Shari Blaukopf - The Complete Urban Sketching Companion

One or two travel brushes are all you need for most urban sketching. Investing in a good-quality travel brush, synthetic or sable, is money well spent. If it has a good point and holds lots of wash, it should last a long time. Look for models that allow you to store the brush in the handle, to maintain that point. And once youre done, always wash your brushes with clear water and shake off excess moisture to further prolong their useful life.

A plastic water brush (a brush tip with a water reservoir) is another good addition to your sketch kit. While its not my brush of choice, because the tip doesnt hold enough wash, its handy if youre using water-soluble inks or pencils and want to wet small areas of a sketch. Its also handy when youre traveling by air and cant carry lots of water.

In addition, a basic sketch kit should include a couple of small leakproof water bottles (one for painting and one for cleaning brushes) and a small spray bottle for refreshing dried-out paint on your palette. I also carry a tiny tube of Titanium White watercolor for adding small details and highlights. I simply dip my brush directly into the tube and dab some white onto my sketches.

If you plan on adding color to your sketch, keep ink lines to a minimum. You want to leave room for colorful patches of dark paint.

SHARI BLAUKOPF

From Tuna Wharf

11.3 6 | 28.7 15.24 cm; Ink and watercolor

Pack Some Pens and Pencils

Its always better to have choices. Because I cant anticipate whether Ill want to sketch in ink or pencil, I carry five drawing tools in my sketch bag (from top): a fountain pen with a flexible nib, filled with permanent ink; a black fine-tipped permanent marker; a white gel pen for fine lines on windows, boat masts, etc.; a mechanical pencil with a soft B lead; and a brush pen filled with water-soluble black ink.

A brush pen enables you to create both lines and dark tones. And unlike a pen nib, the soft, flexible tip produces a line that varies from very thin to very thick.

SHARI BLAUKOPF

The El

11.5 8 | 29.2 20.3 cm; Brush pen and ink

Draw in Color

Urban sketchers often draw in places where wet media are not permitted, such as art museums. Think about carrying water-soluble pencils or graphite. I often take a break in the museum caf and use my water brush to wet the pencil lines, releasing rich color and tone.

Good-quality water-soluble pencils are highly versatile. Add some clear water to the pencil strokes to unleash vibrant colors, and mix your colors right on the paper, as I did here using a triad of Dark Ultramarine, Purplish Red, and Gold Cadmium Yellow.