Studying
LESSON SEVEN
A Place to Keep Your Notes
First and most importantly, you need a dedicated place to store all of your notes and accompanying drawings so they are easily accessible and ready to review. This collection of knowledge will become a valuable resource as you continue on your journey.
There are a few ways to do this, and your choice may depend on whether you prefer to work traditionally or digitally. You can keep everything together in a sketchbook, or build a digital notebook on your computer or tablet. A regular notebook can work as well, although the paper isn’t idea for thumbnails or sketching.
My method is using a binder filled with lined paper interspersed with lined paper interspersed with blank printer paper or light card stock. This setup allows you to take notes and draw side-by-side. You can rearrange, remove, or insert pages as needed, including the ability to add printed resources or anything else you have access to.
Below you can see two pages from my own notes, taken from Drawing Basics and Video Games Art by Chris Solarski (2015). The third images shows a spread of my notes on Force: Dynmaic Life Drawing for Animators by Michael D. Mattesi (2006), alongside a printed reference page from the book.
This has kept my notes safe for a decade now, and they’re still ready to be accessed at any moment if needed. These notes are not just a temporary record, but as the growing archive of your journey as an artist.
How to Organize Your Notes
Linear and Bullet Points
Linear notes are the most traditional method, as this style involves jotting down information as a list or sentence by sentence; the same order in which it is presented. It’s straight forward and easy to accomplish on the fly while following a lecture, video, or are reading a book.
A similar approach includes bullet points which can be used with or in lieu of the Linear approach. Bullets break down information into more digestible chunks since each bullet can encompass its own thought, idea, or point, and can be used to list or outline multiple steps or processes.
Diagrams Charts and Sketching
This combines images and other optics with text to create highly visual pages, and is similar to my own approach. If you’re already used to thinking in pictures, this might be a more intuitive way to take notes. You can draw small illustrations, diagrams, or charts to accompany ideas. This approach helps reinforce a visual memory and makes your notes more engaging when revisiting them.
Cornell Notes
This approach divides the page into three sections; a narrow list on the left for cues or keywords, a wide column on the right for notes, and a bottom section for adding a summary. This encourages active recall and reflection as you learn, making it great for studying or reviewing later.
Mind Maps
Mind Maps take a more visual approach. They start with a central idea and branch outward in relation to the concept. This can be a powerful tool for artists and visual learners, as it mirrors how ideas naturally develop in the mind. It is often useful for understanding complex topics, or brainstorming creative connections.
Make Your Notes Work for You
Ultimately, you want to make your notes work for you. They should succeed in helping you learn, remember, understand, and even help you connect similar ideas that might otherwise evade you. You can experiment with what works by mixing and matching approaches or even developing your own system. The goal is retention and recall.
Organizational Tools
Different Sized Text - Use large or bold text for section titles, headers, or key words, and regular size text for the main content. This creates a clear visual hierarchy in your notes.
Line Spacing/Skipping - leaves space between different sections so they stand out better.
Underline or Highlight Text - Emphasizes key points, definitions, or important terms so they are easier to spot when looking back over your notes.
Bullet Notes or Numbering for Lists - makes information digestible into sequential steps or key takeaways.
Asterisks - are useful when adding in side notes, clarification, or important information.
Quotes - for citing specific sources or when adding direct quotes into your notes.
Italics - work best when adding book titles, sourcing artwork, or to add emphasis.
Arrows - connect related or subsequent information, or link ideas that build off of one another.
Color Coding - assign topics to a certain color to help group related notes visually.
Sticky Notes, Tab markers, and Flags - use physical tabs or digital bookmarks to mark important pages, chapters, or specific topics.
Glossary or Key Terms - create a mini glossary for new or recurring vocabulary.
Your Own Thoughts, Insights, or Realizations - include important breakthroughs or connections you’ve made between different resources related to a topic. These mental links help reinforce what you’ve learned and make the ideas easier to remember. Jotting them down in your notes also gives you a way to revisit those meaningful moments later in your journey.
