Urban Sketching: Urban Greens and Foliage

1. Kickstarting The Journey: Hey, everyone. Welcome to this urban sketching urban greens and foliage session where we'll explore the charm of linework in urban sketching with just a fine liner pen. Today I'll take you through some quick sketches showing how simplicity in design can bring beauty to your creations. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned artist, this process will inspire you to focus on the essence of urban sketching. I'm patchy and in this course, we are capturing the charm of urban greenery with free flow urban sketching style. Forget rigid techniques and perfect lines. This course is about finding and exploring your own unique style as we capture the charm of urban sketching. There is something magical about urban greens and foliage. They're literally scattered throughout our cities all around us, adding busts of life to the concrete jungle. To me, they feel like little pockets of creativity of tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of cities. In urban sketching, urban greens and foliage, I'm sharing my passion for these everyday natural elements. When I'm out exploring the city, I can't help but marvel at the trees, plants, patches of greenery that thrive in urban spaces. These green heavens found in parks, cafes, street corners, they have a unique charm that begs to be captured on paper. Have you as well ever felt inspired to sketch the serene beauty of urban greens? Simple lines, and using simple stroke will create loose expressive sketches. We'll focus on embracing the imperfection. We'll find beauty in the ordinary and bring out the essence of nature in our urban sketches. By the end, you'll have a collection of vibrant expressive sketches that reflect your own artistic voice and your own newfound style. Let's embark on this journey together one leaf and one tree at a time. And of course, remember, if you have questions, need a helping hand or simply want to share your creative journey, I'm here for you. This is a place for learning for growing and connecting with each other. Don't hesitate to reach out to me, and I'll be more than happy to get connected. All then, my dearest friends, let's not wait anymore and let's get our urban sketching story started. 2. Simple Strokes, Expressive lines: Hey, guys, let's dive in. I'm going to show you how to create some super quick sketches today, just using just a fine liner pen in this case. This is all about keeping it very simple and having fun. You know, no fancy tools or complicated techniques. Are required. So just grab your pen, relax and get going. For this one, I'm starting with the outline. I'm just going in for clean, simple lines. There is nothing too specific or there's nothing too precise. The idea here is to focus on the basic form, the basic form and the structure and let the details come in later or maybe not at all. Depending on the vibe you're going for. It doesn't matter that you are sketching all of the aspects of the subject that you see in front. That's the beauty of this kind of sketching. It's free flow. It's just to embrace the way your pen flows freely in front of you. It's about capturing the essence, not perfection. So I'm trying to keep my hand really loose, almost like I'm scribbling, but controlled scribbling here. In this case, I'm adding a bit of details, if that makes sense. You don't need to overthink this. Just let your lines flow naturally and try to have some fun with it. Honestly, it's the imperfections that gives these kind of sketches, especially urban sketching. It gives ban sketching a personality in itself. I'm going to switch things up just a tiny bit. What I'm doing is still sticking to simple line work, but I'm adding a little more variation in terms of how long or bold the lines are. That is when I'm lifting the pen, sometimes sooner, sometimes I'm just taking a shot at a single long stroke at a time. So this helps give the sketch a bit more character, even though it's super quick again. See, there is nothing complicated in this case. It's just about getting your ideas down on paper. So you might notice, when you proceed to sketch these objects yourself, you might notice, especially leaves and foliage, you might notice your hand starts moving more confidently and you're not guessing yourself as much. That is the magic of quick sketching. That is the magic of urban sketching. It's like warm up for your creative muscles. Plus, it's also very satisfying to see a bunch of little sketches come together like this. I've started adding a bit more details, just tiny bit of details here around the leaves that this is really interesting about sketching foliage and leaves, is that it just brings out the real personality in me. It's a very free flowing concept, and I really like to draw and render it on paper. So for the second one, I'm just trying to keep my hand again very loose and I've started scribbling and control scribbling again. And I'm I'm just started outlining my tree and I'm just adding more details around, you know, just scribbling. I just I just see tree in front of me and I'm just starting to add the details like maybe a bunch of leaves which are in shade or if there is a bit of a light which is, you know, falling on the tree. So I'm I'm just taking a sense of what I see in front and I'm just scribbling it out on paper. This is just a reminder that there is no need to use anything any complex tools or techniques to create something meaningful to let your art speak for itself. There is no stress. There is no need to worry about following a particular procedure or a technique. Just let your creativity let your natural instinct flow on paper. That's the beauty of urban sketching. The desperate. It's just the you do. I the so the you the step 3. Adding Dynamism with Colors: Welcome back, everyone. In this session, we are going to add some flash of color to our urban sketch using watercolors. Adding color can bring out your sketches to life and give them a whole different dimension. So make sure you have your watercolor palette, preferably a medium sized round brush. What I'm doing here is I'm using a portable watercolor set. These come with small brush and built in mixing areas. If you're new, don't worry, we'll keep things simple and fun. Now, I'm focusing on urban greens and foliage in this, so we'll need a variety of greens and browns, maybe a few complimentary colors, like yellows or maybe a blue. So you don't need to stick to realistic colors, feel free to experiment and see what speaks to you. Good is to start with lighter colors as I'm doing here, build up to darker shades later on. This helps in creating depth and prevent your colors from becoming muddy. So what I'm doing is I'm wetting the paper slightly before applying any lighter areas. I am experimenting with blending some different shades of green. And I'm just trying to, you know, blend the effects that are perfect for backgrounds or larger areas of color. So take your brush, dip it in clean water, lightly wet the area you'll be working on, and then you can pick up some watercolor, the shade that is, you know, strikes a chord with you. And it's not important that you are rendering the exact color which you see in front. The objects can be a different shade and you can experiment with a shade that suits your preference. So I have just picked up a couple of shades of green and I'm just gently touching it to the wet paper. I'm not focusing much on, you know, any specific technique. I'm just experimenting with the wash. Watch how the color spreads and blends, let it blend beautifully, let it just render out on paper organically. Great for adding a base layer to your foliage. You can try wet on dry technique or wet on wet technique, but it's not important to really focus on what technique you're using. You can just apply watercolor directly to dry paper as well. It will give you more control, and if you want, you can define the edges of the leaves and of the structure that you have in front on paper. But I generally tend to just follow my instinct. I just like to dibble, the color and just try to render the color on paper. I don't focus much on maintaining the edges or maintaining the structure and shape of the object in front. You can create different textures as well, vary the pressure and angle of your brush and see how it works for you. Don't be afraid to add more colored layers. It will add richness and more complexity to your work. Again, I prefer to keep it simple. This is urban sketching, so I do not believe in adding a lot of complexity to my work. You can focus on blending and layering. Blending can be done while the paint is still wet by gently brushing the edges of two colors, two shades together, and for layering, wait until the first layer is completely dry before adding another layer on top. This prevents the color from mixing and it keeps your sketch gris. Layering is especially useful for adding shadows and highlights. You have to remember though, that watercolors are transparent. Each layer will show through and create a beautiful depth. So this is about bringing your sketch to life. You can use a fine brush or a detail brush to add smaller details like veins on leaves or highlights. Uh, on the surrounding objects. But you can also use a bit of gel pen for highlights. This little touches can make a big difference. They can add a bit of magic to your sketch, but again, it's not important. This is about urban sketching, a beautifully colored urban sketch that captures the essence of the object, which is, you know, the greens and foliage that is in front of you. It's not important to focus on a lot of details. You can just it's just about feeling more confident about adding colors to your sketch. So remember, practice makes perfect. So keep experimenting with colors and you can add more vibrac your creations to your objects, and I can't wait to see your vibrant creations, happy sketching. Heavy. 4. Reflections & Key Takeaways: So my fellow urban sketches, thank you so much for joining me on this artistic journey through the world of urban sketching. Here in this course, we're focused on urban greens and foliage that make our urban hangouts and spaces, our homes, and environment all around us so special. I've loved every moment of creating this course and sharing my urban sketching passion with you all. Here are all the sketches we created today. I've added some more of my personal touches to these. Each one tells its own story. It's just a few lines. This exercise is a reminder that you don't need complex tools or techniques to create something meaningful that resonates with you. Grab your pen, sketch books, and sketch what you see. Let your art speak for itself. Sometimes a quick artwork is all you need to reconnect with your creative spark. These moments of spontaneity keep the artistic process fun and rewarding. Small sketches like these are valuable exercises. They build your confidence and also help refine your techniques one small step at a time. Remember, it's okay to embrace imperfections every brush stroke or a pencil mark, adds character to your work, your own character. Also remember to keep it natural and organic. You don't have to be a watercolor expert here. I have literally just popped in some pigments to bring out the dreaminess in the subjects here. Feel absolutely free to use any color medium. Pencilal colors work beautifully as well. Now, as you continue to explore and refine your own sketches, remember that every line, every mark you're making is going to be a step toward discovering your own style. Urban sketching is not just about capturing what's in front of you. It's about expressing your personal vision and enjoying the process. I hope you've gained new techniques and a fresh perspective on capturing the beauty around you. Don't forget to share your wonderful sketches in the project gallery. I'm excited to see your creative interpretations and the amazing art you've created. Keep practicing, keep experimenting and most importantly, have fun with your sketches. If you have any questions, need further guidance, feel free to reach out. Let's continue this artistic adventure together until next time, keep sketching and finding beauty in the everyday environment around you.