urban sketching watercolor palette

Rockefeller Center

My Urban Sketching Watercolor Kit

You can add color to sketches in many ways. I love color, so I looked to see the ways that urban sketchers added color to their sketches. Some use markers, some use watercolors with water, some use watercolors with a water brush, and others use watercolor pencils with a water brush.

As I sketch more and more, I’ve learned that using watercolor pencil for my initial sketch helps me define the colors that I’ll add later, and also the values that I want to emphasize in my sketch.

This sketch was done at a NYC Urban Sketchers group sketch at Rockefeller Center. I didn’t have much time, so I quickly sketched out the main shapes and colors. The flags were interesting to sketch, because they moved and waved with the wind, so they kept changing.

Sidebar: I thought that the flags at Rockefeller Center were flags of countries around the world. Not always the case. There are contests where people can submit sketches for flags around a theme. The submissions are reviewed and some are chosen, and a flag is made of the ones that are chosen. This time, the theme was food, and 10 of the NYC Urban Sketchers had flags on display.

Watercolor Kits and Swatches

After I do the initial sketch in watercolor pencil, I add watercolor – sometimes back at my studio, and sometimes with a watercolor travel kit. I’ll add color to this sketch, too.

I have several watercolor kits that I use. The one I’ve used the longest is the Winsor Newton grey one you see here. It has a water bottle in it, and that makes it easy. The selection of colors makes it possible to mix the colors I want.

Some watercolor kits come with a water bottle, and many don’t. When I use a kit that doesn’t have a water bottle, I bring a small travel bottle that doesn’t leak (it’s made for water and for traveling) in a Ziplock bag – no fun to have it leak). I also carry oil painting palette pots with lids that I fill with water when I’m on location and clip on or sit on a table.