{"id":416,"date":"2020-05-16T14:12:10","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T14:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/?p=416"},"modified":"2023-06-20T17:23:52","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T17:23:52","slug":"urban-sketching-styles-and-how-to-achieve-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbansketchingworld.com\/urban-sketching-styles-and-how-to-achieve-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Urban Sketching Styles and How to Achieve Them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I started getting interested in urban sketching one of the things I noticed is that sketching styles varied so greatly.  I was in awe of the way a similar object or scene could be interpreted so differently by different sketchers. Looking at the world through the lens of urban sketchers fascinated me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you are learning to develop your own urban sketching style I think its really useful to look at and understand styles of prominent urban sketchers.  Experiment with different elements from other sketchers and use them as building blocks<\/strong> in order to learn or even develop your own unique style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this post, we will look at different urban sketching styles unique to each artist and analyse what they are doing to see what we can try out in our own next sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a super interesting exercise to break out of working in the same old way and see if you can bring something fresh to your next sketch.
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Mediums for Urban Sketching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


Urban sketchers use a wide variety of different mediums, the most important thing for urban sketching is that the medium is portable and low maintenance.  Plein-air painters may use oil or acrylic paint on location but that\u2019s a different kettle of fish to urban sketching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban sketching is a faster more organic process<\/strong>, sometimes you may just whip out a pen at a moment’s notice and do a sketch on a napkin in the cafe because something caught your eye and you just had to sketch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Urban sketchers will roam around, sketching the world as they go.  Plein-air painters have a lot of equipment and an easel, they will most likely wander around looking for just the right scene and composition, set up and then stay put for 3 or more hours and develop a very involved piece of art.  Perhaps I\u2019m simplifying things but in my mind, this is the difference between them.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Firstly let\u2019s discuss different mediums urban sketchers use<\/strong>, as this has a bearing on style and then we will get into specific sketchers and look at their personal style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The use of different mediums can inform a sketcher’s style, although does not define it.

Just like a musician may favour playing the piano, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are a pianist. They will play the piano in a way personal to them, no matter the genre of music. And they may occasionally pick up the guitar instead but it’s still that musician playing an instrument in their own style.
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Pen & Ink<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Paul Heaston<\/strong> always springs to my mind when I think of urban sketching using simply a pen and a sketchbook.  Tommy Kane <\/strong>also uses just a pen for a lot of his sketches, sometimes different colours of pen on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Paul Heaston and Tommy Kane are well known for their expressive use of hatching and cross-hatching too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dwayne Bell<\/strong>, who I mentioned in my post on reportage illustration here<\/a><\/strong>, uses only a Lamy Safari fountain pen<\/a> to record commuters on his bus route to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A post shared by Dwayne Bell (@dwaynesdoodles)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>