Urban Sketching, Getting Your Act Together!

Urban sketching really has taken off in a big way, the idea of capturing little slices of everyday life in situ is tempting, but has its pitfalls. So here are some tips and a cautionary tale! 

Firstly, keep your drawing kit to a minimum, lugging great piles of equipment around is a pain, especially if you are on a day trip. In the past I carried paintbrushes/water, I've changed to a waterbrush and only use one, a Pentel medium waterbrush, keep the size of your sketchbook to a minimum too, bulldog clips are great (2small ones) to stop flapping pages. 

Before you release your inner Urban sketcher, it's perhaps a good idea to have tried one or two sketches at home, check out perspective and mediums, because believe me when you are suddenly surrounded by traffic, passers by  and in sensory overload, getting started seems impossible. Try to do a recce beforehand, have a think about motif and where you are going to position yourself, obviously standing infront of a station at rush hour is going to lead to a lot of aggro, so timing and light conditions are also worth considering. Finding detail on a gorgeous building can involve a lot of squinting if the detail is in the shade. 

Sitting or standing? Next problem, I'll be honest I prefer to sit, on a bench or in a doorway. This sketch was done standing, and I found drawing (relatively) straight lines in standing tricky, having said that hunkering down on steps at my age always involves an embarrassing struggle to get back up having sat still for an hour! If wearing a dress/skirt, think about protecting your modesty (have had experience with "upskirt" photos!) . One thing I haven't tried is working with an easel, firstly there's the carting around and secondly you really are totally conspicuous, if your ego and self confidence is massive (mine isn't) then go for it, but again consider placing and space. 

Where are the nearest loos? Sitting on cold steps make this an important factor at my age! Hat, sunscreen too, I had a fabulous right-sided sunburn, so I try to take a thin scarf to cover neck and shoulders, also useful when visiting religious buildings. I do try to sit outside, but when working from a café, don't order a coffee and then block a table for the next three hours, fair to say a coffee- an hour. It also helps if you don't spread your art crap around and splash the tables with copious amounts of watercolour. 

Sooooo, and now for my cautionary tale, your handbag.............! If you take valuables, purse/wallet, handbag, mobile, keys etc, think about your bag and where you position it. A couple of years ago I was pottering around Oldenburg trying to decide what to draw when I heard a commotion and a man shouting "get away from me, you stole my wallet last week!" at a woman beside him. Didn't think anything more about it, found my motif and sat down on the pavement with my back against a house and my handbag beside me. After about half an hour concentrating on my drawing I fortunately became aware of a slight movement to my right ......., the same woman was sneaking around the corner to grab the strap of my handbag! I quickly grabbed it and off she ran.

It was a lesson well learned, I realised that when drawing my concentration is completely on my subject and it makes you an easy target. Now I always put my bag on my lap and loop the handle over my arm, leg or across my body.

Starting out can be overwhelming "What should I draw?", here a wee viewfinder can be helpful, it doesn't have to be a mega professional one, just a square or rectangle cut out of  the middle of piece of paper or card and popped into your sketchbook does the trick! 

Be prepared for the usual three types of spectators:-

1. Those who look and don't say anything
2. Those who look and praise
3. Those who look and tell you that either they or their Aunt Ethel, Uncle Rab or cousin John were the best artists since Michaelangelo!

My final tip, when sketching don't sit at/ near fountains! This seems like a strange one, but having spent 2 hours on a sketch featuring a fountain, the wind picked up and changed direction ......... sketch and I got soaked, maybe need to consider taking a change of clothes too.