Art by Mike Daikubara

Quick Packing Checklist

Sketchbook (9×12 or 11×14)

2B & 6B Pencils / Ebony Pencil

Kneaded Eraser & White Eraser

Fine Liner Pen Set (0.2mm, 0.5mm, 1.0mm)

Color Medium of Choice (Pencils / Markers / WC / Pastel)

Washi Tape

Stadium Chair

Clipboard

Binder Clips (2-3) 

Amazing Local Urban Sketching Artists To Follow

Mike Daikubara : Click Here , Click Here

Eliza Dunaway : Click Here

Week 1:

Negative Space vs. White Space

Many beginning artists confuse negative space and white space, but they serve very different purposes in a sketch. Understanding both concepts will help you create stronger, more intentional urban sketches.

Negative Space

Negative space is the area around, between, and inside your subjects. Rather than focusing on the object itself, you focus on the shapes created by the empty areas surrounding it.

Negative Space:

• Shapes and defines your main subjects.
• Is about understanding and depicting what surrounds your objects.
• Helps improve accuracy, proportions, and structure.
• Trains your eye to see abstract shapes instead of symbols.
• Creates stronger observational drawing skills.

For example, when sketching a bicycle, the spaces between the wheels, frame, and handlebars can be just as important as the bicycle itself.

White Space

White space is an intentional design choice. It refers to areas of the page that are left blank or minimally detailed.

White Space:

• Is a creative design element that adds balance and contrast.
• Simplifies the scene and avoids visual clutter.
• Creates mood, emphasis, and aesthetic appeal.
• Gives the viewer’s eye a place to rest.
• Helps highlight important focal points.

In urban sketching, you don’t have to draw every building, window, or detail. Leaving portions of the page untouched can make your sketch feel more modern, elegant, and expressive.

The Key Difference

Negative space helps you draw better.

White space helps you design better.

Negative space is used during the observation and drawing process to understand shapes and relationships.

White space is used during the composition process to create balance, focus, and visual impact.

Week 1 Assignment

Create an urban sketch that uses both concepts:

1. Use negative space to accurately draw your subject.
2. Leave intentional white space in parts of your composition.
3. Avoid filling every area with detail.
4. Let the empty areas become part of the design.

Look for interesting spaces between buildings, street signs, trees, café furniture, or architectural details. Then decide where white space can simplify and strengthen your final sketch.

Remember: Sometimes what you leave out is just as important as what you draw. Taking a Line for a Walk

Taking a line for a walk isn’t about accuracy; it’s about fluidity and connection. It encourages you to move your hand in response to what you’re seeing, without overthinking. This kind of drawing improves hand-eye coordination and keeps your sketch feeling alive rather than rigid.

Week 2:

Perspective is one of the most powerful tools an urban sketcher can learn. It helps transform flat drawings into scenes that feel believable, dimensional, and full of depth.

Today we’ll explore the difference between one point perspective and two point perspective, and how understanding both can improve your urban sketches.

Videos to improve Skill:

1 Point Perspective : Click Here

2 Point Perspective: Click Here

2 Point Perspective : Click Here

Pen and Ink Wash : Click Here

One Point Perspective:

One point perspective appears when you are looking directly toward the front of a subject or straight down a street.

In this situation, many of the lines in the scene appear to move toward the same place in the distance. This location is called the vanishing point.

The vanishing point sits on the horizon line, which represents your eye level.

Think about standing in the middle of a road and looking straight ahead. The edges of the street, sidewalks, and buildings seem to move closer together as they recede into the distance. Although the lines never actually meet, they appear to converge at a single vanishing point.

Common Examples of One Point Perspective

• Looking straight down a city street
• Hallways and corridors
• Railroad tracks
• Piers and boardwalks
• Front-facing buildings

One point perspective is often the easiest perspective system to learn because all receding lines lead to the same point.

Two Point Perspective:

Looking at the Corner of a Building; Urban scenes often show buildings from an angle rather than straight on. When this happens, we can see two sides of a structure at the same time.

This creates two point perspective.

Imagine standing at the corner of a building. One wall stretches away to the left while the other stretches away to the right. Each set of lines heads toward a different vanishing point.

Instead of one vanishing point, there are now two.

Both points still sit on the horizon line, but they are often far outside the edges of your sketchbook page. You may not draw them directly. Instead, you simply sense the direction the lines are heading.

Common Examples of Two Point Perspective

• Building corners
• Storefronts
• City blocks
• Street intersections
• Urban architecture viewed from an angle

Two point perspective is the most common perspective system used in urban sketching because we rarely stand directly in front of buildings.

Key Differences

Homework :

Create two small sketches:Compare the two sketches and notice how the vanishing points change the feeling of depth and space.

Perspective isn’t about perfection. It’s about helping your viewer believe they could step right into your sketch.

Sketch 1

Find a scene that uses one point perspective, such as a hallway, sidewalk, or street viewed straight on.

Sketch 2

Find a building corner or intersection that uses two point perspective.

Week 3: Detail Work Matters in Urban Sketching

One of the most rewarding parts of urban sketching is the detail stage. While it may seem like the finishing touch, detail work is much more than decoration—it’s storytelling.

When you’re sketching on location, you’re immersed in the sights, sounds, textures, and atmosphere of a place. Detail work allows you to capture those experiences and preserve them on the page. It transforms a simple drawing into a visual memory.

Details Tell the Story

Think about what makes a place unique.

It might be the way old bricks lean slightly out of line on a historic building. It could be a hand-painted café sign with chipped paint, a bicycle leaning against a wall, or ivy weaving its way across a fence.

These small observations help the viewer feel connected to the scene.

The best storytelling details are often not the main subject at all. Sometimes it’s the shadow cast by a lamppost, the texture of worn stone steps, or the pattern of leaves scattered across a sidewalk. These subtle elements communicate character, history, and atmosphere.

As urban sketchers, our goal is not simply to record what we see but to capture the personality of a place.

Observation Comes First

Strong detail work begins with careful observation.

Instead of searching for more things to draw, look for the details that tell the story of the scene. Ask yourself:

• What makes this location unique?
• What details reveal its age or history?
• What textures catch my attention?
• What small elements contribute to the mood?

Learning to notice these visual clues helps you become a stronger observer and a more confident storyteller.

All the small things

One of the joys of urban sketching is discovering multiple ways to describe the world around you.Different scenes call for different approaches. Sometimes a loose line captures the energy of a bustling street. Other times, careful hatching can emphasize texture and depth.

Sketching People : Click Here

The more techniques you practice, the more options you have when sketching on location. This flexibility improves your decision-making and helps you work more efficiently in real time.

Some useful detail techniques include:

• Hatching
• Cross-hatching
• Negative space
• Continuous line drawing
• Texture marks
• Selective detail
• Line weight variation

Each technique offers a different way to communicate information and create visual interest.

Hatching for Tone and Texture

Hatching is one of the most versatile detail techniques in urban sketching. It is simple to learn yet offers endless possibilities.

At its core, hatching involves drawing quick, parallel lines to create tone, texture, and direction.

Ways to Vary Your Hatching

You can change the effect of hatching by adjusting:

• Line spacing
• Direction
• Length
• Pressure
• Pen size

Diagonal hatching can suggest sloping roofs or angled surfaces. Vertical lines work well for tree bark, walls, or staircases. Cross-hatching, which layers lines in multiple directions, creates richer shadows and darker tonal values.

Detail as Mindful Practice

Urban sketching a form of mindfulness.

The repetitive rhythm of hatching encourages you to slow down and focus on the present moment. Paying attention to line direction, pressure, and spacing becomes a meditative exercise that helps quiet distractions.

Even in the middle of a busy city, detail work can create moments of calm and concentration.

Urban Sketching Challenge

Find a local café, street corner, or historic building and create a sketch focused on storytelling details.

Look for:

• Interesting textures
• Unique architectural features
• Shadows and light patterns
• Signs of age and wear
• Unexpected details that reveal character

Remember: Details don’t just describe a place, but they tell its story.