Sketchnoting is the act of drawing to convey ideas. I think it has great potential to distinguish concepts from the glut of nondescript information online, and as a writer it’s a skill I want to learn.
There are endless links and personalities in the sketchnote world. I’ve attempted to create a Twitter list to keep up with it. Austin Kleon’s blog is my favorite on the topic, and this 2010 Web expo talk by Eva Lotta-Lamm is probably the best introduction out there:
Eva-Lotta Lamm: Visual Note Taking / Sketchnotes from webexpo on Vimeo.
So great is my interest in sketchnoting that I’ve become a student in Alphachimp Studio’s inaugural learn to scribe course online. Alphachimp is a longstanding visual learning company with much wisdom to impart on the subject of using art to convey ideas. I’m hoping some of that wisdom will rub off on me by the end of the course.
Here’s my first assignment, a ‘visual introduction’ of myself that’s supposed to answer a few personal questions (such as my greatest fear, one of which is dying in a burning DC10 over open water).
O my gosh, we could be best friends. I love and/or fear all those things too, except I’ve never been snorkeling or deep-sea diving, or whatever it is you’re doing in that drawing, but have always wanted to.
Thanks Cindy, that scuba diving bit was actually an answer to the question what hobby would I pursue if I had unlimited time and/or money. For the record I have only been snorkeling, and only a few times on a Hawaiian vacation. It was wonderful.
What would your drawing look like?
Cheryl, also check out what my friend Craighton Berman is up to over at Core77 – they now have a sketchnotes channel where Craighton shares on the topic weekly:
http://www.core77.com/blog/sketchnotes/
Good for you. I was a bit like Austin K, I didn’t know that you could draw like this for a job, or in high level business meetings. Now that’s what I spend most of my time doing