The Perfect Urban Sketching Kit for Drawing on the Go

What are the best art materials for urban sketching?

Well, I should begin with a caveat.

There's a saying, a good artist can use any brush, and it's true.

Too often, beginners fall for the temptation that a new pen will help them develop a beautiful, loose line quality, or that a new watercolor kit will help them whip out bright, impressive landscapes.

But, I know from experience that after purchasing these items, we remain the same artist with the same skills but with a little less cash.

It's for this reason that I've made an effort to not discuss materials much in my online content and instead focus on methods and strategies. If you sense that might be what you're really looking for, I recommend checking out my course Zero to Sixty Sketchbook School. Or any other course. Because cultivating your knowledge and abilities is what really makes a difference.

But, of course, we also need utensils, so let's return to the question. What are the best sketchbooks, pens, and watercolor items for urban sketching?

The following are a few recommendations in each category, plus some tips on how to pack so you can draw better, faster, and more often.

The perfect all-purpose sketchbook:

While I don't normally use the album style sketchbooks that have a landscape orientation, the Hahnemühle Aquarelle version here has excellent paper and it's wide format offers a fun challenge.

Moleskine Watercolor Notebook: My personal favorite. This one is a little more expensive than most, but the paper quality is worth the investment if you plan to use wet media.

Stillman and Bern Beta Series: These are another heavyweight option that can handle anything. If you prefer smooth paper, try the Zeta option.

Hahnemühle Akademie Aquarell Watercolor Book: A contentender for the top spot, this sketchbook has excellent paper for watercolor and ink sketches.

Aside from brand names, I recommend considering your preferences on the following categories:

• Binding: Spiral, pad, or book

• Orientation: Portrait or landscape

• Paper Weight and Suitable Materials: Wet or dry medium

• Paper Texture: Hot or cold press (hot is smooth, cold has texture)

• Size: Larger, smaller, or about the same as copy paper

Almost always, I opt for medium-sized hard-bound sketchbooks that are made specifically for watercolor (which means they can handle pretty much everything else, too).

If you plan to use dry media only, then the paper weight isn't as much of a concern, and you have more options that will work fine.

Some people may prefer landscape options (which is when the binding is on the top instead of the left side, but I would still advise against spiral-bound books because they can easily get bent out of shape. Sketchpads (which are held together by glue) are better if you plan to sell the work. Otherwise, I'd skip them, too, as they'll likely fall apart.

If you're feeling crafty, there is a great tradition of artists making their own sketchbooks, which is something I've done and recommend. There are plenty of resources out there on this topic, but perhaps someday I'll create a tutorial.

Ink pens for loose outlines:

The Sailor Fude De Mannen pen's bent nib has a learning curve that is steep at first but worth the effort.

Sailor Fude Pen: While it felt clumsy to use at first, this pen is now my current favorite. The main feature—a tilted nib that can be used to vary thick and thin lines—just takes a little time to learn. Like with other fountain pens, it's worth purchasing with a permanent ink converter, which is a special cartridge that allows the pen to be refilled with other types of ink.

Lamy Safari: A favorite among many urban sketchers, this pen is in a similar price range and can be found in most art stores. Remember to purchase this one with a compatible ink converter.

Molotow One-for-All Acrylic Marker: This was my go-to pen for years, but it was never reliable. At times the pen would clog, and at other times pressure changes in the cartridge caused spills and ruined clothes. I still use it sometimes, however, because the chaos can be fun. My preferred color was Petrol, but if you shell out the near ~$10 for this pen, you will also need to refill it with ink, which is more expensive than other kinds. To save money, I used Liquitex Acrylic Ink.

Pentel Sign Pen: Perhaps the best pen you can purchase for ~$1. This is what I give my students in Intro to Urban Sketching

Watercolors that Work:

Watercolor is great for quick, broad applications of color but comes at a cost: it's hard to transport and set up on the fly.

Of all the different types of art materials, watercolor kits and brushes present the widest range between budget and premium options. Generally, I recommend going for the premium option from the start. The ones I have listed here are not terribly expensive but punch above their weight.

Winsor and Newton Travel Kit: I tried a few different budget brands before committing the extra $5-10 on this one, and I wish I had just accepted the cost sooner. This kit feels perfect. The colors are specific in a way that I think helps you learn how to paint.

Princeton Heritage Brushes: When using watercolor, you want big, general brushstrokes that cover an area quickly instead of small, specific brushes that take 30 passes. For this reason, I purchased a single Round Size 16 brush for ~$30 and it's all I use, even for fine details.

Urban Sketching Seats and Stools:

After years of standing with a sore back, I finally got a chair, and it works well! The only issue is the brand, Hesanzol, no longer offers the item on Amazon. That said, you can find many alternatives by searching for a collapsible stool—they're all very similar!

Most urban sketching stools look something like this and can collapse into a portable disk.