Urban Sketching

How to get started sketching on your next trip.

At the bottom of this blog is a video of one of my sketchbooks. I hope you enjoy!

Beginner Travel Sketching

First of all, there is no wrong way to sketch.  Just showing up with your tools and putting any line on to a piece of paper will get your started.  There is no wrong way.  And there are no judgments.

Take that sketchbook with you!

I do try to take my sketchbook with me wherever I go, and I also carry my camera.  My sketchbooks vary in function and form.  Sometimes they act as a diary, sometimes they become art pieces which are frameable.  I do not consciously choose what kind of sketchbook I am going to produce.  Each sketchbook takes on a personality of it’s own and it just morphs into whatever it is meant to be on that particular trip, or on that particular day.  Sometime my sketchbooks are places where I jot down the weather or paste in menus I find interesting, or just mundane stuff like the address where I am staying.  The point is that you take it with you, even when you are not going far, so even keep one in your car, and then sketching will become a habit.

Get over your fears of sketching in public

You may be afraid of sketching in public.  It can be a bit intimidating, that is for sure.  Sometimes I have to do a lot of self-talk to be able to sketch in public.  Oftentimes people like to look over my shoulder and give me encouragement or make little comments.  If I am working on a bigger piece in public, I will put on earphones and listen to some music.  That way I am less likely to become distracted to what is going on around me.  But make sure that you are in a safe place before you put on those earphones! 

China

When I was travelling in China, I often would draw quite a large crowd.  I typically stand off to the side or up against a building or in a quiet space where I am not in the way of people.  In China, that was a bit more challenging!  In China when I drew a crowd, I was often politely asked if I wouldn’t mind having my picture taken with the onlookers.  I tried to ignore the crowds.  AT the end of my session, though, I would look up and see bystanders and would pose for a photo with them.  It is a bit flattering to have onlookers make you feel like a rock star!  At least that is how I thought of it, rather than thinking of it as annoying and so I got through the day.  The worst situations are when someone makes a comment that makes you want to quit sketching.  That did happen to me a few times, and then I had to do a lot of self-talk to stay where I was.  People don’t realize that the comments they make can be very damaging!  But this is when the earphones are quite handy!

Travel Sketching Supplies

Bring a good sketchbook, in a size that is easy to carry.  I like small books with good watercolour paper.  My preferred size is 5 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches as that fits in my purse and is easy to open and hold in one hand.   I bring a couple of pens.  I like artist quality pens and ones that do not bleed so they are labelled waterproof.  However, be aware that if you touch water to the page right after you lay down some ink from the pen, it will bleed, even if it is labelled waterproof.  It takes a half a minute or so to become permanent.  If you get bleeding because it is raining or snowing, then either work with it, use a pencil or paint directly with watercolour.  If it is raining hard, you might be best advised to go indoors or for sure use a pencil. 

Travel Drawing the Easy Way

I like to start my trip with some preliminary information in my sketchbook.  Most importantly is your name and contact information.  Even though I have never misplaced a sketchbook, I put my name and email address.  If it is lost and someone finds it, that should be sufficient information needed to have it returned.  I don’t like to put too much information in the book though. 

Also before the trip, I sometimes will draw a map of where I plan to go and colour it in, and I have put flags on the first page.  The first page is sometimes the hardest one to draw and so if you already have some information there, you can jump right into sketching.    Also if you are having a hard time drawing in that sketchbook for the first time, start in the middle, or on the second or third page.  Many of my sketchbooks have blank first pages!

A New Sketchbook

A new sketchbook for each trip is important to me.  I have very rarely ever completely finished a sketchbook because as it gets closer to the end, it becomes very valuable to me and I would hate to lose it.  Sort of a weird thing, I know. 

Watercolor Box

I also like to bring a paint box.  I use watercolour paints on the road and a small box like that one pictured below.  I use a paintbrush which you can put water in the reservoir.  I also have a small plastic bag which I can put my messy paint box in and any wet or damp paper towels.  I bring one or two squares of paper towels and reuse them throughout the trip if possible.  I let them dry in the evening. 

How to Carry it all!

With all of that in your bag, you have enough to sketch with.  If you would prefer not to carry a bag or purse, then consider a small knapsack which will hold everything quite nicely along with water and a snack, camera and anything else you might need.  Caution though, try to bring less.  One pen and a small book is all you need.  The main take away here is that you take it with you.  Always.  Always take with you a sketchbook and a pen.  As with anything, it may be uncomfortable to begin with, but it becomes a habit.  Just like your camera, always take your sketching stuff with you.  Speaking about cameras, do take a picture of what you are sketching as you do not always have time to finish a sketch and you can finish it at a later time. 

On-site Sketching sometimes called Urban Sketching

Try not to rely on your camera.  And what I mean by that is if you think, well, I will take pictures and then do a drawing later, while that may be indeed what you do, I recommend doing a sketch on site.  You will find that when you look back at that sketch at a later time, because you spent time looking at what you were going to sketch and then sketching it, you will remember it better.  You will remember the smells, the temperatures, the feelings you had at the time.  I promise you!  You can even jot down a few notes.  Guaranteed, you will not get that kind of detail from a photo.  And with a photo, what it does is it flattens the scene that you are looking at.  So a sketch captures a lot more. 

Just a quick note about what to capture.  I know I said that a sketch captures a lot more, you actually will have to simplify your sketch.  For the majority of us, we must delete a lot of details in what we see to be able to capture it on paper.  And interestingly you will have captured a lot more than a photo would.  Try it!