• 90 ideas
  • Checked October 2026

Sketch Notes Ideas

Three building blocks for visual notes per press, each with its stroke count and when to use it.

Sketch Notes Ideas

Show all 90
  1. A looping arrow that returns to its start1 stroke and a tip. A circle that almost closes. Use it for a cycle, a habit or a repeat.
  2. Hexagon cells that tile for linked facts1 stroke each. Shared walls join them. Use them for facts that belong together and have no order.
  3. A runner with a tilted body and split legs5 strokes. Head, a body line leaning forward, two split legs, one arm. Use it for speed or a deadline.

Next step Boxes and frames for a plannerPanels and stories to draw

All 90 ideas

Page layouts 15

  • A chart of islands joined by a dotted sea route 1 stroke an island. Each theme is an island. Use it when a talk jumps between a few big subjects.
  • A comic grid of six panels read left to right 3 strokes. One line across and two down. Use it when each point is a scene with someone doing something.
  • A corner-to-corner slash dividing for and against 1 stroke. Corner to corner. One view goes above the line, the other below, and the verdict sits on it.
  • A flight of steps climbing the page, a point per step 1 stroke. One zigzag from bottom left to top right. Use it when each point builds on the one before.
  • A honeycomb of cells filled as the talk goes 1 stroke a cell. Draw a few empty six-sided cells first. Use it for a list of equal points with no order.
  • A note tree with a branch for each idea 1 stroke plus branches. A trunk up the middle, a branch as each idea arrives. Use it when ideas split into smaller ones.
  • A skyline with one building per topic 1 stroke each. Taller buildings for bigger topics. Use it to show at a glance what took the most time.
  • A snaking note path with a bend for each point 2 strokes. Two wavy lines side by side are the path. Use it for a talk that goes in order, start to end.
  • A subway-style map, one colored route per theme 1 stroke a line. Stations are points and lines cross where themes meet. Use it for a long course.
  • A timeline across the bottom of the page with flags above 1 stroke. One long line near the bottom. Use it for history, a biography or the steps of a project.
  • A wheel with the topic in the hub and a spoke per point 1 stroke plus spokes. A circle in the middle. Use it when every point hangs off one idea and order does not matter.
  • Bands stacked down the page, one per agenda item 1 stroke a band. Rule a line when the subject changes. Use it for a meeting with a fixed agenda.
  • Margin notes framing one big central drawing 1 stroke. A box in the middle for the drawing. Use it for a single object or diagram with many facts.
  • Notes coiling out from a central word 1 stroke. Start at the center and keep turning. Use it when you cannot tell how long the talk will run.
  • Three ruled columns headed before, during and after 2 strokes. Two upright lines split the page. Use them for a change over time or a three-part lesson.

Title banners 15

  • A browser bar with the title where the address goes 1 stroke plus 3 dots. A long box with three dots at one end. Use it for notes on a website or an online talk.
  • A cinema-sign title ringed with bulbs 1 stroke plus dots. A rectangle with dots all around it for bulbs. Use it when the subject is an event or a show.
  • A clapperboard carrying the title of a video 2 strokes plus stripes. A box, then a striped bar hinged on top. Use it for notes on a film or a recorded lesson.
  • A diamond road sign holding a one-word topic 2 strokes. A square on its point, then a post. Use it for a warning, a rule or a turning point.
  • A heading on a wavy flag beside its pole 2 strokes. A pole, then a wavy flag. Use it for a big idea, or to name a team or a place.
  • A lanyard badge naming who is speaking 2 strokes. A rounded card, then a V of cord above it. Use it beside the title to record the speaker.
  • A scroll heading with a small curl at each tip 3 strokes. A wide strip, then a small curl at each end. Use it for the name of the talk.
  • A spiky starburst shouting the key claim 1 stroke. One spiky line all the way around. Use it for the claim the speaker wants remembered.
  • A title riding a thick-to-thin swoosh 1 stroke. Press hard, then lift as you sweep right. Use it when there is no time to draw a box.
  • A title split across two stacked ribbons 2 strokes. A short strip above, a long one below, each drawn in one go. Use it for a title with a subtitle.
  • A title with the date hung off it in a circle 3 strokes. Underline the title, drop a short line, add a circle. Use it on every page of a series.
  • A title written inside a wide arrow 1 stroke. The outline of a fat arrow pointing into the page. Use it when the title is an instruction or a goal.
  • An easel board with the title chalked on it 4 strokes. A rectangle, then three legs. Use it for a class, a workshop or a how-to.
  • An open book with the title across both pages 2 strokes. Two leaning rectangles that share a spine. Use it for notes on a chapter or a reading.
  • Outlined capitals thickened on the right and bottom 2 strokes a letter at least. Its outline, then one thick line down its right and bottom edges. For a one-word title.

Containers for one idea 15

  • A curly brace gathering lines under one label 1 stroke. One brace down the right of a short list. Write what the list adds up to beside its point.
  • A dashed box for something not yet certain 1 broken stroke. Use it for a plan, a rumor, an option or anything the speaker called a maybe.
  • A flask holding a guess to test 2 strokes. A triangle with a neck, then a line for the liquid. Use it for an experiment or a hypothesis.
  • A funnel narrowing many things to one 2 strokes. Two sides slant in, then drop as a spout. Write the many above, the one below. Use it for a summary.
  • A jagged burst around a surprise 1 stroke. A spiky outline, uneven on purpose. Use it for the fact nobody in the room expected.
  • A jigsaw piece for one part of a whole 1 stroke. A square outline with a knob and a notch. Use it when the point only makes sense with the others.
  • A magnifier with the detail written in its lens 2 strokes. A circle and a handle. Use it for a close look at one example or one number.
  • A plain box with a heavy shadow for the main point 2 strokes. A rectangle, then one thick line along two edges. Keep it for the most important line of the page.
  • A shield holding a rule 3 strokes. Flat top, two sides curving to a point. Use it for a principle, a law or a thing never to do.
  • A thought cloud trailing three shrinking bubbles 4 strokes. A bumpy cloud and three circles. Use it for an opinion, a guess or a question of your own.
  • A three-slab pile for ranks or stages 3 strokes. Three flat boxes, widest at the bottom. Use them for layers, ranks or stages of difficulty.
  • An iceberg with a small tip and a big hidden mass 3 strokes. A small peak above a wavy line, a big mass below. Use it for hidden causes or unseen work.
  • Giant quotation marks around a spoken line 4 strokes. No box at all. Use them for the exact words worth keeping, with the name underneath.
  • Hexagon cells that tile for linked facts 1 stroke each. Shared walls join them. Use them for facts that belong together and have no order.
  • Two overlapping circles sharing a middle 2 strokes. Use them to compare two things: what each has alone, and in the overlap what they share.

Arrows and connectors 15

  • A bracket under a span of notes with one tip 1 stroke and a tip. A wide flat brace under several items, pointing down to what they share.
  • A bridge spanning two cliffs 3 strokes. Two blocks, then an arch between. Use it for a solution that joins a problem to a goal.
  • A chain of three links tying two ideas 3 strokes. Three ovals hooked together. Use it for things that depend on each other.
  • A dotted arrow for later or maybe 1 broken stroke and a tip. Use it for a link that is possible, planned or not proven.
  • A fat block arrow with a verb inside it 1 stroke. Use it between two boxes when the link is an action: makes, needs, becomes, stops.
  • A lightning zigzag between clashing ideas 1 stroke. Three sharp turns. Use it for a conflict, a sudden change or a thing that went wrong.
  • A looping arrow that returns to its start 1 stroke and a tip. A circle that almost closes. Use it for a cycle, a habit or a repeat.
  • A plug and socket for ideas that work only once joined 6 strokes. A box with two prongs facing a box with two holes. Use it for a link to another page of notes.
  • A spiral arrow winding in toward one word 1 stroke and a tip. Use it to pull the eye to the conclusion, or for a subject that narrows.
  • A two-tipped arrow for a link that runs both ways 1 stroke and 2 tips. Use it when each idea changes the other, or for a trade between two sides.
  • An arrow forking toward two choices 3 strokes and 2 tips. One stem that splits. Use it for a decision and label each branch yes or no.
  • Domino tiles leaning further down the line 1 stroke a tile. Slant each tile more than the last. Use it for a chain reaction or a knock-on effect.
  • Numbered circles joined into a trail 1 stroke a circle. Write 1, 2, 3 inside and join them. Use it when the order of steps matters.
  • Plus and equals signs chaining three boxes 4 strokes. Two for the plus, two for the equals. Use them when two things combine into a third.
  • Two arrows merging into a single stem 3 strokes and 1 tip. The fork turned around. Use it when two causes lead to one result.

People and faces in five strokes 15

  • A bent-over worker and a single desk line 5 strokes. Head, bent body, two arms and a flat line for the desk. Use it for study, work or a job to do.
  • A box-body figure pointing at a note 5 strokes. Head, rectangle, two legs, one long arm. Use it to say look here.
  • A cheering note person, limbs as two V shapes 4 strokes. Head, body line, legs as one V, arms as one V. Use it for a win or a finished step.
  • A cross face with brows slanting inward 4 strokes. A circle, two brows slanting inward in place of eyes, a flat mouth. Use it for a complaint or a risk.
  • A crowd as a row of overlapping bumps 1 stroke and a dot each. Small upside-down U shapes with a dot in each. Use it for an audience or the public.
  • A doubtful note face, one brow lifted 5 strokes. A circle, two dots, a flat mouth, one high brow. Use it beside a claim you want to check later.
  • A placard carrier with a one-word message 5 strokes. Head, body line, two raised arms, a rectangle above. Write a single word on the sign.
  • A puzzled figure, one arm bent up to the jaw 5 strokes. Head, body, two legs and one arm bent up to the jaw. Use it beside an open question.
  • A runner with a tilted body and split legs 5 strokes. Head, a body line leaning forward, two split legs, one arm. Use it for speed or a deadline.
  • A smiling note face in four pen marks 4 strokes. Circle, dot, dot, smile. Use it beside a point that went down well.
  • A speaker behind a lectern 3 strokes. Head, shoulders, then a tall box in front. Use it once per page to mark who said what.
  • A star person: a circle on a five-point body 2 strokes. A circle, then a star drawn without lifting the pen. Use it for anyone doing anything.
  • A talking profile with three sound lines 4 strokes. A half circle with a nose bump, then three short lines from the mouth. Use it for a quote.
  • Three circles above one wide curve for a team 4 strokes. Three circles over a single wide curve. Use it for a group, a class or a company.
  • Two heads with a speech line between them 5 strokes. Two circles, two shoulder curves and one wavy line. Use it for a talk in pairs or an interview.

Icons for ideas 15

  • A cracked box for something broken 2 strokes. A square, then a zigzag down it. Use it for a fault, a failure or a broken rule.
  • A date square with a top bar and the day number 2 strokes. A square, then a thick bar along its top. Write the day inside. Use it for a date to remember.
  • A hollow question mark to write inside 2 strokes. Draw it big and outlined. Use it for the question the whole talk is trying to answer.
  • A lash-less eye icon meaning watch this 4 strokes. Two curves, a circle and a dot. Use it for an observation or something to watch.
  • A megaphone for the main message 4 strokes. A cone with a handle and two sound lines. Use it once, for the line to repeat to others.
  • A pair of cogs standing for the method 2 strokes. Two bumpy circles touching. Use them for a process, a method or a machine.
  • A peak with a flag for the goal 3 strokes. A triangle and a small flag on top. Use it for the aim, the target or the end result.
  • A plain clock icon timing one stage 3 strokes. A circle and two hands. Use it for a time, a duration or how long a step takes.
  • A pointing mitten hand for an example 2 strokes. A mitten outline with one finger out, then a cuff line. Use it wherever the speaker says for instance.
  • A sand-timer icon warning of a deadline 2 strokes. Two triangles tip to tip. Use it for a deadline or anything that will not last.
  • A seed beside its sprout for cause and result 4 strokes. An oval, then a stem with two leaves. Use it when one thing grew out of another.
  • A tangled scribble for a problem 1 stroke. A knot of loops with both ends loose. Use it for the thing that needs solving.
  • A toothed key icon marking the solution 4 strokes. A ring, a shaft and two teeth. Use it for the solution, the main term or the way in.
  • An octagon with a bar across for a common mistake 2 strokes. An octagon with a bar across. Use it for a warning or a common mistake.
  • Three unequal columns on a base line for figures 4 strokes. A base line and three bars of different heights. Use it wherever a figure is given.

How it works

Sketch notes ideas work best as parts, not finished pages. Here are 90 building blocks: layouts, title banners, containers, arrows, quick people and icons for ideas. Each gives its stroke count and says when to use it.

Read the full guide

Start with a layout

Pick the layout before the talk begins. A snaking note path with a bend for each point suits a talk that goes in order. A wheel with the topic in the hub suits points that all hang off one idea. Notes coiling out from a central word suit a talk of unknown length.

Then one block from each group

A page of notes takes a title banner, a few containers, arrows to join them, a person or two and a handful of icons. Learn one from each group first, and add more as they become quick.

  • A stroke is one line made without lifting the pen. Counts are for the bare shape; lettering inside is extra.
  • Words first, box second. A container drawn around finished writing always fits.

Questions and answers

What are sketch notes?

Notes that combine handwriting with simple drawings: containers, connectors, icons, symbols and small figures on one page. The people in this list take five strokes or fewer.

What are easy sketch notes ideas for beginners?

The one-stroke blocks: a spiky starburst shouting the key claim, a curly brace gathering lines under one label, a title riding a thick-to-thin swoosh, a tangled scribble for a problem. Each is a single line.

How do you draw people in sketch notes?

With a head and a few lines. A star person is a circle on a five-point body: two strokes. Swap the eyes of a smiling note face for slanted brows, flatten the mouth, and it turns cross. People and faces in five strokes has 15.

How is this different from journal doodles?

Journal doodles decorate a planner page. These blocks organize notes taken while someone is talking: layouts, connectors, figures and icons that stand for an idea.

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