I’m so lucky. Since retiring from teaching in August I’ve begun a new career working in admin for the NHS. My colleagues are great people, so much so that I think of them as my friends now. They seem really interested in my interests, like quizzing and art. Now, I returned to work yesterday following my broken shoulder. When asked what I had been doing with myself, I mentioned about the watercolour challenge and urban sketching.- What’s that? – they asked. I explained and then they said – well, how do you get into it?
I know that I’ve written about this before, but it’s been a
while, and so here’s the advice I can give.
Urban sketchers seek to sketch the world around us, one
drawing at a time. There’s really not a lot of rules. You can do it by yourself
or as part of a group. You can use any medium you like. It’s nice to post your
work online, but there’s no law that says you have to. You just have to be
there, and sketch whatever you’re sketching on the spot and not from a photograph.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE ANY SKILL! Seriously, you are making
your urban sketches for the sheer pleasure of doing so. If you don’t find that
you enjoy doing it, then maybe urban sketching is not for you. But try it
first. If you do enjoy it, then that’s all the justification that you need.
How can I start?
If you’re not certain about urban sketching, then maybe
start by stealth. Maybe try to sketch an object in your house, or if you have
one, your garden.
What do I need?
Well, what have you got? You’re better off using materials
you have on hand at first, rather than tooling up with a ton of equipment you
may only use once. A piece of plain paper, a biro or a pencil will do fine. Away
you go. There’s no time limit. Just commit to doing it as well as you can for
now. Enjoy letting go of your everyday concerns just while you’re making your
sketch. Leave it for a while and then come back and do another one. There’s a
lot to be said for making at least one sketch everyday at this early stage. For
now, it’s not about results at all, it’s about the process and the enjoyment
you get from it.
So, when you’ve made up your mind that you enjoy this kind
of drawing, then you can think about what you want to do about it. Maybe the
thought of sketching in the open air where you could be seen by members of the
general public fills you with absolute dread and in that case you never have to
take that step. Keep sketching at home. But if you’re at least willing to give
it a go, then there should be nothing stopping you. If you try it and hate it,
well at least you had the guts to try and you never have to do it again. But a
lot of people find that drawing in public does bring them another level of
enjoyment. When you can enjoy sketching in public, then congrats, you’re an urban
sketcher!
So I’m an urban sketcher. Does that mean I have
to buy a lot of expensive stuff?
No. You don’t have to do anything, other than keep going
out and making sketches. But during your first months and years as an urban
sketcher it does make sense to try out different materials and media. This will
help you learn what brings you your best results and what media you most enjoy
working in. This is a good reason to join a local urban sketchers group. In my
experience these groups provide a friendly and supportive environment, and you’ll
learn a lot from seeing the way that other sketchers approach the same subject.
So, you’ll need something to make sketches with and
something to make sketches on. I like sketching in fineliner. If I’m only going
to be working in fineliner then I’m perfectly happy to use a cheap packet. On
the other hand, if I might want to apply some colour, then I’ll use Uniball fineliners
that are waterproof. I carry a small pencil case with half a dozen fineliners
most of the time. The other essential for me is a (roughly) A5 sized hard
backed sketching journal. Hard backed, in order to withstand the wear and tear
of living in my rucksack 99 percent of the time. You may have heard of Moleskine-style
sketching journals like this, and looked into the cost. And needed a strong drink
to get over the shock. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used Moleskine in the past on sketching
expeditions and I’ve enjoyed it too. They’re a very decent product. But there are
perfectly acceptable cheaper alternatives, some of which are in my opinion better
than a Moleskine. If you look across at my links, I go into details about these
on My Materials page.
I often carry a small pocket sized watercolour set. I’m no
great shakes with a brush but it’s nice to have them on hand when the mood
takes me.
I’ve made urban sketches in England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland,
France, Spain, Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Netherlands, Sweden,
Malta, Austria, Iceland, Poland, Latvia, Denmark, Portugal, Romania, USA and
Norway and thoroughly enjoyed the process. And that’s what it’s all about.
