June 2026: Sketchnote Lab Dispatch
5 Cool Things, drawing people replay w/ Alejo Porras, Sketchnote Lab Live Problem-Solving with Steven Lin in June, new Sketchnote Podcast episodes, and the full 2026 schedule.
Happy June 2026! The sketchnote above was created during Danny Gregory’s Paris in a Day session, live with Sketchbook Skool. What a blast! If you want to learn more about Danny and his work, check out the podcast interview I did with him.
Hey, I’m Mike Rohde, founder of Sketchnote Lab. I’m celebrating Summer arriving with 20% off paid Lab memberships through June 30, 2026.
Special link: sketchnotelab.com/summer20
What’s in this issue?
5 Cool Things to share with you
Sketchnote Lab May - Foundations Replay: Drawing People with Alejo Porras
Coming soon: Sketchnote Lab Live June: Problem-Solving with Steven Lin
Sketchnote Podcast's latest 5 episodes are live
Sketchnote Lab 2026 Schedule - see what’s happening each month of 2026
Five Cool Things
Here are five cool things I thought you would enjoy:
❥ 1. The Neuroscience of Doodling: Understanding Attention and Creativity - Bryant Del Toro gets into the brain reasons why doodling is so good for you and how it helps you focus and recall more later.
❥ 2. The Story of Tomoe River Paper - This Japanese paper maker, which appears in the Hobonichi Techo, is legendary. I’ve always wondered how they make it so thin and yet handle fountain pen nibs and ink.
❥ 3. 4 Tips for More Balanced Journal Pages - In this article, my friend Zsofi Lang walks you through using the whole page, creating drafts, balancing drawings and text, and a final secret to make any page look better. Thanks, Zsofi!
❥ 4. You Haven't Drawn in 30 Years? Good. - My friend Danny Gregory encourages you to pick up a pen or pencil and draw, especially if you haven’t for 30 years! Yes!!
❥ 5. Sketchnote Army Archive - I’ve moved every last Sketchnote Army blog post to a dedicated archive site featuring 1,000+ posts dating back to 2009. Includes podcast episodes too (over 175 to choose from). Check it out!
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.
Sketchnote Lab Live Replay: May 2026 - Foundations: Drawing People w/ Alejo Porras
What We Covered
The 5 Basic Shapes for people - how squares, circles, triangles, lines, and dots are the building blocks of recognizable figures.
Heads, bodies, and proportion — practical rules of thumb for getting figures to look right quickly, without overthinking.
Live drawing demos — I walked through building figures step by step, from stick-figure basics to more structured forms.
Movement and gesture with Alejo Porras — Alejo showed how to add fluidity and dynamism to figures, so they feel alive on the page rather than stiff or static.
Here’s a little taste of Alejo on what people get wrong about drawing:
Watch the Full Video Replay
If you aren’t a Supporting or Founding Lab Partner, watch the full video recording by becoming a Lab Partner. You’ll also get access to the Partner Vault, with recordings from everything I’ve done here from December 2024 onward.
Get 20% off paid Lab memberships through June 30, 2026.
sketchnotelab.com/summer20
Sketchnote Lab Live June - Sketchnote Problem-Solving with Steven Lin
In June, special guest Steven Lin will bring a challenge, and I’ll use sketchnoting to visualize the problem and brainstorm potential solutions.
Watch as I work with Steven, sketchnoting solutions visually, live, while you watch. My goal is to show you how you can sketchnote solutions, too.
The session is free to all subscribers, with the recorded replay video available exclusively to Supporting and Founding Lab Partners (which includes all video replays since December 2024).
The Sketchnote Podcast’s Latest Episodes
The Sketchnote Podcast launched Season 1 in May with five episodes already out. Here’s a quick look at who’s been on the show:
S1/E1 — Federica Tabone & Claudio Nichele: Sketchnote Camp Verona 2026
The organizers of this summer’s International Sketchnote Camp in Verona, Italy, walk through the event. It’s a joint gathering of the ISC and European Visual Practitioners communities, running as a BarCamp Plus with participant-led sessions and a collective harvesting on the final day.
S1/E2 — Danny Gregory: Art with a Lowercase “a”
Founder of Sketchbook Skool and author of a dozen books on drawing and the creative life, Danny talks about how a personal tragedy sent him to a sketchbook and why he believes drawing belongs to everyone. not just trained artists.
S1/E3 — Sarah Greer & Adrian Peryer: Rethinking Meetings
Co-founders of Shared Vision Toolkit, Sarah and Adrian have spent decades turning ordinary meetings into immersive, co-creative experiences. They talk about their Design-Centric Facilitation approach, why 80% of the work happens before anyone walks in the room, and how live visual capture builds alignment that words alone can’t.
S1/E4 — David Armano: Unlocking Creativity in the Age of AI
Designer, creative director, and writer David Armano digs into how visual thinkers can use AI without losing what makes their work distinctly human, and why developing a recognizable style and doubling down on in-person experience matters more than ever right now.
S1/E5 — Andrew Tan: Embracing Creativity, Reflection, and Tools
Singapore-based freelance illustrator and Drewscape creator Andrew Tan traces his path from accidental business major to independent illustrator, sharing what he’s learned about vintage fountain pens, monoprinting, working confidently with pen on paper, and giving yourself permission to be imperfect.
All five episodes are available at sketchnotelab.com, SimpleCast, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen.
I have 5 more episodes this season to share, dropping every Tuesday through July 7th, wrapping up with the popular “All The Tips” episode 10.
Sketchnote Lab Schedule for 2026
I have two focus areas for 2026:
Teaching foundations for people new to sketchnoting
Live problem-solving sessions to show how you can use sketchnotes as a thinking and problem-solving tool at work and in your everyday life.
You can see January-May replays already as a Supporting or Founding Lab Partner!
Check out the full 2026 schedule.
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what happened at Sketchnote Lab last month:
Become a Supporting or Founding Lab Partner to support my work and access all Live Lab recorded replays since December 2024.
Buy My Books
You have what it takes to create sketchnotes, even if you’re a complete beginner at drawing. My two books help you get started today!
The Sketchnote Handbook
This fully illustrated book is designed to teach people without any drawing skills how to create sketchnotes. 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, which shows you how to use sketchnotes in your everyday life to brainstorm ideas, plan projects, document processes, record travels, and more. Learn how sketchnotes help you think better!
Learn more about The Sketchnote Workbook
Sketchnoting Workshops
Check out my sketchnoting workshop videos to build your lettering, layout, and icon-creation skills for your sketchnotes, or to learn my travel sketchnote method.
Custom Sketchnote Workshops
I love teaching teams like yours how to think visually and sketch simply with Custom Sketchnote Workshops.
I've presented workshops at schools: Drexel University, Marquette University, and The University of Michigan; Anne Arundel, New York City, and Fresno school districts.
I’ve also presented workshops for teams at SmugMug/Flickr, Hubspot, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, Dentsu Creative, and Sibley Memorial Hospital.
I’d love to teach your team as well. Let’s talk!
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