Most of us draw with a pen and colour with a brush. Here is how Ian draws with the brush too, the rigger he reaches for, and why it loosens everything up
Muddy watercolour is rarely about your paints. Here is why it really happens, and how to keep your colour fresh.
Flat drawings usually have one thing missing: perspective. Here's how Ian teaches it on a steep cobbled slipway in an old smuggling village.
A sketching retreat ends and the hard part begins: keeping it going at home. Real takeaways from Urban Sketch Course members, plus a simple way to make the lessons stick.
You don't need to travel far to find five completely different subjects. You need to know how to look.
Why tonal value, not hue, is the secret to sketches that actually hold together - and how three colours can do the work of fifteen.
Learn how to pick the right scene and avoid overwhelming subjects with practical urban sketching composition tips.
Wales or New York? Beginners or Quick Sketch? A friendly guide to choosing the urban sketching course that suits you.
This article reveals why the very things that make old pubs charming - the sagging timbers, faded signs, hanging baskets, and chalkboards - are exactly what make them such forgiving and satisfying sketching subjects that are perfect for beginners.