You already know how to speak a visual language. When you were a small person, you recognized faces before you knew names.  Then later, you probably started drawing before you wrote letters and words.  Now you are able to fluently read faces, facial expressions, icons, logos, maps, and a thousand other types of visual language without thinking too much about it.  As I just said, you are already a visual communicator.

However, many adults feel that they have lost touch with their ability to speak a visual language because somewhere along the way they were forced to make a choice between being an "artist" or not being one.  Most of us chose the second option.

Visual communication conveys the essence of your message in drawings, sketches, icons, or clip art.  If you've ever played the game Pictionary, you know that the drawings don't have to be pretty to get your message across!  If you want to learn to work visually, you must set aside your inner art critic - or send her to the Met to critique works by the masters. ;)

When you are starting to work visually, the most important thing you can train yourself to do is find the essential points of a story.  Once you have these points, you can determine how you'll visualize them and where you need to add lines and arrows to help your audience follow your thought train.  After you have those basics down on paper, you can make the presentation a bit prettier by adding color and flair.

Smearability.  I like to draw black outlines and then quickly add shadows and color fills.  Because I like to work quickly, the black outlines are not always dry when I add color.  If I add yellow on top of black, I can sometimes get some wicked smears that make everything look murky.  There are several types of black markers, but a few common ones are alcohol-based ink, water-based ink, and pigment ink.  My experience is that the alcohol-based ink (i.e. Sharpie, Bic Marking Pen, Prismacolor, Copic markers) smear the least, water-based markers smear the most, and pigment-based markers are in the middle.  I did an extensive black pen test to find the least smeary black marker.

Toxicity.  While the alcohol-based markers are fantastic in the variety of nibs and non-smear categories, they are terribly stinky and feel toxic to me.  They also bleed through the page.  I occasionally use Sharpies to draw sketch notes, but not often because they make me nauseous after about 15 minutes.  I gave all of my Prismacolor markers away because I couldn’t even tolerate them for 10 minutes.   If you can tolerate the stink (or work in a well-ventilated space), graphic designers and illustrators LOVE Copics and Prismacolor markers.
 
Sustainability.  Most markers are disposable.  You throw them away when they run low.  Some markers are refillable, but these are rare.  Water-based markers are probably the most environmentally friendly option because they are non-toxic.  The downside of water-based inks is that they are not as archival as other markers (they fade in sunlight). 
 
Cost.  If you are drawing sketch notes, you probably won’t go through markers so fast that cost is going to be a big issue.  I draw about 50 square feet of sketch notes each month and I go through about 1 black marker and 1 color marker each month (on average).  However, if you draw a lot of large wall charts, it adds up.  You can shop around to find the best deals on markers and pens (because different places have different sales at different times).  I buy markers at my local art stores and also shop at DickBlick.com JetPens.com Neuland.com and Amazon.com. 

Black outlines. I go back and forth between several black markers. I haven't found the best ink-nib combination, so I oscillate among four types of markers.

• My favorite black marker for sketch notes is the Marvy Memories Artist Pigmented Marker (bullet nib) by Uchida.  You can find it at Michaels stores or order it directly from Uchida.  It also comes in a calligraphy nib.  The Zig Memory System Writer is similar.  Both are pigment-based markers with different size nibs on either end.  These markers don't smear when I color over them with water-based ink.  However, the nibs get flat spots and dry out even before the marker is out of ink.
  
• My second favorite is the Neuland Outliner.  I love the Outliner ink.  I don't love the 1.0 mm nib on the small Outliner marker.  So I sometimes get empty markers (0.8 mm nib) and fill them with Outliner ink.  The Outliner ink also sometimes dries out and gets flat spots on the nibs.

Colorful markers.  Again, I have two types of markers that I like for coloring my sketchnotes.  I usually color and add shadows with a brush nib marker.  I used to use fine nib (~0.5 mm Triplus Fineliner pens from Staedler) to draw colorful sketches alongside my sketch notes, but my style has changed over the years.

• My current favorite sketch note pens are Tombow Dual Brush pens.  They have a brush nib on one end and a bullet nib on the other.  I have a big pen case full of these markers, but really only use a few regularly.  I suggest you get a good gray for shadows (I like N55) and a few other colors for highlights. 
  
• My other favorite sketch note coloring pens are Neuland FineOnes with a brush nib.  I like that they are refillable, but I'm not handy with a brush tip, so they don't give me the option of sometimes drawing or writing with the other end of the marker.  I use gray, turquoise, orange, and lime green the most.  I mixed a few shades of beige and brown for people.
  

Black outlines. My go-to markers for black lines on wall charts are Neuland Outliners. Period.  They are just amazing markers.  I love that they are refillable and non-toxic and don't smear.  Honestly, I do not know how they do it, but the Outliner ink is amazing. It reminds me of India Ink (and may be!).

• FineOne Outliner.  This has a 1.0 mm nib and I use it rarely on wall charts. Sometimes I use it to write commentary in small letters. I also occasionally use it to add fine details. 
  
• NoOne Outliner.  The "number one" comes in a few nibs.  I like the wedge / chisel nib for writing text.  I use the round (bullet) nib for drawing doodles.  Sometimes I mix it up and use both.
  
• BigOne Outliner.  This is a huge marker and great for titles and borders.  I also use colorful BigOnes for shadows and coloring in large block letters.
  

Colorful markers.  I alternate among a few types of markers for wall charts, but will only discuss a few here.  If you don't want to order fancy markers, you can get a lot done with three types of water-based markers that are available at most office supply stores: Crayola Multicultural Markers (for coloring people), Sharpie Flip Chart Markers, and Mr. Sketch (a.k.a. smelly markers).  The Sharpies and Mr. Sketch are easy to find in bullet nibs, but search for chisel nibs because I have seen them.

• Charter Markers from the Grove (red marker in back below).  These markers are water-based, have big wedge nibs, and are juicy!  The ink flows from these guys like no other marker I've found.  They are relatively expensive and the black ink smears like crazy, but I love them for times when I am writing in color.  They are also great for coloring large swaths of paper.
  
• Neuland markers.  I like the ArtMarkers best for coloring in sections of a chart, but the BigOnes are also handy for drawing shadows, connectors, boxes.  I don't use my colorful NoOnes that much (red marker in front below), but other visual practitioners love them.  As far as the colors go, I would start by ordering a few basic colors (either red, blue, green, gray OR turquoise, pink, lime, yellow, gray) and seeing how you like them.  I bought a color set (#6) as soon as I got started, and I have never refilled most of the markers.  We all have our favorite color palettes and it might take you a little while to find yours. 
  

Everyone has personal preferences when it comes to art and office supplies.  Try a few things out and let me know how it goes!

When I was a young girl, I was told that I was "gifted" at math and science. Then I was told that I had a moral obligation to pursue a career in a STEM field... twenty-five years later, I started to wonder if this was true.

I presented this PechaKucha style talk last night at Dark Sky Brewing for the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival. I re-recorded it and (lazily) animated the slides for this version.

Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival 2018: 15 by Flagstaff
By: Angie B. Moline

I want to thank all of my 2017 clients for making it a great year!  Here's to more productive meetings in 2018...