All tagged urban sketching

Sketchbook Tour + 5 Tips to Loosen Up

Flip through my sketchbook full of travel sketches from Paris and the Black Forest, cafe scenes, rainy day drawing, and playful experiments like non-dominant hand drawing. Plus 5 bonus sketchbook tips to loosen up your own art, boost creativity, and make every wait (train station, cafe, transit) a chance to draw.

You Are Your Own Best Source Of Inspiration

I'm sharing my July sketching month, plus 6 practical tips to help you sketch more this August. Watch my free tutorial on drawing trees and foliage, celebrating 5 years on Patreon. I'm also packing for a workshop trip, and show you how to handle people noticing me sketching. Plus a reminder that flipping through your old sketchbooks can spark inspiration for your next drawing.

I Almost Didn't Share This Sketch

A rainy Paris sketch didn't go as planned. Wrong pen, no coffee, and a rushed, wonky drawing I almost didn't share. But weeks later I revisited the page with watercolors and colored pencils, and learned something about judging our art too soon. Plus a fun sketchbook assignment for you to try this week.

How to Use Negative Space in Urban Sketching

A short urban sketching video about starting anyway. Sketching in Paris on a busy square with an overwhelming view. The trick: use negative space to capture the shapes around the building rather than getting lost in the details. Then it starts to rain, which forces quick decisions and adds its own texture to the page.

A Sketchbook From Paris to Germany

Sketchbook tour through Paris, the Netherlands, and Germany. Lots of experiments with mixed media. Different approaches to the same subject. And a favorite page captured at a cafe in Germany. Flip through a filled Hahnemühle Nostalgie sketchbook and get inspired to fill your own!

This is why you should sketch while traveling

Traveling and feel like there's no time to draw? There always is! In this video I sketch my Paris view in just 15 minutes, sharing tips on how to fit sketching into any trip. Your sketchbook is the best travel companion.

Drawing and Urban sketching while traveling is one of the best ways to truly capture a place, way more than any photograph ever could.

What Fits in a Small Sketchbook? A Lot.

Sketchbook flip-through time! This Hahnemühle Nostalgie A6 started as a backup in Spain, filled up with everyday life in the Netherlands, and made it all the way to Paris. Watch along as I experiment with color and come back to my go-to tools. No rules, just drawing and keeping it regular.

Drawing on Location With No Plan

A visual storytelling project inspired by an 8-week course with Rita Sabler. I sketched the central train station in Amersfoort, found my story at the kiosk, and navigated the creative process in real time. Proof that creativity is not linear and drawing on location leads to unexpected places!

The best sketchbook habit: showing up

Five easy tips to grow your sketchbook practice: limit your palette, always carry your sketchbook, and stack drawing with daily habits. Plus a free Sketchbook Revival challenge in April, a great book for inspiration, and two open spots in upcoming workshop retreats in Germany and Italy. Sketch more, stress less!

Why I Love Changing Sketchbook Formats

If you’re curious about trying a different sketchbook format, or experimenting with limited tools, you'll enjoy this sketchbook tour. And I hope you'll try something new too!

Let's flip through the pages I filled: urban sketches of a snowy city, experiments with negative space and foreshortening. Quick café drawings, experiments with water‑soluble ink, brush pen and watercolors. Plus the wonderfully messy process behind some favorite spreads.