pronounced "Kōsha”
I’m an artist and creative entrepreneur living in the Netherlands. I love drawing and I do it every day. On this website, I hope to inspire you to develop a drawing practice too, because it can make you feel good.
Photo by Rick Keus
All tagged urban sketching
In this Draw Tip Tuesday, Koosje Koene flips through her A6 Hahnemühle Nostalgie sketchbook, packed with quick sketches, black and white play, and moments from daily life and travels. From markets to train rides and coffee dates, she shares what working small, embracing limitations, and going with the flow taught her, plus ideas to make your own sketchbook practice more fun and relaxed.
In this Draw Tip Tuesday, Koosje Koene shares a fun way to draw tricky subjects by focusing on negative space. Using a bike as an example, she sketches the shapes around it instead of the bike itself. With watercolor and pencil, the drawing comes to life. A great technique to improve accuracy and gain confidence in your sketchbook.
Sketching helps you slow down, notice small details, and feel more present. A sketchbook makes you see patterns, colors, and quiet moments you’d otherwise miss. Even a quick train drawing can shift your mood and bring unexpected joy. One line at a time.
Learn how to start a drawing with confidence by using simple subjects like your feet to frame a scene. In this Draw Tip Tuesday video, Koosje Koene shares her step-by-step process for building a sketch from foreground to background. You'll get practical tips on composition, observation, and creating depth using a fountain pen, water soluble ink, and a waterbrush. Perfect for anyone looking to improve their sketchbook practice.
Join Koosje Koene in this Draw Tip Tuesday as she flips through her A4 Hahnemühle sketchbook, filled during a travel workshop in Italy. See how she captures markets, cafes, and street scenes using fountain pens, colored pencils, watercolor, and collage. Learn about editing on the page, simplifying scenes, and keeping your sketchbook playful and personal. Watch the full video for sketchbook inspiration and drawing tips.
Join me in Orvieto, Italy, for a coffee and sketch date in this Draw Tip Tuesday episode! I sketch at Piazza del Popolo, using ink, watercolor, and colored pencil. I'm capturing buildings, people, and dramatic skies. I share tips on using negative space, adding color for light and shadow, and working quickly when sketching on location. This spontaneous drawing session shows how fun and doable urban sketching can be. Want to sketch together? I’m teaching a workshop in Spain!
Traveling with others can make it tricky to find sketchbook time, but even five minutes a day can turn moments into lasting memories. In this post, I share tips for drawing while on the go, how to communicate your creative needs, and a free downloadable guide for Patreon members. Sketching isn’t extra, it’s part of how you travel.
Join me for a double sketchbook tour from two creative workshop weeks in Lisbon. See how I filled two accordion sketchbooks with maps, bold brush marks, café scenes, and colorful experiments. From market sketches to a citywide power outage, every page tells a story. I share tips, prompts, and a pro tip to help you build a daily drawing habit.
Thinking of joining a travel workshop? Now’s the time: Spain and Paris are coming up. Don’t wait for “someday”!
Join me for a sketchbook tour filled with travel sketches, playful experiments, and everyday moments. From Oslo to Lisbon and beyond. I share how I make time to draw while traveling, how I got out of a creative rut, and how trying new materials keeps things fresh. You’ll see ink, watercolor, gouache, and more, plus get a fun assignment to try in your own sketchbook. If you're looking for drawing inspiration and sketchbook ideas, this video’s for you!
Traveling this summer? Pack smart for sketching on the go. Learn which sketchbooks, pens, and inks are best for location drawing, plus get tips for flying with art supplies. Keep your sketch kit lightweight without leaving behind your favorite tools.
Join me for a relaxing sketching session in Lisbon, where I draw one of the city’s charming pink kiosks at Príncipe Real Park. Filmed during a day off between teaching two urban sketching workshops, this Draw Tip Tuesday video shows how I build up a scene using pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil - embracing imperfections along the way. Watch the process unfold, and get inspired to fill your own travel sketchbook. Next workshop coming up: Paris Sketchbook! Join me!
Urban sketching rarely happens under perfect conditions—and that’s exactly what makes it interesting. In this urban sketching tutorial, I draw a coffee truck on location in Lisbon. Rain starts to fall, ink smears, and I keep going anyway. Watch how I build the sketch step by step, embrace the imperfections, and let real life shape the page. This is what on-location sketching is all about.
A peek into my B5 sketchbook, filled with travel moments, mixed media play, and honest pages from daily life. From gouache experiments to drawing through a creative funk: this sketchbook is all about staying playful and drawing anyway.
Feeling overwhelmed by a blank page? Try this sketchbook tip: draw boxes first. Use different formats: landscape, portrait, round, and fill each one with a small sketch or note. It’s an easy way to tell a story, one box at a time. Keep your tools consistent for a unified, creative page.
Think you're too busy to draw? In this video, I share urban sketching tips and show how I use short pockets of time, like train rides, to fill my sketchbook. Learn how to stay creative on the go, and try the fun sketching assignment at the end!
Want to make your urban sketches more vibrant without coloring everything in? In this Draw Tip Tuesday, I show you how using less color can actually make your drawings stronger. It's all about making conscious choices: what to highlight, what to leave out, and how that tells a clearer story. I sketch two musicians in Spain and share tips on simplifying a scene, creating focus with color, and letting go of perfection. Plus, I share a little teaser about my upcoming Costa Brava workshop with The Blue Walk this September. Tune in for sketchbook inspiration!
Discover the power of drawing with just one color! In this Draw Tip Tuesday, I’m using a Sailor fountain pen with water-soluble ink to create a monochrome drawing. This minimal setup is perfect for sketching on location or at home. Learn how focusing on contrast, light, and shadow can simplify your drawing process and make your artwork even more striking. You might be surprised by your results.
Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Learn how to draw realistic light and shadow using a ballpoint pen. I'll show you how to capture highlights, midtones, shadows, and depth. Plus, try a fun drawing assignment at home!
Struggling with stiff figures, slow sketching, or capturing movement? My “Let’s Draw People” workshop helps you loosen up, draw faster, and make your sketches more lively. These are a few demo drawings from my live classes. Want to improve your people-drawing skills? Join my interest list to be the first to know when the next session opens! Let’s draw people together!
