November 2025: Sketchnote Lab Dispatch
Five cool things, Free November Live Lab: Moving Your Projects Forward with Sketchnotes, Sketchnote Basics with Art Toolkit Video, Sketchnote Army Podcast, and Sketchnote Workshops for sale!
Welcome to the November 2025 edition of the Sketchnote Lab Dispatch.
Thanksgiving is coming soon here in the US, and Christmas is right behind. It’s a busy season for me and many of you, too. I hope you can find time in your chaos to draw and sketchnote!
What’s in this issue?
5 Cool Things to share with you.
Free November Live Lab: Moving Your Projects Forward with Sketchnotes on 11/29.
Sketchnote Basics with Art Toolkit is available for purchase.
Sketchnote Army Podcast continues with more great guests.
My Sketchnoting Workshops are now available!
Five Cool Things
Here are five cool things I thought you would enjoy:
❥ 1. The 7-Day Art Challenge That Changed My Life (You Can Do It Too!) - Artist and teacher Danny Gregory offers a fantastic way to start a drawing habit with a 7-day challenge that takes just 10-15 minutes each day, reflecting on events from your everyday life. Thanks, Danny!
❥ 2. The Most Underrated drawing exercise of all time - Drawing teacher Javi offers a handy drawing exercise focused on shapes instead of lines to kickstart your drawing practice.
❥ 3. Paper Sizes Explained - Great reference from JetPens about paper sizes and why they are sized the way they are. I apologize in advance for all of the money you’ll spend at JetPens!
❥ 4. How pen caps work - This fascinating article from David R. MacIver at Overthinking Everything shares how pen caps work (you may be surprised) and the process of learning.
❥ 5. Creating a Business Logo - 20 years ago, I worked with Ian Landsman at UserScape to develop a logo for his startup, and product HelpSpot. This article shows my process for creating a logo with Ian, and although it’s from 2005, my process has remained the same.
November Sketchnote Lab Live: Moving Your Projects Forward with Sketchnotes (Free to attend!)
Join me live on Saturday, November 29th, at 12 noon US Central Time for a workshop where I’ll show you how I use sketchnotes to move projects forward and answer your questions.
I’ll share samples of past projects, then take on a project challenge from a friend that I will explore in the session to show you my process in detail. Of course, I’ll make time at the end for Q&A.
The session is free to all subscribers, with the recorded replay video available exclusively to Paid Lab Members (along with all recordings since December 2024).
Sketchnoting Workshop Video: Learn the basics of sketchnoting and get 10% off with a special code!
Learn the basics of sketchnoting: a visual note-taking method that blends handwritten text, drawings, and layout to capture the information you are learning and want to remember.
Use discount code ATKSKETCHNOTE10 for 10% off!
Code expires December 12, 2025, at 11:59 pm.
Sketchnote Army Podcast Season 17: More great guests!
Season 17th season of Sketchnote Army Podcast is rolling! Check out more great interviews with visual thinkers like Dan Roam, Katya Balakina, Nishant Jain, Cara Holland, Ted Shachtman, and Lindsay Wilson. If you need some inspiration, listen to these insightful interviews.
My Sketchnoting Workshops are on sale!
Check out my sketchnoting workshop videos to build your lettering, layout, and icon creation skills in your sketchnotes, or to learn my reflective method for creating travel sketchnotes from photos and memories after you return home from your trip:
Last Month’s Sketchnote Lab Posts
Here’s what’s been happening at Sketchnote Lab:
Become a Paid Lab Member and you’ll support my work and have access to all Live Lab recorded replays since December, 2024 to help build your sketchnoting practice!
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. 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.