The Materials You Need for Your Urban Sketchbook

Discover the materials you need to create an urban sketchbook with Hugo Barros Costa

AI teacher, architect, illustrator and urban planner Hugo Barros Costa (@yolahugo_) loves studying drawing through the works of the great masters, and insists on doing something creative every day. He’s always ready to learn and experiment with new techniques and forms of expression. For him, drawing is a universal form of expression.

His sketchbook is therefore an essential part of his creative process. It allows him to create numerous sketches and experiments that will become finished works.

In this video, Hugo shows you the various types of pens, notebooks and markers he uses to create his sketchbooks.

Don’t miss it:

Backpack

Hugo takes a backpack containing all the materials he needs when he goes out to create urban architectural designs. A medium-sized backpack, big enough for notebooks, pens and the other little accessories used to help the creative process is fine. You don’t want it to be too heavy, as that can get tiring on longer walks.

Notebooks

Always keep 2 kinds of notebook to hand: a compact A5 sketchbook for small-scale drawings, and an A6 notebook for larger horizontal or vertical images. It’s a good idea to use bulldog clips to keep your notebooks in good shape when you’re on the move. They also stop the wind turning or ruffling the pages as you work.

Ballpoint pens

The variety of pens available should never be a problem, as each design helps you achieve a different result. Use a fountain pen to create more traditional lines in a range of thicknesses. This pen may be a bit trickier to work with, but the results are well worth the effort.

Fine liners, with nibs measuring about 0.5, help create more delicate details, while a white gel pen allows you to create unique effects and highlights. You can also use colored markers, for example in a range of blues, to create fading, shadow and depth. Experiment with range of colors.

Fineliners or marker pens are another interesting option. They’re available in a range of thicknesses and allow you to create finer, more defined lines. They’re also easy to find in any stationery store. An alcohol-based marker is a great way to create shadow and larger areas of darkness.

Uniball pens are great to work with, because they’re cheap, tough, waterproof and ideal for taking anywhere. They’re the perfect pens to have with you on a desert island, because they resist any challenge.

And a Lamy pen will give you the ideal comfort to create more expressive lines. While the Uniball experience is universal and straightforward, the Lamy provides a more pleasurable, premium experience, that will improve your drawing quality.

Pencils

Always use soft leaded pencils, for example 2B or 4B, because they give you a more expressive drawing than the harder HB. This allows you to create a variety of shades of gray. The softest 9B option is vital for creating dark shades and smoother, more aesthetically pleasing filled-in areas.

Enjoy these tips? If you’d like to learn how to create an urban perspective from street level, don’t miss Hugo’s online course: Architectural Sketching for Urban Illustrations.

English version by @studiogaunt

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