Top 10 Urban Sketching Supplies
November 17, 2021
Drawing our life tales appears to be a common aspect of human nature which dates back to primordial cavemen. We don’t emphasize anything city-centric when we talk about urban sketching. Instead, we use our sketchbooks to concentrate on urban sketching as a creative activity – a means to record the people, places, and things around us.
You may urban sketch in your car, your backyard, on a mountainside, amid the hustle and bustle of a metropolis, and even in a shopping mall. You may also use any creative supplies you choose, and your notebook can be any form or size.
What is Urban Sketching?
Drawing or painting on site, indoors or out, to capture what is observed via direct observation is known as urban sketching. It’s all about incorporating sketching into your everyday routine so that your creativity and art-making are integrated into everything you do. When you flip through the pages of your notebook, you can see all of your discoveries, recollections, creative moments, and artistic excursions in one spot. Sketchers utilize any medium they want to record the sights they see and convey the tale of their environment one sketch at a time.
Top Urban Sketching Supplies
It’s critical to choose the correct type of paper for the right sort of media in any drawing or painting. It will have a significant impact on the quality of your job. If you use watercolor on sketch paper, for example, the sheet will buckle and curl, and the color will not adhere correctly since the paper was not designed to handle that sort of material. Sketch paper is usually too light for watercolor and lacks the necessary surface strength to withstand a lot of water. You’ll be one step ahead with your work if you start matching the correct papers with the materials you’re using.
Top Paper Recommendations
- Sketch Drawing Books
Sketch pads and sketch paper are ideal for rapidly capturing a scene with dry media and sketching pens. Sketch pads usually come with a number of pages, allowing you to practise, start again, and produce a lot of sketches all in one convenient location. Sticking to small, compact sizes is great for sketching on the go in an urban context. Sundaram’s Sketch Drawing Books are excellent travel companions:
For Urban Sketching, Sundaram’s Sketch Drawing books are available in smaller, more practical sizes, such as 21 x 29.5 cm in A4 size.
Visit here: https://sundaramstore.com/product/sundaram-sketch-book-100-pages-pack-of-3-pcs-a4-spiral-d-15/
These books are available in larger, more practical sizes for Urban Sketching, such as 29 x 42 cm in A3 format.
Visit here: https://sundaramstore.com/product/sundaram-sketch-drawing-book-a3-36-pages-pack-of-2-d-8/
- Mixed Media Paper
This is the paper for you if you’re an Urban Sketcher who likes to draw ink lines and then add watercolor. It combines the qualities of watercolor paper with the gloss of a drawing sheet to create the ideal mixed-media paper.
- Toned Sketch Paper
Starting your artwork using mid-range paper provides for new sketching and drawing options. The artist may utilize a larger range of values from bright to dark, and the intermediate tone makes it easier to put shadows and highlights. The artist can use graphite or other dark medium to emphasize darker values and white pencils or other light media to enhance highlights, making sketches and drawings shine.
- Landscape Drawing Books
Watercolor paper is available in landscape drawing book that are hardbound, soft cover, and wire bound, and are the right size and form for Urban Sketching. The paper is heavyweight and has a firm surface that works well with watercolor, gouache, and acrylic paints. It may be used for lifting and scraping, and it produces clean, uniform washes.
A4 Drawing Book
It comes in 29.5 x 21 cm landscape A4 size with butter paper and spiral binding.
Visit here: https://sundaramstore.com/product/sundaram-artist-drawing-book-100-pages-a4-size-2/
A3 Artist Drawing Book
It comes in 42 x 29.5 cm landscape A3 size with butter paper and spiral binding.
Visit here: https://sundaramstore.com/product/sundaram-artist-drawing-book-a3-100-pages-2/
Additional Supplies
1. Erasers and Mechanical Pencils
When Urban Sketching, mechanical pencils function better than wood-case pencils since they don’t need to be sharpened. You won’t have to bring the sharpener, and you’ll always have a fine point without the mess of pencil shavings.
2. Pens with Permanent Ink
It’s crucial to have a selection of permanent ink drawing pens. Small tip sizes allow for ultra tiny details, while bigger tip sizes allow for bolder, broader lines. It’s a good idea to pack three different pen sizes: fine, medium, and thick. Urban Sketchers use Sakura Microns because of the sharp, clear lines that may be created. You may either paint over the top with watercolour or start with watercolour and then add ink lines once it’s dried.
3. Watercolor Set in Travel Size
A Watercolor Field Sketch Travel Kit is also available from Sakura. These are compact watercolour kits that include a paint pan, a refillable water brush, and a small mixing pan. They’re tiny and slender to fit in a travel bag.
- Clips for Binders
Binder clips are a very useful item while working outside. They protect your pages from blowing about in the breeze and may also be used to store your pens and pencils by clipping them to your pad.
5. Miniature-sized Backing Board
It’s critical to operate on a stable, firm surface. Because you might not have access to a table while on site, attaching your paper or pad to a solid backing board makes it easier to sketch or paint.
6. Stool
A stool, if feasible, is a good item to pack depending on the sort of trip. It may be quite useful for setting up your sketching desk and save hours of sitting on the ground.
