Editable Graphics in Obsidian is the Best Thing Since Plain Text!

Methinks GoodNotes is going to be a tad jealous

Graphic created in Excalidraw by Author

Yesterday, in that calm, obligation-free space between the end of the work day and bedtime, I made an astonishing discovery:

There is a supremely elegant and editable way to write and draw, by hand, directly into Obsidian!

I’m tickled pink to know that with the press of a key and without opening another app, I can now sketch out the concept I’m writing about, adding links to related notes as I go!

Oh, I’d already vaguely heard of Excalidraw, make no mistake. What I didn’t know until yesterday was this:

• It works on iPad as well as desktop devices

• It has an impressively decent, pressure-sensitive pen tool

• Drawings are stored in my vault, not someone else’s server

• Drawings can be edited after the file is created

• Graphics can be automatically backed up in non-proprietary formats

Pen Tool Comparison

The line quality of Excalidraw’s pen tool is surprisingly good. It’s no match for the tools in GoodNotes, Noteshelf, or Notability (the Big 3), but that’s not the point. With an iPad and Apple Pencil (and, I suspect, a Surface) you can write as neatly, though not quite as fluently, as in those dedicated notes apps.