This Graphic Recording 101 class will cover the foundations of real-time visual notes, plus skills to practice to build your confidence in live drawing. You'll see a demo of a simple recording and then you'll get a chance to make your own!

This class is built for beginners and seasoned illustrators alike who want to practice drawing live.

ABOUT GRAPHIC RECORDING

Graphic recording is real-time visual note-taking, often performed at events like conferences, expos and ideation meetings.

Live visual notes are a fabulous tool for communication. They're meant to get ideas on paper (or digital tablet) clearly and quickly, so the focus is on the content more than the art. Graphic recording is fast, sketchy, imperfect and fun.

USE VISUAL NOTES TO

Capture and share ideas at a team meeting
Save key info from a class lecture
Draw and share highlights of content made by a favorite thought leader
Take fun notes while on the phone with a friend

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

Introduction. In this tutorial, you'll learn key elements and tips for creating live visual notes, and then make some yourself.
Supplies. You'll get a look at a professional toolkit for graphic recording for clients on a large-scale – just in case you learn to love live notes and want to try drawing large too.
Research and prep. Professional live visual note-takers do their homework before every session. You'll learn what to look for and how to prepare to set yourself up for success during your live drawing session.
Listening and synthesizing. You'll learn to think of graphic recording as a tool for communication, embrace imperfection and start drawing! You'll also learn what to listen for and how to know what to draw.
Visual vocabulary. You'll learn why graphic recording artists lean heavily on icons and other simple drawings. You'll watch Leah create a simple visual vocab "flash sheet" demo, and make your own.
Chunking information. You'll get tips for chunking your information to keep it organized and clear. You'll see lots of examples of chunking using tools like text size, spacing, color, shape and line.
Timing and using space. You'll learn to how to think about and plan for using time and drawing space during a live drawing session. You'll get an idea of what is realistic, and some suggestions for how to improvise when things don't go to plan.
Tying it all together. You’ll watch a live demo of graphic recording, and then make your own. Have fun with this!
Next steps. Now that you've had a primer for live visual notes, the real work begins. It's all about practice.

OUR EXAMPLE TED TALK

10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation with Celeste Headlee

RESOURCES FOR CREATING VISUAL VOCABULARY

Use Google to search
- ie. "tech icons", "retail icons", "innovation icons"
- cartoons, especially for inspiration when drawing people, faces or bodies
- "graphic recording" or "live visual notes" and find examples that you like
The Noun Project
Study signs and semiotics
Books, book covers, magazines

Caroline Hammond

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