July 2026: Sketchnote Lab Dispatch
5 Cool Things, This month’s thought, From the Community, Lab Live Replay: June 2026, Sketchnote Lab Live July - Lettering, Sketchnote Podcast, and the 2026 Schedule.
This week I used markers and tracing paper to create wireframes for a user interface project. The tactile experience of markers on paper was so luxurious, and it changed how I thought about handling the interface and its features.
Remember: the tools you use matter.
What’s in this issue
5 Cool Things to share with you
This month’s thought — Analog sketching
From the Community: Kostas Georgoudis’ sketchnote
Lab Live Replay: June 2026 — Steven Lin’s PROGRESS framework
Coming up: Sketchnote Lab Live July - Lettering Foundations
Sketchnote Podcast — Hear the latest episode from Zsofi Lang
2026 Schedule — what’s ahead for the remainder of 2026
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts — in case you missed a post
Five Cool Things
Here are five cool things I thought you’d enjoy:
❥ 1. The Surprisingly Powerful Influence of Drawing on Memory — A fantastic academic paper shared with me by Kate Rutter. Evidence, FTW!
❥ 2. The 4 Levels of Thinking on Paper — My friend Ryder Carroll shares 4 ways he thinks on paper to cultivate his best thinking. Sketchnoting gets a mention!
❥ 3. One Notebook, Every Idea: My Daily Visual Thinking Practice — Teacher Doug Neil shares how he uses one large notebook to power his visual thinking.
❥ 4. My basic pen ink combo for drawing on the go — Illustrator Andrew Tan shares tools he uses to make travel drawings. I love the refillable brush pen!
❥ 5. A Journey in 100 Drawings — Artist Samgar Renkema spent 100 days making a drawing each day, and this is his video reflection on that experience. Go Samgar!
This month’s thought
There is something special about analog sketching, with pencil, pen, or marker on real paper. The feel and the reaction of the materials do change how you think compared with digital tools. How can you explore analog this month?
From the Community: Kostas Georgoudis
Here’s a great sketchnote from Lab Member Konstantinos Georgoudis, offering sketchnoted guidance for anyone using LLMs for coding, encouraging Spec Driven Development for better output from the Hallucination Machines!
Want to be featured? Reply to this email with a sketchnote you’ve made, and I may share it in a future Dispatch.
Ellington Pens offers beautiful, feel-great-in-the-hand metal fountain pens at reasonable prices. Get 20% off their pen selection with my special affiliate code: INKED at the Ellington Pens store. Shop now.
Lab Live Recording: June 2026 —Steven Lin’s PROGRESS framework
What we covered
The bottleneck — Steven talked about bottlenecks we face when solving problems and how he uses his simple framework to identify them.
Why drawing the problem matters — a quick bridge on how visual thinking makes complex problems clearer and easier to act on
The PROGRESS Framework, drawn live — Steven walked through all 8 pillars while I sketchnoted on them in real time
You draw your own PROGRESS Map — a guided exercise where I filled in the first 4 pillars on the canvas
Share and debrief — a few attendees shared and asked questions [1-2 sentences highlighting the most interesting or surprising moment from the session].
Coming up: Sketchnote Lab Live July
Lettering is a foundational skill for sketchnoting. In this session, I’ll provide a deep dive into his approach to lettering in sketchnotes, including two-line, three-line, condensed, and faux-script styles. Special guest Andy Fishburne will also teach his unique lettering style.
What you’ll walk away with
An approach to creating simple lettering in your sketchnotes that lets you work faster and with more impact.
Sketchnote Podcast
The Sketchnote Podcast season 1 is coming to a close next week with the All The Tips episode. There have been some great episodes you’ll want to hear, including last week’s discussion about winning book projects with Zsofi Lang:
Other recent episodes:
Subscribe on SimpleCast or wherever you listen to podcasts!
2026 Schedule
Here’s what’s coming up at Sketchnote Lab for the rest of 2026:
July: Sketchnote Foundations - Lettering w/ Andy Fishburne
August: How to Sketch Your Story as You Tell It — w/ David Hutchens of Storytelling Leader
September: Sketchnote Foundations — Real-World Layouts w/ Zsofi Lang
October: Using Sketchnotes to Visually — Think Through the Use of Senses To Understand Uncertainty w/ James Burke
November: Sketchnote Foundations - Listening Skills w/ Sarah Greer and Adrian Peryer
December: Problem-Solving — w/ Georgina Dean
Check out the full 2026 schedule.
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what happened at Sketchnote Lab last month:
Paid Lab Partners get access to all Lab Live video replays, the Partner Vault, and a 1:1 Zoom session with me each year on annual plans.
The Sketchnote Handbook
You don't need to be an artist to sketchnote. You need five basic shapes, simple lettering, a way to draw a person, and a few visual elements to connect your ideas together. My two books teach you exactly that, starting today.
The Sketchnote Handbook
This fully illustrated book teaches complete beginners the whole foundational toolkit for sketchnoting: shapes, lettering, drawing people, and the connectors that tie your ideas together on the page. You'll learn how to capture your thinking visually, remember key information more clearly, and share what you've learned with others. Have fun taking notes again!
Learn more about The Sketchnote Handbook
The Sketchnote Workbook
This fully illustrated book and 2-hour video are the sequel to The Sketchnote Handbook. Once you've got the foundations down, this shows you how to put it to work: brainstorming ideas, planning projects, documenting processes, recording travels, and solving problems. Learn how sketchnotes help you think better!
Learn more about The Sketchnote Workbook
Thanks for being part of Sketchnote Lab. See you next month.
— Mike Rohde, Chief Scientist, Sketchnote Lab
Sketchnote Lab is Mike Rohde’s space designed to bridge the gap between sketchnote theory and practice. You don’t need to be an artist to think visually. Join Mike and learn to use sketchnotes to clarify your thinking, solve problems, and move forward. 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 sketchnoting and build a regular sketchnoting practice.
He founded the Sketchnote Army and hosts the Sketchnote Podcast, where he interviews visual thinkers to understand what makes them tick.
Mike teaches recorded, live, and in-person workshops to help accelerate your sketchnoting practice and provides personalized coaching for your specific visual thinking challenges.
He is the illustrator of bestselling books like REWORK, REMOTE, The $100 Startup, Honest SEO, The Culture Playbook, and The Future Begins with Z.
Become a Supporting or Founding Lab Partner to support Mike’s work.
Some links in Sketchnote Lab posts are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools and resources I use and believe in.
©2026 Mike Rohde, Sketchnote Lab