Urban Sketching Tip: Don’t Color Everything
Welcome to Draw Tip Tuesday!
Want to make your urban sketches more vibrant without coloring everything in?
In today’s video, I’ll 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’ll walk you through my sketch of two musicians in Spain (yep, I’m getting in the mood for my Costa Brava workshop with The Blue Walk this September!), and I’ll share tips on how to simplify your scene, use color intentionally, and embrace the perfectly imperfect vibes of sketching on location.
Let's be intentional about choosing a focal point, simplifying detail, working loosely with color, repeating colors for cohesion, and letting go of perfection.
Materials used in this video:
Faber-Castell Pitt Oil based pencil extra soft
Daniel Smith watercolors
Pentel Aquash Water brush
Handbook Journal size A5
Your assignment this week
Try leaving some color out in your next few drawings and see what happens.
For more inspiration: here's a video from a while ago, in which I share the process of an urban sketch on location.
