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Resource that can be useful while drawing shadows

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I find that this art piece is a great way to communicate a message because the artist (Banksy) has found a unique way of getting people to talk about an old problem in a new and different perspective.

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This is an image of a sketch note I found when looking for inspiration. I believe it is helpful because it not only shows when sketchnoting can be useful but also different techniques to use to make it more effective. i.e. images, arrows, shapes, groups, topography etc.

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The sketch note shown below, shows different techniques of how to use the 6 elements. It also has an effective use of detail oriented

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The sketch note shows the big variety of different fonts, which, I think, may be useful.

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This sketch note shows an interesting way to present the content.

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I found this video helpful because it offers a very well illustrated example of what sketchnoting is as well as some ideas/inspiration for our sketchnoting assignment. This video is also very concise with its instructions.

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Visual Thinking - business success by drawing Loeke Braam 2013

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The page that I decided to post as my resource  is an article "50+ Awesome Resources to Create Visual Notes, Graphic Recordings & Sketchnotes" it features so many ways to illustrate notes- including techniques and different content. I liked this page especially as they showed how you can show process through drawing which may be helpful throughout the year!

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This sketch note demonstrates creative ways to enclose text on sketch notes.

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I was looking at a few sketch noting artist and I came across Mike Rohde. I like his use of colour and space and the idea of sketching vs drawing

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Some useful poses to take inspiration from, helps with drawing people quickly simply and is good for creating fun sketch notes

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Explore Maya iDA's photos on Flickr. Maya iDA has uploaded 10 photos to Flickr.

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Sketchnote army! check it out! Lots of work by different people.

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This is a site where it actually teaches you how to sketch note adding color, emphasis, having fun with words, arrows and connections, and banners and ribbons, including little notes, videos and pictures.

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Color is a great way to add visual interest and guide people's eyes to what you want them to focus on. Here's Kevin Dulle's sketchnote lesson on adding emphasis with shadows and color:
Reposted with permission - check out his blog for more tips!
If you're starting out with sketchnotes, you don't have to use color right away. Go ahead and draw with whatever you feel comfortable with, whether that's a black technical pen, a 4-color ballpen, or a digital stylus.

You can always add color afterwards. On paper, you can use crayons, colored pencils, highlighters, markers, and so on. Make sure you test it in an inconspicuous area (maybe on a separate piece of paper) because your coloring method may interact badly with your drawing.

You can also add color on the computer. I prefer this way because then I can easily change my mind about what colors to use. Erasing is easier. Learn how to use the software tools that are out there. Here is a quick video I put together on how to use the free GIMP tool to add color by either replacing the ink that's there (as if you changed pens) or adding color on top (as if you used a highlighter).

Okay, so that takes care of the mechanics. What about the styles?

Develop your personal style by looking for inspiration and experimenting with ideas. In addition to checking out people's sketchnotes, look elsewhere for interesting color combinations: nature, art, product designs, and so on. Try different techniques and colors.

Here's a sampler of different coloring styles I've played with in my sketchnotes:

Sketchnote Army has a wide variety of sketchnoting styles. Flip through it, see what you like, and try playing around with those ideas. Have fun!
Like this? Check out the other sketchnote lessons and learn more. Feel free to suggest topics, ask questions, or share your own tips!

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Color is a great way to add visual interest and guide people's eyes to what you want them to focus on. Here's Kevin Dulle's sketchnote lesson on adding emphasis with shadows and color: Reposted with permission - check out his blog for more tips!

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This source presents the general idea of sketchnoting. It explains why do we need sketchnotes and shows the difference from doodling.
Mike Rohde (person who is being interviewed) is a digital product designer and creator. He owns a website  sketchnotearmy.com, an online sketchnote community.

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I'm thrilled to announce our first interview in an ongoing series of interesting people using analog tools. Author and designer Mike Rohde joins us to talk about Sketchnotes, a very popular and creative note taking method that he's developed. It's often been described as "notebooking for visual thinkers."
R.C.: Can you tell us a little bit about Sketchnotes?
M.R.: Sure thing! Sketchnotes are a visual note-taking approach that extend text-only notes to make use of drawings, icons, lettering and other visual elements to capture and share ideas.

Sketchnotes are a way to use our natural visual skills to capture ideas. As an example, rather than scolding and steering students away from doodling, teachers can encourage students to doodle as a visual way to think through and process ideas.

For me they started as a solution to problem I was facing with note-taking, and have since turned into a solution for many people around the world. I'm most proud of that.
R.C.: What challenge(s) were you trying to overcome with traditional note-taking that led you to develop sketchnotes?
M.R.: I had somehow gotten to the place where I was writing detailed, verbatim notes of meetings, but losing the spirit of what I was processing. It was unsustainable.

I'd come to the point of using large lined notebooks with a pencil so I could capture everything I heard, but it was a burden to put that pressure on myself. I needed a solution.

As a designer I'm faced with limits of all kinds: deadlines, limited screen real estate, limited colors, etc. I decided to try placing limits on myself around note-taking, to see if I might be able to figure out a way out of my jam.

Limiting myself worked. I approached note taking from a different perspective: instead of a large, lined notebook, I switched to a small Moleskine sketchbook, and instead of a pencil, I began using a gel pen. This combination led me to slow down, and not worry about capturing everything I heard.

Instead, I focused on key ideas that I could apply to my life at conferences and in meetings and captured those with both words and images. It's changed my life.
R.C.: How did sketchnoting change the way you related to your notes?
M.R.: I've become so more engaged with my notes. Because sketchnotes are fun to create and not a burden, I'm excited about taking them. Each time I sketchnote I have an opportunity to experiment with visual elements and words - it's fun!

More importantly, because my sketchnotes are compact, It's easier to review them, so I do. And because I enjoy the work, it's really fun to share some of them with others.

Ultimately, sketchnoting led to writing two books about the techniques and process so others could learn and use them.
R.C.: Sketchnotes has been described as ideal for the "visual thinker". When do you prefer images over words?
M.R.: It really depends on the situation I'm in. I'm a word person as much as an image person, so sometimes a word will pop into my head and other times, an image will.

Practically speaking, I default to words with images added, unless I've intentionally set out to be more visual. For example, in the case of idea generation I would use drawings as the primary way of capturing an idea, with words to annotate my concepts.

In the case of say a board meeting, I might lean heavilly on text and simply use icons or small drawings here and there to illustrate my thinking.

I like to think of the visual/verbal balance as a slider-you can slide the control to the left for more words or to the right for more images as needed. That way you aren't locked into a certain pattern, and can adapt your sketchnotes to your context.
R.C.: Do you have to be good at drawing to sketchnote?
M.R.: Not at all! One of my mantras is "Ideas, not art" because I think art, as much as I love it, carries baggage with it.

Art in the traditional sense has a performance hook in it that can make people feel they can't draw like Leonardo or Van Gogh. But I think drawing can also be used to communicate ideas simply, without the experienced skill a famous artist might add.

Not only do I believe that, I see it all the time in workshops and online with people drawing simply as part of their path into sketchnoting. Once drawing is broken down to its simplest pieces and the baggage of measuring up to great artists is shed, regular people embrace drawing and sketchnoting.

My goal with all of the education, books, Sketchnote Army and so on is an effort to separate the performance of art away from the idea of communication with simple drawing.
R.C.: Your website sketchnotearmy.com focuses a lot on the sketchnote community. What are some of your favorite developments that have been generated by that community?
M.R.: I'm most excited by the initiative of the community. Dr. Makayla Lewis has started a Sketchnote Chat for other community members using Google Hangouts to organize themselves.

My colleague Mauro Toselli is creating an interesting workshop using 53's Paper app. People all around the world are teaching sketchnoting in schools and in conferences.

It's really cool to see the community taking ownership.
R.C.: Sketchnotearmy.com was launched in 2009. How is the practice different today than it was then?
M.R.: I think sketchnoting has become more mature while at the same time reaches new people every day. I've seen applications for sketchnoting spread to capturing experiences like travel and food, sporting events, scientific talks and more. It's really growing up.
R.C.: Being a UX/UI designer, you spend a lot of time in the digital space. What does paper afford you as a medium that apps do not?
M.R.: I think the most important reason I use paper is the immediacy. In seconds I can open my book, grab a pen and draw.

There's friction with electronic devices (as great as they are for many purposes). You have to turn them on, find your app, open it up and draw. If you haven't charged, you have limited time. If the device dies, maybe you lose all of your work.

I definitely make use of tech for my work, but I balance it with analog tools like books and pens. I find the camera especially useful for capturing my work and saving it to Dropbox and from there exporting to Flickr, Instagram, Twitter and others.

I think it's important to use the right tools for the right jobs and most times for me, that's a blend of paper, pen and technology.
R.C.: You're headed to a conference for the weekend, what tools are in your bag?
M.R.: Here's my minimal carry:
RC: What are your three top pieces of advice for those looking to get started with sketchnoting? M.R.:

1. Give yourself grace as you begin. You're not trying to be a famous artist, you're just trying to capture ideas simply.

2. Take it slowly. First add icons and drawings to your text notes, then experiment with more and more imagery in your sketchnotes. It's a process, so take your time!

3. Have fun and explore sketchnoting. Find ways that work for you and try different approaches. Play with various books, paper, pens or pencils. The beauty of sketchnoting is the freedom to adapt it to your own needs, so adapt away!

RC: What's next for sketchnoting?
M.R.: Right now I'm thinking about a new step-by-step book and an online workshop. I don't have more to share just yet, but if you're interested in hearing about new things first, sign up for my Rohdesign Dispatch, where I share updates and handy links every two weeks:
http://rohdesign.com/newsletter/
Sketchnotes + Bullet Journal

Sketchnotes can fit seamlessly into your Bullet Journal. Simply title your Sketchnote session and number the pages as you go. When the session is over, just add it your Index like you would any other collection. Now you'll be able to access your Sketchnotes at any time.

Learn more about Mike Rohde and Sketchnotes:

Website: http://rohdesign.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rohdesign
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rohdesign/
Get the books:

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I'm thrilled to announce our first interview in an ongoing series of interesting people using analog tools. Author and designer Mike Rohde joins us to talk about Sketchnotes, a very popular and creative note taking method that he's developed. It's ...more

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This resource is useful because it provides tons of different types of "doodles" that can be incorporated throughout a sketch note. It has a huge variation of objects and words that I think definitely manipulate simplicity to create a fun, busy work of art.

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This resource is helpful because it shows you how to start shading with your sketch and how to incorporate colour. It gives you somewhere to start.

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heres my second link: it has alot of examples using different techniques which i like because there are many different looks for other people.

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Sketch notes-or graphic notes, or whatever other term you like-are one of the single most important developments in note-taking history. Hold on, give me a second to explain.

Exactly why they matter has something to do with the way our brains work, and the explosion of technology, and a little bit of viral success.

The point of notes, it seems, is to capture important ideas for future reference. While it's nothing new to take notes that combine images with words and phrases, sketch notes are actually an evolution of this idea. As an English teacher, I taught only a handful note taking styles, primarily combination notes, and Cornell notes, concept-map notes, and a kind of mash of the three. As a matter of differentiation I'd offer some students examples of outline-style notes and other styles, but that was it.

Then Ken Robinson's Changing Educational Paradigms exploded across the internet, and the sound of the little marker squeaking across the whiteboard became synonymous with digital storytelling. Iconic even.

Why? Because sketch notes like these don't just capture ideas, they tell a story. And that matters because human beings young and old love a good story. The video game industry, billion dollar marketing campaigns, Hollywood, even sports teams and musical artists all live and die by their ability to relay a story we can connect with-and that matters in the academic world as well.

The water cycle has a story to tell that is exceptionally hard to document in an outline form-and impossible to do so engagingly or enthusiastically. Same with Faulkner's use of Symbolism, the causes and effects of war, the need for education to evolve, or the merits of Freakonomics. Sketch notes, done well, can tell a story. Which means they can be curated and, more importantly, shared.

And in the era of tablet PCs, smartphones, and instagram, this means everything. It may not seem natural for a student to share their sketchnotes on vine or deviantart, but why not? If it's important and elegant and worth sharing, they'll share it.

As you can see below, they're not simple words and pictures together-well, done badly they are. But done well, they tell a story while recording and documenting important information in a highly visible, elegant, and shareable way.

Helping students understand how to take proper sketch notes isn't as simple as sharing these images and say "do this" (though that's a start). Like all learning, it's a matter of modeling, scaffolding, and patience. Hopefully these 10 examples-including the classic How to Read a Book and Seth God's Stop Stealing Dreams--will help.

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10 Brilliant Examples Of Sketch Notes: Notetaking For The 21st Century

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Sketch notes-or graphic notes, or whatever other term you like-are one of the single most important developments in note-taking history. Hold on, give me a second to explain. Exactly why they matter has something to do with the way our brains work, and the explosion of technology, and a little bit of viral success.

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I found that this source was very useful as it brings you step by step on how to make a sketchnote. There are also many different examples to give you inspiration. Yes there is a lot to read, but it is very helpful.

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The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them. While it isn't strictly related to UX Design, Jared Spool counts sketching as one of 5 indispensable skills that user experience designers should focus on, so it's certainly a skill you should consider developing.

With this in mind, I thought I'd break down the approach I take, and list some tips for others interested in getting started with sketchnoting.

Want to Take your Sketchnoting to the Next Level?

Why not sign up for a UX Mastery workshop? There are two coming up in July/August:

What is Sketchnoting?

The term sketchnoting describes the style of visual note-taking that has become popular at tech conferences in the past few years. Mike Rohde has been the most vocal champion (he has a book coming out on the topic soon), and Eva-Lotta Lamm has been a prolific creator of the art form of late (she's published a couple of books as well!).

Here's a comic that I created for a teaching journal earlier this year (click the full-screen icon in the bottom-right if it's too hard to read):

While sketchnoting is usually practiced by attendees at conferences, it can be fun to create them in other situations, too. For example, I recently had a short stint in hospital, and captured my thoughts about surgery as a sketchnote before going into theatre:

Regardless of the circumstance, the skills for creating a sketchnote can be broken down into four basic categories:

In this article, I'll list 20 tips for how to hone your skills in each of these categories.

Planning

For the most part, I don't really do any preparation before starting a sketchnote. However, there are a few tasks you can do in advance so that you're best equipped on the day:

1. Tool Up

While it's not essential to use an expensive art pen and a trendy moleskine notebook to create beautiful sketchnotes, you don't want to start off on the back foot. Spend a few bucks on the minimum amount of stationery that gives you the best chance at creating something you're proud of, but doesn't weigh you down. I recommend:

A blank notebook large enough so that you won't feel restricted by space (I use a Derwent A4 Visual Art Diary, with 110 GSM pages)

A reasonable quality black felt tip pen that you're confident won't run out on you half way through (psst: buy a second while you're at it, in case it does!). You may want to experiment with different tip diameters-I usually use a 0.5 Mitsubishi Uni Pin.

A Copic grey marker, and possibly one other highlight colour for when you're feeling really adventurous. Personally I love monochrome sketchnotes, but a splash of colour, when used for highlights, can definitely bring an extra dimension to your masterpiece.

This last point is a controversial inclusion, but I'd suggest also buying yourself some correction fluid. Purists might suggest that tarnishing your page with liquid paper defeats the purpose, and mistakes are part of the learning process. That's all well and good, but if you make a minor mistake, I think it's totally fair game to white it out before presenting it to the world. It's not ideal, and I avoid it when possible, but a small blob of correction fluid will always look better than an ugly crossed-out mistake, in my opinion.

Note: I have tried a few times to sketchnote using my iPad and the tablet pen that I use with it. There are a couple of great sketching apps for that device (we use Wacom's Bamboo Paper app for many of the feature images on this site), but none of them give me the flexibility and ability to see the big picture that I need when sketchnoting. Also, correction fluid can damage the screen!
2. Practice On A Recording

Perhaps this is obvious, but if there's a conference coming up and you're thinking about sketchnoting some of the sessions, why not get some practice in beforehand? We live in an amazing age, where presentations on sites like Coursera and TED.com are available online for free. Instead of watching yet another Big Bang Theory, plug your laptop into the big screen TV, load up some inspiring presentations, and get sketching!

3. Master Sketching Common Objects

It's useful to have a cache of objects in your repertoire, ready to pull out as needed. In particular, if you attend tech conferences, there are certain words that will crop up time and again (think "ship", "cloud", "user", "link"). Practice visual representations of these words in advance, so you don't get flustered trying to draw them for the first time in the middle of a talk. Here are some suggestions:

Basic shapes: stars, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles,

Basic objects: ship, home, fish, user, cloud, link, hand, mouse, book, newspaper, magazine, tree, envelope, brick, brain, magnifying glass, pencil, paper, scissors, knife, fork, spoon, iPhone, iPad, desktop, laptop, web browser, cursor

Basic maps: a screenshot of Google Maps, a quick world map

Famous brands & logos: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM...

Google Images is a great resource for finding inspiration to model your sketches on.

4. Give Yourself A Headstart

For most of the presentations I attend, I like to begin the sketchnote with a caricature of the speaker, as well as the name of the talk, the name of the presenter, and possibly the organisation that he or she represents. You don't need to follow this format (capturing the likeness of someone's face is something I still find very difficult to do!). However, if you do, there's no need to wait for the talk to begin to sketch this information-that stuff is always in the conference schedule, along with a photo of the presenter that you could use as your base for your caricature!)

So while other people are changing rooms and the presenter is being introduced, I like to make a start on my sketch, so that I'm not playing catch-up with meta-data once the presentation has begun.

Listening

Here are a few tips for capturing key points from the talk.

5. Choose Your Seat Carefully

Most people attending a conference presentation don't really care where they sit-as long as they're able to see the projector and the presenter's face. They may be influenced by where their friends are sitting, or may position themselves at the back in case they decide to bail on the talk halfway through.

This means that, for the most part, you should have almost free range to choose a strategic vantage point to obtain the best sketchnote. More often than not, this means sitting in the front row, so you have no visual obstacles. However that's not always the case-at a recent conference I attended, there were a few round tables at the back. Being able to rest my notebook on a table, rather than on my lap, meant I had a much steadier hand. I think my sketches are better as a result.

6. Look For Easy Wins

I find the easiest presentations to capture in sketchnote form are ones that have very visual slides-graphics, charts, and pictures of LOLcats are all memorable and fairly obvious material to capture on your page. Sure, you can always add ideas of your own, but there's generally less thought required-the presenter has done a lot of the work in translating words to pictures for you, so make the most of that!

It can be difficult to capture an entire chart on paper-especially if the presenter doesn't leave the slide up for long enough-so be sure to jot down the axes and key points quickly. Then if the slide disappears, you'll have already captured the essence of the chart and can round it out later.

7. Latch Onto Quotes

Quotes-whether they be key phrases you hear the presenter say, or quotes by other people that the presenter uses in his talk-are often poignant summaries of a topic, and you should listen carefully for them. When you hear one that resonates or beautifully summarises the point being made, jot it down and wrap it in some fancy talking marks or a speech balloon.

Processing

It takes some practice to be able to truly listen to someone talk while thinking about another topic at the same time. Some might suggest this multi-tasking skill is unique to women, but I know for a fact that there are men who are able to listen to their girlfriend or wife talk while simultaneously choosing which footy team to bet on in the coming weekend, so this is not a skill that is limited to one gender.

Jokes aside, listening and thinking in parallel is something many of us do all the time, and you can tap into this skill while sketchnoting. Here are some tips:

8. Take Advantage Of Down Time

Most talks will have intense moments where the audience's attention is completely focussed, followed by slower sections in between. This light and shade is the mark of a good presentation, but it's also a boon for you, as it can provide you with some sketching time.

If you hear something amazing during an intense moment, and don't want to turn away, don't! (or jot down the one phrase that summarises the moment). Then, when the moment has passed, you can tune out a little and start to embellish those words (using fancy typography, an accompanying graphic, or additional comments).

9. Pace Yourself

A lot of people are stunned at how I'm able to judge the amount of space it takes to capture the essence of a presentation on a page. I have a secret weapon here-it's called maths. Yes, I'll keep an eye on the clock, and if I haven't filled over half the page by the time that the presentation is halfway complete, then I'll start getting busy: writing larger, sketching images that might have been playing around in my head, and sifting through what I've heard to distil whether any of it is worth writing down or capturing visually using an icon or image that might suit. Likewise, if I've burned through page real estate too quickly, I'll slow down and be more discerning about which snippets of the remaining talk will fill out the remaining space on the page.

10. Curate

It can be tempting to try and capture everything about the presentation. Instead, think of yourself as an art curator whose job it is to sort through the noise, and select a few standout masterpieces to include in your exhibition. Your sketchnote should not serve as a comprehensive reference-it's a moment in time that reflects the takeaways that you found important.

11. Let It Flow

Don't confine yourself to a four-column layout, or always move in a strictly left-right fashion. The page is your canvas, and while there's nothing wrong with creating a very logical, sequential layout, you might try mixing it up on occasion-start in the centre of the page, or move around organically; write sideways, upside down, or in a loop-the-loop when you feel like it. Don't fret about whether it will look any good, just let the sketch flow.

Additionally, if the presenter hits a technical hurdle, makes an unintended joke, becomes flustered by a heckler, or is interrupted by a security alarm, weave that into your sketch as well! Sometimes the best aspects of a sketchnote are the fortuitous, unplanned activities that accompany the official slide set.

Drawing

Ultimately, the words and pictures you form on the page is what makes your sketchnote. Here are some tips for making them look awesome.

12. Be A C.R.A.P. Sketcher

In The Non-Designer's Design Book, Robin Williams introduces the concept of C.R.A.P. design. Of course, she's not suggesting you should arrange your elements on the page in a way that looks terrible, but that you make use of:

Contrast: This could involve using light and dark colours, combining a straight, rigid typeface with a cursive script, or applying heavy and light shapes.

Repetition: Litter the same visual cues throughout the design, such as drop caps, bullets, or some little cartoon frog that appears regularly

Alignment: Line things up on purpose, rather than having them almost match. It looks smarter and makes text easier to read.

Proximity: Group related objects or concepts on the page. If two concepts are completely unrelated, draw them on opposite ends of the canvas.

These four principles will get you a long way to creating a sketchnote that is pleasing to look out, rather than one that looks like a collection of random scrawls.

13. Use Consistent Type

When I say "type", I really just mean "make your handwriting neat and the same." This may be counter intuitive if you have messy handwriting, but the best tip I can give is to slow down when you construct each word. Be patient about crafting each of the letter forms one by one, rather than your usual scrawl. Most conference presentations are 50 minutes long-that's a lot of time to fill an A4 or letter-sized page, so you don't need to hurry.

I've begun utilising a very tall, narrow typeface lately, mostly because I like the look of it, but also because it allows me to fit more words on one line. It also contrasts well with fancier, more decorative typefaces that I might want to use for contrast, such as a cursive script or a heavy, blocky heading.

14. Employ Type Empathy

Type empathy is a term I first heard back in design school. It occurs when the meaning of a word is accurately reflected by its typeface. Here are some examples:

I'm sure you can think of other examples. It can be really fun to invent empathic typefaces on the fly! If you hear a word that prompts a specific image in your head, see if you can work that image into the type somehow. If that sounds too hard, you could always just keep an eye out for one of the above words (or a synonym) and just copy what I've done here!

15. Draw Beautiful Ampersands

The ampersand is a much-loved character by graphic designers. Depending on the typeface, it can be a simple, understated connector or an elaborate, eccentric statement all of its own. Here are a few different types of ampersands for you to practice with. Being able to whip one of these out instead of your usual handwriting can really make a heading stand out.

16. Use Creative Containers

Speech bubbles, thought clouds, sound effect containers, dotted-line rules, double-border rectangles: there are a ton of simple containers that you can add to your sketch to chunk text in a way that is visually interesting. Here are a few of my favourites:

17. Use Creative Connectors

While containers are useful for isolating chunks of text, connectors are used to group those chunks together. Arrows are the most common connectors that I use in my sketchnotes, but there's no reason you couldn't include a range of swirly flourishes and other intricate shapes throughout your sketch. In fact, it might be a good idea to keep a separate "doodle" page, where you can experiment and invent new shapes to be brought across into future sketchnotes.

18. Apply Shading & Colour

That Copic grey marker I mentioned at the start of this list is how I add depth to my black and white sketches. You can use it to:

create shading on one side of an object

add a shadow on the ground below an object

highlight text

colour in containers, for visual contrast

the list goes on...

Some sketchnoters also like to include a single colour, to highlight text, draw attention to parts of a sketch or make key concepts lift from the page. The key to colour is not overdoing it-when in doubt, I'd suggest keeping it black and white.

Here's another dirty secret of mine: the sketchnotes I created at a recent conference all had the grey marker effects applied on the plane home from the conference. I don't subscribe to any kind of purist mentality that "the sketch must be completed during the presentation" . It only took a few minutes to add grey shades to those sketches, and I think the extra depth that it brings to the sketch is terrific.

19. Find Your Own Style

I've given some template approaches in this post which I hope will give you a good framework to build upon, but over time your sketchnotes will develop their own unique personality. Be proud of your sketches, refer to them regularly, and you'll see an original style evolve.

20. Share Your Work

In general, people love seeing how other people think, and a sketchnote is a good approximation of how you have processed a presentation. Be sure to share your sketch online, either via a blog, a service like Flickr, or by emailing your masterpieces to the Sketchnote Army blog. You'll find most people will be supportive of your efforts, and you'll gain confidence from any feedback you receive.

In addition, a sketchnote (either a digital copy or the original piece of paper) is always a wonderful, unique way of thanking a presenter for the time they have put into their presentation.
I hope you've found these tips useful, and I look forward to seeing your creations online! Be sure to check out Mike Rohde's new book, The Sketchnote Handbook, which is out soon and features a two-page spread by yours truly! If you liked this post, feel free to share it on Twitter or Facebook.
More articles on this topic:

Matt visited Sydney last week for Swipe Conference 2012. Here are the sketchnotes he took while learning about design and development for iOS and Mac.

The UX Mastery team was in sunny Brisbane last week for the excellent UX Australia 2012 conference. Here's Matt's collection of visual notes (sketchnotes) that he created while listening to various sessions at the conference.

Matt and Luke attended UX Australia 2013 in Melbourne, Australia last week Here are Matt's sketchnotes from the conference.

conference, information design, practical advice, sketching, sketchnotes, techniques, visual note-taking

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Sketchnoting 101: How To Create Awesome Visual Notes - UX Mastery

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The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them.

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https://piktochart.com/blog/digital-design-sketchnoting-mike-rhode/
This resource helps us know that sketch noting is not hard as you only need to master the five basic shapes adeptly, then everything is easier to be made.

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i found these two resources i thought would be helpful as examples! the second is mainly focusing on one artist who uses sketchnotes for analitical drawings and more academic stuff but he has a really cool vibe!

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Sketchnoters’ Stories - “Sketchnoting and Scientific Topics”: Rob Dimeo — Sketchnote Army

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Today we are happy to feature our friend, scientist and physicist Rob Dimeo . Enjoy! Sketchnoting and Scientific Topics I started sketchnoting about two years ago. My original reason to do it was to better understand current research topics in differentscientific areas, mainl

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The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them. While it isn't strictly related to UX Design, Jared Spool counts sketching as one of 5 indispensable skills that user experience designers should focus on, so it's certainly a skill you should consider developing.

With this in mind, I thought I'd break down the approach I take, and list some tips for others interested in getting started with sketchnoting.

Want to Take your Sketchnoting to the Next Level?

Why not sign up for a UX Mastery workshop? There are two coming up in July/August:

What is Sketchnoting?

The term sketchnoting describes the style of visual note-taking that has become popular at tech conferences in the past few years. Mike Rohde has been the most vocal champion (he has a book coming out on the topic soon), and Eva-Lotta Lamm has been a prolific creator of the art form of late (she's published a couple of books as well!).

Here's a comic that I created for a teaching journal earlier this year (click the full-screen icon in the bottom-right if it's too hard to read):

While sketchnoting is usually practiced by attendees at conferences, it can be fun to create them in other situations, too. For example, I recently had a short stint in hospital, and captured my thoughts about surgery as a sketchnote before going into theatre:

Regardless of the circumstance, the skills for creating a sketchnote can be broken down into four basic categories:

In this article, I'll list 20 tips for how to hone your skills in each of these categories.

Planning

For the most part, I don't really do any preparation before starting a sketchnote. However, there are a few tasks you can do in advance so that you're best equipped on the day:

1. Tool Up

While it's not essential to use an expensive art pen and a trendy moleskine notebook to create beautiful sketchnotes, you don't want to start off on the back foot. Spend a few bucks on the minimum amount of stationery that gives you the best chance at creating something you're proud of, but doesn't weigh you down. I recommend:

A blank notebook large enough so that you won't feel restricted by space (I use a Derwent A4 Visual Art Diary, with 110 GSM pages)

A reasonable quality black felt tip pen that you're confident won't run out on you half way through (psst: buy a second while you're at it, in case it does!). You may want to experiment with different tip diameters-I usually use a 0.5 Mitsubishi Uni Pin.

A Copic grey marker, and possibly one other highlight colour for when you're feeling really adventurous. Personally I love monochrome sketchnotes, but a splash of colour, when used for highlights, can definitely bring an extra dimension to your masterpiece.

This last point is a controversial inclusion, but I'd suggest also buying yourself some correction fluid. Purists might suggest that tarnishing your page with liquid paper defeats the purpose, and mistakes are part of the learning process. That's all well and good, but if you make a minor mistake, I think it's totally fair game to white it out before presenting it to the world. It's not ideal, and I avoid it when possible, but a small blob of correction fluid will always look better than an ugly crossed-out mistake, in my opinion.

Note: I have tried a few times to sketchnote using my iPad and the tablet pen that I use with it. There are a couple of great sketching apps for that device (we use Wacom's Bamboo Paper app for many of the feature images on this site), but none of them give me the flexibility and ability to see the big picture that I need when sketchnoting. Also, correction fluid can damage the screen!
2. Practice On A Recording

Perhaps this is obvious, but if there's a conference coming up and you're thinking about sketchnoting some of the sessions, why not get some practice in beforehand? We live in an amazing age, where presentations on sites like Coursera and TED.com are available online for free. Instead of watching yet another Big Bang Theory, plug your laptop into the big screen TV, load up some inspiring presentations, and get sketching!

3. Master Sketching Common Objects

It's useful to have a cache of objects in your repertoire, ready to pull out as needed. In particular, if you attend tech conferences, there are certain words that will crop up time and again (think "ship", "cloud", "user", "link"). Practice visual representations of these words in advance, so you don't get flustered trying to draw them for the first time in the middle of a talk. Here are some suggestions:

Basic shapes: stars, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles,

Basic objects: ship, home, fish, user, cloud, link, hand, mouse, book, newspaper, magazine, tree, envelope, brick, brain, magnifying glass, pencil, paper, scissors, knife, fork, spoon, iPhone, iPad, desktop, laptop, web browser, cursor

Basic maps: a screenshot of Google Maps, a quick world map

Famous brands & logos: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM...

Google Images is a great resource for finding inspiration to model your sketches on.

4. Give Yourself A Headstart

For most of the presentations I attend, I like to begin the sketchnote with a caricature of the speaker, as well as the name of the talk, the name of the presenter, and possibly the organisation that he or she represents. You don't need to follow this format (capturing the likeness of someone's face is something I still find very difficult to do!). However, if you do, there's no need to wait for the talk to begin to sketch this information-that stuff is always in the conference schedule, along with a photo of the presenter that you could use as your base for your caricature!)

So while other people are changing rooms and the presenter is being introduced, I like to make a start on my sketch, so that I'm not playing catch-up with meta-data once the presentation has begun.

Listening

Here are a few tips for capturing key points from the talk.

5. Choose Your Seat Carefully

Most people attending a conference presentation don't really care where they sit-as long as they're able to see the projector and the presenter's face. They may be influenced by where their friends are sitting, or may position themselves at the back in case they decide to bail on the talk halfway through.

This means that, for the most part, you should have almost free range to choose a strategic vantage point to obtain the best sketchnote. More often than not, this means sitting in the front row, so you have no visual obstacles. However that's not always the case-at a recent conference I attended, there were a few round tables at the back. Being able to rest my notebook on a table, rather than on my lap, meant I had a much steadier hand. I think my sketches are better as a result.

6. Look For Easy Wins

I find the easiest presentations to capture in sketchnote form are ones that have very visual slides-graphics, charts, and pictures of LOLcats are all memorable and fairly obvious material to capture on your page. Sure, you can always add ideas of your own, but there's generally less thought required-the presenter has done a lot of the work in translating words to pictures for you, so make the most of that!

It can be difficult to capture an entire chart on paper-especially if the presenter doesn't leave the slide up for long enough-so be sure to jot down the axes and key points quickly. Then if the slide disappears, you'll have already captured the essence of the chart and can round it out later.

7. Latch Onto Quotes

Quotes-whether they be key phrases you hear the presenter say, or quotes by other people that the presenter uses in his talk-are often poignant summaries of a topic, and you should listen carefully for them. When you hear one that resonates or beautifully summarises the point being made, jot it down and wrap it in some fancy talking marks or a speech balloon.

Processing

It takes some practice to be able to truly listen to someone talk while thinking about another topic at the same time. Some might suggest this multi-tasking skill is unique to women, but I know for a fact that there are men who are able to listen to their girlfriend or wife talk while simultaneously choosing which footy team to bet on in the coming weekend, so this is not a skill that is limited to one gender.

Jokes aside, listening and thinking in parallel is something many of us do all the time, and you can tap into this skill while sketchnoting. Here are some tips:

8. Take Advantage Of Down Time

Most talks will have intense moments where the audience's attention is completely focussed, followed by slower sections in between. This light and shade is the mark of a good presentation, but it's also a boon for you, as it can provide you with some sketching time.

If you hear something amazing during an intense moment, and don't want to turn away, don't! (or jot down the one phrase that summarises the moment). Then, when the moment has passed, you can tune out a little and start to embellish those words (using fancy typography, an accompanying graphic, or additional comments).

9. Pace Yourself

A lot of people are stunned at how I'm able to judge the amount of space it takes to capture the essence of a presentation on a page. I have a secret weapon here-it's called maths. Yes, I'll keep an eye on the clock, and if I haven't filled over half the page by the time that the presentation is halfway complete, then I'll start getting busy: writing larger, sketching images that might have been playing around in my head, and sifting through what I've heard to distil whether any of it is worth writing down or capturing visually using an icon or image that might suit. Likewise, if I've burned through page real estate too quickly, I'll slow down and be more discerning about which snippets of the remaining talk will fill out the remaining space on the page.

10. Curate

It can be tempting to try and capture everything about the presentation. Instead, think of yourself as an art curator whose job it is to sort through the noise, and select a few standout masterpieces to include in your exhibition. Your sketchnote should not serve as a comprehensive reference-it's a moment in time that reflects the takeaways that you found important.

11. Let It Flow

Don't confine yourself to a four-column layout, or always move in a strictly left-right fashion. The page is your canvas, and while there's nothing wrong with creating a very logical, sequential layout, you might try mixing it up on occasion-start in the centre of the page, or move around organically; write sideways, upside down, or in a loop-the-loop when you feel like it. Don't fret about whether it will look any good, just let the sketch flow.

Additionally, if the presenter hits a technical hurdle, makes an unintended joke, becomes flustered by a heckler, or is interrupted by a security alarm, weave that into your sketch as well! Sometimes the best aspects of a sketchnote are the fortuitous, unplanned activities that accompany the official slide set.

Drawing

Ultimately, the words and pictures you form on the page is what makes your sketchnote. Here are some tips for making them look awesome.

12. Be A C.R.A.P. Sketcher

In The Non-Designer's Design Book, Robin Williams introduces the concept of C.R.A.P. design. Of course, she's not suggesting you should arrange your elements on the page in a way that looks terrible, but that you make use of:

Contrast: This could involve using light and dark colours, combining a straight, rigid typeface with a cursive script, or applying heavy and light shapes.

Repetition: Litter the same visual cues throughout the design, such as drop caps, bullets, or some little cartoon frog that appears regularly

Alignment: Line things up on purpose, rather than having them almost match. It looks smarter and makes text easier to read.

Proximity: Group related objects or concepts on the page. If two concepts are completely unrelated, draw them on opposite ends of the canvas.

These four principles will get you a long way to creating a sketchnote that is pleasing to look out, rather than one that looks like a collection of random scrawls.

13. Use Consistent Type

When I say "type", I really just mean "make your handwriting neat and the same." This may be counter intuitive if you have messy handwriting, but the best tip I can give is to slow down when you construct each word. Be patient about crafting each of the letter forms one by one, rather than your usual scrawl. Most conference presentations are 50 minutes long-that's a lot of time to fill an A4 or letter-sized page, so you don't need to hurry.

I've begun utilising a very tall, narrow typeface lately, mostly because I like the look of it, but also because it allows me to fit more words on one line. It also contrasts well with fancier, more decorative typefaces that I might want to use for contrast, such as a cursive script or a heavy, blocky heading.

14. Employ Type Empathy

Type empathy is a term I first heard back in design school. It occurs when the meaning of a word is accurately reflected by its typeface. Here are some examples:

I'm sure you can think of other examples. It can be really fun to invent empathic typefaces on the fly! If you hear a word that prompts a specific image in your head, see if you can work that image into the type somehow. If that sounds too hard, you could always just keep an eye out for one of the above words (or a synonym) and just copy what I've done here!

15. Draw Beautiful Ampersands

The ampersand is a much-loved character by graphic designers. Depending on the typeface, it can be a simple, understated connector or an elaborate, eccentric statement all of its own. Here are a few different types of ampersands for you to practice with. Being able to whip one of these out instead of your usual handwriting can really make a heading stand out.

16. Use Creative Containers

Speech bubbles, thought clouds, sound effect containers, dotted-line rules, double-border rectangles: there are a ton of simple containers that you can add to your sketch to chunk text in a way that is visually interesting. Here are a few of my favourites:

17. Use Creative Connectors

While containers are useful for isolating chunks of text, connectors are used to group those chunks together. Arrows are the most common connectors that I use in my sketchnotes, but there's no reason you couldn't include a range of swirly flourishes and other intricate shapes throughout your sketch. In fact, it might be a good idea to keep a separate "doodle" page, where you can experiment and invent new shapes to be brought across into future sketchnotes.

18. Apply Shading & Colour

That Copic grey marker I mentioned at the start of this list is how I add depth to my black and white sketches. You can use it to:

create shading on one side of an object

add a shadow on the ground below an object

highlight text

colour in containers, for visual contrast

the list goes on...

Some sketchnoters also like to include a single colour, to highlight text, draw attention to parts of a sketch or make key concepts lift from the page. The key to colour is not overdoing it-when in doubt, I'd suggest keeping it black and white.

Here's another dirty secret of mine: the sketchnotes I created at a recent conference all had the grey marker effects applied on the plane home from the conference. I don't subscribe to any kind of purist mentality that "the sketch must be completed during the presentation" . It only took a few minutes to add grey shades to those sketches, and I think the extra depth that it brings to the sketch is terrific.

19. Find Your Own Style

I've given some template approaches in this post which I hope will give you a good framework to build upon, but over time your sketchnotes will develop their own unique personality. Be proud of your sketches, refer to them regularly, and you'll see an original style evolve.

20. Share Your Work

In general, people love seeing how other people think, and a sketchnote is a good approximation of how you have processed a presentation. Be sure to share your sketch online, either via a blog, a service like Flickr, or by emailing your masterpieces to the Sketchnote Army blog. You'll find most people will be supportive of your efforts, and you'll gain confidence from any feedback you receive.

In addition, a sketchnote (either a digital copy or the original piece of paper) is always a wonderful, unique way of thanking a presenter for the time they have put into their presentation.
I hope you've found these tips useful, and I look forward to seeing your creations online! Be sure to check out Mike Rohde's new book, The Sketchnote Handbook, which is out soon and features a two-page spread by yours truly! If you liked this post, feel free to share it on Twitter or Facebook.
More articles on this topic:

Matt visited Sydney last week for Swipe Conference 2012. Here are the sketchnotes he took while learning about design and development for iOS and Mac.

The UX Mastery team was in sunny Brisbane last week for the excellent UX Australia 2012 conference. Here's Matt's collection of visual notes (sketchnotes) that he created while listening to various sessions at the conference.

Matt and Luke attended UX Australia 2013 in Melbourne, Australia last week Here are Matt's sketchnotes from the conference.

conference, information design, practical advice, sketching, sketchnotes, techniques, visual note-taking

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sketchnoting 101: How To Create Awesome Visual Notes - UX Mastery

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a page that shows you different ways to sketchnote for different situations and different icons and templates that can be used and adapted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them. While it isn't strictly related to UX Design, Jared Spool counts sketching as one of 5 indispensable skills that user experience designers should focus on, so it's certainly a skill you should consider developing.

With this in mind, I thought I'd break down the approach I take, and list some tips for others interested in getting started with sketchnoting.

Want to Take your Sketchnoting to the Next Level?

Why not sign up for a UX Mastery workshop? There are two coming up in July/August:

What is Sketchnoting?

The term sketchnoting describes the style of visual note-taking that has become popular at tech conferences in the past few years. Mike Rohde has been the most vocal champion (he has a book coming out on the topic soon), and Eva-Lotta Lamm has been a prolific creator of the art form of late (she's published a couple of books as well!).

Here's a comic that I created for a teaching journal earlier this year (click the full-screen icon in the bottom-right if it's too hard to read):

While sketchnoting is usually practiced by attendees at conferences, it can be fun to create them in other situations, too. For example, I recently had a short stint in hospital, and captured my thoughts about surgery as a sketchnote before going into theatre:

Regardless of the circumstance, the skills for creating a sketchnote can be broken down into four basic categories:

In this article, I'll list 20 tips for how to hone your skills in each of these categories.

Planning

For the most part, I don't really do any preparation before starting a sketchnote. However, there are a few tasks you can do in advance so that you're best equipped on the day:

1. Tool Up

While it's not essential to use an expensive art pen and a trendy moleskine notebook to create beautiful sketchnotes, you don't want to start off on the back foot. Spend a few bucks on the minimum amount of stationery that gives you the best chance at creating something you're proud of, but doesn't weigh you down. I recommend:

A blank notebook large enough so that you won't feel restricted by space (I use a Derwent A4 Visual Art Diary, with 110 GSM pages)

A reasonable quality black felt tip pen that you're confident won't run out on you half way through (psst: buy a second while you're at it, in case it does!). You may want to experiment with different tip diameters-I usually use a 0.5 Mitsubishi Uni Pin.

A Copic grey marker, and possibly one other highlight colour for when you're feeling really adventurous. Personally I love monochrome sketchnotes, but a splash of colour, when used for highlights, can definitely bring an extra dimension to your masterpiece.

This last point is a controversial inclusion, but I'd suggest also buying yourself some correction fluid. Purists might suggest that tarnishing your page with liquid paper defeats the purpose, and mistakes are part of the learning process. That's all well and good, but if you make a minor mistake, I think it's totally fair game to white it out before presenting it to the world. It's not ideal, and I avoid it when possible, but a small blob of correction fluid will always look better than an ugly crossed-out mistake, in my opinion.

Note: I have tried a few times to sketchnote using my iPad and the tablet pen that I use with it. There are a couple of great sketching apps for that device (we use Wacom's Bamboo Paper app for many of the feature images on this site), but none of them give me the flexibility and ability to see the big picture that I need when sketchnoting. Also, correction fluid can damage the screen!
2. Practice On A Recording

Perhaps this is obvious, but if there's a conference coming up and you're thinking about sketchnoting some of the sessions, why not get some practice in beforehand? We live in an amazing age, where presentations on sites like Coursera and TED.com are available online for free. Instead of watching yet another Big Bang Theory, plug your laptop into the big screen TV, load up some inspiring presentations, and get sketching!

3. Master Sketching Common Objects

It's useful to have a cache of objects in your repertoire, ready to pull out as needed. In particular, if you attend tech conferences, there are certain words that will crop up time and again (think "ship", "cloud", "user", "link"). Practice visual representations of these words in advance, so you don't get flustered trying to draw them for the first time in the middle of a talk. Here are some suggestions:

Basic shapes: stars, squares, rectangles, triangles, circles,

Basic objects: ship, home, fish, user, cloud, link, hand, mouse, book, newspaper, magazine, tree, envelope, brick, brain, magnifying glass, pencil, paper, scissors, knife, fork, spoon, iPhone, iPad, desktop, laptop, web browser, cursor

Basic maps: a screenshot of Google Maps, a quick world map

Famous brands & logos: Apple, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM...

Google Images is a great resource for finding inspiration to model your sketches on.

4. Give Yourself A Headstart

For most of the presentations I attend, I like to begin the sketchnote with a caricature of the speaker, as well as the name of the talk, the name of the presenter, and possibly the organisation that he or she represents. You don't need to follow this format (capturing the likeness of someone's face is something I still find very difficult to do!). However, if you do, there's no need to wait for the talk to begin to sketch this information-that stuff is always in the conference schedule, along with a photo of the presenter that you could use as your base for your caricature!)

So while other people are changing rooms and the presenter is being introduced, I like to make a start on my sketch, so that I'm not playing catch-up with meta-data once the presentation has begun.

Listening

Here are a few tips for capturing key points from the talk.

5. Choose Your Seat Carefully

Most people attending a conference presentation don't really care where they sit-as long as they're able to see the projector and the presenter's face. They may be influenced by where their friends are sitting, or may position themselves at the back in case they decide to bail on the talk halfway through.

This means that, for the most part, you should have almost free range to choose a strategic vantage point to obtain the best sketchnote. More often than not, this means sitting in the front row, so you have no visual obstacles. However that's not always the case-at a recent conference I attended, there were a few round tables at the back. Being able to rest my notebook on a table, rather than on my lap, meant I had a much steadier hand. I think my sketches are better as a result.

6. Look For Easy Wins

I find the easiest presentations to capture in sketchnote form are ones that have very visual slides-graphics, charts, and pictures of LOLcats are all memorable and fairly obvious material to capture on your page. Sure, you can always add ideas of your own, but there's generally less thought required-the presenter has done a lot of the work in translating words to pictures for you, so make the most of that!

It can be difficult to capture an entire chart on paper-especially if the presenter doesn't leave the slide up for long enough-so be sure to jot down the axes and key points quickly. Then if the slide disappears, you'll have already captured the essence of the chart and can round it out later.

7. Latch Onto Quotes

Quotes-whether they be key phrases you hear the presenter say, or quotes by other people that the presenter uses in his talk-are often poignant summaries of a topic, and you should listen carefully for them. When you hear one that resonates or beautifully summarises the point being made, jot it down and wrap it in some fancy talking marks or a speech balloon.

Processing

It takes some practice to be able to truly listen to someone talk while thinking about another topic at the same time. Some might suggest this multi-tasking skill is unique to women, but I know for a fact that there are men who are able to listen to their girlfriend or wife talk while simultaneously choosing which footy team to bet on in the coming weekend, so this is not a skill that is limited to one gender.

Jokes aside, listening and thinking in parallel is something many of us do all the time, and you can tap into this skill while sketchnoting. Here are some tips:

8. Take Advantage Of Down Time

Most talks will have intense moments where the audience's attention is completely focussed, followed by slower sections in between. This light and shade is the mark of a good presentation, but it's also a boon for you, as it can provide you with some sketching time.

If you hear something amazing during an intense moment, and don't want to turn away, don't! (or jot down the one phrase that summarises the moment). Then, when the moment has passed, you can tune out a little and start to embellish those words (using fancy typography, an accompanying graphic, or additional comments).

9. Pace Yourself

A lot of people are stunned at how I'm able to judge the amount of space it takes to capture the essence of a presentation on a page. I have a secret weapon here-it's called maths. Yes, I'll keep an eye on the clock, and if I haven't filled over half the page by the time that the presentation is halfway complete, then I'll start getting busy: writing larger, sketching images that might have been playing around in my head, and sifting through what I've heard to distil whether any of it is worth writing down or capturing visually using an icon or image that might suit. Likewise, if I've burned through page real estate too quickly, I'll slow down and be more discerning about which snippets of the remaining talk will fill out the remaining space on the page.

10. Curate

It can be tempting to try and capture everything about the presentation. Instead, think of yourself as an art curator whose job it is to sort through the noise, and select a few standout masterpieces to include in your exhibition. Your sketchnote should not serve as a comprehensive reference-it's a moment in time that reflects the takeaways that you found important.

11. Let It Flow

Don't confine yourself to a four-column layout, or always move in a strictly left-right fashion. The page is your canvas, and while there's nothing wrong with creating a very logical, sequential layout, you might try mixing it up on occasion-start in the centre of the page, or move around organically; write sideways, upside down, or in a loop-the-loop when you feel like it. Don't fret about whether it will look any good, just let the sketch flow.

Additionally, if the presenter hits a technical hurdle, makes an unintended joke, becomes flustered by a heckler, or is interrupted by a security alarm, weave that into your sketch as well! Sometimes the best aspects of a sketchnote are the fortuitous, unplanned activities that accompany the official slide set.

Drawing

Ultimately, the words and pictures you form on the page is what makes your sketchnote. Here are some tips for making them look awesome.

12. Be A C.R.A.P. Sketcher

In The Non-Designer's Design Book, Robin Williams introduces the concept of C.R.A.P. design. Of course, she's not suggesting you should arrange your elements on the page in a way that looks terrible, but that you make use of:

Contrast: This could involve using light and dark colours, combining a straight, rigid typeface with a cursive script, or applying heavy and light shapes.

Repetition: Litter the same visual cues throughout the design, such as drop caps, bullets, or some little cartoon frog that appears regularly

Alignment: Line things up on purpose, rather than having them almost match. It looks smarter and makes text easier to read.

Proximity: Group related objects or concepts on the page. If two concepts are completely unrelated, draw them on opposite ends of the canvas.

These four principles will get you a long way to creating a sketchnote that is pleasing to look out, rather than one that looks like a collection of random scrawls.

13. Use Consistent Type

When I say "type", I really just mean "make your handwriting neat and the same." This may be counter intuitive if you have messy handwriting, but the best tip I can give is to slow down when you construct each word. Be patient about crafting each of the letter forms one by one, rather than your usual scrawl. Most conference presentations are 50 minutes long-that's a lot of time to fill an A4 or letter-sized page, so you don't need to hurry.

I've begun utilising a very tall, narrow typeface lately, mostly because I like the look of it, but also because it allows me to fit more words on one line. It also contrasts well with fancier, more decorative typefaces that I might want to use for contrast, such as a cursive script or a heavy, blocky heading.

14. Employ Type Empathy

Type empathy is a term I first heard back in design school. It occurs when the meaning of a word is accurately reflected by its typeface. Here are some examples:

I'm sure you can think of other examples. It can be really fun to invent empathic typefaces on the fly! If you hear a word that prompts a specific image in your head, see if you can work that image into the type somehow. If that sounds too hard, you could always just keep an eye out for one of the above words (or a synonym) and just copy what I've done here!

15. Draw Beautiful Ampersands

The ampersand is a much-loved character by graphic designers. Depending on the typeface, it can be a simple, understated connector or an elaborate, eccentric statement all of its own. Here are a few different types of ampersands for you to practice with. Being able to whip one of these out instead of your usual handwriting can really make a heading stand out.

16. Use Creative Containers

Speech bubbles, thought clouds, sound effect containers, dotted-line rules, double-border rectangles: there are a ton of simple containers that you can add to your sketch to chunk text in a way that is visually interesting. Here are a few of my favourites:

17. Use Creative Connectors

While containers are useful for isolating chunks of text, connectors are used to group those chunks together. Arrows are the most common connectors that I use in my sketchnotes, but there's no reason you couldn't include a range of swirly flourishes and other intricate shapes throughout your sketch. In fact, it might be a good idea to keep a separate "doodle" page, where you can experiment and invent new shapes to be brought across into future sketchnotes.

18. Apply Shading & Colour

That Copic grey marker I mentioned at the start of this list is how I add depth to my black and white sketches. You can use it to:

create shading on one side of an object

add a shadow on the ground below an object

highlight text

colour in containers, for visual contrast

the list goes on...

Some sketchnoters also like to include a single colour, to highlight text, draw attention to parts of a sketch or make key concepts lift from the page. The key to colour is not overdoing it-when in doubt, I'd suggest keeping it black and white.

Here's another dirty secret of mine: the sketchnotes I created at a recent conference all had the grey marker effects applied on the plane home from the conference. I don't subscribe to any kind of purist mentality that "the sketch must be completed during the presentation" . It only took a few minutes to add grey shades to those sketches, and I think the extra depth that it brings to the sketch is terrific.

19. Find Your Own Style

I've given some template approaches in this post which I hope will give you a good framework to build upon, but over time your sketchnotes will develop their own unique personality. Be proud of your sketches, refer to them regularly, and you'll see an original style evolve.

20. Share Your Work

In general, people love seeing how other people think, and a sketchnote is a good approximation of how you have processed a presentation. Be sure to share your sketch online, either via a blog, a service like Flickr, or by emailing your masterpieces to the Sketchnote Army blog. You'll find most people will be supportive of your efforts, and you'll gain confidence from any feedback you receive.

In addition, a sketchnote (either a digital copy or the original piece of paper) is always a wonderful, unique way of thanking a presenter for the time they have put into their presentation.
I hope you've found these tips useful, and I look forward to seeing your creations online! Be sure to check out Mike Rohde's new book, The Sketchnote Handbook, which is out soon and features a two-page spread by yours truly! If you liked this post, feel free to share it on Twitter or Facebook.
More articles on this topic:

Matt visited Sydney last week for Swipe Conference 2012. Here are the sketchnotes he took while learning about design and development for iOS and Mac.

The UX Mastery team was in sunny Brisbane last week for the excellent UX Australia 2012 conference. Here's Matt's collection of visual notes (sketchnotes) that he created while listening to various sessions at the conference.

Matt and Luke attended UX Australia 2013 in Melbourne, Australia last week Here are Matt's sketchnotes from the conference.

conference, information design, practical advice, sketching, sketchnotes, techniques, visual note-taking

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Sketchnoting 101: How To Create Awesome Visual Notes - UX Mastery

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The sketchnotes I created for the recent UX Australia and Swipe conferences have generated a lot of interest, and I've received a number of questions via email and Twitter about how I go about creating them.

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Mike Rohde, a designer, author, illustrator and sketchnoter has some interesting techniques of sketchnoting as well as a book fully devoted to sketchnoting.

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This resource is helpful because it actually contains a numerous amount of links related to sketchnoting and how to use it as described by professionals, such as how and why to use them. It also teaches how sketchnoting can be related to education, as well as giving tools to help you get started and supplying you with presentation links. There is also various videos relating to sketchnoting on the website, so this website is well stocked with information on the subject.

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Sketchnoting, in its purest form, is creating a personal visual story as one is listening to a speaker or reading a text. I also believe the interactive notebook, which includes the process of taking…

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Different styles that might be helpful to express your thoughts.

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I also came across another artist who goes by the name of Mike Werner. Rather than taking a minimalistic approach (like Ray Oranges) Mike took on a more traditional styled and incorporated a more layered look to his artwork, thus showing more depth and tone. Unlike most sketch note artists (who don't seem to leave out any negative spaces) Mike leaves behind quite a lot of negative space, thus emphasizing on his shading, shadow application and 3D effect. Here is one of his art pieces:

Werner, Mike, Thursday Sept. 8 2016, Web, Digital, Behance:
https://www.behance.net/gallery/1040119/POWER-Sketching

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This resource is helpful because it shows just a few of the many different styles you can use for lettering. It shows that even with the same letters you can make them look very different and that each style has a different use and affect on the viewer.

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I thought that the addiction of vector art and contrast in colours would help the note sketch be minimal but at the same time would provide the demographic with a vibrant and bold piece of art work which is filled with less clutter and takes a minimalistic approach. Here's an example from an artist by the name of Ray Oranges. This is one of his art works:

Oranges, Ray, Thursday Sept. 8 2016, Web, Digital, Behance: https://www.behance.net/gallery/42262985/Various-Illustrations-2016-

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This video is extremely helpful because it illustrates a sketch-noter that takes difficult concepts or ideas and draws them out to simplify them. He explains that if you're ever in a meeting and you hear complex words, to make a quick sketch can go a long way. He drew words like overload, impasse, and indecision. This tutorial shows the man drawing the words into images and definitely makes it easier to follow. This would be great for students that want to simplify their notes by making drawings.

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The Sketchnote Podcast: Sketchnoting Concepts

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs6bSnbyTO4
This resource manifests the ability of structuring a sketch note, but at the same time emphasizes on the process and the reflection of the final application. During the video the sketch noter demonstrates and showcases a visual process and explains each and every process in the video. He takes his audience through 4 main steps that he feels are important. These steps are: Warm up -> Practise -> Apply -> Reflect.

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This resource emphasizes what kind of medium is the best to use when sketch note taking. Also, this source supplies you with 3 basic lettering styles and shows you through a creative approach what sketch note taking is as well as why it is useful.

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http://www.fontspace.com/category/lettering

This resource is useful because it shows you many different lettering choices that you can use in a sketch note to enhance your art work.

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https://www.creativelive.com/courses/visual-notetaking-a-beginners-guide-to-sketchnotes-with-giselle-chow

Though this video is an advertisement for a class in sketchnoting, the artist does a good job of describing what sketchnoting is and how it can be used. She also gives a live demonstration of a sketchnote, which gives the watcher simple tips for layout, typography and style.

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This resource is useful for the lettering in sketchnotes because it demonstrates different creative methods to make the text look more interesting and eye catching. It also includes a youtube video/tutorial on how to recreate the designs.

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This post may contain affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but it helps support the site and keep our freebies FREE! See our full disclosures here. Thanks for your support!
It's Jessica from Pretty Prints & Paper, back again with 6 ideas for how you can add some pop to your lettering with different shading techniques. This can be brush calligraphy or lettering with your favorite pen, but these simple details can add a whole lot of punch to your designs.

Perhaps you are working on a large piece and want to emphasize certain words to add impact, or creating standalone signs for an event - and adding shading will make it pop just a little bit more. Ready to get started?
If you're looking to start lettering, check out my suggestions for beginner supplies and my favorite practice sheets.
6 WAYS TO ADD SHADING TO YOUR LETTERING
1. A Simple Line
Using your favorite black pen or fineliner, etch just barely outside of the lettering. The key is to go slowly enough to keep the lines consistent in their distance. Choose which side you want to shade - the right side, the left side, the top or bottom - and keep it consistent. This looks as if there's a light shining from the left and reveals the shade on the right.
2. Etching
This requires a little bit more pause, slowing down, to get the lines to sit right on the edge of your letters. (As you can see, I rushed and the line separated from the letters in some places!) This is a more subtle effect that adds some depth without a lot of bulk. Depending on the thickness of your pen, that will be more or less subtle.
3. Dots
Sometimes it's fun to shake up what you use - so instead of the line, use dots. Or perhaps even dashes. Here, it's helpful to have a thicker fine-liner rather than a gel pen to get the nice full dot in one go (rather than going over it again). Take care to stay as even as possible between dots, and from the letter form.
4. Accent Shading
This is one of the more popular forms of shading, where you can add an accent color with a corresponding brush marker. Similar to the lines, stay consistent with where you are shading. Stay to the left or right. Alternatively, you can shade all around the word for another look. You might want to decide how much you want to shade - all of the edges? Or just the downstroke? Experiment!
5. Shadow Shading
This is done with one of my favorite Tombow Markers - the lightest shade of gray, N89. Adding the shading on the downstroke is subtle but makes a HUGE difference to the depth of your letters. If there's a portion of a message you really want to emphasize in your work, this is one easy and powerful way to make it. Definitely make sure your first color is dried completely (20 seconds is plenty of time) before going in with the gray - you can see that it can pick up on the color if you don't!
6. Bubbles
One of the most fun effects is to create the bubble effect. I've loved seeing Chrystalizabeth use it and it's 2 steps. First, you shade with that gray dual brush marker. Second, you add in the highlight like you'd see on a balloon - wherever the light is shining, there's a glare. So again, keep your highlight consistent. In this example I've kept it to the upper left. (see the video for a live action version of this technique!)

So there you have it folks - 6 ways to add some pop to your lettering and calligraphy. Do you have other ideas? Trying them out? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Until next time,

Jessica

Jessica @ Pretty Prints & Paper
Instagram // Pinterest // Facebook // Twitter // Periscope

Je ssica Chung is a Minneapolis calligrapher/bullet journalist/blogger and face behind Pretty Prints & Paper. On her blog, she combines her passions for teaching and handlettering to inspire others to unleash their inner creative through tutorials, project ideas, and lessons about lettering and bullet journaling. You might find her in different states and countries, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, art classes of all kinds, a cappella concerts, or at the nearest Americano.

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6 Ways to Shade Your Lettering | Dawn Nicole Designs®

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6 Ways to Shade Your Lettering This post may contain affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but it helps support the site and keep our freebies FREE! See our full disclosures here. Thanks for your support! It's Jessica from Pretty Prints & Paper, back again with 6 ideas for how you can add some pop to your lettering with different shading techniques.

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This resource shows general tips on creating a sketch notes. It shows different styles in which people, objects, frames, and arrows can be drawn.

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some banners you may find useful...

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This resource was useful because it explains the usefulness of sketch notes and shows some different and unique elements that can be added to a sketch note to enhance it's quality.

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Sketcho Frenzy: The Basics of Visual Note-taking

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http://www.slideshare.net/evalottchen/visual-note-taking-3768130/9-Notes_by_Austin_Kleon
This is a useful resource since the way information presented is in the form of sketchnoting.

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it's simple and helpful.

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It is very useful because it has list different kinds of tips.

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Explore rockourworld1's photos on Flickr. rockourworld1 has uploaded 2006 photos to Flickr.

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Useful tips and reminders on the basics of sketchnoting

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This is a sketch note tips
- examples taken from the video shown in class.

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Explore rockourworld1's photos on Flickr. rockourworld1 has uploaded 2006 photos to Flickr.

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https://openclipart.org/
^ Clipart database (useful for sketchnote images)

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this is useful for...

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The Sketchnote Handbook is a fully-illustrated book and video, designed to teach regular people how to create their own sketchnotes. My fully illustrated Sketchnote Handbook tells the story of sketchnotes - why and how you can use them to capture your thinking visually, remember key information more clearly, and share ...

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This video introduces us to the 6 basic components of a sketchnote.