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

Urban sketch in ink and watercolour of some players taking part in a Pétanque match in the village. Also a couple of portrait sketches to finish of my latest A6 people sketching sketchbook.

Traveled to Ayamonte Spain for a day of urban sketching. I sketched people at the cafe, a few buildings and an iconic statue in the square in old town. My watercolour pencils saved the day, and I used this day trip to experiment with page layout ideas and using spot colour for areas of focal point.

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.

Sketching from photos to get a jolt of inspiration after hitting a creative lull. I used a different style for one sketch, and incorporated different art materials for the other. I also show how I created my watercolour pencil stubbies, so that they’re an ideal size to take urban sketching.

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.

Day 66 of sketching people. Ink Sketches and tonal shading, with vivid spot colour added during the Pencils4tea speed sketching event on zoom, where every pose is the length of a music track.

Not much time today, but enough time for a quick coffee at a local cafe and a quick sketch, about being in a foreign country but still able to order scones and clotted cream. This was an experiment in reportage and page composition.

An exploration of using distorted perspectives on my people sketches. I did Regina Spector’s Making Sketches Expressive through Proportions Tutorial, and here’s the exercises we did, and some examples of other sketches I’ve done with distorted proportions.

Kick in the Creatives is hosting a month-long challenge called February Faces, so I decided to do month of blind contour self portraits in ink, and then finish them off with watercolour. I’m using their daily prompt list to drive the poses I’m sketching.

A sunny day so I headed to the Algarve town of Olhão for a full day of urban sketching. I sketched on public transport there and back, and at the market, and a local cafe. There was also a surprise Carnaval parade that had taken place, and that greeted me when I arrived. Another interesting sketching opportunity.

Urban Sketching at a local cafe at the end of the street. Today the focus was just about sketching people, and I didn’t get too hung up on communicating a story. Although for the dapper gent in his sports coat, a story evolved as I sketched him.

An Urban Sketching trip to Tavira. Captured the Uber driver in a photo booth sketch series. Sketched in two cafes to finish one sketch. And drew a man in the park because I liked the way he posed his legs, but I ended up cutting his feet off.

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.

An erratic collection of people sketching today, including speed portraits from the Drawing is Free zoom event online, with collage and using my photo booth format. A timed portrait from a YouTube video. And a sketch from a photo of a fellow sketcher, using a distorted perspective to make the sketch more dynamic.

A reportage sketch with a restaurant bill as some collage fodder, and a Valentine’s Day Poem to develop a story around a scene I only saw for a couple of minutes. Sometimes you need to invent your own story, when you have no idea what’s going on.

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 57 of sketching people. Pencil Sketches during the Pencils4tea speed sketching event on zoom, where every pose is the length of a music track.

Day 57 of sketching people. A visit to a local bar in Cabanas to sketch in the sunshine to sketch groups of people, to practice compositions with a group of people. And also try out a new sketchbook format in the shape of a photo booth strip of images.

Day 54 of sketching people. Drawing is Free speed sketching event on zoom. Sketched a series of portraits, where every pose is the length of a music track. Experimenting with pencil gesture sketch, ink, and tonal shading. Also sketched urban sketchers who are hosting workshops at Toulouse in July.

Day 53 of sketching people in ink and watercolour. A quick jaunt down to a neighbourhood bar to urban sketch a couple sitting outside, huddled up against the weather on a chilly Sunday afternoon. This sketch taught me a couple of valuable lessons about ink lines and the use of colour.

A blind contour sketch of Urban Sketcher and Illustrator Lis Watkins, to illustrate this post about her sketchbook Tour of Toulouse, where she uses bright and vibrant colours to capture the essence of this French city that’s hosting the new Urban Sketchers Symposium in 2026

Day 52 of 365 Days of Sketching People. A couple of urban sketches of people in Tavira, and the sketches I did while attending two tutorials about sketching people with distorted proportions and perspectives.

Day 51 of sketching people and portraits at a local clinic. Using gesture sketches, and added ink lines and watercolour. Created colour harmony with a vivid colour triad opera pink, hansa yellow light, and phthalo blue. Used the colour to create a visual hierarchy within the page layout.