Welcome to “Draw it Out!”, an online class to teach you the fundamentals of visual thinking.

When you’re done with this class you’ll be more confident in your writing and drawing, and able to offer more to your clients, by:

• Reflecting their ideas back to them, using drawing as a thinking tool

• Clustering and ranking ideas in real time

• Staying focused on the conversation while you draw it out— with the “how to” of drawing in your muscle memory

• Clearly sorting information, knowing how to use color as a tool not just a decoration

• Using simple design principles to make your charts clear and readable

• Confidently drawing up numerous models and structures to frame and guide the conversation

What You’ll Learn:

How to set up your workspace to practice, whether you’re working on large format paper, a flip chart or small format paper

Strategies to befriend your inner critic

How to wrangle large format paper! (cutting, stacking, rolling) and how to manage tape like a pro

The geeky secrets of a “body based” way to draw, so you can more accurately and confidently draw out:

• Large and small format circles

• Large and small format horizontal and vertical lines

• Dotted lines, swoop lines, arches and banners

• Basic shapes (boxes, clouds, circles) as “containers” for text

How to write cleanly and quickly, understanding the secrets of the chisel tip marker

Three simple ways to make chart titles, and how to give them presence on the page

How to create the List, the Cluster Diagram, and the Mind Map (my three go-to formats), and when to use each format – depending on the type of conversation

The Principle of Three and Elements of Design, useful for every chart you draw

Rules to follow for picking color palettes that clarify, instead of confuse!

How to draw common models such as SWOT, Venn, Target, 5 Dysfunctions of a Team, Iceberg, etc.

And I'm providing 24 pages of hand-drawn cheat sheets, templates and worksheets to supplement and reinforce your learning!


Course curriculum

  • 1

    Let's Do This!

    • Welcome and Course Overview

    • Resource List for paper, markers, etc.

    • Get set up to Practice

    • Cutting, Stacking, and Rolling Big Paper

    • Tape Tabs + Hanging Big Paper

    • Rolling Big Paper off the Wall
  • 2

    Onward to Drawing

    • Drawing Big, Medium + Small Circles on the Wall

    • Drawing Horizontal Lines on Big Paper

    • Drawing Vertical Lines on Big Paper

    • Hello, Inner Critic!

    • Drawing + Practicing Horizontal Lines on Small Paper

    • Drawing + Practicing Circles on Small Paper

    • Building Basic Shapes
  • 3

    Markers and Lettering

    • Markers Intro

    • Lettering Fundamentals

    • Lettering on the Wall

    • Practice Lettering + Three Sizes
  • 4

    Drawing Containers for Titles

    • Swoops, Arches and Banners

    • Practicing Swoops + Arches

    • Swoop, Arch + Banner on Small Paper
  • 5

    Drawing Titles

    • Three Types of Titles

    • Practicing Titles on Big Paper

    • Drawing Titles in Swoops, etc.

    • Practicing Titles in Swoops, Banners + Arches
  • 6

    My Three Go-to Formats

    • The List

    • The Cluster

    • The Mind Map
  • 7

    Chunk it Down!

    • Drawing Chunks and Containers

    • Practice Drawing Chunks and Containers
  • 8

    Basics of Design + Color

    • Design Principles

    • Using Color

    • What to Avoid: The not-so-good Chart Example

    • Intro to Color Palettes
  • 9

    Models + Closing

    • Drawing Common Models

    • Closing + Thank You!