Why does style feel so difficult to pin down?
For many sketchers, the idea of “finding a style” hovers in the background like an unfinished sketch. You sit with your book open, pen poised, and a thought creeps in: “Why don’t my drawings look like mine yet?”
Sometimes your pages feel like patchworks of other people’s ideas. One day you’re neat and precise, the next bold and loose, and neither quite feels like you. That sense of drifting can be discouraging.
But here’s the thing – style isn’t missing. It doesn’t need to be hunted down. It’s already there, taking shape in the marks you make, even if you can’t see it yet. The question isn’t “When will I find my style?” but “How can I embrace the style that’s already growing in me?”
Style is already part of your sketching
Style doesn’t appear in a single sketch. It emerges quietly, stitched together through your choices – how you handle line, how you let colour run, how you balance tone. Do you exaggerate rooflines? Keep your washes loose? Push shadows darker than reality? Each of these decisions adds up to a voice that’s unmistakably yours.
The trick isn’t to chase style as a finish line. It’s to keep sketching, to look back, and to notice what keeps showing up. Style is less about invention and more about recognition. It’s not something outside yourself – it’s already in your hands.
And if you doubt it, just listen to your pen scratching over the paper, or notice the blot of paint spreading into the fibres of the page. Those aren’t accidents; they’re you, leaving a record of how you see the world.
From realism to embracing individuality
Many sketchers arrive at urban sketching with a background in realism. Realism feels safe – you copy a photo, and the result looks “correct.” But realism also feels a little like painting someone else’s homework. A camera will always do duplication better.
Urban sketching asks us to bend, stretch, and exaggerate. To let a lamppost lean, a roof grow steeper, a shadow fall heavier than it “should.” That’s not failure – it’s storytelling. And storytelling is where style begins.
Student Ronda captured this journey perfectly:
“I started this adventure, as many, wanting to loosen up. I have an Art degree and spent my life painting realistically. I now regret all the years I wasted trying so hard to duplicate what a photo does instantly. I am loving this adventure even though I really struggle with finding my own style. I do see it starting to peek out. And this is probably the most fun I’ve had creating art than any other group I have been associated with.”
Her words remind us that style isn’t a technique you’re taught – it’s a discovery you embrace.
Think of Ian’s way of working. He begins with simple shapes, layers in colour, builds tone, and finally adds detail to tell the story. Within that framework, no two sketchers look alike. One person might lean into chunkier shadows, another keeps colours airy, another warps perspective for character. The steps are shared; the outcomes are personal. That’s the beauty of style.
Practical ways to embrace your style
So how do you lean into the style that’s already growing? Not by forcing it, but by noticing, playing, and letting community support you along the way.
1. Treat pre-sketches as rehearsal
Quick scribbles – two minutes at most – help you test a composition without pressure. Patterns will reveal themselves. Maybe you always shrink cars or tilt lampposts. Those aren’t mistakes; they’re style markers.
2. Let colour misbehave
When watercolour spills across a line or pigment blooms unexpectedly, resist the urge to fix it. These accidents often become the most alive part of the sketch. Think of the way a wash creeps unpredictably into the next patch – it’s messy, yes, but it carries energy.
3. Exaggerate deliberately
Pick one feature per sketch – a doorway, a chimney, a cobbled path – and push it further than reality. Stretch, enlarge, or tilt. At first it feels odd, but soon exaggeration becomes instinct, and your pages feel more like yours.
4. Sketch the story, not the photo
Ask yourself: what made me stop here? Was it the crooked sign, the sunlight on brick, the jumble of bicycles? That’s what to capture. The story, not the literal duplication, gives your work heart – and heart is the root of style.
5. Share honestly within community
Your “wonkiest” sketches often get the warmest responses, because people see honesty in them. That splash of paint you thought ruined the page might be the very thing someone else loves most. That’s the beauty of sharing – we see ourselves through others’ eyes, and often discover our style there too.
Observation and mindfulness: slowing down to see
Observation is the foundation of sketching, but it’s also a way of practising mindfulness. Sitting on a cold wall, pen scratching, you notice things most people stride past – the uneven edge of brickwork, the way light cuts across a window, the clutter of wires overhead.
This slowing down roots you in the moment. The hum of traffic becomes background music; the swirl of coffee in your cup anchors you in place. You’re not just sketching – you’re observing with care.
And when you exaggerate those crooked lines or highlight those small details, your sketch becomes more than a record. It becomes a response to a location. Those personal choices – the ones you might not even realise you’re making – are where style lives.
Style in community and location
Sketching in community highlights how differently we all see the same place. Ten sketchers might perch on the same corner, pens moving, and produce ten wildly different versions. One emphasises windows, another textures, another leaves half the page blank.
None of them is wrong. Each is personal. And together, they form a collective story of that location – woven from different voices, different styles.
Your choice of location also shapes your style. Some are drawn to ornate buildings, others to busy cafés, others to quiet streets. What makes you stop, sit, and pull out your book says something about your voice. Embrace those instincts – they’re part of your style too.
Enhanced learning through practice and patience
If finding style feels slow, that’s normal. Style isn’t a light switch; it’s a layering process, just like building a sketch. Every page adds a thread. Some days feel like breakthroughs, others like stumbles, but both matter.
Learning alongside others enhances this growth. Watching a fellow sketcher tackle shadows boldly might give you courage to try the same. Seeing someone warp perspective could free you from the need to keep lines straight. Feedback helps you notice habits you didn’t see yourself.
Enhanced learning doesn’t mean rushing. It’s steady growth, like layering washes of colour. Over time, those repeated layers build confidence and shape. And just like Ian’s process – shapes, colour, tone, detail – style emerges from small, repeated steps.
Style isn’t missing - it’s waiting to be embraced
Style can feel like smoke—something you reach for but can’t catch. But it isn’t missing. It’s already woven into your choices: the way your nib scratches across paper, the way your brush bleeds colour, the way you decide what to leave out.
Student Ronda’s words remind us that the joy of sketching comes not from nailing realism, but from loosening up, embracing wobble, and finding fun in the uncertainty.
So keep sketching. Keep sharing. Let your lines wander and your colours spill. Style doesn’t happen overnight – but it doesn’t need to. It’s already there, waiting to be embraced.
Ready to learn more?
If you’d like more support in embracing your own style, our Urban Sketch PLUS membership is designed to help. Each month we explore a different stage of the sketching process – shapes, colour, tone, and detail – so you can see how style naturally grows through practice. Members also get access to our full media library, including dedicated webinars on Finding Your Style, where you can revisit in-depth sessions any time. Alongside step-by-step demonstrations and practical exercises, you’ll be learning in a community that celebrates individuality and encourages you to grow at your own pace.
