top of page

Sketching Tip: Sketching your notes at conferences, meetings & in class

Toad 5x5

Notes from a training I did in preparation to volunteer for an amphibian monitoring citizen science project in Wyoming.


These tips are excerpted from an earlier article I wrote highlighting many ways that sketchnotes are being used by scientists. The following tips, though, are broadly applicable for many kinds of note-taking situations.

  1. Keep your supplies simple and portable. A ballpoint pen and one color (marker, colored pencil, even a crayon!) can produce delightful results.

  2. Use frames to organize/design page layout. You can even set up your pages in advance, making frames for intro, main points, conclusion, key questions, etc.

  3. Incorporate text into your sketches. Be sure to include your own questions and observations. Your personal “feedback” will make the sketches particularly interesting/valuable to you later.

  4. Use only one spot/accent color. Realistic colors are hard to achieve quickly in a dark room. Instead, use color as a design device, to highlight key points or thought flows.

  5. Using a quick sketch to capture the essence. Even if your sketch isn’t technically accurate, it will help you make or remember a point.

  6. Think of yourself as a curator. Don’t try to capture everything, and don’t worry about what you should draw. Sketch what interests you.


Drawing my notes from Parker House's Giant Sea Bass talk #JMIH15 @phishdoc @commnatural pic.twitter.com/Q4C0uz8ByS — Emily A. Miller (@SturgeonSurgeon) July 17, 2015

Want to take sketching seriously? Here are a few resources for sketchnoting and drawing:

  1. SciComm Section’s multimedia resource guide; my section on sketching includes lots of links and tips.

  2. Expert tips re portable sketching materials

  3. One sketchnoter’s take on “Sketch noting 101”

  4. 20 tips for “How to create awesome visual notes” – detailed “training” for serious sketchnoting; point 12 is a great starting point for simple punchy sketches – Contrast, Repetition, Alignment & Proximity are key considerations.

  5. Search “sketchnotes” or #sketchnotes for inspiration from folks like Perrin Ireland, a professional “visual scribe.” Take a careful look at the sketch notes you most appreciate, and try copying some of their techniques – color, use of arrows and inventive fonts, page layout, etc.

What doodling can do for your brain:


Comments


commnatural sciencecommunication research & practice Bethann Garramon Merkle

© 2025 by Bethann Garramon Merkle.

bottom of page