Sketchnotes about how to fill the seats in a workshop

I’ve completed the five modules in Butts in Seats, which I first wrote about here. If you are considering adding a line of workshops to your business, I can’t recommend this webinar series strongly enough. It was worth every penny. I learned at least three things that I hadn’t thought about in each module. That means that I paid about $30 for each tip and they were absolutely worth it.

However, it’s got the same caveat that many how to webinars do. It teaches you what to do and how to do it. What remains after is that you now know how much work there is remaining.

This webinar is geared toward creating a new line of business and not about filling one workshop. That said, you are always free to select the tasks based on how much work you want to do and how badly you need to fill the seats.

I’ve posted my sketchnotes here for anyone who is interested.

Butts in Seats Sketchnotes

I’ve completed three of Daphne Bosquet’s sessions now, one that was a freebie and two that were part of her commercial Butts in Seats workshop.

Each one contains lots of real value, even to someone like me who was an ad hoc marketer for many, many years. But the most exciting pieces for me were three killer ideas with 1, 2, 3, instructions.  There was one in each session.

They are something that I can use right now and can add to a future toolkit. And I have never found them anywhere else. Thank you, Daphne, for sharing your secrets!!!

I have Sketchnoted all three sessions. You can see the two from the commercial workshop here. Still need to photograph the other.

Recommendation: If you are planning to develop and market a workshop, don’t move forward without Daphne’s brilliant assistance!

Graphic recording styles

Great examples of a variety of visual recordings from this year’s conference of the International Forum of Visual Practitioners.

I have to go back and study ’cause I know there are a variety of tricks here that I can use. What did you find?

Oh! And my new printer will print index cards so my very own set of metaphor images is beginning!!!!

Journey Map

Our first assignment in my graphic facilitation course was to create and upload a video introduction. We could use anything we wanted and so far people had.

I started with a drawing and I thought I’d share it here. I’ll do the next one on paper. I have a 200 foot role of 4 foot wide paper and a bunch of OUTSTANDINGLY GORGEOUS big fat markers coming. Can’t wait to see what happens.

My favorite part is the kid with wildly flapping arms as I tried to fly. Ran into the fence when lift off fell a little short.

Do you have flying scars?

How Pictures Work

I just read a wonderful book titled Picture This: How pictures work written by Molly Bang. In it Bang, an award winning children’s book artist, explores color, shape, size and proximity to find the emotions hidden within the picture frame. She invites you into the experiment while she moves and changes simple solid color cutouts. Together you discover the following principles on how pictures work:

1. Smooth flat horizontal shapes give us a sense of stability and calm.
2. Vertical shapes are exciting and active.
3. Diagonal shapes imply motion or tension.
4. The upper half of a picture is a place of freedom, happiness and triumph
5. The center of the page is the center of attention
6. White backgrounds feel safer than dark backgrounds
7. Pointy shapes are scary; rounded shapes are comforting. [And I thought I came up with this myself when I finally drew the right wolf for my 3 Little Pigs sketchnote.]
8. The larger an object the stronger it feels
9. We associate shapes with the same color more strongly than shapes with the same shape
10. Contrast enables us to see

Just ’cause I’ve written the points down here doesn’t mean you’ve gotten it all. There are many nuances that she covers that aren’t included in the points above. It’s a brilliant book that covers a complex subject deeply. . . in 96 pages. And that’s the beauty of a children’s book illustrator. She can tell a complicated story simply, preserving all the story’ complexity.

Places for sketchnoting inspiration

I thought in this post I’d share some of the places that I find inspiration. This is me, right before I get new glasses.

Plus, I’m waiting to receive my sketchbook for the World Sketchbook Tour 2012. I feel as if I might have put myself in the path of a bus with this kind of commitment but I think that might start me running again, you know? But how will I ever give it up!!!!?

So, a first link. They Draw and cook. Who wouldn’t want to look at lovely drawings of FOOD!!!

When I need to think about new fonts, I am inspired by Carolyn Sewell’s lovely and funny hand-drawn text postcards.

David Sibbet’s sketchnotes on an ipad showed me a new way to order and organize my page. Straight rectangles! Who’d a thunk it?

Mike Rodhe’s collection of Sketchnotes from many sources give me many ideas for how to doodle fancy my notes.

Dave Gray, the man who unleashed it for me and his own sketchbook. If you haven’t yet seen a copy of Marks & Meaning, you must!

Need new symbols? Try Ed Emberley. I just got the Halloween book and now I can’t wait to hear a lecture that allows me to add a skeleton or two to my sketchnotes.

I find that I am more inspired by simple drawings than the more complex ones. Maybe that’s ’cause I can’t even pretend to hijack the complex ones.

A great intro to Sketchnoting

I have looked at a post on Sketchnoting on this blog before, and today when I looked I found a new post with a great deal more info. If you’re interested in getting started with Sketchnoting there are some great ideas here. Plus, it’s very visually appealing.

The author suggests this TED talk as a great introductory exercise. I did it. Here’s the result. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours.

Doodle Power Tic-Tac-Toe

Here’s my sketchnote from Sunni Brown’s Doodle TED talk. I loosely used the tic-tac-toe format but it seems way too open and empty to me. Needs something to bring it together. What is that thing?

What did you draw?

Oh, and if the images aren’t appearing for you, just click the title of the post. Not sure why that’s happening.

Design your page with Tic-Tac-Toe

I’m becoming pretty happy with building my symbollary but I still struggle with the final page layout. I’m going to try this one next time, where the central theme is the middle of the page and the outside X blocks are the main points. It will force me to open up the space a bit, I think. I’ll try it on Sunni Brown’s TED talk and see what happens. Why don’t you try it too and email me your results? We’ll have a gallery.

Yes, I know that you prefer lurking but just this once, let’s engage?

Sunni tells TED Doodle!!!

 

 

 

Wanna see your sketchnoting become mainstream?

Here’s a TED talk about the doodle revolution led by Sunni Brown.

Hey, maybe we should Sketchnote it!!!!?