One of my favorite books on sketching (and in general) is Cathy Johnson’s Artist’s Journal Workshop. There are other mediums in there, but watercolour is the most featured and is covered pretty thoroughly. It’s a very pleasant book and you can find out more about it, with a Google search. The scope isn’t just urban sketching; there also quite a bit of nature and the gist of the book is really about sketching everything.

Danny Gregory’s An Illustrated Journey is another good one. It’s not a step-by-step instructional book, but a compilation of many artists’ experiences with sketching on their travels. It’s not explicitly watercolour, but I think almost all of the contributors use watercolour. Each contributor talks about experiences, materials, and approaches, along with some examples. It’s a delightful and motivational peek at what others are doing.

Liz Steel is featured in both books and her website is fun to poke around on. http://www.lizsteel.com/ [/URL]

I am sure you will get lots of good suggestions. There is a sticky at the top of The Learning Zone, too.

Have fun!

Noelle

Check out Teoh’s urban watercolor sketching videos on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChnHyDgcXn2svxoAMAzRwtQ

Marc Taro Holmes has some good resources on CitizenSketcher.com[/URL]. Joseph Stoddard is a graphic designer who teaches watercolor and never seems to leave the house without art supplies. He has a few books as well. He details his sketching process in his blog posts – very informative.

Check all the suggested resources and more, for inspiration and tips… but let me submit that your best teacher really will be going outside and doing it. It takes a little time to learn what works best for you, and get comfortable in a constantly dynamic environment. Make an easy-to-carry little kit and take it EVERYWHERE. (Just a book and a pen, if that’s what works.) If you can pop the book open and be ready to work in a minute or so, you’ll find little opportunities to practice all through the day. Waiting rooms and bus stops will never be boring again.

I just wanted to encourage you to grab your stuff and GO, draw and paint and start getting things down. Remember your book is a private playground, nothing you do has to look like anyone else’s work, or even come out at all like you planned. Just turn the page and keep going! Sketching on location is often about rolling with the unexpected. Do it consistently and frequently, and you’ll see your skills improve fast. I’d love to see some of your efforts!

Something that helped me get started: if you’re not used to drawing live people, libraries are a great place to begin. They’re less chaotic than coffeeshops, and people are all focused on their studying, so they move less.

CK =)
I take great comfort in knowing that my genuine typos will probably be blamed on some device's autocorrect.
DIY art supplies, sketches, and more: cyntada.com / @cyntada

I would suggest to get for a start a pencil (or pen marker whatever you have available ) and any sketchbook and go out to sketch whatever you see around you.
When you’ll have filled two three sketchbooks and you’ll have figure out the concept of urban sketching with your own experience, then visit the other sketchers’ websites and buy books or buy new sketching supplies.

Urban sketching is taking place in urban areas. If you are not out sketching you are no where near it.

It is also very generic form of sketching. You go out to catch the moments with whatever medium is at hand.

@cyntada You are always in my mind…!

I like a sketchbook with brown paper and use fabercastell pigment pen….

you can have a white gouache and waterbrush for the highlights…

Great! Keep on.
The concept is to sketch not to change every little while art materials. If the brown paper and the pen works for you, sketch with this setup.
But go out and sketch.

Or you could simply follow up the main web site for Urban Sketchers, at

http://www.urbansketchers.org/%5B/URL%5D

Everything is there, including the Manifesto – explaining in 8 points what Urban Sketches are all about..

Put together a lightweight sketching kit and take it everywhere.

Doug