You, too, can be an urban sketcher
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WE CELEBRATED OUR THANKSGIVING a couple weeks early so Iāve taken this weekās holiday lull to dive into my new obsession hobby: urban sketching. Urban sketching is the practice of capturing locations and scenes in loose drawings, usually in a sketchbook. Think: visual journaling or travel sketching on location or indoors, from photos.
Iāve long insisted I canāt draw, but my grip on that story began to loosen last spring when I started playing with my kidsā leftover art supplies. The key, I think, was having no intention to draw anything. I just wandered into a new world of lines and shapes and colors. I let myself enjoy the texture of paper under a pen.
I kept it light. I dabbled when I had time. No schedule, no goals, no expectations. This wasnāt a self-improvement project, it was playtime!
After a few months of playing, the prospect of sketching something didnāt seem so intimidating. I followed some YouTube tutorials and discovered that drawing, like most other things, isnāt a magical talent ā itās a skill one can learn. Iām not saying anyone can become an artistic genius, but with some time and effort, most of us can learn basic drawing.
While packing for Spain last month, I decided to bring a sketchbook and a few art supplies rather than my usual travel diary. It felt a little like leaving my security blanket behind, but by this point Iād been sketching casually for about six months so travel sketching seemed like a fun experiment.
Sketching during my trip turned out to be a revelation. There was an intimacy Iād never felt with writing. I felt a friendliness toward the places I sketched, as if observing them so closely had connected us.
Thereās a spark of aliveness that comes with being a beginner. A combo of shock and giddiness when you do something you thought you couldnāt do. The intense focus that comes when thereās no prior experience to fall back on. The possibility of new and exciting things within your grasp, like finding hidden treasure inside your house.
If someone would have told me a year ago Iād draw these sketches (or anything else, for that matter) I wouldnāt have believed them. So if thereās an activity you're curious about but are nervous to try, I hope this encourages you. ā
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šļø RELATED READING
š NOTES OF NOTE
Karen Walrondās book, In Defense of Dabbling, is a blast of inspiration. Listen to our conversation above and look for the book at your local bookstore or at Bookshop.org or Amazon (affiliate links).
If you want to try urban sketching, I canāt recommend Sketching Scottieās video tutorials highly enough. His YouTube videos are free but I joined his Patreon community so I can follow his full-length tutorials.
Portland author Amy Stewart writes a wonderful Substack newsletter, It's Good to Be Here, and offers sketching lessons to her paid subscribers.
More great sketching Substacks: Nishant Jainās The SneakyArt Post, Samantha Dion Bakerās Draw Your World, and Wendy MacNaughtonās DrawTogether with WendyMac.
Have a lovely rest of your weekend. If youāve got a spare moment, Iād love to hear from you in the comments. š©µ











I love this. I have been wanting to try but havenāt found classes near me. Now I need to check YouTube
My father took classes in his 80ās. His art amazes us all and brings him joy. I love it.
I love this and will check out those tutorials. I have tried to learn doodling in the past, but didnāt keep up the practice. I usually end up hating that Iām not good at it right away. haha