Menu

Drawing in Higginson Park, Marlow

What is an Urban Sketch?

Urban sketching is about our environment, essentially the urban landscape and personal experience. Incidentally, people, animals, lakes and trees might naturally combine with the the city or townscape. However certain subjects are excluded such as human figure and animal portraiture, still life, and other topics that do not relate to urban sketching.

It’s not that these are in any way considered inferior, they are just not our topic. There are other groups that cater for these interests.

A broad approach to subjects in very valuable, developing observation in different situations. It is good to experience many different types of drawing. As a designer, Urban Sketching is not my strongest genre, some of our members are architects who are much more at home with the subject; I learn a lot from them.

A drawing is not not a photograph, they are filtered by observation, and are unique to The sketcher's vision and personality; that makes them valuable and special. Each drawing is a stopping place on a personal journey toward improvement. They are not all successful, but each is a learning experience.

“We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see
from direct observation.”

Before sharing your drawings in the group, make sure they meet these basic criteria and they are done in the spirit of the Urban Sketchers Manifesto.

1. You did the drawing on location, not from photos, memory, or your imagination.
2. You have written the location of the sketch (town and state/country) in the headline or caption.
3. We encourage members to write descriptions and stories associated with each sketch.
4. We post our OWN work, not that of someone else. Please don't share other people's work here.
5. Your post must be public, not private. If you post a private picture it will be deleted because the group can't see it - all we get is an "Attachment unavailable" notice.
6. No sketches from figure drawing sessions or posed models.

 

Next: Social Media

Green footbridge, Mile End