I’m Manuel Herrera, a visual thinker, illustrator, and speaker who helps educators, teams, and organizations explore ideas through simple sketches and visual storytelling.
Through keynote talks, interactive workshops, live sketchnoting, and custom illustration, I help people make their thinking visible and see ideas from new angles.
For more than 20 years, I’ve worked at the intersection of education, creativity, and communication, helping people turn complex ideas into clear visual stories.
Ways We Can Work Together
Sketchnoting & Graphic Recording
During conferences, workshops, or meetings, I create live sketchnotes that visually capture key ideas and conversations in real time.
These drawings help audiences see the big picture, remember insights, and revisit ideas long after the event ends.
Live sketchnotes are often used for:
• conferences and keynote sessions
• strategy meetings
• workshops and retreats
• visual summaries of talks or panels
The final sketches can be shared digitally, displayed during events, or used in reports, presentations, and social media.
Custom Illustration
I also create custom illustrations that help people tell stories, explain ideas, and bring projects to life.
My work has appeared in children’s books, educational materials, marketing campaigns, murals, and publications. Whether illustrating a concept or capturing the personality of a project, the goal is always the same: make ideas approachable, memorable, and a little more fun to explore.
Keynote Speaking
Looking for a keynote speaker who brings creativity and energy to the room?
My keynote talks introduce audiences to the power of visual thinking, sketching, and simple drawing as tools for learning, communication, and creativity. Sessions often include live drawing, storytelling, and small moments of audience participation that make ideas stick.
These talks are a great fit for:
• education conferences
• professional learning events
• innovation and leadership gatherings
• organizations exploring creative thinking
All Ages Workshops
Workshops are where people really get their pencils moving.
In these hands-on sessions, participants explore how sketchnoting and visual thinking can support learning, problem-solving, and collaboration. The goal isn’t to become an artist. It’s to build confidence using drawing as a tool for thinking.
Participants leave with practical strategies they can use right away in classrooms, meetings, and creative projects.
Popular workshop topics include:
• Visual thinking for educators
• Sketchnoting for learning and memory
• Drawing as a tool for collaboration
• Building creative confidence with simple sketches
Let’s Create Something Great!
If you're planning a conference, workshop, or creative project and think visual thinking, sketchnoting, or illustration might help bring your ideas to life, I’d love to talk.
Whether it’s a keynote, a hands-on workshop, live sketchnoting at your event, or a custom illustration project, we can explore what might work best.
Feel free to reach out and start the conversation.
And if nothing else, I’m always happy to talk about drawing, creativity… or tacos.