Urban Sketching Outside - A Practical Guide for Absolute Beginners

I've just launched another SkillShare class, and as ever I'd love to share it with you guys - click HERE to get one of the 50 totally free places.

You can also check out the rest of my SkillShare classes HERE on my website or HERE via my referral link!

In this guide to urban sketching outside, we're going to take a look at loads of the practical aspects to consider when sketching.

It's a class aimed to really help anyone who wants to know the answer to 'how can I get started urban sketching outside' - it's not supposed to be a super in depth discussion about all the technical aspects, as I believe this is best left for the class room and the studio.

No, instead we'll be covering all the practical aspects to learning to sketch and urban sketch on location, outside or 'en plein air'. These, I believe, are the bits that really build confidence and can't be learned at home!

Aims of the Class

This class is aimed at beginners to urban sketching looking for a confidence boost to show that yes, you really can get outside and sketch too.

We will cover:

• What to expect when sketching outside
• How to avoid frustration when things don't go well
• Building confidence outside
• Where you should sit
• The idea of minimalist supplies
• Use of thumbnails to help with composition
• How to stand and sketch when that's the best option
• A simple technique for measuring your lines and angles
• And of course, a talk through of my sketching processes outside
• And loads loads more!

Where was I sketching?

For this class I took a trip to Abbotsley - a lovely Cambridgeshire village near my home town. In the class there are a couple of reference photos you can use if you wish to sketch the same scenes as me.

The entire class is filmed outside on location, even with my talking-to-camera segments filmed outside in my back garden to keep the lovely nature-filled aesthetic going!