Sketching Urban Detail Video Lesson

I love to travel and came back from my most recent trip to Europe with a new obsession: capturing and drawing historic urban detail from the sites I visited. The advantage of drawing the details is that you are forced to take a really good look at where you're visiting, far more memorable than simply a 2-second photo on your phone.

Granted, drawing on location is not easy, and can be downright uncomfortable at times. I found myself developing a method, including which supplies to carry, choosing a place to stop and draw, how much to capture and what kinds of details I should select. The result of this study is in this lesson “Sketching Urban Detail”, now available EXCLUSIVELY for member of my Art Club program (the lesson is not available to the general public).

I also found myself capturing details in two different ways. On the left side of the next picture you can see how I was inspired by the detail to create an inspired design, and I consider this an intermediate level; on the right side you see a more advanced drawing where the same details are captured more accurately.

This process created a vivid impression on me that I will never forget — and more importantly, I learned that it is the ACT of drawing that creates that memory. A photo is too quick, too fast, and there is nothing to help you stick it to memory. On the other hand, a carefully drawing, regardless of being simply inspired or being more faithful to the origina — allows time for you to really remember every feeling, every sensation.

When I captured this next drawing, I was sitting in a café in the middle of the Obispo Plaza in Malaga Spain. Although the design is not a faithful representation, it REMEMBER how it felt to be sitting there, the majestic view of the “La Manquita” Cathedral.

Here's a photo of the same place, and you can see that the drawing is far from an accurate representation. But that is not what matters! What is really important is that, by looking so carefully at the details, I will probably never forget the sensations of sitting in that cafe, the delicate arches of the monumental facade, the noisy buzz of the tourists.

Urban sketching is having a huge comeback, just like we did back in architectural school. There were other people sketching on site. Their urban sketches were detailed and accurate, the perspective lines carefully representing the incredible depth and height of those historic buildings.

But that's not what I want to share with you! I want to make it possible for you to visit a place, (or at least look at a photo) and be able to extract inspiration that can make your urban sketching experience more memorable and more comfortable. I want to remove the pressure of creating a faithful representation, and certainly remove the need for accurate perspective.

What you'll learn in this lesson is how to create is a piece of art that can embellish your travel journals, serve as a souvenir of your trip and make the entire experience of visiting a place more memorable. And it can even serve as a relaxation activity when you have a few moments to spare back at the hotel or the ship.

I'll show you the techniques I used in my journal using brown and black pen to create an ancient style, almost Renaissance, that represents really well historic buildings. The minimalist choice of materials is deliberate; it's an easy to carry kit that can easily fit in a small purse.

In the lesson I show you BOTH methods, intermediate and advanced, in an hour-long video lesson, bundled up with lots of PDF case studies and bonuses.

I'll show you tricks to correct and smooth out rough sketches created on location; how to shade, color and embellish your drawings, so that they can make your travel journal look incredibly alive.

You can learn more about this lesson at the link below. This lesson is now part of the bundled collection of “essential” lessons that come standard whenever you sign up for Art Club membership, and is not available to the general public a la carte.