My Favorite Art Supplies for Urban Sketching
For the most part, I have used the same set of tools for years when I do urban sketching or an illustration commission. In the last years, I have tested a number of art supplies but there are ones that I always stick to the most.
Sketchbooks:
I started doing urban sketching with a Talens Art Creation Landscape Sketchbook. It was perfect to begin doing urban sketches, especially wide compositions of cities and nature environments. I recommend this one for beginners, especially people who work with pencils and pens. I don’t think it’s suitable for me anymore because I’m always using watercolors, and I can’t wet the paper so much. That led me to experiment with other sketchbooks and invest in premium sketchbooks for watercolorists, such as the following ones:
Hahnemühle Watercolor Book 100% cotton
I cannot explain how much I love this watercolor book. I started using the smallest size (A6) because it’s portable and light for everyday sketching around the city, but I recently bought an A5 and I’m so happy I did! I cannot address enough HOW GOOD the paper is. It’s 100% Cotton paper, and it holds water and watercolors beautifully. If you’re a pro in watercolor, this is the one to go.
Moleskine Watercolor Album
I always saw Moleskine journals and sketchbooks at shops, but the prices intimidated me a bit. However, as I mastered urban sketching, I wanted to give it a try and see if I liked it. I bought for the first time a Moleskine Watercolor Album A5 size, to play with composition, lettering and mixed media art. Although I prefer the Hahnemühle paper, this Moleskine sketchbook is perfect for colored pencils, markers, ink and watercolors. I have made on this sketchbook an Inktober challenge and done a few urban sketching thumbnails, and the results are pretty good. Also, it has a pocket sleeve to put notes or papers, which is pretty handy!
Watercolors
Winsor & Newton Professional
This brand is part of my foundation. The Winsor & Newton Cotman Sketcher’s Pocket Set was the first watercolor set I bought, and it worked great as a beginner. After using that palette, I have bought the professional half-pans individually to replace them with the original half pans that the set brings, which are more student-grade.
I’ve used their watercolors for more than 5 years, and they never let me down. I especially love how transparent and blendable the colors are. My favorites? Quinacridone Gold and Payne’s Grey.
Daniel Smith
The intensity of these watercolors! I bought my first Daniel Smith Watercolor Half Pan - Set of 6, Sketcher Set, and I love it! It’s the one I take everywhere with me now, and it brings nine empty half pans. It’s a very light product, making it perfect to travel with.
Inking Essentials
Sakura Micron Pens
I know a lot of sketchers who jump around pens, but I’ve been loyal to Microns for a reason. They’re waterproof, reliable, and the nibs last longer than most. I use black most often, but I’ll sneak in sepia or blue tones when I’m feeling fancy.
Lamy Safari + Sailor Fountain Pens
When I want a looser, more fluid line, I switch to fountain pens. My Lamy Safari is clean and modern, while the Sailor adds a little flair with line variation. Both pair beautifully with carbon ink for waterproof sketching.
Platinum Carbon Black
A lot of fountain pens don’t include waterproof ink, so when I started researching how I could use the previous pens, I had to get an ink converter and Platinum Carbon Black ink. Even if it might get messy to fill up my pens, it’s so much better to have this ink because it won’t mess up when I use a lot of water.
Extras
White Gelly Roll
Binder clips
Pentel travel brushes
At the end of the day, you don’t need every fancy tool to become a better urban sketcher. What matters most is finding supplies that are reliable, portable, and enjoyable to use. These are the materials that have consistently supported my workflow and made sketching on location so much easier. I hope this guide helps you choose tools that fit your style and motivate you to sketch more often — wherever you are.
Happy sketching!
