Day 29 of sketching people in ink and watercolour, was all about not liking my first pass at Doug Jackson’s 10 minute ink challenge and the Sketching Earthworld’s Challenge. So I had a second attempt at both challenges and learnt a couple of valuable lessons about using the right pen for the job, and the value of walking away from a subject if it doesn’t inspire you.

Day 28 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. Today was an urban sketching session at the Tavira Plaza Mall, where I spent a couple of hours in the Food Hall sketching and painting diners.

Day 27 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. A chunky man for the Drawing Earthsworld Challenge portrait. A people sketch compilation for a postcard Swap. And three sketches of people from travel photos I’ve taken in Turkey and Portugal to show a difference between illustrative and looser sketching styles.

Day 26 of sketching people, and today I participated in the Pencils4Tea speed sketching zoom event, drawing portraits in ink and pencil.

Day 25 of sketching people and I experimented with painting tonal shapes then adding ink afterwards, and Inking figures first and adding tonal shading. Two different approaches with different results.

Kicking off a new run through of Liz Steel’s watercolour course by doing the first exercise, to create a swatch grid of every colour in my urban sketching palette in a watery wash, a juicy wash, and a pasty wash.

Day 24 of sketching people. A quick and loose urban sketch of a boy waiting for his mum. And at night I attended the speed sketching portrait event with Dylan, and churned out some pretty consistent portraits within the 30 second to 6 minute time limit.

Day Twenty-Three of a 365-day people sketch challenge. Ventured to a cafe for some live sketching of people, and then joined the Drawing is Free speed sketching zoom session for some live portrait practice.

Day Twenty-One and Twenty-Two of a 365-day people sketch challenge. Only got around to the Earthsworld’s portrait challenge, and refining my approach by relying less on lines to denote changes in tone, and relying more heavily on the use of watercolour values.

Day Twenty of a 365-day people sketch challenge. Experimenting with a bright colour triad for the Earthsworld’s portrait challenge. A portrait of Oliver Hoeller to kick off my Colour Confidence Tutorials. And a Reportage sketch of a fond farewell at Faro Airport.

Urban Sketchers Org daily prompt list calendar for January 2026

Day Nineteen of a 365-day people sketch challenge, supplementing my daily Earthsworld Challenge experiment with skin tones, with my first attendance of the Pencils4tea speed sketching event.

Four more days of a 365-day people sketch challenge. Using different styles for the Earthsworld Challenges, including a tonal study. Plus a travel journal sketch of people at the checkout during the pre-Christmas rush.

Refining my urban sketchers watercolour palette for 2026, by replacing Indigo Blue with Cobalt Blue. Exploring the way to mix replacements for my premixed greens. Discovering if I really have a use for my Phthalo Green.

So you’ve started your figures too long on the page, and you don’t have room to sketch the feet? It’s a common problem. Here’s a review of how to use ink lines and watercolour to approach the problem of running out of room at the bottom of the page when people sketches. My thoughts on which approach works best, and what doesn’t look good.

Day Fourteen of a 365-day people sketch challenge, exploring colour combinations and personal interpretations rather than exact replicas of reality. Plus sketches inspired by photos from Cordoba with dynamic focal points, and a speed sketching event.

In my ongoing 365 Day Challenge, I sketched during a trip to Córdoba, Spain. I sketched from photos. I explored different sketching styles, balancing detailed and loose, based on the urgency of the situation.

On Day Nine of the #Kick365 sketching challenge, I focused on a portrait from the Drawing Earthsworld Challenge. I used a triad of Opera Rose, Indian Red, and Cobalt Turquoise Light for skin tones. The outcome was a range of subtle colours with pleasing granulation

How I started my 10 minute daily people sketching practice, and some tips and inspiration for starting your own sketching habit.

What happens if you lost your way as an artist? It’s time to stop scrolling, and focus on your core interests.

Feature Sketch: my Urban Sketch of a man with big ears at a cafe in Tavira Looser Urban Sketching Lines…

Day eight of my people sketching challenge I attended the Drawing Is Free speed sketching event, and did the Earthsworld Portrait Challenge.

Day 7 of the 365 day challenge doing two days of the Earthsworld Challenge. An emphasis on colour palettes for skin and hair colour, and creating colour harmony between the face and the clothing to ensure a clear focal point.

On Day Six of my people sketching challenge, I sketched people in a café, and considered how to find the story I want to tell. I also sketched people at the till in a supermarket.