January Sketchnote Lab Video Replay: Sketchnotes 101
Mike Rohde teaches the foundations of sketchnotes in this free Live Lab workshop replay, available to everyone!
To kick off 2026, and help you get started with sketchnoting in the new year, here’s this month’s Live Lab replay, Sketchnotes 101, free to you!
We had a great foundations session on Saturday with 85 sign-ups and 36 attendees. I was able to cover lots of things in this session, including a fun exercise at the end, creating sketchnote idea maps together:
What are sketchnotes?
How can sketchnotes be applied in everyday life?
The 5 basic elements of drawing and how to use them
Creating a visual library
Useful icons for sketchnotes
Simple lettering
Drawing people
The sketchnote mapping exercise: create a treehouse
Some testimonials for the session:
“The lab was great, well organized and a pleasure to listen, learn and participate. Our time solidified 'it' for me, I've ordered your book and will dive in to learning more.” — Earla
“Appropriate pacing and lots of good nuggets to apply - liked the idea of using the note cards instead of slides - really made it engaging and I’d like to find out the best practices of how to do that for the next working meeting I have to facilitate.” — Jenn
“Loved the reassurance that draws could suck and appreciated the exceptional qualities of Mike’s sketch notes. Motivated me to find my Sketchnote Workbook and get to work.” — Jim
Become a Paid Lab Member
If you aren’t a Paid Lab Member yet, this is a great time to subscribe for access to all of the live and recorded sessions in 2026! If you’d like these videos and access to all recordings since December 2024, become a paid Lab Member to support my work.
Permission to Suck at Drawing Certificate
Don’t feel you're good at drawing? That’s where we all are! Here’s a PDF download of the Official Permission to Suck at Drawing Certificate! Download it, print it, add your name, and hang it up where you’ll see it when drawing as a reminder that it’s OK to suck at drawing. :-)
The Sketchnote Handbook 40% off
Get your own copy of my book, The Sketchnote Handbook. It’s a really cool book (I realized I’m biased, but it really is cool). Get it for 40% off at Peachpit.com with code ROHDE40.
More details on the book, including free sample chapters.
Thanks again for the chance to share something useful 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.