how to start urban sketching

Where to Start with Urban Sketching

When I first learned about Urban Sketching, I wanted to know everything there is to know about it. That’s the way I learn.

I searched online for things related to urban sketching – urban sketching books, people who do urban sketching, how they chose the locations where they sketched, their styles, the materials they use, how they organized everything in a compact way to take it all with them. And I found a lot, even special urban sketching kits, small travel watercolor kits, many types of sketchbooks. I also found workshops given by other urban sketchers.

At the time I was learning all this, I had no idea it could be so much fun, and I even found it relaxing. I started at home, with everyday things, and with a pencil and simple sketchbook. My first sketchbook had fairly lightweight paper, and didn’t do well with watercolor. Now I have two types of sketchbooks, one with watercolor paper, and one with mixed media paper, which can take light amounts of water. I sketch mostly in color because I love colors. So I want to be able to add watercolor or water to my initial pencil sketch.

An urban sketching book helped me get started. It was 5-minute Sketching Architecture by Liz Steel. Another book was The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around the World by Gabriel Campanario.

They showed me a variety of styles, examples of what to sketch, materials the sketchers used, and how there’s no “one” way to do urban sketching.

Materials – small images by Jan Wallen