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 TA
- - - - - ,
Production Editor: katerino, Malone H-
Indexer: James Minkin
AT
Cover Design and Illustrations: Mike Rohde
TE
Interior Design and Illustrations: Mike Rohde
Video Producer: Brian A r t k a 'A
SM
Media Producer: Eric G e o ff roy
M!
NOTICE OF RIGHTS Y
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
- Handbook would not have happened.
certain The Sketchnote

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 sketchnotes—a 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
Sketchnoting Creektes ot Visual Map n d
a g e s Your Whole
hnoting Helps Your Concentrtio
a

•
n
• Sketchnoting Taps Your Visual Language
•• Creating
SketchnotingI sis Relaxing
Is Dynamic and Fun!
LISTEN UPI 'of
• The Ke9s to Listening
• M9 Listening Approctch
• practice Your Listening Ski IS

•
ErcHA
P OE c

torlive
Resectech S
• Gather Materialis
S 56

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

• Anatomy °fa Sketchnote

to Pinish
• A Sketchnote from Start
 SKETCH4OT
mo. APPROACHES,
1HIE RCHY, ANDte

PERSONALIZATION122
NG
PES
t I n k A proach
OF
E I C I H N O T E S 8 • Two-stage
• Style Plus Thinking
• Two-stageSketchnoting
Penc
• Two-stage Rough to Refined Approach
• Structure, Then Style! • Creatiny a Hierarchy
•
• The Art & Structure Scale
• Sketchnotiny Patterns
• PerSOnaliZO,tiOrt
• Commentary
• Linear
ge
• Radial
• Vertical
• Humor
• Whims
• Path
at-
• Modular
• Skyscraper
ti
• Popcorn
• Patterns Are Startin g Pointsy

me
s k 0 KILLStelt
SOT TEClitgliQUES
COWING
• Sias &Techniques of u A
•-
e t
i c StetentS D r a n g
t
• 5 Basic elements EXerCiSe
•ht r a t t i n g PeOpte

c h e• Drawing People exercise

5• Praying faces
e• tordOing f aces exercise
n o s • Drominglype
n • Drawing 'Type exercise
t i l • Penmanship
e • Drawing Visuat elements
t .130,11aavistwayubrar9
n 9 • Visual Ubrox
• Drawing Metaphor
EXerelSe
s

loots for SI(etchnoting

•
•
S
 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 visuallti—easily 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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My f i r s t sketchnotes • 0X Intensive 2007 ,
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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, fun—hopefully inspiring—itlustration.

J2
SKETCHNOT
,-
EWhen the tall< begins,
listen, sgnthesize the
/ ' ' ' t' ' '
.nrgou
gi CI T E P h T T E Ideas h e a r i n g a n Z1,•"="2',:=2=
Po M E •';:,. a
-,-.e:
121.
s t a r t drawing w h ' ,-
tthinking
I about as
sketchnoteS in m9
- __D.,,A
yaw:
,=p
: ize.v,„„E
'tRo :wi lal ,r s ,l = , ; . F
5i n d a n e
sketchboo
R
ASLL___grogb l,
i
r ,
v1HING

x
( w
1
Hike to oso W h o m e
0 PHOTOGRAPe
0 W h e n I'm done s e t c h r i c o t i n g ,

7
to find photos of t h :
cspeaker
. for rviere H I shoot photos of
.h , ,et.chnotes.Tihs
rjaTATuell
1 oft mg title page.
E Rkoilykti
, A compfoted title r o o d g to go. rC9 s
, 1 ,IYAmediostel9 S h . r e
gwhat gou've
w
7 / ONCE I'VE SETTLED IN,1checkthe topic aandthe r created via social
e
speal,er's name, verif g spellings and sometimes e media, and photos
7
4 find a photo on o f phone to create avisuallg
m interesting title page f or the speak.er or the topic.
a serve as a good
t haaup 9 " ' " ' a 4 n
:
; 1 L . -
W sketchnotes. I t t r ts o
1 o
, complete my title before the s ,
9
0 like to shoo 0 . t h F. g s
speaker begins, so I can focus t
as
. s.glo P h o , t o s
0
on the talk rather than rushing O of
moro detAll and e
-
to create a title at the start to view on rool,Ile deocos.
m
4 of the presentation
P
, :

The Sketchnote Handbook • Chapter 4

X
I
V
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 friends—leading sketchnoters from around the world—to

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 . X
 CHAPTER1

hatare
SKeCH TES?
SitElreffHOISS ARE NCH VISUAL
MoTES eRSINTED FilloMA MIX oF
11
HAND
1 DRAWN IYPDGRAPHY•
SHApgsoAttio
A ( U A L CLEMENTS
LIKE AIRR WS/ IliwYES (MIES.
N —0—
e
D
W
R
O
TI
N
G,
2
I
 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 P A T E
notebooks. Worse, I never looked THIS!
at my notes after their completion.

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.

3
 eci ectelo

GIVE UP
and

T
S •metalling

It
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INTE TLY,
,
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s
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 ,And
IFCUSED
ON C A P T U J I N 0

6
INSTE1"D
of tain9 a
PENCIL
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)(SELF 1
i PEN
1
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roirSKINE
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 CHALLENGED MYSELF
to write and draw notes more

1 erat
2 b
0

-
THIS NEW WAY OF NOTE TAKING)

waseitzloyliNeitlis
P
F
a U
a N 0'
I was able to focus on the BIGGER PICTURE,
expressing CONCEPTS with drawings, type, and text.

i_ta dwril
6456r r
cow etP
ATUELJ..S1 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 • .
'.
- • ,J T E
rs0S SUM_
a r e

They're built from meaningful thoughts and ideas

your mind collects and squirrels away during:

TALKS 1 1PANELS Experiences

1
•-•(
,
1
—
) ,
I
10 f
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 a
0° , - , c'
1/4#
o 0
0

111
Cooto10 PrusF
-K
i
C
o 1 1
"
d
,
A
Fromdrawing and handwriting style
5
1

tol the ideas included and how those

,
4
1
-
0
l
ideas are expressed on the page.
1
; A —v—
\

R ere,
EACH SKETCHNOTE IS UNIQUE
EVEN THOUGH
1 THE UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES
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.
 , e

THE M I E S T I O N :
• •

Canyou create
sketchnotes?
1
. 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

• constantly!
KIDS draw

•
Ana

They doodle ideas

with ease and wilt
draw what they

• imagine without
a second thought.

• \ A P
You were a kid once:
-drew like crazy.
1bei you
1
 1
KIDS1 VAIN
TO EXP1SS IDEAS.
(
They don't worry about how perfect

I
their drawings are, as long as their

A E CONVEYED.

D
15
 5 asic Elements
•

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

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
 wat
TI
, di0.0 • • • • • • • • • • dolma a m * l a m p o m m i t • • • • ••••• a n f t • • • • • • • • • • • • • O f t e . . 0
s 0
o . 1 0 O M *

Sketchnoies are aboui

m
e
m
o
o

capturing and sharing

o
r
b
•

ideas, not about art.

•
•
•

SKETCHI\OTES
A E WAY TO
\
kCsIN
USINO AGES I WORDS
I
••••• o f t * ammo . o . 0 O f t ,

owe I M O S . . • m o w o m o goo. • • • • •

Pi BAD DRAWING G O O D DRAWING

/
A
T Either wa9 it's still a dog.

16
E
•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
1

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

14 Take the first step: Reserve a small

0:,."‘- % •

r c4e, area in your regular notes to try

s,0
t 1,%%1
0.•%
some sketchnote techniques — even
-•
-•
3
.
0
if it's a drawing of the speaker.
1
4

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.

1
1
N
E
X
 e
i
ikvticiA-ao r
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 alAPTER 2

11 V
SqTCHN,m.,TEl
WHY SPEW& EXTRA ErIFORT
CREAMING SKRIntlics'orES
PLAIN 00: TEXT NOTES
NNE 0000 ENCOMIA?
BECAUSE SIKETCHNIOTONG
ENGAGESYOUR MOM IN MORE
WWI
I amid THeY ifeELPYou
REMEMBERMORE DETAIL
T
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A
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26 A
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
C AT <
HOUSE •• • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••••••)

CAR
APPLE

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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to start. / had Qt k
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CHOOSE -
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i important, so I
fun drawing S lR - captured it as a
the lettering. ,,, , e z d a i r
5 A1(
nst
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iyol-
EvERYRFR
o e, R
i v RAniTEIR
rVa M
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i i focus my attention.
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Compwdes tprv
mitpt
0 RFP5*e. cipaftrAl+ies
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0 A
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A ve.dat.
I CAN STILL A
t P
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-f, t i R E V I V E MY A
1 "Aloolop. s
-8
MI 6+-4, c o m The pie chart came to me early in THOUGHTS
141 i
1
e0 the presentation I t turned out
\tt
k
i - f a bit like Pac Man, which liked. YEARS LATER.
-c
k
a0
t4
,5
iN AN EXAMPLE STUDY, a group of 1
t
40
a v o l u n2-minute
monotonous( t e e r sphone message. 20 of the participants
e
l i s boxes
shaded t e white
s n listening,
e d the other 20 simply listened.
t o t

THE GROUP OF 20 DOODLERS l'PECALLED

e l 2 " '9 % MORETHANTHENON-DOODLERS.
I N Source: The Guardian, Feb 26, 2001

A
S U
30
R P
R I S
 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
MN)) S
E
I n u l l i t u l l i

-ADETAILED
l l u t l i r t H l t
I A SIMPLE
DESCRIPTION
V I M
DRAWING
u
-
n i t
1
-

° 1 1
A TREEtis a Wood
i
perenniat plant,
r

Vtypicat19
- having a
1
single stem
I
or trunk

. growing
I
[
considerabte
F
to a
I
height
(
and bearing lateral
Sbranches at some
distance from

U the ground.

LComplexideascan oftenbeexpressed
moreeffectively as drawings.
 Drawinganideacanoften
take just a fraction of the time
neededtodescribethesame
ideain verbal detail.
o 0

tt's o
"0 o C ; c
.b KANSAS
THE THE SOLAR ROCKY
. MOUNTAINS TORNADO
PYRAMIDS 0 SYSTEM
\
9

Thisis especially important

:
O

whenyou're processingideas
c
"

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
e
11
LF G E
2 c
THEMES
O
C
)
,41Dk
U
S 0 0

O
I was able to relax, listen for key
points, and capture those ideas
N
VISUALLY.
• • •

•
I
j

37

J
 C
r
e
a
ti
Irn d
n feeling I get from being
The
S
4
completely connected while
k using my full verbal
eand visual thinking skills
t keepsme sketchnoting.

F
•

cSKETCHNOTING allows 9ou to relax,

handengage in the speaker's points,
have fun turning what's in your
nhead into visual notes you'll want to
share and refer to again and again.
o

36
t
e
s
mc
 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
d because when you're engaged there's little
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
o0 4 Simple drawings can be quicker to create and
r more effective t 'Ian detailed verbal descriptions.
y
s--+ Sketchnoting relaxes you; you let go of details
in favor of large ideas.
u
g NEXT: LISTEN LIPI
g
e
s 39

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 CHAPTER 3

1 • • = 2 4 : = = = . 1 . r 0 t a l c i n

1
c o m i r
_ . _

•CAPTUIVNG cREATING 5KETcHotivrE5

BEGINS VOTH ACTIVE liSTENING SKolbS•
AFTER ALI
D ACCUIRATsLY
eODEAS
t t Y0OmTo
0 ot u EFFECTIVE SWEICHI4QcrE5t
oe m i r

5
MT aU R
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I EN

3
G
I
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C
LOSTENI o•
\
t •

/
h
e
o
K
E
FOCUS
your attention on the speaker.

Y
s ELIMINATE
S the distractions around you.
t
e MIME SE
o
yourself in the presentation.

m
\ % ,
1 6

e
0 1
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V
%
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1/S temenst
oactively
u U • MIND can
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rPATTE NS.
andf f l

(
ACTIVE LISTENING can help you synthesize
and capture big ideas as sketch notes.
• •

1
+
6 (
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E c r MyArent,on
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ti
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ck
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oe
:s af i l t e
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:i dr i
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es
u g
 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
1 -
combine it with ideas i have ‘ I i i r c l i a ' l
0
on paper to help identify
-
connections between ideas. %
0
m i
d
d o
h o
LIZ
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 I \-/'
stories t h a t connect
a t the end o f a
presentation.
 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.
• a • •

Asyou train your ears and mind,

your ability to listen and to capture
ideas will keepimproving.
•

50
 ECAP

1111 -Raring
* curate information.
C
a—+ When you listen actively, your mind can
spot patterns and cache ideas.
p
t0 4 Give your undivided attention.
u
r—9'
i Eliminate and filter distractions.
n
g immerse your mind in the presentation.
s
k0 4 Cache ideas.
e J" ecognize patterns.
t
c- 4 Practice to improve your listening skills
h at every opportunity.
n
o
NEXT: THE SKETCHNOTING PROCESS
t
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 CHAPTER 44:

A n n YEARt oF RIPER IENCE

DEVEIPPED MOWN
sicETCoogoroma PRoCrE55
THAT WoRKS WELL FOR
ME AND CAN HELP You
CREATE A pRocESSAIR gm%
-e o

56
 E E A E THESTEPS FOLLOWI.

WHEN SKETCHNOTING EVENTS:

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
to printed pages
o i as anbackup addition
k illy electronic research tools.
y
)
e
t
i
m
e 3
s • • •

I •

• •
• • ••

' ••• • • •

l • • •

• •

l
•
b wokod -•a • o •
57

r 14 •••• • •
- • •• • •

i 6. . . . t o . '
 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.
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.

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.

500
1d
58 ig
h
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.

59
 CEATE A TITLE

I like to use my iPhone

to find photos o f the
speaker f o r reference
A completed title page, ready to go. 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 ATIRM6
THATYOU D R u f r e s
start drawing what I'm DO -->iftwd,
77
' 176
ei
thinking about as -
E
w oR
sketchnotes in m9 T s
Gaf

sketchbook. V
E E qs
1A " 2
-

4RS ; f ,
_i novo
"(f 1 ,
k
5rE r P
1al A •
A completed sketchnote.
r
"- t
"
'f t
r
".N o
PHInT , oy ?
, 3
'
When I'm done sketchnoting, T
1
A
I shoot photos of m9 •
I I
sketchnotes. This is
N
a great way to J a n ' A / f U e l
e
immediately share the
M E t t n U VER
what you've 7-RA1
created via social AT' Hfiti6
,Thrort you
15
medict, and photos LAOHvwd,
'14r°
R
serve as a good .? :
S KLA- R
- E s'rvA
backup of your DR4i
s A- -
& 8(
sketchnotes• s
V
E
7_ /
11
a
R
B
t
21 ! .
ft
wqs41 1 • Z" " " • ' L t . &
t ?
f 1
t
r 6 V
I like to shoot each page a , e
l 4
as a single image. Photos ) . .
o f single pages provide 7 1
more detail and are easy +
to view on mobile devices. "
'
 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 • 10 •

use the same

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

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

SUMMIT
copies of the
sketchnotes as
PDF documents or
printed booklets to
their attendees.
These after-event
BASECAMP
documents work
well as hand9
offline references.

This created
was printed as
bookiet___"!
a
g i f t for the attendees
Of SUkritilit Basecamp
by the organizers.
Booklets can also work swicHturrEs
grectt as a promotional out INSPIRATION
item f o r the organizers. coirfovot 1
scopkw V A L I . " CA
JAN27-30,2
01
2
1 1 N G

e
t
C
4i0 z i ° N3
1114- 1
•
/14::cligkeic
4 Ti f f r r w y Shlefiti
N I 13,eck:t'
/ s•e 6611z4ez
8
4 o
P f
e
ANATC"" i c frITE
Jsketchnote
I've created a map of sketchnote elements from an existing
so you can see and better understand each element.

*TITLES -
Titles are ideal for
defining sketchnotes•
They can include an
uel
wRETH'IN1ale ,r476
event name, speaker

s tfiemEDilum
names, date, location,
and topic. Multiple
talks at the same
event can follow a
consistent design
for unity, or each
k
TRANS LAM lz. LAI?) • 7 / 1 2./20 1 a
• • • • • • • • * . or*•••••••••••
,,
o
,,,
••••• • • • •

speaker's title can m u l l •

/ D R u l m s

e
. • • • • • • • • • m • • • •

w • • • •

be fun and unique. • • • • •

ilOU - WeAre
,- " •_ ,
•

I H•ovoto
• ft f
virfiloil
TAKE TIME TO , t 9I5-1
01;
0 42p t
1 2 :
1 I cop
1 -e
mrri

CREATE A TITLE s
r [ i • 4 /
4
4
eft' ot s H o w D 4R I Z, A r iSv E
BEFORE YOU
M N YOUR
SKETCHNOTES.
a
,
7m
IERB
t s q 6
1 Wieti-z6 \
(
-
Ay

i n
PIE
-•
t
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itS
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A N t e V W -RiVIVAN 1-e . t l e c 9 V 4 1
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v
45 t
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c
k
, i
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i
e
1,Rt
t Il T
H 1I N
G 1
*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
 $
I

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
-* i-teA c) Li NE + e o i
r f a T .

*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 y
 sketchshort
-

-
//
••••••••

n
0.•••••••••••••••••4 C . • • . . . . . . , . • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••••••.•
-
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z ,....,•••
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I l i k l YOU1, ,
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t
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• •

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n t
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etvlAsit4lit
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1zA•,14
4 y
Ato+,4 _ e 0
0 .
 SKETCHN sTE
frr ret‘pyr 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.

/
radial pattern to organize the talk information.
W I'll talk about sketchnote patterns in Chapter 5.
i
t
h
73
t
 •ft.

VIBRAMtiq 5 SgUNOS
THWUGH So
e
+0 :)olvte4 f
v vq-5
tAft-t-LSOVotowt.—WLotote tPecorrA,
,
ctv\A -1/4
- •••• Oft m g a l e M O • • • •

bv LITo ienoct ‘,,

\reit.
4
Rad a, new nk0
-1
InrqIscHAU
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, M E
vNt
7

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•

tiefief' 800
CEO
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RETKNImo
AW N . 10• • • • •
0••••• r o m m e 1•0•"0 0 0 0

the mum
TRANS LAM L AT 5 • 7 / 1 2 . / 2 o i z .
,
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tr
 1 1 1 1 1 • • • • • - - , ,

JON'S SETUP:

%h.

VIBRAM IN6 Sougps

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 ESEA
Se111.."1".1Ea a n C

A NE A
IT EA LIM
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
a Arrive early, scout your location, and use the
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 79

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SkEircHNOTES AREA BLEND
9•1! PERSONAL STyLE AND
THE IDEAS YOU HEAR/
AmALYzE
LET'S
t N LOOK
D Ar SLAINIDING
CSTYLE
A 'WITH M I N I O N S /
P rSTRUCTURE,
a AND
SKETcHlimOtrime PATrER459
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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.
11tki BUT MO
, ntieolviloqfvl?
0 Cottect C C a p i than Just style,
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sketchnotes reveal
D FOCUS.
the thinking processes
in) ipersovoi pyoctice.
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of their creator.
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ei r Ovi-come.. f oi k
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SKETCHNOTES
h c t— a
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THEIRi STYLE AND
t o .
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85
C p
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 P=•' Prl'
,
You may notice that many of the sketchnotes in this book are
beautifully illustrated. Professional illustrators and designers,

FRr
with years of visual experience, have created them.

An Sellt;164

71"
-
&EARNING!
6
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1 A imI L . -
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t , g
T ; .
W E IF4YOU'RE NOT A N ARTIST, don't let these sketch notes . -
A4 0
O 0
discourage
4 " ' you. Instead, look to them f o r inspiration and idecks, 0
R H ,

L R and
, keep in mind that you're Just starting as a sketchnoter.
E .
.
D ." 4 L
2 I Whatever
L K your skill level, be happy with where you are. Create
0 "I sketchnotes and have fun, and work to improve your skills.
1 L
b
2 y
86 + f
j
i
g
 1

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 FANCY
ARTWORK A l l T W O R K ARTWORK

GOOD GOOD G O O D
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
 •n
,7
,
1
THINK OF

ST Lit
asMEATand
TAT ES,
AND TANCY it Ias the
6 VY N T P.

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 SKYSCRAPER

POPCORN

90
 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.

Ct\
GEOFTREI 0 art—voro, 3 0 r
gE amcVi
, a U c k S
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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
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been used for hundreds of years.

JUS DON'T U N OUT a PAOr

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t h e name and drooming of the speaker or speakers
who are presenting idects, or the central topic.

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95
 A R A D I A L SKETCHNOTE doesn't have to be a perfect circle,
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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
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 THIS S K E T C H N O T E EMPHASIZES THE
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THE A D VA N TA G E of a radioa format is the freedom to add
i n f o r m a t i o n wherever it fits in an outer spoke.

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99
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 USING A PATH PATTE 1
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you've planned for, you may run out of room.
B u l
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105
 M
The modular pattern divides a single page or
spread of pages into distinct regions or modules.
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or different speakers within a larger event.

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107
 A MODULAR PATTERN can work well if your goat is
to organize information in a grid-like pattern or if you
have many presentations to capture in a limited area.

IDEA 1 t PEA
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We'," I I>FA r \

HOWEVEI USING
MODULAR PATTE19 5
CAN LIMIT THE AMOUNT
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being
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108
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109
 PrR
The skyscraper pattern is similar to the modular
approach but divides the page into a series of
talt, vertical panels, which contain separate bits
of information.
DUD
This pattern can work great for panel discussions where
multiple people are speaking at different times.

TO CREATE A SKYSC 11 PER SKETCHNOTE,

11
use a vertical column for each speaker and add the person's
name or portrait. When the panel discussion begins, simply
add each person's comments into the appropriate column.

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MANAGING A SKYSCO3-
,
Remember to pace yourself with the limited space of a
skyscraper
PER sketchnote. Focus on the key phrases and
words that are 'meaningful. Work on boiling down the idea
S K E T C H N O T
you're hearing to its purest essence.
E

110
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 I.

The popcorn pattern has the flexibility of placing

information you're capturing in a free, random
pattern. The topic, speaker name, and information
tidbits Can appear anywhere on the page.

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WITH THE P O P C O I N PATTERN, there is more emphasis on
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

FREE—FORM 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
o o

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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SKETCHNOTING

AP A C IES,
H I
E R A R C H Y
t personalization
,
WAYsk To SKETCHNOTE*
STREMTURE Yowl wonic•
AND MARE DT YOUR OWN°

122
THEREARE TWO DIFFERENT
APIPPPOACHESTO CAPTURING
SKETCHNOTES,

REAL-TVNit WO-STA61
SKETCHNnirES SKETCHN

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

123 ,
(
0
'

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
w o r k i what n I'm hearing into visuat notes.
g
SKETCHNOTING LIVE IS LIKE TAKING NOTES
i n
t7 h e
A
m- WHOLE
o m TOOLBOX OF VISUAL ELEMENTS
eTO n YOUR t , NOTES, LIKE THESE:
I
J '
m. • TYPOGRAPHY • DIAGRAMS • BULLETS
f • DRAWINGS
o c • DIVIDERS • ICONS
D• HANDWRITING • ARROWS • CONTAINERS
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Working in .
real time
meansyou're 8 1111111181111111111E
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listening for
bigideasas
you work.

REAL-TIME SKETCHNOTING
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
KEEP is worth capturing and what isn't. TOSS

LIVE SKETCHNOTING IS A Pit,ACTICE

THAT IMP
'THE MORE YOU DO IT, THE BETTER
O V YOUR
E LISTENING SKILLS,
S PATTEIPAI RECOGNITION, AND
DRAWING SKILLS WILL GET.
W I
T H
R E 125
 0

THEBIGGEST BENEFIT
Of LIVE SKETCHNOTING

when event
IS D NE,
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126
 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
IIN6
This0first variation of the two-stage approach to
sketchnoting
- begins with real-time sketchnotes
captured
S in pencil instead of ink.

At aTlater time, the sketchnoter inks over the

A pencil lines, fine-tuning them and adding
original
6 This is 6k good time to add color with
detail.
markers,
i 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
g BUT IT CANALSO TAKE
TWICEAS MUCH TIME
AS CiglATIN6
INKED SKETCHNOTES.

128
Alexis Finch • Radiolob Penciled Sketchnote

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Alexis Finch • Rodiolab Inked Sketchnote

129
 r-r
A second variation - of the two-stage sketchnoting
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
T
esO
2. Redrawn Notes
R
E
F
I
N
E
D
A
P
P
YOU ARE PROCESSIINIG NOTES TWICE, which ma9
R
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,
A inked sketchnotes.
C
REAL-TIME SKETCHNOTING
H
TWO-STAGE SKETCHNOTING

0 IHOUR 2 . H o t n a . c o ,

130
 Rough Note
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IT'S OK TO EXPERIMENT with two-stage sketchnoting if
k :
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you're concerned\ about mistakes or you want to explore
sketchnoting at aL slower pace. But don't get stuck there.
Real-time sketchnoting
e with ink is easier than you may think.
"
A
V
131
O
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 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.
,i
Defining a hierarchy helps you, otnd others reading
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. E AM; E
SUBHEADS The Subhead
add detail to the istrt
headline's meaning. vtoti• level
kierayttly
DESCRIPTIVETEXT
adds more detait • *Bulk+ roiviir ewe
* Sub14t4to vticter
BULLETPOINTS
separate and *The 0
define detail. (eccr
iptiR
4 e
x i -
 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 The drawing o f a couch

hierarchy is the speaker's emphasizes point no.
name and title. Numbering o f the points
Descriptive text
establishes the talk. o ff e r s a clear hierarchy.

Tet Re•F g u e . s

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-rtoNts!
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r i -
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I ----' ,

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 Numbers work welt

f o r providing a more
2. The Second Concept structured hierarchy.
c. First sub item
b. Second sub item

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

t
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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ursl
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138
 LOVE THE HUMOROUS COMMENTS AND
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Mike Rohde • SXSW Intet-4ctive 2008

NO
 ECAP
0 0 e
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
 . 11 - * • • • • •
. . . . . • • . . . . . .

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 CHAPTER 7
0

SKETCHNOTIINIG

SK
and
ITEN NIQ ES
L
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,'
L
S

146
-

SC / 4 ) LEANED:
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
BEFORE YOU LEARN TO DRAW VISUAL ELEMENTS

7
remember that sketchnotes are about capturing and sharing
ideas, not art. Even bad drawings Can convey good ideas.

If you're not an artist

1
or feel you can't draw well,

1
11
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 A 1 4
1
L

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 -
to to sketchnotes, drawing complex ideas by building
add
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 Car iPhone B o o k

1
Pencil Laptop Factorg

Earth Satetlite Radio TV

Ca Lightsaber Robot
Dog
t

151
 1
. te,
.•ATOE
•THAN ,
-
•C•IP)flATE:•
• •
.
museum -
q ;u
•ILL UST"
a l i/4
t\Ti NS;
y •
•focus INSTEAD on
QUICKLY C
SIMPLE
P D'eAWINGS
'EA ofTtheINIDEAS
IN YOLP HEAD
6 usingthe 5 basicelements.

152
 M• P I ' T I V
7
5 FANCY ILLUSTRATIONS 5 SIMPLE DRAWINGS

E 1 r
I T E
M S

Woman

11
Laptop
Lapt
op
Tree

Pie C h Pie Chart o

ar
t
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
elements—square, circle, triangle, line, and dot—to create drawings
of each word in the grid. If you get stuck, skip to the next word.

HOUSE 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

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
1
 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
1
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.

0 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
- use the Gra9 Method to draw people. I've w r i t t e n
In the grid below,
some suggestions in the open grids to challenge 9ou a bit. Tr9 adding
I n cand
clothes, shoes, hats, i sother
e details — have fun!

S TA N D I N G RUNNING

'Ilk

WALKING JUMPING

160
 SITTING ON T H E P H O N E DANCING

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
i

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 • • • • • • • \._.J t'
-
-
s• "
'...\* N•__\•
,..........••••••

c
\,-I s• • -
•m•.\ .
N • .

ft....0 \ . . , 0
1 /

f t . . . 1 f
.
•. . •
•.
f '
. ••••\ .••\ N ,..\ •
.
"
.
\

162
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 E S 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 MOUTHS
elt1/4 e g N ; 4 7 . A y % 'Cr>

BIFF
BUFFY MOZZY

TEX
FRED BIANCA

M A I THE
FACIAL
EXPESSIONS
CAN YOU
BOB
FRANKIE CtsEATE?

164
 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 Uppercase cknd lowercase single-line

are great for establishing lettering is especickltg effective when
sections within a sketchnote. 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
TWO-LINE K LV N
C
By drawing two lines in parallel, you can create bolder type.
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. - - _ _ _ _ _ _

i
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 Drop shadow B l o c k lettering

lettering added f i l l e d 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 SPEEDY
OAEADO- ..... i N O N E
Started but incomplete 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 lowercase handwriting
My otd ALL CAPS 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:

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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
Once I C filled the visuat library
I N G in this book, keep your
exercises
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
,memory
11the grid below, draw as many items from your kitchen from
as you Carl recall. Remember to use the five basic elements
-to"draw
ren theeimages
: you're seeing in your head.

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
1 1

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
HOT HEAD

182

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 1 • 1 1 1 1 = - _ _ _
 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 Moteskines nave a pocket

in the back for storing
heavy paper stock, which
resists bleeck-through even business cards, etc.
with beav9 inking.

\,
HEA VY
1INKING A h6km/9 bookmark lets

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

6
1 An elastic strap keeps
rA9 sketchbook shut.

1
2
A Moleskine's two-page spreads work welt for the linear
sketchnotes I create. Here's a sample:

what'sThe SPPLESER577,
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Focus o
n
Mike Rohde • SXSW Interactive 2010

5 c oblo‘ck-and-white
M Y STYLE features high-contrast,
typograph9 and drawings, so Ipuse aI bold, 0.7mm gel pen.

r
p lb

R EnerGet 0.7m vn gel pen.

M9 Pentel

it
\Rc
H 185
 CHHEP '
7Some sketchnoters prefer square or spiral notebooks.
Others use finer black lines as a base and then amp1if9 their
\sketchnotes afterward with colored markers, colored
O T or even watercolor paints.
pencils,

E P SPIRAL—BOUND SKETCHBOOK
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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
o
Sharing sketchnotes can be as simple as shooting and posting
a photo with your smartphone or as complex as making
rhigh-resolution scans on your desktop computer.
I often share my work both ways.

: TRIONES
SMA
Smartphones are convenient to carry anywhere and can
) highly detailed photos for backup and sharing.
create

H
By sharing your sketchnotes using the camera on your phone
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

Lic3_ eeg
easy to comprehend and A-tREiffi
h
share can make who,t "Ae a 711

you've created more okik

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AT I 1 W 6

attractive for readers

OPEN77'
to check out and even E
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DIGITAL CAME \ A
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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. r
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 I
with and export a large batch -
of sketchnotes. C:=5,==.7)
i .
. 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:
ww Isketchnotehandbook
w.
fli
196
ck
GUESS
HAT?

197
 THIS.
LL,.
••.,)t) 6 g c a n !

Et1

196
 EJ/

Zes,you.'

198
 INDEX
A
about this book, xiv caching ideas, 25, 46, 48
active listening, 46 cameras, digita1,18ct
Akah, Binaebi, 22-23 capturing ideas, 6,18, 42
ALL CAPS t9pe,I35,173 cartoons,I38,13q
anchoring ideas, 25 Chew, Boon Yew, 40-41
arrows, 43, VI,134,174 circles,I6,150
artwork
commentar9,137
a r t & structure scale, 87-88 concentration, 31, 3'1
ideas evnphasized over,18-1q,148 concepts, describing, 8
See also drawings connectors,I74
asterisks,134 containers, 71,175
as9himetric radial sketchnote, c-shape path,103
attention, directing, 47

F3
descriptive text,I33,134
backup supplies, 58, 71 diagrams, 6
Balara, Matt, 'II ,
digital cameras, WI
Berman, Craighton, 24-25 6-67
digital sketchnotes,13
big ideas, 6, 37 distractions
block lettering, 16'1,171 e ff e c t of sketchnoting on, 31
bold t9pe,I35,167,168 eliminating and filtering, 47
book light, 58 dividers, 68' , 75
Boudwin, Marichiel & Dan,107 doodling
brain
drawing compared to, ILI
dual coding theor9 and, 27-28 stud9 on vnemor9 and, 30
visual maps and, 2'1-30 dots, used in drawings,1 6 1 5 0
brainstorming, 25 drawing faces,I62-164
Broadbent, KT, III basic elements for,162
Brown, Sunni, 85,144 exercises on,I63-164
bullet points,133 drawing metaphors,182-183
bullets, 70,174 drawing people,I56-161

200
 exercise on,160-161 making sketchnotes at, 61
Gray method of,I57-15q researching beforehand, 57, 7g, 79
scaling tip for, 23 sharing sketchnotes from, 62, 63
s t a r method of,156 title page for, 60
drawing type,I65-171 experimenting with sketchnotes, 20
block lettering,161 eyebrows, drawing,162
exercise on,170-171 eyes, drawing,164
single-line lettering,166-167
tips for q u i c k l y, 1 6
F
,
triple-line lettering, I6g faces
g , 1 6
two-line lettering,167 basic elements for,I62
, exercises on d r a w i n g , 1 6
See also typography
cl , expressions,16
drawing visual elements,174-175 facial
drawings f, e l t -3t i-p1p6e d markers,1g7
, 1 6, 1 Alexis, 54-55,114,129
2Finch,
fancy vs. simple, 153
3 4
five basic elements of,I6, M - 1 5 2 , five basic drawing elements,16, 1
4
154-155 , exercise on using,154-155
4 9 -finding
1 5 2 in drawings,I51
ideas conveyed through, IS,
34-35,151 fixing/tuning sketchnotes, 62
including in sketchnotes, 6 6 - 6 7 Flickr site for book, xv,1%
skills f o r creating,14 focusing attention, 47
See also a r t w o r k frames in sketchnotes,
drop shadows,1 f r u s t r a t i o n with note taking, xii, 3
6
dual coding theory, 27-2g, 39 funneling information, 25
1
dynamic note taking, 3g
6
gel pens, 1g5,1g7
Erb, Veronica, 42-43, lOct George, Michelle, g 0—gl
Esch, Jessica, 5 2 - 5 3 , g5 grade school doodles, N
events, 5 7 - 6 2 graphic recording, NI
arriving early to, 59, 7g, - Gray, Dave,15
Pt
gathering materials for, 5g Gray drawing method,157-15q
grid-like patterns, lOg

201
 0-6
handwriting, g, 6g,I73 Lamm, Eva-Lotto. g2—g3, '17,144
hard-back notebooks,145 Lamson, Gerren, g6, '13,106, 11g-119
Hawkins, Erin M., I40 language, visual vs. verbal, 3 4 - 3 5
headlines,133 larger themes/ideas, 37
hierarchies lettering
creating,133-134 block,169,171
elements of,I35 single-line,166-167,170
holistic approach, 11 triple-line, 16g,I71
hub-and-spoke structure, ' 1 5 - two-line,167,170
6
humor,13g,13c1 linear sketchnote pattern, 75, ' I I -
16 6
lines in drawings,16,150,174
1 4
listening, 44-51
icons, 25, 70,135,175 active process of, 46
ideas ,author's approach to, 47-4'1
anchoring metaphors and, 25 caching ideas through, 25, 46, 4g
caching through listening, 25,4(0, 4g keys to process of, 45
connecting with arrows, 43 naturalness of drawing while, 32
conveyed through drawings, IS, practicing skills in, 50
34-35
summary points about, 51
emphasized over artwork, live sketchnoting,124-126
14g ,lowercase handwriting,173
focusing on larger themes and, 37
process for Capturing, 42
sketchnotes built from,10 Magairt, Matthew, 1 2 0
Ide-Smith, Michele,105 -lytaps, visual,10, 2c1-30, 3'1
illustrations. See artwork; drawings 121
materials for sketchnoting, 55,154—I57
immersion process, lig McDaniel, Cassie,102
iPad and i Phone, 57, 5g meandering storytelling, 4'1
memory
drawing items from,I76
keaggy, Bill,I31 study on doodling and, 30
kitchen items drawing exercise, 17g-17 visual maps and, 30
6
Kleon, Austin,112, I Ig,162 Mental cache, 25, Ltg
1

1.
, 2 0 2
metaphors popcorn pattern,113-115
anchoring ideas and, 25 radiat pattern, 7 3 , 9 5 - 9 9
tips on drawing,1 2 - 1 g 3 skyscraper pattern,110 —112
mind vertical pattern,100-102
dual coding theory of, 2 7 - 2 g PDF documents, 62
holistic note taking and,11 pencils
visuat maps and, 2 9 - 3 0 highlighting with colored,1g7
modular sketchnote p a t t e r n , 1 0 6 pencit to ink approach,127-129
-Moleskine sketchbooks, 7, 5 g , 1 g text-only note taking using, 3
1 0
Monlux, Mark,139 penmanship,173
9-1-1g5
mouths, drawing,162,16 pens f o r sketchnoting,135,1g7
1- people
N
1 exercise on drawing,I60-161
Newman, Greg,I53 methods for drawing,156-159
note taking scaling tip for drawing, 23
author's f r u s t r a t i o n with, xi i, 3 personality in sketchnotes, 9,12,136
feeling of sketchnoting vs., 3 6 - 3 g personalization of sketchnotes,
136-140
visuat and holistic approach to, II
numbering points,134,135 photographing sketchnotes, 61, 79,
Igg—Ig9
0 pie charts, 30
o ff i c e items drawing exercise,1g0-1g1 planning process, 42
opinions in sketchnotes,136,137 PNG formatted files, 62

organic path shapes,103 pocket-sized Moleskine sketchbook, 7,

IgL1-1g5
P popcorn sketchnote p a t t e r n , I 1 3
Paivio, Altan, 27 -practicing listening skitls, 50
11 5
presentations
panel discussions,110
path sketchnote pattern,103-105 immersing your mind in, '-IS
pattern recognition, 46, LII recognizing patterns i n ,
patterns for sketchnotes, 90-116 1
linear pattern, 75, 91-9H
R -16, 4 9

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
refining sketchnotes, 43
relaxed note taking, 36
researching events, 57, 7
6
Reynolds, Timothy 1,113,142—N3
1
Rohde, Mike, 92,140,153
rohdesign.com website, xv
rough-to-refined approach,130-131
Rowland, Francis, N4-145
5 photographing and scanning, 61, 62,
scanning sketchnotes, 62, 'gel
Schildt, Bauke,104, Ig6
seating considerations, 59
separators, Gg, 75,175
Sewell, Carolyn, 94
sharing sketchnotes, 62, 63, Igg—Igq
Shipton, Chris,101,190-191
sign language,136
signatures in sketchnotes, 71
single-line lettering,166-167,170
sketchbooks
Moleskine, 7, 55,154-1g5
spiral-bound, 23, 52, IS&
Sketchnote Army blog, xii
sketchnoter covrmunity, xv
sketchnotes
advantages of, 3 6 - 3 5
anatomy of, 64-71
arrows in, 43, &I
a r t w o r k in, ri—gg
bullets and icons in, 70
containers used in, 71
creation process for, 57-62, 7 2 - 7 7
204
diagrams and drawings in, 66
dividers used in, 6g
experimenting with, 20
handwriting in, g, 613
hierctrchy for,I33-135
holistic approckch of, II
how to create,13
ideas over art in,Ig—lq,14g
key concepts f o r making, 25
patterns used for, 90-116
personalization of,136-140
Igg—Igq
planning process for, 42
reo,t-tie,I 2 3 , 1 2
1
refining the look of, 43
4-126
sharing, 62, 63, Igg—Igq, NO
signatures for, 71
structure of 8 7 - 8 9
style of, g5—g6
titles for, 60, 64
tools f o r creating, 58, I84-187
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
speech bubbles, 53,175
spiral-bound sketchbooks, 23, 82, WC
,
s9uares,16,150
s t a r drawing method,I56
Steed, Kyle,1q4-1q5
stories, connecting, 49
structure of sketch notes, 8 7 - 8 9
 V
st9le of sketchnotes, g5—g6
subheads,133 verbal mode, 2 7 - 2 g
s9mmetric radial sketchnote, "16 vertical sketchnote pattern,100-102
s9nthesizing information, 25 visual elements
building a librar9 of,176
drawing in s k e t c h n o t e s , 1 7
talk bubbles, 53,175 1 language, 3 4 - 3 5
visual
-1-175
text, descriptive,133,13 visual librar9,176-1 gl
1
text-only note taking, 3 advice on building,176
4
themes, focusing on larger, 37 kitchen items exercise, 17g-179
thinking processes, g5 o ff i c e items exercise, Ig0-1g1
thought bubbles,175 visual maps,10, 2
t h r e e - p o i n t sermons, LH 6
visual mode, 2 7 - 2 g
titles, 30, 60, 64 1 - 3 0 notes,
visual , II
3 " I
tools f o r sketchnoting, 5g,1g4—Ig7 visualizing ideas, 25
triangles,I6,150
triple-line lettering,16g,171
Tw i t t e r info f o r author, xv warming up, I'll
two-line lettering,167,170 website of author, xv
t w o - s t a g e sketchnoting,123,127-131, whints9,138,140
pencil to ink approach,127-12'1 Wright, Amanda, "Ig, Ig6
rough to refined approach,130-131 w r i t t e n sketchnotes,13
t9po9raph9,165-171 w-snape path,103
block lettering,169
exercise on drawin9, 170-171
hierarch9 emphasized through,135 zigzctg path,103
including in sketchnotes, 65 zone for sketchnoting, 33,39
single-line lettering,166-167 z-shape path,103
tips f o r adding to,16g,I61
triple-line lettering, I6g
two-line lettering,167
"MikeRohdepractices whathepreaches.
"Somethingmagicalhappenswhenyou take notes
Thisbeautiful,simplebookhaseverything you with picturesandwords, together. In this friendly,
needto sketchnote like a pro. TheSketchnote encouragingbook,sketchnote wizard MikeRohde
Handbookisdestined to bethe definitiveguide shareshissecretsso that anybodycansteal his
to a new, practical, andinnovative discipline." tricks for capturingideas with penandpaper."
—Dave Gray, author of The Connected Company, —Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist
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g Ornething N E W . On the video that comes with this book,
focused on BIG IDEAS, using a mix Ishow you how I sketchnote an event,
of words, drawings, and type to make demonstrate the drawing techniques
my notes more visual and much more 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
ISBN-13: 978-0-321-88511-1

118f88I 91
ISBN-10: 0 - 3 2 1 - 8 8 5 1 1 - 2
BOOK LEVEL Beginner/Intermediate
53
CATEGORY Computer Art & Design
COVERART a DESIGN Mike Rohde
TOTALVIDEO RUN TIME I hour10 Minutes
9
VIDEO REQUIREMENTS Broadband Internet Connection

J1 91