A morning urban sketching people at cafes and a mobile screening unit in Tavira. Experimenting with different backgrounds and page layout compositions.

Urban Sketching at a local cafe at the end of the street. Combining people sitting in different parts of the cafe together at a table, and experimenting with compositions for a reportage post.

Urban Sketching afternoon at the Tavira Plaza to capture people in ink and watercolour. Experimented with a V-shaped Composition, tonal shading with a spot colour background, and creating depth with desaturated colours.

Urban Sketching at a cafe, I used a comparison between objects to build a composition and plan the story I want my sketches to tell. Then Urban Sketching at a Pétanque game, where I had to rely on capturing a scene that developed organically into a pleasing composition. On this sketch I also used a collage element to fill some negative space.

Day 58 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. A visit to the Tavira Municipal Museum with the Urban Sketchers Algarve chapter of the Urban Sketchers Org. A warm-up sketch of Tavira rooftops and washing line, and while other sketchers were sketching the Tile Exhibition, I focused on sketching my fellow sketchers.

Day 47 of sketching people, a busy day at the Tavira second hand market, municipal market, and at a nearby café. Also sketched my uber driver going there and coming back. Different people sketching styles, and some interesting perspectives and colour choices.

Day 42 of Sketching people in ink and watercolour. Three urban sketches capturing daily observation commentary at Faro Airport in Portugal. Experimenting with reportage by adding text to two of the sketches, and a short poem about my urban sketching experience at the airport.

Day 36 of sketching people. This sketch is from a photo I took of the water taxi ride from Cabanas Beach to the mainland. I used a continuous line style, and evaluated how I could add more depth to this sketch with colour and line variation.

Day 32 of sketching people. Out and about at Tavira Market, in search of sketching shoppers with dynamic poses. I urban sketched in Pencil and then added ink and watercolour later.

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.

Sketch of participants a the Open Mic Event in Tavira for the 2025 Festa dos Anos de Alvaro de Campos, where I performed a poem in Portuguese and English.

A day out at the Vila Real beach fair to sketch people, and using it to learn what art tools I actually need in my urban sketching kit.

Some ideas and inspiration for creating interesting sketchbook page layouts when urban sketching people.

My practice sketches for creating ink and wash bougainvillea in vibrant watercolour.

Travel Urban Sketching at Lisbon Airport and a scene from my hotel window in Istanbul. Pen and Ink sketches.

Come along with me to Cabanas fishing boat jetty as I explore how to simplify some complex shapes in ink and watercolour.

Sketching seagulls from life isn’t easy. So I think it’s best to capture their character with a loose sketching style. I sketched them walking on the sand at low tide, and dive-bombing the fish that the fisherman were throwing into the water. All Sketching in ink and watercolour.

Doug Jackson boat tutorial exploring the use of different weights of ink lines to create depth.

First attempts at capturing the Cabanas fishing jetty and local seagulls in a fast and loose sketching style.

We discovered Fabrica by accident during a cycle ride between Cabanas and Manta Rota

A collection of my ink and watercolour sketches of Tavira and the surrounding areas in the East Algarve in Portugal.

The September 2024 edition of the East Algarve Magazine is available online.

The August 2024 edition of the East Algarve Magazine is available online.

Tavira’s Roman Bridge with the Igreja de Santa Maria peeping through the trees. Rendered in ink and watercolour.