE A TITLE

A completed title page, ready to go.

I like to use my iPhone

to find photos o f the
speaker f o r reference
on my title page.

ONCE I'VE SETTLED IINI, I check the topic and the

speaker's name, verif9 spellings, and sometimes
find a photo on vn9 phone to crectte visual19
interesting title page for the speckker or the topic.
Mt

complete my title iuldfore the

speaker begins, so I can focus
on the talk rather than rushing
to create a title at the start
of the presentation.
60

9c

7 T E

When the talk begins,

I listen, synthesize the
ideas I'm hearing, and
start drawing what I'm
thinking about as
sketchnotes in m9
sketchbook.

ATIRM6
THATYOU D R u f r e s
DO -->iftwd,
77
' 176
ei
E
w oR
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1A "
E E qs
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"(f 1
,
k
5rE r
P
1al A

r
A completed sketchnote.
"- t
"
'f t
r
".N o
, oy ?
, 3
'
T
When I'm done sketchnoting,
1
A

I shoot photos of m9
I I
sketchnotes. This is
N

PHInT

a great way to
immediately share
what you've
created via social
medict, and photos
serve as a good
backup of your
sketchnotes

I like to shoot each page

as a single image. Photos
o f single pages provide
more detail and are easy
to view on mobile devices.

J a n ' A / f U e l
e
the
M E t t n U
7-RA1
' Hfiti6
AT
15
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.? :
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e
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'

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&

C,A
When I 9et home, I scan my sketchnotes at high resolution, ackius
$
t he contrast, and fix any typos or errors in Photoshop Final
scans are exported to PNG formatted files for sharing online.
T
U
use the same

PN6 files of my
sketchnote scans
E
to create a
P
letter-sized,
printable PDF
S
document.
T
10

US6 powered scanner

Sketchnotes scanned and

62

assembled as a P O F d o c p ,
erit

CONFE ENCE ORGANIZE

share sketchnotes to promote their upcoming
events to potential attendees because they
capture the event simply and visually.
Organizers often
like to give away
copies of the
sketchnotes as
PDF documents or
printed booklets to
their attendees.
These after-event
documents work

SUMMIT
BASECAMP

well as hand9
offline references.
This created
printed as
bookiet___"!
was
a
g i f t for the attendees
Of SUkritilit Basecamp
by the organizers.
Booklets can also work
grectt as a promotional
item f o r the organizers.

swicHturrEs
out INSPIRATION
coirfovot
scopkw V A L I . " CA
JAN27-30,2
01
2

N G

e
t
C
4i0 z i N3
1114- 1
4

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Ti f f r r w y Shlefiti
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se 6611z4ez
N
8
4
o
P
f

frITE
ANATC"" i c
I've created a map of sketchnote elements from an existing
Jsketchnote
so you can see and better understand each element.
*TITLES
Titles are ideal for
defining sketchnotes
They can include an
event name, speaker
names, date, location,
and topic. Multiple
talks at the same
event can follow a
consistent design
for unity, or each
speaker's title can
be fun and unique.

uel
l
e
,r476
wRETH'IN1a
s tfiemEDilum
k
e
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a
IERB
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OPI
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TRANS LAM lz. LAI?) 7 / 1 2./20 1 a
* . or*
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o

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ilOU

Hovoto

ft

TAKE TIME TO
CREATE A TITLE
BEFORE YOU
M N YOUR
SKETCHNOTES.

D R u l m s

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*TYPOS APHY
Typography is usefut to emphasize ideas, create a
hierarchy and structure, and even estctbtish a mood.

65

* D I M M S & D WINGS
Diagrams and drawings make for more interesting elements.
A few pen strokes can illustrate complex ideas quickly.

66

13:GtMiv(NG M 1 D D L _ V
1 1
)

ELSMEFTSofASTORY

67

*HANDW M I 6
Handwriting is helpful for adding a detailed description
if a diagram or information is needed.

*DIVIDERS
Dividers like rules, dotted lines, and so on can help sepctrate
ideas from ectch other visually, creating order and structure.

68

*AR OWS
Arrows point out detaits and Can help focus attention on
specific drawings, t9pograph9, or text, and the9 can provide
a connection between multipte ideas.

SANrarAactsA
plovvk t bkcig)eyvv)
Sitte
...Ape+
w t coupe'
B- o a ' s Nei tsk)
BoOSet4b6Yrit
rtt

*BULLETS
Bullets are useful for identifying a series of ideas or highlighting
a single idea among drawings or text. Different types of bultet
icons can further define ideas.

-hrikt/
flo-ra
.
REsi
sTEe,c6144-4040(
5,c01
-* Pt411-1
4 4 P5- Flerad5170W1
I
N
* O N P E R S TA N D C O N T
1 (
* L O O K A T 11 - 1
A PFArc
f- E N
r f a T .

* i-teA c) Li NE + e o i

*ICONS
Icons are handy to use throughout a sketchnote document
to identify ideas visually as repeating elements.

70

*CONTAINE

10)
I

Containers connect various elehients together in a single

grouping to represent an overall idea or topic.

*SIGNATURES
Signatures are an optional wa9 to identify sketchnotes. If you're
creating sketchnotes for your own use, no signature is required.

71

sketchshort
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SKETCHN sTE

frr retpyr rNir,H1

To help 9ou see the progression of a sketchnote from s t a r t to finish,

I've labeled each section with a number and provided a brief
a e s c r i p t o n to show wh9 cknd in which order each area was drawn.
The title creation was done before the event, using Ck photo of
t h e speaker, Jon Mueller, on m9 iPhone.
For the f i r s t idea, I captured "A THING THAT YOU DO."
Jon talked about a snare drum, so m9 f i r s t drawing was of a drum.
Here I've f i t t e d "DRUMS WERE MY THING" into this snug space
on the right side of the snare drum drawing.
An arrow points to another idea lower on the page.
I added a "DO MY OWN THING" concept in the lower-right area.
Here I emphasized the idea of snare drums being verboten.

/
W
i
t
h
t

radial pattern to organize the talk information.

I'll talk about sketchnote patterns in Chapter 5.

73

ft.

VIBRAMtiq 5 SgUNOS
THWUGH So

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, M E

SKETCHN tIE
from STIVT to FINISH
Here Iadded a drawing of Jon's drum setup as I pictured it
in M y mind's eye. I added the titte after drawing the image.
This description of Jon's approach to sending sounds
through snare drums was key to the presentation, so I
gave it focus with large, ALL CAPS typography.
I used a separator to create a break between the top and bottom.
Jon mentioned driving to Boston, creating a record, and
touring the country, so I added it just below the separator.
Here's another sepctrator using dashed lines.
To wrap up my sketchnotes, I used bold type to
to emphasize the speaker's final thought.

On the second page of my sketchnotes, I used

a linear pattern for the information with heavier
emphasis on drawings and typography.

75

Wsketchgttort

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A NE A
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Being prepared helps you relax
when the time comes to listen,
cacheideas, and draw them.

78

ECAP
-c
1

0 4 Use my process as a starting point, and

make it your own.
Research speakers and topics to gain
insight and confidence.
1$11
+ you're sketchnoting.
B
early, scout your location, and use the
a Arrive
extra time to create a title before the event.
c
k Photograph your sketchnotes right after
ar+
u event to share them, and to have a backup.
p
0s 4 Shared sketchnotes are great resources for
a attendees and work well as PR tools.
r
e The anatomy of a sketchnote includes the
k title, typography, diagrams & drawings,
handwriting, dividers, arrows, bullets, icons,
e containers, and signatures.
y
t
NEXT: TYPES OF SKETCHNOTES
o
b
e
i
n

79

AiRoCILAT 1
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SkEircHNOTES AREA BLEND

91! PERSONAL STyLE AND
THE IDEAS YOU HEAR/

AmALYzE
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P.r PLUS 17
Sketchnotes are beautiful because of their vctriety and personality.
Each sketchnote
is created in a distinct, individual style, reflecting
the person who creates it.
BUT MO
11tki
than Just style,
sketchnotes reveal
,
the thinking processes
of their creator.

Sketchnotes convey
what the person is
_
K
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1
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, T H I N K S .
J
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85

P=' Prl'
You may notice that many of the sketchnotes in this book are
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with years of visual experience, have created them.
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IF4YOU'RE
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4
discourage
you. Instead, look to them f o r inspiration and idecks,
4 " '
and
, keep in mind that you're Just starting as a sketchnoter.
4 L
Whatever
your skill level, be happy with where you are. Create
L K
sketchnotes and have fun, and work to improve your skills.

AFr

STIRWIJR7

A helpful way to keep your current skills in perspective is to

view sketchnotes the,t progress across a continuum:

SIMPLE G O O D
ARTWORK A l l T W O R K

FANCY
ARTWORK

GOOD G O O D
GOOD
STRUCTU E STRUCTURE STRUCTURE

ALWAYS GOOD SIN( R E

REGA'sDLESS of ART QUALITY.
87

AT ONE END OF THE SCALE

you'll see ideas represented as rough drawings
by regular people. Even using simple drawings,
these sketch notes use structure to capture
ideas effectively on the page.

AT THE M I END
you'll see beautiful illustrations created by experienced
professionals. Although the art mcky be more refined,
the key to a sketchnote is a logical organization that
makes sense and captures the ideas.

88

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AND TANCY it Ias the

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89

SKETCHN

P TTE S

In the last five years I've reviewed many sketchnotes

and have found that most fall into a few patterns:

LINEAR

RADIAL

VERTICAL

pr
PATH

MODULAR

POPCORN

90

SKYSCRAPER

Fottowing the pattern of a printed book, the linear

sketchnote format shows information dimonall9
from the top left to the bottom right of a page or
spread of two pages.

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THE M E M PATTERN is what I typically use for My

sketchnotes for two reasons: I like the stor9-like, linear
two-page
spreads I use in hardcover sketchbooks.
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SKETCHNOTING in a linear pattern frees you to use as

many pages (As needed to capture ideas. It's atso easy to
read, because it foltows standard book structure that's
been used for hundreds of years.

JUS DON'T U N OUT a PAOr

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93

HOWEVER, the rigid ftow of linear sketchnotes cctn limit

la9out options, whereas the free-form radiat sketchnote
pattern, discussed next, provides more ftexibility

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o f a bicycle wheel with the hub at the center and
spokes radiating outward.
The center of IR radial sketchnote may feature
t h e name and drooming of the speaker or speakers
who are presenting idects, or the central topic.

t
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95

A R A D I A L SKETCHNOTE doesn't have to be a perfect circle,

and the hub doesn't need to be in the center of the page. This
pattern can appear as an organic shape and still follow a
hub-and-spoke structure.

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96

THIS f D I A L SKETCHNOTE FEATURES THE SPEAKER'S

NAME AND TALK TITLE AT THE TOP-LEFT CORNER.
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THIS S K E T C H N O T E EMPHASIZES THE

CONFEI. ENCE NAME AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.
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Because all of the spokes are connected to the central hub,

clockwise, counterctockwise, or random patterns can work well
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Ach, d o t e s can
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99

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USING A PATH PATTE 1

event
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information you're sketchnoting is more extensive than
you've planned for, you may run out of room.
105

1111._

M
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A MODULAR PATTERN can work well if your goat is

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The skyscraper pattern is similar to the modular
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of information.

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This pattern can work great for panel discussions where

multiple people are speaking at different times.

TO CREATE A SKYSC 11 PER SKETCHNOTE,

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110

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capturing information and less emphctsis on ptckcing it in a
specific location. This approach can focus your mind on seizing
ideas without worrying so much about their ptacement.

io 'NEVER, THE RANDOM ARRANGEMENT OF THE

FREEFORM POPCORN PATTERN CAN MAKE YOUR
SKETCHNOTE MORE DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW BECAUSE
OF THE HAPHAZARD PLACEMENT OF INFORMATION.

115

ELI
The patterns I've described are just some of
the main ways you can structure your sketchnotes.
Theseseven are starting points to help
kick-start your sketchnoting skills.
ACH PAM" F I N ! '
YOUR tt, ' T E S AND TO , P A R T I L A A R
5ITUA7IL,41.5. EXPERIMEN M I X , MATCH,
AND DEVELOP YOU" OVIAI PATTERNS.

116

ECAP
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0 4 Sketchnotes blend style and ilinking,

expressing the creator's personality.
+ I f you're not an artist, use professionally
illustrated sketchnotes as a model to inspire
your own sketchnotes.
111
4 regardless of your artistic skills.
A
* Even if you're just starting to draw, you
l
can make great skeichnotes with simple
w drawings and a good framework.
a
+
y The seven common sketchnoting patterns
s are Linear, Radial, Vertical, Path, Modular,
s Skyscraper, and Popcorn.
-k- ) Each pattern has benefits and drawbacks.
e Try each one to learn how different
i
patterns work in different situations.
c
- NEXT: SKETCHNOTINGAPPROACHES,
m HIERARCHY, AND PERSONALIZATION
o
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117

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SKETCHNOTING

AP A C IES,

H
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STREMTURE Yowl wonic
AND MARE DT YOUR OWN

122

THEREARE TWO DIFFERENT

APIPPPOACHESTO CAPTURING
SKETCHNOTES,

REAL-TVNit
SKETCHNnirES

WO-STA61
SKETCHN

BOTHAPPROACHES
emphasize the use of visual elements
and stress the imporEance of baking
personality into your sketchnotes.

123

(
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EA! TIME S ETCH T I N G

I, and many other sketch noters, create sketchnotes live and in
reat time. When I
into
the speaker, listening for big ideas, and s9nthesizing n d
/
converting
I'm hearing into visuat notes.
w o r k i what
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SKETCHNOTING LIVE IS LIKE TAKING NOTES
i
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Working in
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8 1111111181111111111E

REAL-TIME SKETCHNOTING

KEEP

is not cks hard as it may sound.

It does mean you must be engaged
N A N in the presentation to
decide what key information
is worth capturing and what isn't.

TOSS

LIVE SKETCHNOTING IS A Pit,ACTICE

THAT IMP
'THE MORE YOU DO IT, THE BETTER
LISTENING SKILLS,
O V YOUR
E
S PATTEIPAI RECOGNITION, AND
DRAWING SKILLS WILL GET.
W I
T H
R E

125

THEBIGGEST BENEFIT
Of LIVE SKETCHNOTING

when event

IS D NE,

YOU

4
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126

Erna

4F71
Some sketchnoters use-the second approach and
create their notes in two stages capturing
rough sketchnotes firstC
andhthen
I enhancing or
re-creating them at a later time.
NOT
1
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This0first variation of the two-stage approach to
sketchnoting
begins with real-time sketchnotes
captured
in pencil instead of ink.
S
At aTlater time, the sketchnoter inks over the
A pencil lines, fine-tuning them and adding
original
detail.
6 This is 6k good time to add color with
markers,
pencil, or paint.
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WITH THE PENCiL TO INK APPROACH,

you're working through your idects twice, which means
they are reinforced in your memory.
You're still capturing notes in real time, but you have
the additional task of inking every pencit line again to
complete your sketchnotes

PENCILli41 2 ETCHNOTES
MAY LET YOU COte/atECTE S
BUT IT CANALSO TAKE
g
TWICEAS MUCH TIME
AS CiglATIN6
INKED SKETCHNOTES.

128

Alexis Finch Radiolob Penciled Sketchnote

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129

r-r
- of the two-stage sketchnoting
A second variation
approach uses rough
notes of text and visuod elements,
"
which are redrawn as final sketchnotes at a later time.
1
This approach puts
5 less evrtphasis on Making perfect
sketchnotes on the spot. For some, this tYta9 be a good
1
wa9 to ease into sketchnoting.
Rou1ghmot
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esO
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R
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YOU ARE PROCESSIINIG NOTES TWICE, which ma9
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help 9our comprehension.
However, like the pencit to ink
O
method, this approach
will likely take twice as much time
as creating reo,t-time,
inked sketchnotes.
A
C
REAL-TIME SKETCHNOTING
H
TWO-STAGE SKETCHNOTING

0
130

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Vki14 et 1 prsli

IT'S OK TO EXPERIMENT with two-stage sketchnoting if

you're concerned\ about mistakes or you want to explore
sketchnoting at aL slower pace. But don't get stuck there.
e
Real-time sketchnoting
with ink is easier than you may think.
"
A
V
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131

HOWEVER YOU
CREATESKETCHNOTES,

remember:

IT'S AN ACTIVE
P CT10E
SKETCHNOTIN6
IS SOMETHIN6

ti D
132

E TING A1111E1-
When you create sketch notes, one of your key tasks
,
Is to construct a logical hierarchy of information.
Defining
a hierarchy helps you, otnd others reading
,i
9our sketchnotes, to understand the importance
of the- information you've captured.
01lf

SPEAKER NAME
and topic name set
the overall context.
HEADLINES
describe the broad
subtopics.
SUBHEADS
add detail to the
headline's meaning.
DESCRIPTIVETEXT
adds more detait
BULLETPOINTS
separate and
define detail.

E AM; E
The Subhead
vtoti level
kierayttly

istrt

*Bulk+ roiviir ewe

* Sub14t4to vticter

*The 0
(eccr
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4 e
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HIERARCHY IN ACTION

I use a variety of etements to indicate which bits of

information are key points in a sketchnote hierarchy.
The top level in the
hierarchy is the speaker's
name and title.

The drawing o f a couch

emphasizes point no.
Descriptive text
establishes the talk.

AndySianiey

Numbering o f the points

o ff e r s a clear hierarchy.

Tet ReF g u e . s
-rtoNts!

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134

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1Fp. n

F I A

To help guide the reader's ese through the ftow of

sour sketchnotes, here are some hands etements you
can use to emphasize hierarchs.

Bold tgpe helps

draw the e e to

important ideas.

4 U s i n g ALL CAPS is
another wag to
bring (Attention to
i m p o r t a n t ideas.

The First Concept

2. The Second Concept
c. First sub item
b. Second sub item

Numbers work welt

f o r providing a more
structured hierarchy.

4 - - Icons are great for

marking keg ideas
on t h e i r own Or in
buffeted lists.

135 , )

PEP"Au2Aerrk,
Sketchnotes are personal. When you're hearing and
processing ideas, your opinion naturally comes into ptaY

Your Personality determines

the decisions you make about
which ideas to capture and what
those ideasmean to you.
IN SIGNLANGUAGEINTERPRETING, the interpreter
is charged with staying neutral, passing along exactlY
is said by the spectker nothing more and nothing less.

,iketchnotes don't have to

beneuiral. In fact, personal
opinions expressed and
embeddedin sketchnoir
are intriguing, because
they reveal what the
sketchnote
and
r wthinking
a s during the
creation process.
h e a r
i n g
136

PERSONALIZATION TIPS
Here are a few ideas for injecting your personality
into the sketchnotes you create:

COMMENTARY
If you agree, or better yet, if you disagree
With an idea, capture your thoughts.

Opinionsembeddedin your
sketchnotescanbecomeahandy
reference for rememberingthose
thoughts later on.

137

HUMOR
If you find something that you hear funny, share
your thoughts in context with the idea. Include
humorous people, cartoon charctcters, or objects
along with your humorous comments. Have fun!

WHIMSY
Experiment with the style of type and elements you
use as you sketchnote. You might use flourished
script text and unusually shaped containers or
icons; pla9 with graphical elements like swirls,
lines, or stars to emphasize ideas.

OL002%0A

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0
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138

ursl
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LOVE THE HUMOROUS COMMENTS AND

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March
Erin M.1-lawhins Dous

Mike Rohde SXSW Intet-4ctive 2008

NO

ECAP
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0 4 Real-time sketchnoting focuses on capturing

the big, relevant ideas you hear.
--.) Two-stage sketchnoting combines notes
that are captured in a rough form first, and
are either refined or re-created later on.
am* Sketchnoting is founded on traditional note
taking, but adds more detail through type,
drawings, and other visual elements.
+ Practice and repetition improve your
real-time sketchnoting skills.
----) Use hierarchy and personalization to make
sketchnotes unique and interesting.
Tara* Skeichnotes don't have to be neutral.
Opinion, humor, and whimsy are great
ways to personalize your sketchnotes.
NEXT: SKETCHNOTIN6 SKILLS
AND TECHNIQUES

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CHAPTER 7
0

SKETCHNOTIINIG

SK
and
ITEN NIQ ES
L
L
S

V i e l l M m a c z m i n a l l = = = g m r Vintmottiottasomm

IT'S TIME TO BUILD YOUR

VISUAL NOTE TAKING TOOLBOX,'

146

LEANED:

SC / 4 )
1EdWhat
1 ( sketchnotes are

E4Why you should create them

Ell How to create sketchnotes
El How to personalize sketchnotes

SKILI H LJVQUES
in this chapter, you'll learn:
i+ How to draw using the five bask shapes
How to draw people simply and quickly
How to draw faces and expressions
4 How to create four different typefaces
4 How to improve your penmanship
4. How to draw various visual elements
4 How to build your mind's visual library
4 Which tools to use for sketchnoting
Tips for sharing your sketchnotes

147

ems
11
7
1
1
11

BEFORE YOU LEARN TO DRAW VISUAL ELEMENTS

remember that sketchnotes are about capturing and sharing
ideas, not art. Even bad drawings Can convey good ideas.

If you're not an artist

or feel you can't draw well,

The foltowing exercises are designed to help you start

stowly and build on your successes. You cotn do it!

148

* DRAW ALMOST ANYTHIN6

WITHTHESE 5 ELEMENTS.

THAT'S RIGHT! You can draw pretty much anything you

can imagine with just five basic drawing elements

TheFIVE BkAC
1
L

A 1 4

THIS SIMPLER WAY of creating images is often a

relief for non-artists who want to add drawings to
their sketchnotes but think they can't draw.

150

FOR THE IDEA-FOCUSED DRAWINGS you want add

to to sketchnotes, drawing complex ideas by building
them with simple squctres, triangles, circles, lines, and dots
is a handy technique. Can you spot the five elements in
each of the following figures?

House

1
Pencil

Earth

Ca
t

Car

iPhone

Factorg

Laptop

Satetlite

Radio

TV

Dog

Lightsaber

Robot

151

1
. te,
.ATOE
IP)flATE:

THAN
,

museum q ;u
a l i/4
t\Ti NS;
ILL
UST"
y

focus INSTEAD on

QUICKLY C
SIMPLE
D'eAWINGS
P
ofTthe
IDEAS
'EA
IN
IN YOLP HEAD
6 usingthe 5 basicelements.

152

M P I ' T I V
7
5 FANCY ILLUSTRATIONS
E 1 r
I T E
M S

5 SIMPLE DRAWINGS

Woman

11
Laptop

Lapt
op
Tree

Pie Chart

Pie C h
ar
t

o
Book

Book
Simple drawings by Mike Rohde
Fancy illustrations by Greg Newman

FANCYILLUSTRATIONS AND SIMPLE DRAWINGS

conve9 the same ideas, but simpler drawings are quicker to create.
Whert 9c:wire working live, speed and effectiveness are critical.
153

IFPIE BASIC ELEMENTS Err"iSr

Now it's time for you to draw! In the grid below, use the five basic
elementssquare, circle, triangle, line, and dotto create drawings
of each word in the grid. If you get stuck, skip to the next word.
CAR

CLOCK

BOOK

LAPTOP

COFFEE M U G

B O AT

IGLOO

C AT

DOG

TRUCK

TRAIN

TRACTOR

LIGHTBULB

EARTH

S AT U R N

M O U N TA I N

TREE

HAMMER

WRENCH

HOUSE

15
1

FISH

BIRD

BUG

ROBOT

FLASHLIGHT

CAMERA

SUBMARINE

SANDWICH

HEADPHONES

MILK J U G

B AT T E R Y

TV

DVD

TV R E M O T E

M I N I VA N

BIKE

BASEBALL CAP

T- S H I RT

SHOES

TRASH C A N

HAMBURGER

PEN

PENCIL

W AT C H

155

D W I N S PEOPLE
Drawing people quickly is a great skill to learn. There are Virta119
WayS to draw people s h o w you the two quickest ways-

THE STAR METHOD

This method is used by professional graphic recorders
f o r its speed and simplicity. Follow these four easy steps:

Draw the head

Draw a star-shaped body

11 4
1 4
4
0 Complete the body
4
3
Add faces, hair, clothes, etc.

156

THE6111'(,8 If METHOD
Dave Gray taught we another way of drawing people using a
rectangle, an oval, and several lines. I love this way of drawing
people because it's quick and attows for embellishment if I have
extra time. Fottow these six easy steps:

Draw a Body
Start by drawing the person's body as
a rectangle, which can be straight up
and down for a format pose or at any
angle for an active pose. The position
of this rectangle sets much of the
body's attitude and direction.

Draw a Neck
Next, draw a neck as a line at the top
of the rectangle. keep the neck short.

Draw a Head
Draw a head as a circle or an oval at
the top of the neck line. Make sure
there is enough room inside the head
f o r a face.

156

Draw Legs
Using lines, add legs to the
body because legs suggest the
body's gesture more ctearty
than arms. Bend the legs at the
knees as needed. Use simple
lines for the feet.

Draw Arms
Next, draw arms in relation to
the rest of the body, bending
at the elbows. A simple line
works welt for hands.

Draw a face
Finally, use simple lines and
dots to draw eyes, a nose, and
a mouth. For the nose, a simple
line works welt and can be
pointed in the direction your
person is looking.

Have fun adding more detckits

to your person once the basic
structure has been created.

159

PrOPLE E r
In the grid below,
- use the Gra9 Method to draw people. I've w r i t t e n
some suggestions in the open grids to challenge 9ou a bit. Tr9 adding
clothes, shoes, hats,
I n cand
i sother
e details have fun!
S TA N D I N G

RUNNING

'Ilk

WALKING

160

JUMPING

SITTING

ON T H E P H O N E

DAD & SON WALKING

B A C K PA C K E R

READING A BOOK

T E N N I S P L AY E R

KUNG FU M A S T E R

M A S T E RR C H E F

DANCING

161

p r i A l p r N r t a : \ fr47(12%
My friend Austin Kleon has a way of drawing faces using a few
straight and curved lines for eyebrows and mouths, a triangular
nose, and dots for eyes. Using these etements in a bingo grid, you
can quickly create nine different facial expressions:

EYEBROWS
m

,..........

\,-I

\._.J

'...\*

m.\ .

ft....0
1

162

.
\

c
N

. . , 0
/

f t . . . 1

f
.
.
"
.
\

t'
"
N__\

.\

f
.
.
'
N
,..\

IRAININC FACES Er :IcV

Now it's your turn to create faces using Austin's approach:
Moimmeigodomet

0.
,
m
,
a
0
n
ot
o
o
m
e
r
n
el
m
a

Next, try thokt same technique on some blank faces:

163

"''M

Exercise

Now it's time to create more faces. I've provided a few eye
and mouth options, but feet free to make up your own.
EYES
elt1/4 e g N ;

BIFF

TEX

BOB

164

MOUTHS
A y % 'Cr>

BUFFY

MOZZY

FRED

BIANCA

FRANKIE

M A I THE
FACIAL
EXPESSIONS
CAN YOU
CtsEATE?

Pawing
TYPE

TYPE

TY
rrnIVPA
165

tu W I N G TYPE
A great way to immediately improve your plain text notes is to
emphasize words with hand-drawn typography. In fact, you can
create bolder or larger letterforms by hand in four easy ways:

SINGLE-LINE LETTERING
Using a single line, these clean headlines can draw attention to
a section you'd like to emphctsize in your sketch notes.
Plus, drawing single-line lettering is easy and quick.
, 1

stsAAL.L L E T T E R I N G

L4r3e Isiffierirt9

Alt caps, small, single-line letters

are great for establishing
sections within a sketchnote.

Uppercase cknd lowercase single-line

lettering is especickltg effective when
used for headlines.

WHEN DRAWIN6 TYPE; JUST RELAX, AND

LET THE LETTERS FLOW ONTO THE PA6E.

166

When crectting single-line lettering, slow down and deliberately

create each character:

A B C D E P C - great thing about learning the single-line type method is

The
that many of these type crecttion methods are based on it.
) H I JLETTE
K LV N
TWO-LINE
By drawing two lines in parallel, you can create bolder type.
C
You can also draw the type as a single line, adding a second
line next to it

Next, you can close the ends of each

character with a small line, and then fill
in the gap with ink for bold, black letters.

DRAW V J R Liz i TERS WITH

CONFIDENCE. NEVER HURRY.

7
1
-

TRIPLE-LINE LETTERING
This bold lettering style begins with a single-lined letter, and
then two lines are added on either side of the center line.
dom.

As with two-line lettering, you can close

the ends of each character with a small
line, and then fill in the gap with ink for
very bold, black letters. - - _ _ _ _ _ _

START SIMPLE & BUILD UP

Using the single-line lettering method allows you to quickly

convert your letters to two- or triple-line lettering, simply
by adding more lines, even at a later time.
, 3 1 6 0 0 1 0 1111 0 1 - - - - -

( Alt three of these lettering methods start the same wag.

168

BLOCK LETTERING
The block lettering approach requires a little more practice,
skill, and time. When used properly, block lettering is a nice
way to create a strong impression. Block lettering works well
on title pages or when you want to emphasize a key point.

.0110111111

Regutar btock
lettering

Drop shadow
added
f

B
i

o
l

c
l

k
e

lettering
in

WITH ALL of these hand-drawn lettering approaches, you

may need to start the first few letters and leave the rest for
later. This is fine just remember to finish the words
you've started drawing when the sketchnote is completed.

SPEEDY
OAEADO- ..... i
Started but incomplete

SPEEDY
N O N E
Cornpteted at a later time

169

ea

m\WIINI6 TYPE Exerre

Practicing hand-lettering techniques will help you quickly create
type for your sketchnotes in a meeting. Use these pages to practice
creating single-line, two-line, triple-line, and block lettering.
SINGLE-LINE LETTERING:

ABC abc

TWO-LINE LETTERING:

A
P
3
C
a
b
L

170

TRIPLE-LINE LETTERING:

A C wiDc

BLOCK L E T T E R I N G :

ET
171

PEN
IS MIGHT1E
ummorl

Although large typographic elements work great for highlighting

sections and ideas, you'll still need legible handwriting to capture
detctited idects in your sketchnotes.
10 YEARS AGO i wrote only in ALL CAPS block letters after
abo,ndoning lowercase handwriting. It took me months of
practicing lowercase letter writing to get comfortable with it
again. So, if your handwriting is rough and illegible, you Can
change it! Just take it slow and keep working on it.

ALL cips LETTERING I - 0 + s of protc

WAS
T H e NoRNA k e t R o o t ottebreAtc
FOK
tice ME YVARSAGO -RAPt+ tutloif:
My otd ALL CAPS handwriting

My lowercase handwriting

MIKE'S PENMANSHIP TIPS:

Here are a few tips that help me when I need clear, legible writing:

Practice
Just a few minutes a day does the trick.

Slow Down
Focus on each letter, one at a time. Don't rush!

Relax
Loosen your grip and relax your arm tension as you write.

ANIN161 '
it,../m.r.,PNITs
Visual etements add interest to your sketchnotes and can be a
,
variety of shapes and sizes. Here are a few you may find usefut
to (earn as part of your practice routines:
/!!!
Sit
,
1/
,
I
_
o _.
*
,tv
1
1
1
0
1
A ,
1
1
0
4
b l
_

BULLETS

4
.
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.
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.
-

r
_

17
1
4

.
e
.
o
n
f
t

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

LINES

CONNECTORS

4,

SEPARATORS

ci

0
0

1
=

%....pm.anmn

THOUGHT & SPEECH BUBBLES

"
.
t...............

-0
4

CONTAINERS

1C D

V
o
o
m
m
e

ICONS

at"1/4 o t 43'
(21ZS
02

E l

175

1r7 I V 1AP
, you learn and practice drawing all the visual elements
As
you've explored in this chapter, you're actucttly building
a visuat library of items.
- ,
Learning these techniques is a great way
to acid selections to your visual library.
Another activity is to chatlenge yourself
to draw items from memory when you have
some downtime.
FOR EXAMPLE, using the exercise sheets
in this chapter, use your memory and draw
objects from your kitchen and office.
Imagine your toaster, coffee maker,
computer, or stapler, and draw it.
Push your mind to think of small, obscure items and draw ectch
one in the book using the five basic drawing etements. This
visuat exercise challenges you to imagine things in your mind's
eye and then draw them as simple objects.

KEEPP ,
C T you've
I C filled the visuat library
Once
exercises
I N G in this book, keep your
mind in practice by creating new
visuat librar9 objects using Wank
sheets of paper, sticky notes,
a pocket notebook even the
back of junk mail envelopes.

176

with a
WELL-STOCKED

VISUAL

IN YOUR MEMORY,

drawingideas
andobjects
BECOMES EASIER.

177

VISUAL U Y
E
11the grid below, draw as many items from your kitchen from
,memory
as you Carl recall. Remember to use the five basic elements
-to"draw
ren
: you're seeing in your head.
theeimages

178

179

VISUAL LIBRARY Exercise: nffice

In the grid below, draw as many items from your office from
memory as you can recall. Remember to use the five basic elements
to draw the ivnages you're seeing in your head.

e=6

180

181

p miNe !I\IF7A051-fr) S
Metaphors are figures of speech that use the attributes of
a known idea to describe another, apparent19 unrelated idea.
Good metaphors lean on vivid imagery.

METAPHORS SHOULD BE BOLD & FUNNY

The most successful metctphors I've captured as sketch notes
have been bold and a bit Over the top. I like to use humorous
ideas for drawn metaphors because funny images are
surprising and more likely to stick in your head.

WORLD PEACE
WORLD WIDE WEB

BUCI<ET LISTS

THE KEY TO CREATING METAPHORS

Let your imagination have free rein when you're sketching
metaphors. Don't be afraid to use crazy, silty, or wild
drawings for your metaphors. The vvlost absurd drawings
I've created for sketch notes are often the most memorable.

3
JOHN LOST HIS HEAD
TIME FLIES

182

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 = - _ _ _

HOT HEAD

Seekout the

SILLIEST,
C I E S T,
WILDEST
IDEAS
asMETAPHORS.
THEMOST BIZARREIDEAS
CAPTUREATTENTION AND
ARE UNFOROETTABLE
,

183

fot
An9 paper or notebook, pencil or pen will work just fine for
sketchnoting. However, there are pens and papers that work
better for some than others.
I use pocket-sized Moteskine sketchbooks becctuse the9're
smatl and can take a beating in m9 pocket or backpack.

MOLESKINE SKETCHBOOK
Moteskine sketchbooks nave
heavy paper stock, which
resists bleeck-through even
with beav9 inking.

\,
HEA
VY
1INKING
0
6
1
1
2

An elastic strap keeps

rA9 sketchbook shut.

Moteskines nave a pocket

in the back for storing
business cards, etc.

A h6km/9 bookmark lets

nen a r k where I l e f t
o f f sketching.

A Moleskine's two-page spreads work welt for the linear

sketchnotes I create. Here's a sample:

what'sThe
<Zan?

SPPLESER577,
GREATwebeiesiei

pest gn A r
tContenV
m
KNow molitumil
TeASie
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r7asiKAT/
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CoPON /wiz PAITERNAPowiNis
SAM Pt-S oF vSea. t N I F : k r - A c
N
(cs53/ )FONITSTACKING
41
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o r RePtkernent
Focus o
n
5 c oblock-and-white
M Y STYLE features high-contrast,
typograph9 and drawings, so Ip
use aI bold, 0.7mm gel pen.
r
p
R EnerGet 0.7m vn gel pen.
M9 Pentel
it
\Rc
H
T1,
ct

-E!!!

Mike Rohde SXSW Interactive 2010

lb

185

CHHEP '
Some sketchnoters prefer square or spiral notebooks.
7
Others use finer black lines as a base and then amp1if9 their
\sketchnotes
afterward with colored markers, colored
pencils,
O
T or even watercolor paints.
E P SPIRALBOUND SKETCHBOOK
1 O31
,
K .- 1
1
P 4ezzam
You can find a wide
1: 4
varietg of paper tg pes in
E a spiral notebooks to
4
Fr
handle ink, markers, and
N c p, LAF
even
watercolor paint.
,,.E7E:j1
t
tronp
rn

.4641, Nome

aft

text...

Cuuriry

- 111 e
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Pup le i o r o i
lhe onion
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g a ,
awl , b t J i
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;
, notebooks are
Spiral
great for laging f l a t
.
on tables.
)
& notebooks
Spiral
can &so be
0
flipped open
f o r easy access
to ckng page in
the book.

oi
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v 1.k.
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186

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PEN OPTIONS include gel, ball point, or felt tips (0.3 to

0.5mm fine point), which dry quickly. Highlight your
sketchnotes with felt-tipped markers or colored pencils.

Thebooks and pens you choose are up to you.

Experiment with a variety of book styles,
pens, and markers until you find the right
combination that works best for you.

187
_-dill

r
190 T E S
Sharing
sketchnotes can be as simple as shooting and posting
o
a photo with your smartphone or as complex as making
scans on your desktop computer.
rhigh-resolution
I often share my work both ways.
SMA
: TRIONES
Smartphones are convenient to carry anywhere and can
) highly detailed photos for backup and sharing.
create
By
sharing your sketchnotes using the camera on your phone
H
and posting them to your favorite social media site, you're
drawing others in to enjoy your work right away.
To help others understand and share
your sketchnotes, add a brief but ctear
description of the event and a link
to your work.
Making your sketchnotes
easy to comprehend and
share can make who,t
you've created more
attractive for readers
to check out and even
share with the world.

188

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ol
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DIGITAL CAME \ A
'S
Another option is to carry a high-end, point-and-shoot
pocket or DSLR camera with you to capture photos of
your work to share at a
later time. I've found pocket
point-and-shoot
cameras have a good
t r a d e - o ff between
quality and portability
When I'm sketch noting
at an event.

SCANNERS
A quality flatbed scanner produces the best images,
especially if the end result of your sketchnotes is a
PDF document or a printed booklet.
I prefer a small scanner powered
from a USB cable. This allows me
to carry it along to an event
if needed. I scan my work as
PNG files, which I can convert
to pDF files or send to a printer
f o r final print production.
I use Photoshop to tweak the
contrast and levels, and save
a final file with each spread
of sketch notes on a layer.
This makes it easy to work
with and export a large batch
of sketchnotes.

r
.
,
I
C:=5,==.7)
.
.

159

'1UIPMENT:
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TLYLAMNISI
You've made it to the end of The Sketchnote Handbook!
Now you have a better idea of what sketchnotes are cknd
how to create thervi.

Hereare a few details-Eoremember:

STARTSLOWLY
Use just a quarter of the page to start and expand as
you improve your skills.

BUILD ON SUCCESS
Try a few techniques and be happy with your progress
as you continue to improve. Go easy on yourself!

LISTEN UP
Manage distractions, listen closely, and concentrate.
The more you practice listening, the better you'll get.

D1
1
Use the 5 basic elements to draw simple shapes, just like
W do. Bad drawings can still convey good ideas!
kids
IV EXPLORE
S
I
Find your own way as you learn to sketchnote. Everyone
M a unique way of forming ideas and capturing them
has
SHARE
P
L
Share those sketchnotes! You're invited to share your
Y
work at The Sketchnote Handbook group on Flickr:

196

ww
w.
fli
ck

Isketchnotehandbook

GUESS
HAT?

197

THIS.
LL,.

.,)t)

Et1

196

c a n !

EJ/

Zes,you.'

198

INDEX
A
about this book, xiv

caching ideas, 25, 46, 48

active listening, 46
Akah, Binaebi, 22-23

cameras, digita1,18ct

ALL CAPS t9pe,I35,173

anchoring ideas, 25
arrows, 43, VI,134,174
artwork
a r t & structure scale, 87-88
ideas evnphasized over,18-1q,148

capturing ideas, 6,18, 42

cartoons,I38,13q
Chew, Boon Yew, 40-41
circles,I6,150
commentar9,137
concentration, 31, 3'1
concepts, describing, 8
connectors,I74

See also drawings

asterisks,134

containers, 71,175

as9himetric radial sketchnote,

c-shape path,103

attention, directing, 47

F3

descriptive text,I33,134

backup supplies, 58, 71

Balara, Matt, 'II
Berman, Craighton, 24-25
big ideas, 6, 37
block lettering, 16'1,171
bold t9pe,I35,167,168
book light, 58
Boudwin, Marichiel & Dan,107
brain
dual coding theor9 and, 27-28
visual maps and, 2'1-30
brainstorming, 25
Broadbent, KT, III
Brown, Sunni, 85,144
bullet points,133
bullets, 70,174

200

diagrams, 6
,
digital
cameras, WI
6-67
digital sketchnotes,13
distractions
e ff e c t of sketchnoting on, 31
eliminating and filtering, 47
dividers, 68' , 75
doodling
drawing compared to, ILI
stud9 on vnemor9 and, 30
dots, used in drawings,1 6 1 5 0
drawing faces,I62-164
basic elements for,162
exercises on,I63-164
drawing metaphors,182-183
drawing people,I56-161

exercise on,160-161

making sketchnotes at, 61

Gray method of,I57-15q

researching beforehand, 57, 7g, 79

scaling tip for, 23

s t a r method of,156

title page for, 60

drawing type,I65-171
block lettering,161
exercise on,170-171
single-line lettering,166-167
tips for q u i c k l y, 1 6
,
triple-line
lettering, I6g
g
,
1
6
two-line lettering,167
,
See also typography
cl
drawing visual elements,174-175
drawings
fancy vs. simple, 153
five basic elements of,I6, M - 1 5 2 ,
154-155
ideas conveyed through, IS,
34-35,151
including in sketchnotes, 6 6 - 6 7
skills f o r creating,14
See also a r t w o r k
drop shadows,1
6
dual
coding theory, 27-2g, 39
1
dynamic note taking, 3g

sharing sketchnotes from, 62, 63

experimenting with sketchnotes, 20
eyebrows, drawing,162
eyes, drawing,164

F
faces
basic elements for,I62
exercises on d r a w i n g , 1 6
, expressions,16
facial
f, e l t -3t i-p1p6e d markers,1g7
2Finch,
, 1 6, 1 Alexis, 54-55,114,129
3 4
five basic drawing elements,16, 1
4
,
exercise on using,154-155
4 9 -finding
1 5 2 in drawings,I51
fixing/tuning sketchnotes, 62
Flickr site for book, xv,1%
focusing attention, 47
frames in sketchnotes,
f r u s t r a t i o n with note taking, xii, 3
funneling information, 25

6
gel pens, 1g5,1g7

Erb, Veronica, 42-43, lOct

George, Michelle, g 0gl

Esch, Jessica, 5 2 - 5 3 , g5

grade school doodles, N

events, 5 7 - 6 2

graphic recording, NI

arriving early to, 59, 7g, Pt

gathering
materials for, 5g

Gray, Dave,15
Gray drawing method,157-15q
grid-like patterns, lOg

201

, 2 0 2

1.

0-6
handwriting, g, 6g,I73
hard-back notebooks,145

Lamm, Eva-Lotto. g2g3, '17,144

Hawkins, Erin M., I40

headlines,133
hierarchies

language, visual vs. verbal, 3 4 - 3 5

creating,133-134
elements of,I35
holistic approach, 11
hub-and-spoke structure, ' 1 5 6
humor,13g,13c1
16

icons, 25, 70,135,175

ideas

Lamson, Gerren, g6, '13,106, 11g-119

larger themes/ideas, 37
lettering
block,169,171
single-line,166-167,170
triple-line, 16g,I71
two-line,167,170
linear sketchnote pattern, 75, ' I I 6
lines
in drawings,16,150,174
1
4
listening, 44-51
active process of, 46
,author's approach to, 47-4'1

anchoring metaphors and, 25

caching ideas through, 25, 46, 4g

caching through listening, 25,4(0, 4g

connecting with arrows, 43

keys to process of, 45

naturalness of drawing while, 32

conveyed through drawings, IS,

34-35

practicing skills in, 50

emphasized over artwork,

14g

live sketchnoting,124-126
,lowercase handwriting,173

summary points about, 51

focusing on larger themes and, 37

process for Capturing, 42
sketchnotes built from,10
Ide-Smith, Michele,105
illustrations. See artwork; drawings
immersion process, lig
iPad and i Phone, 57, 5g

Magairt, Matthew, 1 2 0
-lytaps, visual,10, 2c1-30, 3'1
121
materials
for sketchnoting, 55,154I57
McDaniel, Cassie,102
meandering storytelling, 4'1
memory
drawing items from,I76

keaggy, Bill,I31
kitchen items drawing exercise, 17g-17
6
Kleon,
Austin,112, I Ig,162
1

study on doodling and, 30

visual maps and, 30

Mental cache, 25, Ltg

popcorn pattern,113-115
radiat pattern, 7 3 , 9 5 - 9 9

metaphors
anchoring ideas and, 25

dual coding theory of, 2 7 - 2 g

skyscraper pattern,110 112

vertical pattern,100-102
PDF documents, 62

holistic note taking and,11

pencils

tips on drawing,1 2 - 1 g 3
mind

visuat maps and, 2 9 - 3 0

modular sketchnote p a t t e r n , 1 0 6
-Moleskine sketchbooks, 7, 5 g , 1 g
1
0
Monlux,
Mark,139
9
-1-1g5
mouths, drawing,162,16
11
N

highlighting with colored,1g7

pencit to ink approach,127-129
text-only note taking using, 3
penmanship,173
pens f o r sketchnoting,135,1g7
people
exercise on drawing,I60-161

Newman, Greg,I53

methods for drawing,156-159

note taking
author's f r u s t r a t i o n with, xi i, 3

scaling tip for drawing, 23

feeling of sketchnoting vs., 3 6 - 3 g

visuat and holistic approach to, II

personality in sketchnotes, 9,12,136

personalization of sketchnotes,
136-140

numbering points,134,135

photographing sketchnotes, 61, 79,

IggIg9

pie charts, 30

o ff i c e items drawing exercise,1g0-1g1

planning process, 42
PNG formatted files, 62

opinions in sketchnotes,136,137
organic path shapes,103

pocket-sized Moleskine sketchbook, 7,

IgL1-1g5

popcorn sketchnote p a t t e r n , I 1 3
-practicing listening skitls, 50
11
5
presentations

Paivio, Altan, 27
panel discussions,110
path sketchnote pattern,103-105

immersing your mind in, '-IS

pattern recognition, 46, LII

recognizing patterns i n ,
1
-16, 4 9

patterns for sketchnotes, 90-116

linear pattern, 75, 91-9H

modular pattern,106-109

radial sketchnote pattern, 7 3 , 9 5 9 9

path pattern,103-105

real-time s k e t c h n o t i n g , 1 2 3 , 1 2 4
126, H I

203
__.1

recall. See memory

recognizing patterns, 46, 49

diagrams and drawings in, 66

dividers used in, 6g

refining sketchnotes, 43

experimenting with, 20
handwriting in, g, 613

relaxed note taking, 36

researching events, 57, 7
6
Reynolds,
Timothy 1,113,142N3
1
Rohde,
Mike, 92,140,153

holistic approckch of, II

how to create,13

rohdesign.com website, xv

ideas over art in,Iglq,14g

rough-to-refined approach,130-131
Rowland, Francis, N4-145

key concepts f o r making, 25

patterns used for, 90-116
personalization of,136-140

5
scanning sketchnotes, 62, 'gel
Schildt, Bauke,104, Ig6
seating considerations, 59
separators, Gg, 75,175
Sewell, Carolyn, 94
sharing sketchnotes, 62, 63, IggIgq

photographing and scanning, 61, 62,

IggIgq
planning process for, 42
reo,t-tie,I 2 3 , 1 2
1
refining the look of, 43
4-126
sharing, 62, 63, IggIgq, NO

Shipton, Chris,101,190-191

signatures for, 71
structure of 8 7 - 8 9

sign language,136
signatures in sketchnotes, 71

style of, g5g6

titles for, 60, 64

single-line lettering,166-167,170
sketchbooks

tools f o r creating, 58, I84-187

Moleskine, 7, 55,154-1g5
spiral-bound, 23, 52, IS&
Sketchnote Army blog, xii
sketchnoter covrmunity, xv
sketchnotes

two-stage,123,127-131
typography for, 65,165-171
skyscraper sketchnote pattern,110-112
smartphones, Igg
social media, 61, Igg
Soupiset, Paul, 192-193

advantages of, 3 6 - 3 5

speech bubbles, 53,175

anatomy of, 64-71

arrows in, 43, &I

spiral-bound sketchbooks, 23, 82, WC

,
s9uares,16,150

a r t w o r k in, rigg

s t a r drawing method,I56

bullets and icons in, 70

Steed, Kyle,1q4-1q5

containers used in, 71

stories, connecting, 49
structure of sketch notes, 8 7 - 8 9

creation process for, 57-62, 7 2 - 7 7

204

hierctrchy for,I33-135

st9le of sketchnotes, g5g6

subheads,133
s9mmetric radial sketchnote, "16
s9nthesizing information, 25

V
verbal mode, 2 7 - 2 g
vertical sketchnote pattern,100-102
visual elements
building a librar9 of,176

talk bubbles, 53,175

text, descriptive,133,13
1
text-only
note taking, 3
4
themes, focusing on larger, 37
thinking processes, g5
thought bubbles,175
t h r e e - p o i n t sermons, LH
titles, 30, 60, 64
tools f o r sketchnoting, 5g,1g4Ig7

drawing in s k e t c h n o t e s , 1 7
1 language, 3 4 - 3 5
visual
-1-175
visual librar9,176-1 gl
advice on building,176
kitchen items exercise, 17g-179
o ff i c e items exercise, Ig0-1g1
visual maps,10, 2
6
visual
mode, 2 7 - 2 g
1 - 3 0 notes,
,
visual
II
3 " I
visualizing ideas, 25

triangles,I6,150
triple-line lettering,16g,171
Tw i t t e r info f o r author, xv
two-line lettering,167,170
t w o - s t a g e sketchnoting,123,127-131,
pencil to ink approach,127-12'1
rough to refined approach,130-131
t9po9raph9,165-171
block lettering,169

warming up, I'll

website of author, xv
whints9,138,140
Wright, Amanda, "Ig, Ig6
w r i t t e n sketchnotes,13
w-snape path,103

exercise on drawin9, 170-171

including in sketchnotes, 65

zigzctg path,103
zone for sketchnoting, 33,39

single-line lettering,166-167

z-shape path,103

hierarch9 emphasized through,135

tips f o r adding to,16g,I61

triple-line lettering, I6g
two-line lettering,167

"MikeRohdepractices whathepreaches.
Thisbeautiful,simplebookhaseverything you
needto sketchnote like a pro. TheSketchnote
Handbookisdestined to bethe definitiveguide
to a new, practical, andinnovative discipline."
Dave Gray, author of The Connected Company,
co
au
th
or
o
f
e
I used to attend
a
meetings and
struggled to pay
m
attention by
e
taking super
s
detailed notes.
t
TAKING NOTES BECAME
o
r
m
i
GAVE UP AND TRIED
n
g
Ornething N E W .

"Somethingmagicalhappenswhenyou take notes

with picturesandwords, together. In this friendly,
encouragingbook,sketchnote wizard MikeRohde
shareshissecretsso that anybodycansteal his
tricks for capturingideas with penandpaper."
Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist

Hi. I'm Mike Rohde.

A BVDEN.
focused on BIG IDEAS, using a mix
of words, drawings, and type to make
my notes more visual and much more

I CONED a NAME

for THISPROCESS:
S K e t
INC
THIS BOOK & VIDEO I'LL SHOW YOU
h
* STEPBYSTEP *
nhowa totdraw
e people, faces, type,
and simple objects even if you
S think
. you can't draw a thing.
o

WATCH ME IN ACTION!
On the video that comes with this book,
Ishow you how I sketchnote an event,
demonstrate the drawing techniques
that I talk about in the book,
and reveal more tips for
making and sharing your
own sketchnotes.

facebook.com/PeachpItCreativeLearning

epeachpit
US $39.99 C A N $it1.99

BOOK LEVEL Beginner/Intermediate

CATEGORY Computer Art & Design
COVERART a DESIGN Mike Rohde
TOTALVIDEO RUN TIME I hour10 Minutes
VIDEO REQUIREMENTS Broadband Internet Connection

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-88511-1
ISBN-10: 0 - 3 2 1 - 8 8 5 1 1 - 2

118f88I 91
53

J1 91