Sketchnote Lab Dispatch: April 2025
Five cool things, sketching for problem-solving video, hangout with my literary agent David Fugate, Sketchnote Handbook Walkthru video, Sketchnoting the NFL Draft, and a list of the month’s posts.
Hey, Lab Members! Welcome to the April edition of the Dispatch.
Thank you to the new subscribers and Paid Lab Members who let me focus on sketchnoting! I appreciate you all.
What’s in this issue?
Five cool things to share with you.
Sketching: A Problem-Solver’s Power Tool video.
April’s Sketchnote Lab Live with my literary agent, David Fugate, on April 19.
The Sketchnote Handbook Walkthru: cover & chapter one video review.
Sketchnote Lab posts from the past month.
Custom Sketchnote Workshops so your team can learn sketchnoting.
Five Cool Things
❥ 1. Free Graphic Recording Quick Skills Course - Pro graphic recorder Sarah Firth offers a handy, compact set of videos that teaches the basics of graphic recording (or large-scale sketchnoting).
❥ 2. Urban Sketching movement draws quite a crowd worldwide. Here’s a cool news piece about the growth of urban sketching. I love urban sketching!
❥ 3. Mission: Get a Sketchbook! - Friend and fellow visual thinker Peter Durand challenges you to get a sketchbook you can carry and use repeatedly!
❥ 4. Carl Linnaeus's Note-Taking Innovations - Did you know Carl Linnaeus’ system allowed naturalists to easily group and categorize the natural world, making it more legible for scientific inquiry? See how his note-taking innovated in science.
❥ 5. Typography tips for sketchnoters - My friend Zsofi Lang offers another excellent tutorial for lettering within your sketchnotes. Thanks Zsofi!
Sketching as A Problem Solvers Power Tool Video
On Tuesday evening, I was honored to speak at the Brew City UX reboot meeting, sharing my philosophy around sketching as a problem-solver’s power tool. You can check out the 8-minute video I created that replicates the talk I gave at the event.
April Sketchnote Lab Live: Hang out with my literary agent David Fugate, Saturday, April 19
On Saturday, April 19, April’s Live Lab Session will feature a discussion for Paid Lab Members with David Fugate, my literary agent and helped make The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook happen.
We’’l have a lively discussion about:
How the book industry really works
What the process is for publishing a book
What are the elements of a great book
Your questions about books and the publishing industry
David is also the literary agent for Chris Guillebeau, author of $100 Startup, and Andy Weir, author of The Martian. David has represented many other authors for other books you may have read.
Not a Paid Lab Member? This is a great time to become a member to attend the live session, get access to this replay and all past replays since December, plus a 15-minute 1:1 with me! It’s only $10 per month, $80 for the entire year, or $200 for a Founding Lab Membership that includes a 1-hour coaching session with me:
If you're not a subscriber, this is your opportunity to be part of this live event.
Sketchnote Handbook Walkthru: Cover Design and Chapter One Creative Insights
In this video, I reveal the design insights behind the Sketchnote Handbook's cover and Chapter One, including inspirations, manuscripts, sketches, and final book designs that I have never shared, like:
Inspiration for the cover design, including thumbnail sketches
Why the cover is designed the way it is, notes about the coating
Sharing my process from manuscript to sketches to final artwork
My mindset about what I wanted to achieve with The Sketchnote Handbook using sketchnotes to teach sketchnoting
The importance of including sketchnotes from community members to show the breadth of styles and invite non-artists into sketchnoting
And more…
Sketchnoting the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin!
On Friday, April 25th, I’ll head north to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to sketchnote the NFL Draft, capturing the spectacle and quirky people at the event. I’ll post my experiences here on Substack and in Sketchnote Lab, so stay tuned!
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what’s been happening at Sketchnote Lab:
As a Paid Lab Member, you’ll support my work, have a 15-minute Zoom call with me, and have access to all Live Labs and recorded replays. Become a Paid Lab Member:
Custom Sketchnote Workshops
I love teaching teams like yours how to think visually and sketch simply with Custom Sketchnote Workshops.
I've presented workshops at schools: Drexel University, Marquette University, and The University of Michigan; Anne Arundel, New York City, and Fresno school districts.
I’ve also presented workshops for teams at SmugMug/Flickr, Hubspot, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, Dentsu Creative, and Sibley Memorial Hospital.
I’d love to teach your team, too. Let’s talk!
Thanks again for the chance to share something fun in your inbox!
— Mike
Sketchnote Lab is Mike Rohde’s space designed to bridge the gap between sketchnote theory and practice. The goal is to guide you in integrating sketchnoting into your everyday life. Learn more about Sketchnote Lab.
Mike is the author of The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook, bestselling books that teach regular people how to start and keep sketchnoting.
He founded the Sketchnote Army and hosts the Sketchnote Army Podcast, where he interviews visual thinkers to understand what makes them tick.
Mike offers recorded, live, and in-person workshops to help accelerate your sketchnoting practice and coaching for personalized, 1:1 sketchnoting guidance.
Become a paid Lab Member to support Mike’s work.