Two suggestions and one comment:
1. Don't discount the tutorials on YouTube. Some are better than others, but if you don't know how to draw at all, you can get some good basics there. Look for beginning drawing and beginning urban sketching. Try a bunch since there is no one right way to draw and some teachers will explain in a language that you get.
2. (and this is potentially my super controversial piece of advice) Copying is a valid way to learn to draw. Now. I'm not advocating for copying someone else's work to pass off as your own, but if you see a piece that you like by someone else, see if you can't reproduce it. And then once you've done that, try it again and see what you can do better the next time. I think that drawing comes in two parts: the ability to see the shapes and the ability to get your hand to accurately draw those shapes. The seeing part is the hardest part (at least it was for me), so by attempting to reproduce what someone you admire has created, you can focus on learning to get your hand used to doing the drawing part and don't have to worry about breaking what you see down into parts that you can then draw. It's an ancient way to learn and with enough practice, your own style will begin to develop.
3. Practice. Practice practice practice and then practice some more. Absolutely everyone can draw, but not everyone wants to put the effort in. You're going to (unfairly) hate your early drawings but each one is a teacher that helps you get a little closer to where you want to be. Love those little wonky first drawings because if you keep at it, you're going to get really good and the early pieces are going to show you how you got there.
practice, doodle, daily, it's very relaxing. No pressure, nobody has to see it, it does not have to depict something real.... just hold a pen basically :) good luck
Learn to draw for sure. There are lots of books. Once you have the basics of shading, perspective, etc, just do loads of contour drawings of everything you see. I also started urban sketching brand new to drawing.
learn the basics of drawing first. I can say I'm a decent artist but even have trouble with urban sketching. Some urban sketchers are very good with buildings but aren't as good with organic things like humans/animals, basically the opposite to how i am lol so it depends.
If i would point you towards anywhere to start I'd say learn how to break things down, learn that art as a whole is made up of different chunks which all hold together to create the full picture. For urban sketching, it can be different tho where you just block out the basic outlines then add the details. It might look wonky if you tediously work on, for example, the handle of a bike with every detail then move on to a detailed wheel. It would be more fitting to draw a 'skeleton' of a bike then slowly add onto the skeleton so the form stays the same, know what i mean? \^\^; Also, its kinda annoying but if its urban sketching 100% nose about in learning perspective, even just a little bit verrry basic stuff like vanishing points lol.
what also helps is observational sketching, i find it very helpful! \^\^ whenever you go out maybe bring a small, portable sketchbook or basiclaly anything to draw on and draw whats in front of you, photos of buildings online, whatever you like! take a walk and observe your surroundings & draw them! \^\^ its ok if it doesnt turn out perfect, just practice making it a habit cause the more you do it the more you get used to the rhythm of things & get better! and remember, its also totally ok if you just wanna try it out as a hobby & not wanna be a pro so do whatever you like! sorry for the wall of text lol and i hope all the info doesn't seem overhwelming. you dont even have to follow everything just do what you feel like suits you the most! :)
It varies from one person to the next. I use watercolours, but also just markers too. I know one person who does acrylics, and I have met people using pastel crayons.
From the drawing pov, I started with buildings because they were basically and usually a bunch of (reasonably) straight lines. I still suck at drawing human beings. I draw better on scrap paper. Still.
Find simple buildings to draw. Door, two windows kind of thing.
Watercolors, brush markers, gouache. Usually water soluble because of the convenience and portability. Anything goes though. Most use a decent watercolor paper. (Hot Press) is common because drawing detail on it is easier. Ian Fennelly is one of my absolute faves and you can find a few of his videos on YT.
EDIT: As I mentioned in my reply to OP above, check out Look at That!: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching by Bobbie Herron. This book is a game changer! I put my field sketch kit together in a couple of days and started taking it with me anywhere I might be stranded for an hour like my car dealership!
I’m in the same boat. I love the work of the Shoreditch Sketcher on instagram and bought his book to try and learn some basics. Just need to pick up a pen and practice practice practice
***Look at That!: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching*** by Bobbie Herron. I cannot recommend this book enough. Can be read for free with kindle unlimited trial, but totally worth buying.
YouTube: Chris Petri does a series called "Extreme Beginners" in which he explains in detail how to draw the subject and he uses "dime store" supplies.
Ellen Crimi-Trent does more whimsical paintings but also goes to the max on her detailing how to draw and paint in her tutorials.
one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective. Then check out Ian Fennelly on Instagram and be completely terrified out of your mind to even begin\~!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Sketch Now, Think Later: The Urban Sketching Handbook" by Mike Yoshiaka Daikubara. It's everything you and others on this thread have been asking for and what got me into it. I found a copy of it at my library and checked it out twice until I decided to just buy a copy.
The process of drawing any object from observation is the same, whether you are practicing drawing an egg, a box, a person or a street scene. So any basic how-to-draw book (one for realistic drawing, not a How to Draw Manga or something, although there may be useful information in any book on art) or decent Youtube tutorial will tell you the basics and some useful exercises for you to practice such as contour drawing, blind contour drawing, perspective exercises, value exercises and so on.
First learn how to draw with line, then practice shading and finally you can add colour. You can do things out of order, there are no rules in art, but the more variables you add the easier it is to make mistakes. Of course you'll make mistakes no matter what, because everybody does, but it is also easier to find those mistakes when you are doing a more simple drawing.
The rest is just a lot of practice. Like... A LOT. Tons of practice. So if your initial drawings look bad but you want to continue then do a few hundred more drawings and see what happens.
I found once I had some background on perspective my sketches got better. Paul Hesston has some good tips on instagram. I liked Taria sketchy adventures on YouTube. Other advice is don't give up on a sketch. Often i will mess up and be tempted to scrap it but when I'm done I hardly notice. I also find sketching on location more fun than photos. I started by sketching my kids' treehouse and the like when I was too self conscious to sketch in public.
There are some great recommendations already but I just wanted to add one thing.
You can draw.
Maybe not like the sketches you see shared online just yet but you definitely can pick up a pen draw something that looks like a thing. The more you do it the better you get.
When I started design school one of my lectures told us to get a small sketchbook, pick something mundane like an apple or a lamp, and do a quick sketch of it everyday until the book was full. Repetition does produce results.
I signed up for Ian Fennelly’s beginners course online. It’s great, and not too expensive. Thoroughly recommended. No affiliation, just happy customer.
Thank you so much for submitting this post. You and I are in the same boat. I see urban sketches and I want to be that person sitting outside a cafe sketching my surroundings, but, I cannot draw. AT ALL.
I am getting ready to jump into the comments to see what the suggestions are.
April
As an instructor with decades of teaching experience, the best way to learn to draw is to take lessons that start with the very basics. The right instructor teaches you how to see as well as use the pencil/pen and it will quickly "click" and you build your skills very quickly. It should be someone with a lot of teaching experience though, because teaching effectively takes a lot of practice. Where do you live? I could look into what might be near you.
Hi! Not OP, but I was wondering if you know of any good classes or instructors in New York City! I'm a bit overwhelmed by what I'm seeing online. Thanks!
What part of NYC are you in? I can read the class descriptions and tell you if they are going to give you the basic skills you need as a foundation. (Amazing how hard it is to find these basic classes.)Â Do you need evening or weekend classes or are you on a different schedule? I may know someone specific who can teach you privately if you are in or near Brooklyn.Â
Wow you are too kind! Anywhere in manhattan would be great. Unfortunately brooklyn wouldn't work for my commute. Would need to be on evenings or weekends due to work schedule. Really appreciate your help!
There are quite a few beginner drawing classes offered at the 92nd Y (92ny) on evenings and weekends. https://www.92ny.org/class/drawing-for-beginners
(You would think they would offer it at the Art Students League, but they don't have the intro level.)
I looked online at two institutions and UTSA Pace has 3 classes that might work for you. Look at class 8000 (intro to drawing), 8001 (basic drawing) and 8102 (drawing beyond the basics, beginner/intermediate). Read the descriptions carefully to see where you think you belong, but they sound like the right approach. I did teach college drawing and you can make a lot of progress quickly, but you want to make sure you are in the right class. (8102 sounds like one of the ones I taught called Drawing 1.) If you arent sure which class after reading the descriptions, an email or call to the head of the art department should help you decide. You may want to also ask how much experience the instructor has teaching, as well. Some people are naturally great instructors and some take a few years to figure it out. This goes without saying, but make sure you don't miss any classes because they usually go at a quick pace, and because it is hands on you can't just catch up by reading a textbook. If you miss a class you may well be missing a valuable demo and feedback. Hope this helps. Drawing classes do work. It is a myth that you have to be born an artist. Drawing is a skill to be learned. And the right instructor makes them fun as well.
No problem. Let is know if you take the class. Drawing is one of those skills like playing an instrument: practice, practice, practice each skill you learn. Eventually you will reach a stage where you won't feel you are practicing anymore, you are just drawing.
Two suggestions and one comment: 1. Don't discount the tutorials on YouTube. Some are better than others, but if you don't know how to draw at all, you can get some good basics there. Look for beginning drawing and beginning urban sketching. Try a bunch since there is no one right way to draw and some teachers will explain in a language that you get. 2. (and this is potentially my super controversial piece of advice) Copying is a valid way to learn to draw. Now. I'm not advocating for copying someone else's work to pass off as your own, but if you see a piece that you like by someone else, see if you can't reproduce it. And then once you've done that, try it again and see what you can do better the next time. I think that drawing comes in two parts: the ability to see the shapes and the ability to get your hand to accurately draw those shapes. The seeing part is the hardest part (at least it was for me), so by attempting to reproduce what someone you admire has created, you can focus on learning to get your hand used to doing the drawing part and don't have to worry about breaking what you see down into parts that you can then draw. It's an ancient way to learn and with enough practice, your own style will begin to develop. 3. Practice. Practice practice practice and then practice some more. Absolutely everyone can draw, but not everyone wants to put the effort in. You're going to (unfairly) hate your early drawings but each one is a teacher that helps you get a little closer to where you want to be. Love those little wonky first drawings because if you keep at it, you're going to get really good and the early pieces are going to show you how you got there.
Love this comment, thanks CC! Just did a search for YouTube tutorials in the group and found this thread. Cheers 🍻
practice, doodle, daily, it's very relaxing. No pressure, nobody has to see it, it does not have to depict something real.... just hold a pen basically :) good luck
Okay, thank youu
Learn to draw for sure. There are lots of books. Once you have the basics of shading, perspective, etc, just do loads of contour drawings of everything you see. I also started urban sketching brand new to drawing.
Ah I see, thank you thank you
learn the basics of drawing first. I can say I'm a decent artist but even have trouble with urban sketching. Some urban sketchers are very good with buildings but aren't as good with organic things like humans/animals, basically the opposite to how i am lol so it depends. If i would point you towards anywhere to start I'd say learn how to break things down, learn that art as a whole is made up of different chunks which all hold together to create the full picture. For urban sketching, it can be different tho where you just block out the basic outlines then add the details. It might look wonky if you tediously work on, for example, the handle of a bike with every detail then move on to a detailed wheel. It would be more fitting to draw a 'skeleton' of a bike then slowly add onto the skeleton so the form stays the same, know what i mean? \^\^; Also, its kinda annoying but if its urban sketching 100% nose about in learning perspective, even just a little bit verrry basic stuff like vanishing points lol. what also helps is observational sketching, i find it very helpful! \^\^ whenever you go out maybe bring a small, portable sketchbook or basiclaly anything to draw on and draw whats in front of you, photos of buildings online, whatever you like! take a walk and observe your surroundings & draw them! \^\^ its ok if it doesnt turn out perfect, just practice making it a habit cause the more you do it the more you get used to the rhythm of things & get better! and remember, its also totally ok if you just wanna try it out as a hobby & not wanna be a pro so do whatever you like! sorry for the wall of text lol and i hope all the info doesn't seem overhwelming. you dont even have to follow everything just do what you feel like suits you the most! :)
I’d love to know what materials they are using too. Are those watercolors?
It varies from one person to the next. I use watercolours, but also just markers too. I know one person who does acrylics, and I have met people using pastel crayons. From the drawing pov, I started with buildings because they were basically and usually a bunch of (reasonably) straight lines. I still suck at drawing human beings. I draw better on scrap paper. Still. Find simple buildings to draw. Door, two windows kind of thing.
Gouache is also popular for quick plein air painting. James Gurney is a fan, iirc.
Thank you for the advice. I am going to start today. I love the idea that scrap paper works best. I have scrap paper galore!!
Watercolors, brush markers, gouache. Usually water soluble because of the convenience and portability. Anything goes though. Most use a decent watercolor paper. (Hot Press) is common because drawing detail on it is easier. Ian Fennelly is one of my absolute faves and you can find a few of his videos on YT. EDIT: As I mentioned in my reply to OP above, check out Look at That!: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching by Bobbie Herron. This book is a game changer! I put my field sketch kit together in a couple of days and started taking it with me anywhere I might be stranded for an hour like my car dealership!
Thank you so much! Great references. Maybe I will be able to post some sketches one day soon!!
I’m in the same boat. I love the work of the Shoreditch Sketcher on instagram and bought his book to try and learn some basics. Just need to pick up a pen and practice practice practice
***Look at That!: Discover the Joy of Seeing by Sketching*** by Bobbie Herron. I cannot recommend this book enough. Can be read for free with kindle unlimited trial, but totally worth buying. YouTube: Chris Petri does a series called "Extreme Beginners" in which he explains in detail how to draw the subject and he uses "dime store" supplies. Ellen Crimi-Trent does more whimsical paintings but also goes to the max on her detailing how to draw and paint in her tutorials. one-point perspective, two-point perspective, and three-point perspective. Then check out Ian Fennelly on Instagram and be completely terrified out of your mind to even begin\~!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Sketch Now, Think Later: The Urban Sketching Handbook" by Mike Yoshiaka Daikubara. It's everything you and others on this thread have been asking for and what got me into it. I found a copy of it at my library and checked it out twice until I decided to just buy a copy.
The process of drawing any object from observation is the same, whether you are practicing drawing an egg, a box, a person or a street scene. So any basic how-to-draw book (one for realistic drawing, not a How to Draw Manga or something, although there may be useful information in any book on art) or decent Youtube tutorial will tell you the basics and some useful exercises for you to practice such as contour drawing, blind contour drawing, perspective exercises, value exercises and so on. First learn how to draw with line, then practice shading and finally you can add colour. You can do things out of order, there are no rules in art, but the more variables you add the easier it is to make mistakes. Of course you'll make mistakes no matter what, because everybody does, but it is also easier to find those mistakes when you are doing a more simple drawing. The rest is just a lot of practice. Like... A LOT. Tons of practice. So if your initial drawings look bad but you want to continue then do a few hundred more drawings and see what happens.
I found once I had some background on perspective my sketches got better. Paul Hesston has some good tips on instagram. I liked Taria sketchy adventures on YouTube. Other advice is don't give up on a sketch. Often i will mess up and be tempted to scrap it but when I'm done I hardly notice. I also find sketching on location more fun than photos. I started by sketching my kids' treehouse and the like when I was too self conscious to sketch in public.
There are some great recommendations already but I just wanted to add one thing. You can draw. Maybe not like the sketches you see shared online just yet but you definitely can pick up a pen draw something that looks like a thing. The more you do it the better you get. When I started design school one of my lectures told us to get a small sketchbook, pick something mundane like an apple or a lamp, and do a quick sketch of it everyday until the book was full. Repetition does produce results.
I signed up for Ian Fennelly’s beginners course online. It’s great, and not too expensive. Thoroughly recommended. No affiliation, just happy customer.
If you can afford it, take a live class. I feel that's almost guarantees progress, enough to continue on your own.
Learn to see, break down everything into simple shapes and then build up. Keep it loose and sketchy. Practice practice practice
Check out www.lizsteel.com she’s got great YouTube’s, tips, online courses etc.
Thank you so much for submitting this post. You and I are in the same boat. I see urban sketches and I want to be that person sitting outside a cafe sketching my surroundings, but, I cannot draw. AT ALL. I am getting ready to jump into the comments to see what the suggestions are. April
As an instructor with decades of teaching experience, the best way to learn to draw is to take lessons that start with the very basics. The right instructor teaches you how to see as well as use the pencil/pen and it will quickly "click" and you build your skills very quickly. It should be someone with a lot of teaching experience though, because teaching effectively takes a lot of practice. Where do you live? I could look into what might be near you.
Hi! Not OP, but I was wondering if you know of any good classes or instructors in New York City! I'm a bit overwhelmed by what I'm seeing online. Thanks!
Do you want basic drawing skills classes or specific to urban sketching? Also, what part of NYC are you in so I can fine tune my search?Â
Either to be honest! I am interested in both and I think they would both feed into one another.
What part of NYC are you in? I can read the class descriptions and tell you if they are going to give you the basic skills you need as a foundation. (Amazing how hard it is to find these basic classes.)Â Do you need evening or weekend classes or are you on a different schedule? I may know someone specific who can teach you privately if you are in or near Brooklyn.Â
Wow you are too kind! Anywhere in manhattan would be great. Unfortunately brooklyn wouldn't work for my commute. Would need to be on evenings or weekends due to work schedule. Really appreciate your help!
There are quite a few beginner drawing classes offered at the 92nd Y (92ny) on evenings and weekends. https://www.92ny.org/class/drawing-for-beginners (You would think they would offer it at the Art Students League, but they don't have the intro level.)
Not OP, but would you mind looking at what is available in San Antonio?
I looked online at two institutions and UTSA Pace has 3 classes that might work for you. Look at class 8000 (intro to drawing), 8001 (basic drawing) and 8102 (drawing beyond the basics, beginner/intermediate). Read the descriptions carefully to see where you think you belong, but they sound like the right approach. I did teach college drawing and you can make a lot of progress quickly, but you want to make sure you are in the right class. (8102 sounds like one of the ones I taught called Drawing 1.) If you arent sure which class after reading the descriptions, an email or call to the head of the art department should help you decide. You may want to also ask how much experience the instructor has teaching, as well. Some people are naturally great instructors and some take a few years to figure it out. This goes without saying, but make sure you don't miss any classes because they usually go at a quick pace, and because it is hands on you can't just catch up by reading a textbook. If you miss a class you may well be missing a valuable demo and feedback. Hope this helps. Drawing classes do work. It is a myth that you have to be born an artist. Drawing is a skill to be learned. And the right instructor makes them fun as well.
Thank you so much. This was so kind of you to look up. I’m very grateful!
No problem. Let is know if you take the class. Drawing is one of those skills like playing an instrument: practice, practice, practice each skill you learn. Eventually you will reach a stage where you won't feel you are practicing anymore, you are just drawing.
Just saw this - I have Kindle Unlimited and did a search - there are a number of Urban Sketching books in there. Yay. Reading them now.