Feature Sketch: my Urban Sketch of a man with big ears at a cafe in Tavira

Looser Urban Sketching Lines

I’ve been following Toby Haseler on Youtube for quite a while now. His really loose style of sketching isn’t something I’m aspiring to achieve, but I am trying to get more comfortable with loosening up my lines.

My natural sketching style is usually quite precise, but I have been chasing a looser line and painting style for years (and years). What I want to get comfortable with is a middle-ground between my usual precise style, and Toby’s ultra-loose style. I’m getting there, as you can see from the feature image.

What I like about watching Toby’s videos is that his style and skills aren’t intimidating. He makes sketching seem very achievable for anyone without any skills or knowledge or urban sketching.

When I first started my urban sketching journey, I tended to try to mirror the style being demonstrated in the tutorials from more established urban sketchers. But now I’ve accumulated a shelf full of completed sketchbooks, I’ve become a lot more selective about which skills or techniques I want to absorb from tutorials and adapt into my personal sketching style.

Toby’s Youtube videos have some good insights, and I love the confidence his line and colour application has. He also has an engaging way of teaching.

It’s infectious.

He’s full of enthusiasm for his looser approach to urban sketching, and you can follow him on Instagram at tobysketchloose.

Toby’s Urban Sketching Empire

It wasn’t until I saw Toby had published a book, Sketching in the City, that I ventured over to his website, and saw how active he is at hosting in-person workshops and sketching events, and the volume of online sketching courses he’s put together.

So hats off to you Toby! You’ve been very busy.

Toby’s Sketch Loose Method for People and Figures

One of Toby’s tutorials is a 35 Lesson course about using his loose sketching method for capturing people and figures in an urban sketch. Toby breaks down how to use ink and watercolour, using a step-by-step approach to build detail in a loose and expressive way. It covers skills-building techniques for adding figures to scenes, and capturing portraits.

Toby’s Online People Sketching Course

Hop on over to his website, and you can view a preview of the course contents.

Full disclosure – I haven’t done Toby’s course, and I’m not sure if I will. But I wanted to post about it to raise its profile.

As someone who is on their own urban sketching people adventure, I’m only too aware about how many Urban Sketching tutorials and courses there are about capturing buildings, and how few are focused on building skills and confidence to urban sketch people.

We live in a populated world, and whether people are the focus of your sketches, or are simple support characters to add context or scale, I don’t think an urban sketched scene is complete without them.

I know not every sketcher will agree with this concept. But you have to wonder, is it because there was no people in the scene they were sketching, or is it because they’re intimidated by their lack of people-sketching skills?

Not Sure Toby’s People Sketching Course is For You?

Here’s a couple of free options, to help you decide whether you want to commit to Toby’s online people sketching course.

Free Taster Course from Toby

Toby is hosting a free 12-lesson course, which provides a step-by-step overview of his sketching and watercolour painting technique. This is a great way to find out if his teaching style is a good fit for your way of learning.

In the past, I’ve signed up for too many paid tutorials, which I’ve abandoned half way through, because there’s something annoying or distracting about the artist’s teaching style. Luckily, I don’t find Toby’s teaching style annoying or distracting! But this free taster course is a great opportunity to find out for yourself.

I’ve just signed up, and will go through it when I get a chance and write my thoughts about it.

Another way to see if you like Toby’s approach to sketching, is to coast through the videos he hosts on Youtube.

Toby’s Video Tutorials on Youtube

Toby also has a people sketching playlist over on Youtube which has tutorials for loose sketching people, capturing crowds, painting single figures in a scene, using continuous lines, creating portraits, and doodling small figures to add to your urban sketching scenes.

Actually, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve done all of them myself. So after his free 12-lesson course, I’m going to head back over to Youtube and work my way through his Youtube tutorials.

What about you? How are you actively working on improving your people sketching skills?