May 2026: Sketchnote Lab Dispatch
5 Cool Things, Sketchnote Podcast relaunch, April Visual Problem Solving w/ Mauro Toselli Video Replay, my feature in Beauty of a Game, drawing people w/ Alejo Porras, and the full 2026 schedule.
Happy May 2026!
The weather in Milwaukee is finally warming up, so it’s fun to head out and take street photos! The photo above was from a photo walk last week in Milwaukee’s Third Ward. If you’re curious about my photography, check out my Flickr photo stream.
I hope you’re hanging in there during these chaotic times. I’m doing my best, too. Remember what Mr. Rogers said… “Look for the helpers.”
What’s in this issue?
5 Cool Things to share with you.
Sketchnote Podcast is coming to Sketchnote Lab!
Sketchnote Lab April Problem-Solving: Mauro Toselli Video Replay (free).
My feature in Beauty of a Game with NFL/college football sketchnotes!
Sketchnote Lab Live May - Foundations: Drawing People with Alejo Porras.
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. Think faster. Sketch more. How to stay relevant in a time of AI - Visual thinking is a skill for navigating complexity, sparking collaboration, and staying sharp in a world of growing AI reliance. Wise words from Unruled Play.
❥ 2. Reflection Calendars Reveal What Words Can’t in Your Journal - I love this idea of a visual journal with a single square for each day of the week from Erin Nolan. If you’ve struggled to start a visual journaling practice, this might do the trick!
❥ 3. How I filled 100 sketchbooks. And how you can too - My friend Danny Gregory shares his story of going from 0 to 100 sketchbooks with ideas you can use to get yourself rolling if you’ve been dormant. Baby steps!
❥ 4. Disney Imagineering Artist Says Talent is a Myth - Ray Kinman never aimed to become a Disney Imagineering legend. Ray, a self-taught woodcarver, reflects on his journey from a broke young father with no formal training, tools, or plan to carving for Disneyland’s iconic attractions. “Your greatest asset is your persistence.”
❥ 5. Workshop: Sketch with Confidence: The Skill That Gets Your Design Thinking Out of Your Head - On May 14th, I’m leading a 90-minute workshop on wireframing. Sketching is where your thinking becomes visible, where clients see how you solve problems, not just how you use tools. Join me!
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Sketchnote Podcast comes to Sketchnote Lab!
BIG NEWS! The podcast formerly known as Sketchnote Army Podcast is coming to Sketchnote Lab! With my focus here, it made sense to bring the podcast over too.
If you’ve not heard or seen the podcast before, I interview fascinating people who practice sketchnoting and visual thinking to understand what makes them tick.
You can check out the 185+ episodes of the old Sketchnote Army Podcast, which has been running since 2016, with tons of great interviews with interesting people.
Watch the teaser video above and see details on the announcement post. The first episode drops next week on Tuesday!
April Live Lab Video Replay: Problem-Solving with Mauro Toselli (Free)
Mauro Toselli brought his Visual Problem Solving methodology to the session, opening with the Meta-Problem — the idea that we often build up a wall of justifications and deflections that buries the real problem we need to solve.
While Mauro laid out the concepts, I sketched his ideas live at my desk, and then we worked through three hands-on drawing exercises together.
The exercises we did together offered a framework to apply immediately:
Mapping the gap between where you are and where you want to be
Sketching the wall of obstacles blocking your path
Identifying a concrete first step forward.
Artist Mike Rohde Uses “Sketchnotes” To Connect With His Beloved Green Bay Packers
My work was featured in the magazine Beauty of a Game this week, featuring my NFL and college football sketchnotes! Thanks for the feature, Jimmy.
Coming soon: Sketchnote Lab Live May - Foundations: Drawing People with Alejo Porras.
People are one of the most useful and most intimidating things to draw. In this session, we’ll break it down into two parts so you can start simple and build toward more expressive, dynamic figures.
On Saturday, May 30th from 12-1 US Central, I’ll kick things off by showing you how to draw people using simple shapes and structures. We’ll cover practical approaches you can use immediately in your sketchnotes.
Then, guest Alejo Porras will teach you how to add movement, gesture, and fluidity to your figures. You’ll learn how to make your drawn people feel more alive on the page, not stiff or static.
What you’ll walk away with:
A process for drawing people quickly, starting from the simplest possible forms and building toward figures with energy and personality. Whether you’re capturing a speaker at a conference or mapping out a team scenario, you’ll have techniques you can put to work right away.
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).
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-March 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 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.
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