sketchnote tutorial

Why Procreate Brush Size Memory is perfect for sketchnoters

December 16, 2021 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

In Procreate 5.2 they introduced Brush Size memory, a new feature where you can save multiple sizes for the same brush. Here’s why Brush size memory is great for sketchnoters.

Procreate is great for sketchnotes…except

I love procreate for making sketchnotes. While it can be a bit feature heavy and cumbersome when you first start, the beautiful brushes, multiple layers and powerful export options help me create sketchnotes I like.

The only issue with Procreate is that it gives you TOO many options. There are so many brushes and colours that they can get in the way for people who prefer a simpler app like Paper by WeTransfer.

One of my ways around this was to use a single set of “sketchnoting” brushes with about five pens for normal text, headlines, brush lettering, filling, stippling and airbrush effects. This worked well but if I ever adjusted the size of a brush (to move between headline text and subheading, or to add more detail in an icon) it would be near impossible to return to my previous brush size.

Download my procreate brushes for sketch noters

My solution was to duplicate brushes but that made the interface more cumbersome and wasn’t perfect either. I could still adjust these brushes and then not be able to return to my previous state.

This new feature from Procreate has solved that challenge.

How Brush size memory works

The brush size slider has been around for a long time and allows you to increase and decrease the size of your current brush.

Now you just tap the plus icon that appears in the top right corner of the brush size preview and it will add a marker.

This marker has some “magnetism” to it, so as you move up and down the slider in the future and get close to your saved point, the slider will stick there.

Why the brush size memory feature is great for sketchnotes

Let’s say you have a good brush to use for a headline and subheadline, you might want to keep your sub headlines roughly the same size but lose it when you change between canvases.

Not an issue anymore, now you just put two markers down and you can just between the headline and subheadline size.

This can work for sketching and having different size details or to have a tool to fill in large sections or colour in details.

Thank you procreate!

Honestly, this has removed one of my biggest frustrations with procreate and removed the need for my old duplicate brushes. Now I can have fewer brushes in my sketchnote set, more size variety, more consistency of style and jump to the option I want faster.

Thank you procreate.

Creating and using a stock sketchnote header template

November 30, 2021 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

Sketchnoting under pressure can be a real challenge. Having ready to go ideas and templates can help you make something good, quickly, without thinking. You can use templates for the whole sketchnote, but you can also use templates for part of the sketchnote. Recently I came up with a simple stock sketchnote header template that has helped take decisions out of my sketchnoting process and raise the quality of sketchnotes I can create under time pressure.

What should you include in your sketchnote’s header area?

Depending on the topic you are sketchnoting, you may want to include or exclude certain elements. For example, a date may be important to include for a sketchnote on a talk, but not as useful for a sketchnote on a book.

Title or topic
A picture of the speaker(s) or author(s)
The name of the speaker(s) or author(s)
The title of what the topic is connected to. (The event, a sermon series, book)
A logo (of the event, or the speaker,

An example stock sketchnote header template

What header text should you use?

There are lots of different types of text you can use for your header.

The simplest is to use a “heavier” font, or bold text. This will make it stand out and be clearly legible.

However, depending on the topic, you might want to use a font that is

more elegant
more futuristic
more formal
more causal

There is a simple trick you can use if you aren’t sure. By simply placing a basic single line of your text, you can then embellish it later.

Should you always add a portrait?

A portrait can really had character to a sketchnote. But adding a drawing adds pressure for those of us who are less confident with drawing. One option is to add a simple outline in the moment, and you can add details later.

When it comes to actually drawing the portrait, focus on the key details and characteristic attributes of the person you are drawing.

How should you arrange the elements in your header

I recommend setting keeping your title text as the largest element, with a portrait or logo to the left of the text. You can then place any other smaller or less important elements under their respective parts.

How to arrange information in a stock sketchnote header

So you can place the name of the speaker or author under the authors picture, and the date of the event under the title.

Ready to use a stock sketchnote header template?

You don’t have to stick ridgedly to your sketchnote header template, and you can even create one before the event if you are live sketchnoting, or afterwards to help you avoid time pressures.

Do you use a different sketchnote header template? Let me know in the comments.

How to Start Sketchnoting today

December 14, 2020 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

I struggled to start sketchnoting. Although I caught the idea immediately but putting pen to paper felt overwhelming. I don’t want you to suffer the same issue, so here is a simple guide to start sketchnoting today.

This could be a useful classroom activity to introduce sketchnotes to students.

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Table of Contents

What are sketchnotes?

Sketchnotes are a form of visual notetaking that includes both text and graphical elements such as icons, banners, dividers, multiple colors and layouts. They don’t tend to follow strict left to right, top to bottom organization but instead are more flexible in their layouts.

You can learn more about what Sketchnotes are and why you should use them in this post.

Why should I bother with Sketchnotes?

Visual note-taking, such as sketchnotes, helps engage with conference talks, lectures and lessons and remember more information. It’s no wonder students, teachers and average Joes have started using this note taking method in the classroom, at conferences and at home for study and personal reflection.

Read this post if you’d like to know more about the benefits of sketchnoting.

What should I start sketchnoting?

You can sketchnote anything you want. It can be a conference talk that is occurring live, a lesson in your classroom or notes on a book you’ve just read.

It can be information someone else has given you, or ideas and plans you are thinking through.

For your first sketchnote, I suggest you make a sketchnote selfie including information about yourself. This is a topic that you are bound to be familiar with and will have a unique element of yourself.

I can’t draw, can I still sketchnote?

Yes! you can! There are three reasons for this.

Sketchnotes are about “Ideas not art”, that means getting the idea down is more important than an accurate impression. As long as you can understand your notes, that’s okay. That means simple pictures are usually better than art.
Sketchnotes are personal and reflect the sketchnoter. Some sketchnoters use more text, others use more images. You can choose to use more text in your notes if you like.
Your drawing will improve as you practice more. The only way to improve is to start! So let’s start today.

For more on how to sketchnote even if you can’t draw, join this free short course.

7 steps to create your first sketchnote and start sketchnoting.

Now that we know the basics of Sketchnoting, it’s time to create your first sketchnote. These steps will help guide you through the process of creating your own sketchnote.

This approach is not the approach I would take for a sketchnoting a live event such as a class. It does, however, provide a useful intro to sketchnoting which will help you develop core skills. You can then apply skills these when making a live sketchnote.

You don’t have to follow my recommendations at each point. Their purpose is to give you an easy to implement idea for your first sketchnote.

1. Brainstorm your topic

Before you start creating your sketchnote selfie, think about the things you want to include. Write a plain list of items you can include such as your:

name
age
location
job or studies
hobbies and interests
favorite… (book, food, etc.)

At some point you’ll feel that you’ve got every idea down that you could include, don’t stop. Wait a few minutes longer and see if you can get a few extra ideas. Those extra ideas are often the most interesting items.

to start sketchnoting, think about what ideas you should include

2: Group your ideas together

Now, you have some ideas written down, it’s time to group them together. By identifying information that work well together, you’ll help yourself create an easy-to-understand layout.

You could write your list out again, this time with your information gathered into groups. Alternatively, you could add marks to the side to signify what belongs together.

3. Plan your Sketchnote layout

A good sketchnote layout can help arrange information clearly and tell a good story. Some sketchnoters seem to have a magical ability to group information together.

Most of us aren’t like that.

By grouping your information together, you may already have an idea about how you could layout your sketchnote. Alternatively, you could look at the most common sketchnote layouts and find one to use.

A selection of different sketchnote layouts

While you could choose any sketchnote layout, I’d recommend the radial layout for your first sketchnote.

It’s probably more familiar to you as it’s similar to mind maps. This style also works well for a selfie as all the information is about one central item — you.

4: Identify some icons you can include

One last step before we make the sketchnote. Identify some icons that you could draw for points on your sketchnote. For example, if you like photography, you could draw a camera.

Need inspiration for what to draw? Look at the Noun project

While you could just do a Google image search, I recommend using The noun project. This site contains simple icons that represent different ideas. It is a great tool to see an example of a simple drawing that represents and idea. You can use this to get drawing ideas.

5. Start your sketchnote: Add your title

Start by adding your title and an image of you. If you are going with a radial format, place yourself in the center.

Your portrait doesn’t need to be accurate. Focus on the main details like the overall shape of your face and distinct features. If it doesn’t look accurate, never mind, this is just your first time.

6. Mentally divide up your paper

With your layout in mind, imagine some dividing lines on your paper. Think about how much information you need to include in each area and plan space accordingly. Make sure there is a gap between different sections.

If you want, you can pencil in some lines to help plan your space. I recommend using pencil at first as you may get this wrong.

If you are making a digital sketchnote using an app like procreate, you can add a layer with some guidelines.

7. Fill in your information

Now start filling in your information. Use your groupings to direct what you include where. I suggest you start with the main points, and then expanding outward to the smaller points and details.

You can add banners with text to show groupings like “Favorites” for your favorite things, or “bio” for some biographical data.

Leave space between sections so you can see what belongs where.

8. Stand back and appreciate it

You’ve done it! Your first sketchnote! I promise the next will be easier.

What’s next?

Now you’ve defeated the first sketchnote, you can continue to grow and the best way is with regular practice.

If you’d like some more guidance on the fundamentals of sketchnoting, sign up to 7 days to start sketchnoting. This free course will get you exploring the different types of sketchnotes available.

Sketchnote Layouts: The Ultimate Guide

August 26, 2020 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

My biggest obstacle to sketchnoting was arranging information. For a long time I stayed making “Sketchnotes lite”where I had text (with occasional colour) broken up by the odd image. Discovering sketchnote layouts changed all that. Suddenly the shackles were off and my notes radically shifted.

This may not be the case for you; there may be a different area that holds you back like drawing. But understanding sketchnote layouts can help you plan and organise the content in your sketchnotes.

Radial/mindmap

Although some people confuse mindmaps with radial sketchnotes, there is a subtle difference. Regardless, this layout has a central element and then spokes coming out from the centre. Radial mindmaps are great if you have a core topic or concepts.

Grid

The grid layout divides the page into squares with each square containing a single aspect. This is great for talks where there are clear division in content and works well when there are four or six items covered.

Columns

Columns group information together from top to bottom. You can use these a bit like a spreadsheet to show the same information for different items. It also works well for panel discussions.

Popcorn

The popcorn style involves random chunks of information across the page. This can be very handy when there isn’t perhaps a clear structure or logical flow (for example, question and answer sessions). It can help you gather your thoughts as well.

Portrait

The portrait layout involves a large, central image that the whole sketchnote is connected to. This works well for biographies of people as well as for food sketchnotes…can you make a portrait of a meal? Well you can with a sketchnote.

Path

The path style shows progressions and time as we move from the start to finish. This can happen in a variety of different ways like a giant U, Zig Zagging, spiraling in to the centre, or out from the centre, or just randomly across the page. This can work well to show how the order of a talks or the chain of events.

Storyboard

A storyboard is used in cinema and TV to represent key parts of a story with image and dialog below. For sketchnotes, this involves equal squares or rectangles with space for text below.

Comic

Comics are very similar to storyboards expect each frame can be a different size depending on the importance or requirements of the frame. This can lead to more dynamic sketchnotes.

More?

There are more variations and unique ideas for layouts that grow all the time. The layouts above provide an overview and framework that you can adapt. And you can invent your own unique layouts too. What is your favourite sketchnote layout?

What should be text and what should be sketched in a sketchnote

August 13, 2020 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

One of the most common first questions I hear from people new to sketchnoting is “What should I write, and what should I draw?” It’s easy to understand the confusion. Once you’ve received permission to use images in your notes, now you have to work out when you should add images and when you should write instead.

Some new sketchnoters swing from one extreme to another before finding their balance. That’s not a bad approach as it allows you to explore the possibilities of using image by going “all in”.

In this post, I am sharing the general rules and ideas I consider regarding using text or sketches in my sketchnotes. In practice, I often go by gut feel and so probably break these principles a lot.

Warning: Some people use more text, others more visuals

There are some people who add only a few images to their sketchnotes, and have a lot of text. Other people follow the reverse path. Where ever you fall on the continuum is okay. You can also choose to use more images or text for certain sketchnotes that encourage that style.

Icons to set a topic

When you notice a general topic, you can use an icon to highlight the topic, or even group everything together.

Icons to highlight a point

If you’ve noticed an important point in a talk, or an idea stands out to you. You may want to use an icon to draw attention to that point.

Icons of physical objects

The easiest icons to draw are those for real objects like cars, coffee cups, and pizza. These make for an easy icon to draw and are easy to identify too. That makes them a great choice to draw in your sketchnotes.

You can combine images and text

You don’t have to choose between images and text, you can combine both icons and text to reinforce the message you want to send. For example, you could draw a letter and then write “email” on top to help show what it is.

Using other drawings to separate and divide

The visuals in sketchnotes aren’t just about icons. You can also use other elements like dividers to separate sections of your notes. These can also help divide and group information. If you don’t feel confident with drawing icons, starting with adding separators may be a simple first step.

When is text best in a sketchnote?

Text is generally best for quotes, explanations and specific information like names, temperatures and amounts. Sometimes these can be combined with images, but sometimes it’s best to just write the text and not worry about it. Just because you can use drawings, doesn’t mean you have to only use drawings.

Conclusion

It’s very difficult to give a hard and fast rule for when you should use text and when you should use sketches in your sketchnotes. This is much harder during live sketchnoting when you have to make an instant decision. I hope these tips can help you work out your own principles for when to draw and when to write, but regardless remember to relax and have fun working out your own system.

7 Easy Sketchnoting on iPad Tips

June 24, 2020 by Chris Wilson Leave a Comment

I’m a real fan of both analog and digital sketchnoting but recently, I’ve found myself doing sketchnotes on the iPad more. So here are some iPad sketchnoting tips that can help you improve your digital sketchnotes.

Many of these will work for other tablets.

1. Find an app that works for you

There are loads of different iPad drawing and note taking apps with their own strengths and weaknesses. In general, you can think of two different axis’s that are usually related. You get simpler apps and more complex apps. And you can get apps that are more for drawing anda more for note taking. Someone may want a simpler app so they can focus on taking notes, while another person may want a more complicated one. Someone may tend to write rather than draw, or draw than write. Depend on your style you may want a different app. Of course, you can choose certain apps for different occasions.

My personal preference is to use Procreate for important sketchnotes and occasional Paper by wetransfer or Linea for simpler and rough sketchnotes. I also use Concepts for sketching vector images which are required for certain animation programs. Concepts has the added benefits of being on both Android and Windows.

2. Pick a limited toolset

Too many options can be paralysing. The more options you have, the harder it is to pick. These drawing and sketching apps often have more pens, brushes and colours than you could ever carry with you. That’s great as you have an amazing toolset in your hands at all time’s, but can make it difficult to make decisions while sketchnoting live.

When you pick a limited tool set — 2 to 5 pens, a few colours — you can reduce decision fatigue. Of course, you could always use a limited set of tools when sketchnoting live and then use more tools later. And the next top can help.

3. Layers can be really useful

Layers are a real power feature. they basically operate as having two separate see through pieces of paper that you can draw on and edit. This means you can draw on top of a different image, but leave it unchanged. You can also move one layer but not another. You can erase one layer but not the underlying layer. When sketchnoting, layers are great for

making a rough first version, and a polished version on top
adding shadow under an image later
moving items around for better organization later.

4. Try hybrid analog/digital sketchnotes

You don’t have to stick to JUST using Digital or Analog. You can make a hybrid sketchnote where you take pictures of real objects and add sketches in between or on top of them. This can be a really handy way of either adding in a picture to a sketchnote for something to stand out, or creating a real background with a sketchnote on top that you can move around and adapt to find the limits you created.

5. Experiment with different pens and brushes and how they want to be used

Many apps have some unusual brushes and pens that react differently to pressure or create specific looks. It can be intimidating trying to work out how to use them but when you know how to use them, you can get some great effects. It’s worth spending some time just going through every brush and trying to draw the same object with each one, and then make a picture JUST using one brush. By combining both approaches you see how they differ and what they can offer.

6. Trace images for practice

If you aren’t confident at drawing, you can import images and trace over them. This is really great for adding a portrait of a speaker (faces are hard) where you trace the key details and then remove the underlying image.

7. Record a video or time lapse of creating your sketchnote

Procreate has a built in feature that records a time lapse in the background. on iOS (and I believe some android devices) you can record your screen as you make your sketchnote too. You can use the video you record to share the process of creating your sketchnots. I love sharing both the final result and the time lapse on instagram so you can see a bit of how I approach sketchnote and create certain effects.

What are your iPad sketchnoting tips?

Do you use an iPad to sketchnote? Have you got any extra tips that are missing? Leave them in the comments.