Andreas Gaertner — illustrator, professional graphic recorder, author — shares lessons he’s learned on his journey from tattoo artist to professional visual thinker that draws live for large companies and teaches others to draw live too.

Listeners: You have access to a special discount code sketchnoteArmy2022 for a 35% discount on Andreas’ Graphic Recording PRO online course:

https://www.andreas-gaertner.de/graphic-recording

Sponsored by Concepts

This episode of the Sketchnote Army Podcast is brought to you by Concepts.

An infinite canvas sketching app built for tablets with a stylus, like the iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface, and Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Concepts’ infinite canvas lets you spread out and sketch in any direction. Everything you draw in Concepts is a flexible vector, so you can move your notes around the canvas, or change their color, tool or size with a simple gesture.

SEARCH ”Concepts” in your favorite app store for infinite, flexible sketching.

Learn more: Concepts App

Running Order

• Intro
• Welcome
• Who is Andreas?
• Andreas’ origin story
• “Doing is most important, taken is overrated.”
• ”Bluff, then perform”
• “Fill the room” and the importance of having a big enough tank
• Spitting out a mint in front of a crowd of 200 people
• The work Andreas is doing now:
  • Online courses
  • Live drawing sessions
  • Drawings for donations
• What Andreas does to cope with pandemic:
  • Getting up at 5AM
  • More quality time because of less travel
  • The power of video calls
• Sponsor: Concepts app
• Tools
• Tips
• Where to find Andreas
• Outro

Links

• Andreas’ Website
• Die Zeichner
• Share Notes
• Andreas on Instagram
• Andreas on LinkedIn
• Andreas on YouTube
• Andreas’ Book: Made in Creativity
• Online Graphic Recording Course
• Morgan Motors
• Hamburg’s Reeperbahn
• The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma

Tools

Amazon affiliate links support the Sketchnote Army Podcast.

• Neuland No.One® Art, brush nib 0.5-7 mm 105 Gray Marker
• Neuland No.One® Outliner
• 180gsm A4 paper
• Pack TeleprompterPAD® iLight PRO 11"
• Miro Digital Whiteboard
• iPad Pro
• Apple Pencil
• Wacom Cintiq 22 Drawing Tablet

Tips

1. Use gray and black for 2 levels of information
2. Shut up — DO IT! Practice again and again!
3. Make your drawing process visible to the customer — don’t hide it!

Credits

• Producer: Alec Pulianas
• Theme music: Jon Schiedermayer

Subscribe to the Sketchnote Army Podcast

You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or your favorite podcast listening source.

Support the Podcast

To support the creation, production and hosting of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde’s bestselling books. Use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off!

Subscribe to the Sketchnote Podcast

You can subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube or your favorite podcast listening source.

Support the Podcast

To support the creation, production, and hosting of the Sketchnote Army Podcast, buy one of Mike Rohde's bestselling books. Use code ROHDE40 at Peachpit.com for 40% off!

Sketchnote Lab is Mike Rohde’s space designed to bridge the gap between sketchnote theory and practice. You don’t need to be an artist to think visually. Join Mike and learn to use sketchnotes to clarify your thinking, solve problems, and move forward. Learn more about Sketchnote Lab.

Mike is the author of The Sketchnote Handbook and The Sketchnote Workbook, bestselling books that teach regular people how to start sketchnoting and build a regular sketchnoting practice.

He founded the Sketchnote Army and hosts the Sketchnote Podcast, where he interviews visual thinkers to understand what makes them tick.

Mike teaches recorded, live, and in-person workshops to accelerate your sketchnoting practice and provides personalized coaching for your specific visual-thinking challenges.

He is the illustrator of bestselling books like REWORK, REMOTE, The $100 Startup, Honest SEO, The Culture Playbook, and The Future Begins with Z.

Become a Supporting or Founding Lab Partner to support Mike’s work.

Some links in Sketchnote Lab posts are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools and resources I use and believe in.

©2026 Mike Rohde, Sketchnote Lab