March 2026: Sketchnote Lab Dispatch
Five Cool Things, March Live Lab: Creating Icons for Sketchnoters, February Problem-Solving Video Replay, and the Sketchnote Lab 2026 Schedule.
Welcome to the Sketchnote Lab Dispatch for March 2026!
Spring is just around the corner, and it’s a great time to learn to create simple icons in this month’s Live Lab session.
I hope you are doing well wherever you are.
What’s in this issue?
5 Cool Things to share with you.
Creating Icons for Sketchnoters: a free Live Lab session on Saturday, March 21.
February Problem-Solving with Brad Did Video Replay - watch me use sketchnotes to work through a real problem in real time.
Sketchnote Lab 2026 Schedule to see what’s happening each month of 2026.
Five Cool Things
Here are five cool things I thought you would enjoy:
❥ 1. Help! I don’t know what to draw! My friend Zsofi shares eight great ways to fill your illustrated journal with drawings to capture your life.
❥ 2. Hand-drawn explanations: how curling works - I’m loving the hand-drawn explainer videos from SportsBall_Visual. In this video, learn how curling works!
❥ 3. How to get 1% better at drawing every day — Artist and teacher Massa offers helpful ways to make it a sustainable practice.
❥ 4. Don’t Call it Art — My friend Austin Kleon is releasing his 4th book, Don’t Call it Art, on June 2, 2026. Steal Like an Artist was his first, launching the same year as The Sketchnote Handbook (2012). Pre-order.
❥ 5. Ellington Pens - I teamed up with Ellington Pens to test-drive their Stealth Fountain Pen in February. It’s beautiful, feels great in the hand, and is reasonably priced. As a new affiliate, I can offer you a 20% discount on any of their pens with my special code: INKED — check it out!
March Live Lab: Creating Sketchnote Icons
Icons are one of the most useful skills in your sketchnoting practice. In this live session, I’ll teach you how to build icons from the five basic shapes, making marks into icons that communicate your ideas simply and quickly.
Here’s a look at what we’ll cover:
How every icon starts with circles, squares, triangles, lines, and dots
Simplification: what makes an icon recognizable, rather than realistic, and how to add just the right details to let the brain fill in the rest.
Building an icon library: how to create a set of icons specific to your work and life that you can use right away.
Visual metaphors: we’ll touch on ways to draw abstract concepts.
This session will build your practical icon-making skills, which you can put to work immediately on your next sketchnote.
Join me on Saturday, March 21, 2026, from 12-1 US Central for this free session:
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).
February Sketchnote Lab Live Video Replay: Problem-Solving with Brad Did
In February, special guest Brad Did brought a personal challenge to the live session. I used sketchnoting to listen to Brad, map the problem, and then brainstorm a solution.
Here’s a sample sketchnote page from the session:
Here’s a short teaser to show you how the image above was built:
By the way, Supporting and Founding Lab Partners have had access to all video replays since December 2024. If you subscribe today, you get access too!
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.
Check out the full 2026 schedule.
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what happened at Sketchnote Lab last month:
Become a Supporting Lab Partner to support my work and access all Live Lab recorded replays since December 2024 to help build your sketchnoting practice!
Buy my Sketchnoting Workshops
Check out my sketchnoting workshop videos to build your lettering, layout, and icon creation skills in 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!
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. 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.
What a fantastic, wrap-up! That video with Brad was inspiring!