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Sketchnoting. Understanding through words AND pictures. Maybe you're not much of a sketcher but you take a lot of notes, and are interested in making them more meaningful and interesting, but you're afraid your drawings are too crude.
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Sketchnoting Understanding through words AND pictures
Maybe you're not much of a sketcher but you take a lot of notes, and are interested in making them more meaningful and interesting, but you're afraid your drawings are too crude.
Maybe you're perpetually drawing and want to try and make your notes more useful and engaging but you are afraid of imposing structure to your normally freeform way of sketching.
Sketchnotingis equal parts public, personal, and practice—so it's more fruitful to explore a new style and challenge yourself to record ideas in new ways, than to worry about the end result's overall effectiveness or aesthetic. Sketchbooks should be sketchy.
So let's get tactical. How should you go about approaching sketchnotes? What do you need to get started? First you need the right tools for the job. Any sketchbook and pen combination that makes you happy will work!
Use an non-ruled notebook that feels big enough to draw in while it's in your lap, yet small enough that you're willing to bring it everywhere you go. For mark-making, start with a single black pen and once you feel you can move fast enough, add a color to the mix.
Before recording, you may choose to plan a little bit and get the page set up. Take this time record the topic, and get it on the page spelled right and in a little more "designed" manner (typography, a cartooned portrait, etc.), while you have the time.
Also worth noting is the time allotted for the lecture. If it's an hour, you can mentally subdivide your sketchbook spread into 4 quarters, and pace your drawing if you want to keep the lecture contained.
When you record you'll want to begin your "circular breathing" of listening, synthesizing, and visualizing. It's important that you're able to take in what's being said while recording it, and not just stick your head down in your sketchbook. One of the most important assets is your "mental cache": the spot in your brain where you can store temporary ideas.
Text Capture the meaningful quotes and key points, and avoid trying to summarize everything. Typographic treatments can be used to give emphasis to major ideas, and can add interest to large blocks of text. Avoid making lists or outlines and use the spatial properties of the page to your advantage by "chunking" information. Some ways to force yourself to work spatially might be starting in the middle and working outwards or working in columns for a panel discussion.
Containers Simply enclosing words in shapes brings emphasis and structure to an otherwise wild page. Some of the more common containers include (but are not limited to): quote bubbles, boxes, circles and thought clouds.
Connectors Connect ideas and pieces of stories with arrows and lines. A basic chain of thoughts can scintillate around the page and still be clear if they are linked with a simple set of connectors.
Icons Shading Color
Think improvisation, not perfection. Sketchnoting isn't illustration--it's content-driven doodling. If you mess up a line, draw over it again. If you misspell a word, scratch it out. Just like improv, being in the moment is more important than refined output.
Don't be a completest. Let stuff slip by if it doesn't interest you.
Put your 2¢ in. They're your perspective on a topic, so feel free to add your own commentary to the page.
Inject your personality into the pages. Do you draw disproportioned people, have shaky lines, and quirky handwriting? Cool! Run with it.
http://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.htmlhttp://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids.html
