Poetry doesn’t always live in neat, straight lines. Sometimes it wanders across the page, leaps into little boxes, follows an arrow, or dances beside a tiny doodle. That’s the magic of sketchnote poetry — where words and pictures meet to tell a story together. It’s not about being an artist; it’s about letting ideas spill out in more than one way, noticing connections, and finding meaning through both writing and drawing. Whether you’re a writer, a doodler, or a little bit of both, sketchnote poetry invites everyone to see their thinking in motion

And today’s Poetic Sunday prompt turns simple, true facts into gentle motivation.

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Poetic Sunday: Sketchnote Poetry

What is Sketchnote Poetry?

Sketchnote poetry is exactly what it sounds like:
a poem that draws itself on the page.

Instead of writing down only words from left to right, sketchnote poems use—well—notes and sketches, which include – boxes, arrows, banners, icons, little drawings, labels and frames – to help show meaning, not just tell it.

That’s sketchnote poetry. Please note that it’s not about being an artist. Instead, it’s about: noticing, connecting, and letting your ideas spill out in more than one way. It’s where words and pictures play together!

Why Sketchnote Poetry Works

Sketchnote poetry takes away some of the fear of the blank page. It gives visual thinkers a way in, and lets beginning writers show before they have the words. makes the start and every revision after playful. It brings movement, emotion, and personality onto the page. And the doodling, or sketching, keeps our minds occupied positively as the words we seek find us.

How to Create a Sketchnote Poem (Step by Step)

For today’s step-by-step, I am picking a topic and building it along as we go through (a collage of my sketchnote poetry is at step 4)

Note: if you want to keep it simpler than the step-by-step process, you can do a ‘I am…’ poem with each ‘I am…’ along one color of a rainbow; or on a fingerprint shaped spiral. Or you can do colorful blackout poetry (a form of sketchnoting/doodling)

Step 1: Choose the feeling first (not the topic) 💛

Before you start putting down words or sketching pictures, pause for a moment, and ask yourself: what does this moment feel like? (It could be in general and give you a starting point, or thinking of a theme you want to write about)

For my example theme today – A Rainy Day with Books – I am thinking: cocooned, safe, magical, slow.

First, jot these words down somewhere to start – can be at the corner of the page where you are going to sketchnote your poem!

Step 2: Pick a simple path layout 🛤️

Choose a layout that shows movement:
🌀 spiral 🪜 staircase 🌳 branches ☔ falling raindrops ➡️ a winding path
For this example, I am using a path from window → couch → book → tea → nap. Lightly pencil a curvy line across the page.

Step 3: Sketch in 5–6 tiny icons along the path ✏️

These are the visual anchors of the poem. You can keep them as simple as you want, or add in delightful details if that is what you wish.

For my example chosen, I am adding some of these:
🪟 window with rain
📚 stack of books
🛋️ couch with a blanket
☕ teacup
💡 lamp
😴 sleepy face

You can simply draw stick figures or really quick sketches – that is perfect. Remember that this is part of the thinking process, and not illustrating!

Step 4: Turn each icon into a poetic phrase 📝

At each icon sketched earlier, now write one small poetic thought. Can be just one word or a phrase, or a couple of lines too, for each image. Shape the lines to match the meaning, and let the layout itself do some work.
For my example poem:
🪟 rain stitches silver lines across the window pane: Write rain words in thin, slanted lines.
📚 spines lean together like friends spilling tea
🛋️ the blanket knows my name: Tuck “the blanket knows my name” inside the blanket drawing.
☕ steam lifts the day off my shoulders: Let these words curl upward like steam (I tried!)
💡 a small sun for a glow of glee
😴 but soon, even the storyyyyyy (yaaaawn) sleeeeps… : Let sleepy words droop.

And make the page a part of the poem.

Step 5: Add connectors

Use – arrows ➡️, dotted lines ⋯, tiny footsteps 👣, falling raindrops 💧for my example – instead of “then” and “next”
to make the poem travel across the page.

Step 6: End with a feeling

End like you began, with feeling! And use a ‘show-don’t-tell’ here.

So for my example, instead of “and then I napped,” I can say “the afternoon folds itself around me.”
Write it in a pillow shape, a cloud, or a cozy bubble.

Step 7: Add 3–5 tiny embellishments ✨

⭐ sparkles ❤️ hearts 〰️ motion lines tiny shh or mmm anything at all…
These are extras!

My Example Sketchnote Poem: First Attempt

Recently

On My Blog And At Home

My recent posts since and including my last Sunday Scribblings (not much this week, I know!):

• Talk Nerdy to Me: 5 Wordy Things You’ll Love
• Sunday Scribblings #242: Knowing Trivia Can Do Wondrous Things

Has been a pretty full week at work and beyond which kept me occupied and away from here as well for most of the time.

Upcoming

On My Blog and Home Front

I will intentionally work on at least one item on my list of 26 for 26 this year. We will be celebrating Pongal this week (a Tamil harvest festival). And I hope to get a couple of posts at least here.

This Week’s Celebrations

Literary Celebrations (close-to-it also)

• Literary birthdays this week: Diana Gabaldon and Jasper Fforde on Jan 11th; David Mitchell, Haruki Murakami, Jack London, and Julia Quinn on the 12th of January; the 13th celebrates Carolyn See; January 14th is Kaifi Azmi; Ernest J. Gaines on the 15th; Susan Sontag and Rebecca Stead on January 16th; Jan 17th is Anne Brontë, Benjamin Franklin, Michelle Obama, and Javed Akhtar
• January 11th is National Learn Your Name In Morse Code Day as well as World Sketchnote Day, and the days after form World Sketchnote Week (Jan 12-16, 2026)
• Poetry at Work Day on the 12th (which is celebrated on the second Tuesday each January)
• A poetic event this week is Poetry Break Day on the 13th of January followed by
• The 17th is Popeye Day!
• It is Universal Letter Writing Week this week.

Foodie Celebrations

• Start your week with  National Milk Day and National Hot Toddy Day on January 11th.
• The 12th brings National Marzipan Day and National Hot Tea Day
• January 13th gives you a chance to try out a dessert as it is National Peach Melba Day 
• On the 14th, it’s National Undhiyu Day, a dish worth trying at home if you enjoy cooking.
• January 15th is packed: National Strawberry Ice Cream Day, National Bagel Day and National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day
• The 16th brings a trio of flavor:  International Hot and Spicy Food Day, National Fig Newton Day, and National Quinoa Day.
• Wrap up the week with National Hot Buttered Rum Day on January 17th.

Other Celebrations

• January 11th offers an eclectic mix: Heritage Treasures Day(UK), National Step In A Puddle And Splash Your Friends Day, International Thank-You Day, and No Longer New Year’s Day – the unofficial cutoff for New Year greetings!
• The 12th features National Kettlebell Day and Stick to Your New Year’s Resolution Day, a timely reminder for fitness goals. It is also Work Harder Day and National 4th Graders Day (which is celebrated on the second Monday in January, and I need to celebrate my 4th grader students tomorrow!)
• January 13th encourages reflection and ambition with International Skeptics Day and Make Your Dreams Come True Day, along with Public Radio Broadcasting Day.
• On the 14th: World Logic Day, International Kite Day, Ratification Day (U.S.), and National Organize Your Home Day
• The 15th combines whimsy and practicality: National Hat Day, National Pothole Day, and Museum Selfie Day
• January 16th celebrates the mythical (Appreciate a Dragon Day) and the leisurely (National Nothing Day ).
• Finally, January 17th is for guidance and invention:  International Mentoring Day  and Kid Inventor’s Day.

Related Reads and More

• How to Sketchnote: A Step-by-Step Manual for Teachers and Students by Sylvia Duckworth 
• The Sketchnote Workbook by Mike Rohde
• For my example poem, I used these cool rainbow pencils from Mr. Pen or these ones from Shuttle Art. You can also use Sharpies, journaling pens, glitter pens, highlighters (if you choose to go the blackout poetry way), or just a regular pencil too! Sketchnote your poem on cool journals like this watercolor journal or this one meant for paint markers. Or you can get this Bullet Dotted Journal Kit!!

Wrapping up my Sunday Scribblings

So dear reader, you have reached the end of this Sunday Scribblings! As always, I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about this post. Will you attempt sketchnote poetry?

And do let me know if you plan to celebrate any of these mentioned celebrations this coming week/month?

Linking this to the Sunday Post over at the Caffeinated Reviewer and the Sunday Salon