Sketching Urban Perspective

Quick and easy - anyone can do it.

Apr 30, 2025

What I do - and I don’t take long doing it.

I have a 30 minute thing - it’s how long I reckon it should take from start to finish to do a coloured sketch. And my process helps in doing this. I think I can teach the process in 30 minutes too.

Although what I do could be classed as urban sketching, I don’t always do it on location - it’s not always convenient, so I don’t class what I do as this. I sketch often from photos that I’ve taken - and I do it quickly, giving the impression rather than the whole. It’s sketching, not drawing or art.

Why I do it

Urban, in my opinion, is as much about people as it is about buildings - they are inextricably linked - buildings are made by people and used by people. And it doesn’t need to involve sketching anything too fancy - every building tells a story if it’s told in the right way. It makes me feel more involved in the urban landscape. From the sublime to the futuristic - every building has a story to tell. Even things that are seemingly mundane and every day have more to tell than we often think - because buildings don’t happen by accident.

How I do it

I have previously mentioned the things I use, fountain pen, coffee and red wine. But the way I do it quickly is because of my 13 point sketching process. It’s a process that I follow and it helps things get done quickly - some basic rules to help the sketch look ‘right’ by following the perspective. From the horizon line to adding the colour.

What’s coming?

This Substack is intended to expand upon the ideas of urban and landscape sketching with minimal materials, to provide examples and inspiration.

It’s all about getting your thoughts and feelings out onto paper without too many rules to follow - this is sketching - not drawing.

Check out the website

Thanks for reading this and coming on the journey with me. Enjoy the journey and the destination can just look after itself.
All the best,
Peter