Best Places to Urban Sketch In Your Own City

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 Top 10 Places to Sketch

1. Your room
    
    Sketching from my room is an activity that I have become very well accustomed to recently. Although the beauty of Urban sketching is that you can get outside and discover new places, you can get involved with the Urban sketching community from the comfort of your own home. At the beginning of 2020, with stay-at-home orders at an all time high, many sketchers took it as a chance to find new inspiration from their everyday lives. This even spawned the hashtag #USKathome where many well known sketchers began drawing their bedrooms, bathrooms and even kitchens giving a different view of daily life.

2. Café/ Coffee shop
    
    Cafes and Coffee shops are an absolute staple of urban sketching. If you have spent any time (and I mean ANY time) looking at other sketcher's work, you have inevitably seen a coffee shop sketch whether of the shop building itself or of a meal and the people there. Coffee shops are a great to be inconspicuous but still be in a lively area where you can sketch people. Because people at Coffee shops are often doing their own work they won't even notice you taking a peek to draw them. Cafes are a great option because they have many different subjects to draw from food, utensils, furniture and most importantly people.

3. Library

    Libraries are very similar to cafes in that no one is paying attention to you because they are doing there own thing. There are essentially endless options of things to sketch at a library, from the people looking at books, to architecture of the building itself. The one downside of sketching at the library is that it isn't conducive to using paint. You'll probably find that painting in a library is a bit cumbersome and thus you'll probably want to stick to pens and pencils. Another downside is that you'll have to keep quiet and try not to get too messy with your materials.

4. Farmer's Markets
    
    Although this is a painting experience I am yet to try, It is one that I am really hoping to try in the not too distant future. If you are looking to meet new people, sketch a lively atmosphere and spend some time in the sun, a farmer's market might be the perfect place to sketch. You can paint the tent setups, the people bargaining and whatever else is in eye shot. Also, working outdoors at a farmers market allows you to use any materials you want, gouache, acrylic, oils and inks are all great to use and the mess they make won't be a big deal.

5. The Beach

    If you live anywhere near a beach, you absolutely HAVE to make use of it. The great thing about the beach is that: One, you can stay incognito and find a spot far from anyone. And Two, there's all kinds of subjects, from people, to umbrellas to the shore scene. And Three, There's no need to hold back on paint. If you want to use Gouache, Acrylic, or even Oils. And I personally think that beach paintings have some of the most interesting compositions and very cohesive color palettes. The only downside of painting at the beach is that you will inevitably be fighting against the sand and wind that are trying their hardest to ruin your day out painting.

6. Churches 
    
    If you are a connoisseur of architecture, the easiest access point to sketching architecture in your own town is a church. From the towers, intricate roofing and steeples, to the stained glass and rows of pews, churches are perfect for sketching. A lot of us want to sketch the beautiful architecture of Italy or Greece but that involves a ton of traveling. If you are absolutely dying to sketch some architecture and you aren't in the position to travel, try going to a local church and get sketching. The only thing I will note about sketching at a church is that you should try to be very respectful to the people going in and out because churches often hold very important events from marriages to funerals. 

7. Fishing Spots

    Here's a quick rule of thumb, If you can fish there you can paint there. The two acts in themselves are quite similar. Both are long relaxing tasks that allow you to sit back and appreciate the process. Fishing piers, ponds lakes and even some ocean spots make for great places to set up and get sketching. Though you may have to get your feet a little wet in order to get to a good view, it will be well worth it. You also will have to take into account the weather as well as the bugs that come along with Painting near standing water.

8. Parking Lots
    
    If you are looking for a spot where no one will bother you, look no further than an empty parking lot. Although empty parking lots are typically used for teaching beginners how to drive, you can also get some very good sketching in. I have sketched in parking lots more times than I can count on both hands. Often times I will park in a lot and then sketch from the comfort of my car, but in the past, I have set up my easel and all to get an interesting painting. If you think you have no where left to sketch in your town, give this one a shot, You'll be surprised with what you're able to come up with.


9. Parks
        
    This suggestion may be the most obvious of the bunch but its worth a mention on this list. Sketching at the park is always a great option because of the large selection of things to sketch. Sketch the people chatting with friends, the nature around you, your view from the bench you're sitting on. The park has been my absolute go to in terms of painting locations. If you truly believe there's no where to sketch in your little town, I highly suggest that you just take a walk around your local park and find something.


10. Sports Games 
    
    Sports games can be a great way to sketch and also get involved in your local community. Go see the local minor league baseball team and sketch the game. You can sketch your hotdog and popcorn or even quick figure studies of the players. If you're not interested in being around a bunch of sports fans, then go check out these fields when no one is there. Empty baseball fields are still a very cool subject. You will probably have to keep your materials more low profile if you plan to sketch at a sports game. So things like pens, pencils, and markers are fine but bringing paint might prove to be quite the hassle.

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