The Art of Urban Sketching: Drawing On Location Around The World [Paperback]

Gabriel Campanario (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2012

The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), this beautiful, 320-page volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is being practiced today. With profiles of leading practitioners and discussions of the benefits of working in this art form, this inspiring book shows how one can participate and experience this creative outlet through modern-day social networks and online activity. You'll find more than 600 beautiful, contemporary illustrations, as well as artists' profiles and extended captions where these urban sketchers share their stories, how they work, sketching tips, and the tools behind each drawing. With sketches and observations from more than 50 cities in more than 30 countries, The Art of Urban Sketching offers a visually arresting, storytelling take on urban life from different cultures and artistic styles, as well as insight into various drawing techniques and mediums.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Campanario founded the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers, and this book showcases the work of over 100 artists worldwide who draw scenes from the cities where they live and travel, posting them at urbansketchers.org. The concept caught on fast, and new groups are forming around the world, connecting with each other online. Here, Campanario offers guidance on tools, techniques, the urban environment, and drawing styles, but the main strength of this book is the 500-plus full-color examples of successful sketches drawn in metropolises and towns all over the globe. VERDICT: Part travel book, part art instruction, this is a great guide to look at before (or instead of) your next vacation." - Library Journal

About the Author

Gabriel Campanario is a staff artist at The Seattle Times and the founder of Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Campanario’s newspaper column, Seattle Sketcher, was awarded first place for blog writing in “The Best of the West” journalism contest. The blog and weekly print column, which combine location sketches and written stories, have quickly become popular in the Seattle area, where Campanario has been featured in TV and radio appearances.

A native Spaniard, Campanario moved to the U.S. in 1998 and has lived near Seattle with his wife and two children since 2006. His journalism career spans two decades, working for newspapers in Barcelona, Lisbon, California, and Virginia. Campanario has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Quarry Books (February 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592537251
• ISBN-13: 978-1592537259
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Arts & Photography > Drawing > Pastel
  • #1 in Books > Arts & Photography > History & Criticism > Themes > Landscapes & Seascapes
  • #3 in Books > Arts & Photography > Other Media > Graffiti & Street Art

More About the Author

Gabriel Campanario is an Spanish-born journalist and illustrator best known for his award-winning Seattle Times blog and weekly column Seattle Sketcher. Campanario is also the founder of Urban Sketchers, an online community and non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the art of on-location drawing. Campanario, who was born in Barcelona, calls the Seattle area home since 2006. His journalism career has spanned newsrooms in Spain, Portugal, Nevada, California and Virginia.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Showcases the love for sketching January 26, 2012

By Parka TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Length: 1:25 Mins

Urban sketchers is a community of sketchers who share their sketches online. There are groups in various countries. I'm a follower of the main blog. I find it very interesting to be reading about places around the world, getting to know the streets through the eyes of people living or traveling there.

This book is 320 pages thick. For the price, it's a terrific bargain. There are over 500 sketches featured from artists all around the globe. The styles are incredibly varied, ranging from pencil sketches to watercolour paintings. Each artist has a personal style, and each sketch has a story to tell. Some of the artists are so good they should publish their own books. Gerard Michel is one of them.

There are three sections in the book. The first is the introduction on urban sketching. The second section showcases the different places drawn. That's the bulk of the book. And the third provides inspiration on where and what you can draw.

The location drawings are accompanied by artist profiles and drawing tips. This isn't an instructional book so it doesn't really cover the techniques on drawing.

I like the short stories on the sketches. Florian Afflerbach and his friends were drawing in Venice when the flood came and soak their feet. Nina Johansson documented the demolition of a public bath house, and the protest against the demolition.

Artist Joao Catarino has a sentiment that I share: Drawing everywhere is like traveling all the time. Sketching is one way to get the holiday mood all the time. I can look back at my sketches and remember vividly the places visited. I cannot say the same for travel photos I've taken. The experience is richer when you're not looking but studying a place. I wish I had started sketching earlier.

This is a fantastic book.

Highly recommended.

(There are more pictures of the book on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Travel the World with Sketchers February 3, 2012

By The Scribbler

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

With more than 100 sketchers contributing to this book it is just a treasure trove of sketches from around the world. Some focus on the architecture, some on the people, but all capture real places in real time. Each image has notes on the materials and time used to create it. Sprinkled throughout the book are tips from many of the artists. If you are a sketcher, or just an armchair traveler, this is a unique way to see the world not through someone's camera but through their sketchbook. I'll go back to this book again and again.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring way to "see the world one drawing at a time" March 8, 2012

By Tina K.

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have admired the sketches of author Gabriel Campanario ever since they started appearing weekly in The Seattle Times. Known as the Seattle Sketcher, Campanario takes even the most commonly photographed, iconic Seattle scenes, such as the Pike Place Market, and gives them his fresh, personal perspective that no camera can capture. I was so inspired that I became an urban sketcher myself. As I dug for more of his work on his personal blog, I was led to the local and then the international Urban Sketchers blogs (initiated by Campanario), which showed me the world "one drawing at a time" - and further compelled me to explore my city (and any city I visit) with a sketchbook. Now The Art of Urban Sketching brings to print the same types of visual expressions that I have been admiring online.

The 300-plus pages are divided into three parts. The first helps beginning sketchers gather the right tools and attitude to adopt the urban sketchers' manifesto.

The second, and largest, section, the meat of the book, compiles the work of more than a hundred artists worldwide giving us their unique urban views. It's nothing short of amazing to see the variety of styles, media and perspectives. Some sketches are casual and loose, while others are intensely detailed. Some are completed in minutes; others in many hours over the course of weeks. All are the result of careful observation and the desire of the artists to truly know a place by sketching it.

I especially enjoyed the artist profiles, their first-person anecdotes about the scenes they sketched and the photos of those artists sketching (usually standing on a street corner, sitting against a building or on a bench). I also appreciated brief technical tips the artists offered to make outdoor sketching more comfortable or make drawings more interesting, and information about how long the sketch took and media used. Some sites depicted are easily recognizable because they are widely photographed, yet the sketches are more intimate and personal than most photos. Other cities are less-often seen in the media, so these glimpses of faraway neighborhoods seem led by personal tour guides.

The third section covers themes - architecture, seasons, nighttime sketching - that urban artists are compelled to sketch. "People in Action" - my personal favorite sketching subject that I also find most challenging - includes helpful tips on how to capture movement, mood and energy when you only have a few minutes or seconds before the "model" is gone.

As a long-time wannabe sketcher, I have read and admired many books on nature sketching (Hannah Hinchman's fine work comes first to mind), but as a city dweller, I don't often or easily see the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife shown in those books. Finally, a book of sketches for the rest of us that makes it clear that the urban landscape can be as compelling, moving and ever-changing as nature. If you have any desire to capture your urban life in a sketchbook or view how others have captured theirs, you will love this book.