Urban sketching

I was bitten by the urban sketching bug in 2014  and started out with pens, small watercolor sets and Moleskine watercolor sketchbooks. Since 2018, I mainly use digital painting on my iPad and have my full paint studio available on it with Adobe Sketch and Procreate. More often, my urban sketching is more RURAL  as I’m fortunate to live in a small town.

Urban Sketchers  is a global community of artists that practice drawing on location in cities, towns and villages they live in or travel to. The Urban Sketchers movement was started on Flickr in 2007 by journalist Gabriel Campanario. In 2009 Campanario established Urban Sketchers as a nonprofit organization. The Urban Sketchers Manifesto has been translated into several languages. Their motto is “We show the world, one drawing at a time!”

Approaching live subjects and places with the same fast approach used in life drawing and life painting has really sharpened my drawing and observation skills and has been a wonderful way to experience some interesting places.

I use a variety of pens, waterbrush pens, China marker for resist and watercolors.  Armed with tiny home made watercolor boxes or now just my iPad and stylus, I love to head out into the world looking for the next wonderful sight to capture.

When time allows, I bring along my folding stool and the larger kit and jump in with real paints. That’s why I LOVE digital urban sketching, you can ALWAYS have a full painting kit in your bag! Visit the plein air painting page to enjoy works in full color and larger size!

Thank you to my wonderful husband Dennis for getting bitten with the bug and dragging me along! Thanks Jan Poynter for Gibsons Paint Out event.