Urban Sketching: Express Your World in a New Perspective

Your everyday life is an endless source of inspiration when it comes to sketching. In fact, urban sketcher Lapin believes that everything is sketchable: from your first cup of coffee to dinner with your friends. And a great urban sketcher not only depicts what is in front of them, they also convey the feeling of a place. Lapin has mastered the ability to tell a story with his sketches, through constant practice and curious observation, filling 200 sketchbooks in the last 18 years. His clients include Air France, the City of Barcelona, Le Parisien Magazine, Deutsche Telekom, PlayStation, Heineken, Marks & Spencer, Monoprix, Aigle, Peugeot, Porsche, and more.

In this course, Lapin teaches you how to tell the stories of your everyday life, using fineliners, watercolors, but most of all, your unique perspective. See how to sketch from observation, discover the curvilinear perspective, and express your original stories with depth and feeling.

Lapin begins by telling you about his passion for the art of sketching, how he braved the transition between graphic design to becoming a full-time urban sketcher, and shares his main sources of inspiration along the way.

Discover the urban sketcher’s manifesto. Go through the minimal sketching gear you need for the course, focusing on Lapin’s personal favorites. He tells you how he makes the most out of each item and how you can apply them to your sketches throughout the course.

Learn Lapin’s intuitive technique to sketch from observation using a black fineliner for contour and a reduced watercolor palette for volume to start the first practical exercise. Next up is perspective, going from classical to curvilinear perspective. Practice the cylindrical perspective to create curvaceous horizontal lines and the spherical perspective—also known as fisheye perspective—to curve both horizontal and vertical lines using simple observation techniques.

According to Lapin, a good sketchbook must contain a dinosaur and a spaceship, but what are you passionate about? Once you’ve outlined your themes, start practicing and learning how to improve with Lapin’s advice. Learn how to sketch objects by creating a composition of some of your favorite objects, to warm up your hand and practice Lapin’s sketching from observation technique.