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Presto Sketching

A book to help you think and communicate better with drawing

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5 principles of great layout for your visuals

Your visual communication pieces can land with your audience or miss them entirely, depending on what layout you choose. This post shows you the principles behind why some layouts work better than others. Layout: your secret sauce for communication success One of the questions I get asked a lot in the training sessions I do […]

A guide to sketchnote layouts

Here’s a set of sketchnote layouts to try, plus some tips about which layouts to use for which particular purpose. Lead them down the garden path One of the questions I get asked a lot in the training sessions I do about sketchnoting (or visual note-taking) is: how do I organise content on the page? The […]

How to draw mandalas

Drawing mandalas is more fun and rewarding than you probably think, and the results are probably better than what you imagine, whether you think you have no drawing skill at all, or you’re a seasoned sketcher. If you’re after a free and easy way to relax, centre yourself, and practise a bit of mindfulness, it’s hard to […]

3 ways to add extra impact to figure sketches

Do you ever wonder why some figure drawings have a way of jumping out at you and grabbing your attention? By trying out these ideas in your sketching, yours can do that too. Figures help your audience put themselves in the picture Whether you draw for fun or for a living (or both!), and you […]

For more creative sketching, try SNAILS

Looking to change up how you draw the same thing all the time? Or to boost the variety and style of what you draw? I got you: try this easy and effective SNAILS method. If I got a dollar for every light bulb that I drew in my work, I’d be… well, I wouldn’t be […]

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Fun emoji facts

Emoji number plates?! Level up your emoji mojo with these 15 nuggets of tasty tips, tricks and trivia about our favourite adorable little pictures. To state the bleeding obvious, emoji are a thing. In a BIG way. Regular Presto Sketching newsletter readers might know that I have a soft spot for emoji. They’re an amazing, fun […]

Foundation lines: the killer technique for better sketching

If you struggle to draw from imagination – or even what’s right in front of you! – the foundation lines drawing technique is made for you. Try it yourself, and gain greater confidence and ability, with more satisfying results. [UPDATED] Quite a while ago I was filling my Presto Sketching Instagram account with a big collection […]

Easy ways to show more diversity in your drawing

Life is full of all kinds of people, and your drawings can be too, with these ideas and examples. UPDATE: A lot has changed since I first wrote this post (in 2018). It’s tempting to rewrite the whole thing, but I’ll save that for another new post. That said, I’ve redrawn my example drawings here, […]

10 ideas to get you inspired to sketch

You want to sketch more…or just start sketching… but it’s hard to know where to start. I hear you. Here’s 10 things to draw, when you don’t know what to draw. I know what it’s like. You want to sketch (or you want to sketch more often), but you can’t really think of what to sketch, so it’s just really […]

5 MORE tips for better whiteboarding awesomeness

Is everyone lost in their own laptops in your meetings? Get everyone focused on what matters with 5 MORE simple whiteboarding tips.

5 tips for better whiteboarding awesomeness

More talking, and more slides in our meetings! Says no-one ever. Command the whiteboard, and get everyone more engaged, with these 5 simple tips.

Get to grips with your Inner Critic

We’ve all heard it, and you might’ve said it yourself: “I can’t draw!” You can, you just have to kick that inner critic. Here’s a great way how. I’m afraid there’s an elephant in the room. I’ve been putting up these tips and techniques about using simple sketching to help you think better for quite a […]

Capture images of your drawings like a pro

There’s nothing better than showing your drawings and sketches in the best way possible. Here are some tips and techniques on how to make them look their best. This post is inspired by one of the questions I had after giving a drawing workshop the other night: what are the best ways of capturing what we […]

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Cover of Presto Sketching book

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Also by Ben Crothers

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© 2026 Ben Crothers, author of Presto Sketching - a book to help you think and communicate better with drawing.