Discover the art of urban sketching by using perspective and composition techniques to bring your ideas to life
Capturing the essence of urban spaces, their features and architecture requires technique, practice, and above all, emotional awareness. The award-winning illustrator Hugo Barros, also known as yolahugo on social media, is a professional architect with a serious passion for urban sketching. He has been practicing the art of drawing every day since 2010 and the primary muse for his work are the streets.
Join yolahugo in this course and learn the art of architectural sketching. Discover key concepts and techniques for composition, perspective, and applying color to create an urban illustration that reflects the nature of the space, the rhythm of the streets and the different stories they have to tell.
What will you learn in this online course?
18 lessons & 38 downloads
What will we do in the course?
3 minutes, 22 seconds
Drawing 1
19 minutes, 23 seconds
Drawing 2
13 minutes, 52 seconds
Perspective and vanishing points 1
15 minutes, 28 seconds
Notions of watercolor and color
17 minutes, 37 seconds
Digital treatment
6 minutes, 4 seconds
What's included in this course?
Start by learning a bit about yolahugo's background in urban sketching. He shares some of his main influences and gives you an overview of what you're going to learn and practice during the course.
After going over the instructor's recommended materials, learn about the value of empathy, communication and universality in design. Discover different ways to work with perspective and take note of the particularities of drawing an elevation view. Complement what you've learned with some quick exercises that teach you the basics of watercolors and using colors in your work.
Hit the streets and draw in situ. First, choose a perspective as the starting point for your sketch and define the foundations of your illustration. Drawing the first lines will help you discover the importance of creating a skeleton that your drawing will be built around. Create a detailed illustration and then add colors to bring the atmosphere of the space you selected to life.
Lastly, create a digital copy of your illustration and learn how to retouch it in Photoshop and get it post-ready for Instagram; yolahugo lets you in on some of his secrets for maximizing social media and showcasing your illustration for the world to see.
What is this course's project?
Hit the streets and create an urban illustration that conveys the atmosphere of the spot you've chosen as well as your own personal vision.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
People with a passion for drawing, whether they're beginners or professional sketch artists.
Anyone who wants to learn how to create an in situ observational drawing that conveys their surrounding environment and, particularly, understand the concepts of perspective.
Requirements and materials
No prior knowledge is needed to take this course; the most important thing you need is a desire to learn and a passion for design.
The material list for this course includes a 2B pencil or a pen with multiple thicknesses (it can be a rollerball, felt-tip, permanent ink, etc.), paper with a proper weight for sketching, or a sketch book. If you'd like to add color to your work, we recommend you use waterproof ink, watercolors, and a highly-absorbent size 12 brush.
Reviews
- 2 months ago
Ottimo corso. Molto preciso ed interessante
- 4 months ago
Curso muito bom . Há um aprofundamento na questão de formas das várias perspectivas que existem, o que é muito interessante . Sim, indico muito este curso aos apaixonados por desenhos de sketch urbano.
- 6 months ago
me encanto el curso!! siempre quise aprender sketch urbano
- 8 months ago
C'est à peine possible de suivre le cours tellement le sous-titrage avec l'IA est lamentable, incompréhensible... dommage. Je ne pense plus acheter de cours chez Domestika si cela ne s'améliore pas. Mais le prof est certainement bien.
- 1 year ago
El curso me parece bastante bueno. Tiene partes complicadas sobre perspectiva pero se aprende muchísimo comparando todos los tipos que hay y cual aplicar en cada momento. Una pena la traducción en español. En bastantes momentos en los que está explicando algo muy importante la traducción irrumpe de pronto con frases sin sentido que hacen que se pierda el hilo de la explicación y ésta no se entienda bien. Los subtítulos también tienen los mismos errores que la locución en castellano.
He starts his creative process by switching between quick strokes and splotches of color, a secret technique that he's been teaching since 2005 as a professor at the Technical School of Architecture of Valencia. As a member of the urban sketchers community, he also teaches urban illustration courses in a number of countries and regularly exhibits his work in Europe and the United States. Winner of the "Coup de coeur" award and the "Sketch 4 Freedom Contest," he also illustrated the storyboard for the movie We the Animals. Since 2010, he posts his sketches daily on his blog titled "a fresh drawing everyday."
Content
- U1
Introduction
- Presentation
- Influences
- What will we do in the course?
- U2
Material, examples of drawings and perspective
- Materials
- Drawing 1
- Drawing 2
- Perspective and vanishing points 1
- Perspective and vanishing points 2
- Perspective and vanishing points 3
- Differences and similarities in drawing on a high plane
- Notions of watercolor and color
- U3
In situ drawing: from the first lines to color
- Select the point of view and define the drawing bases
- First lines 1
- First lines 2
- Design
- Details and color
- U4
Presentation of your drawing
- Digital treatment
- Publishing on Instagram
- FP
Final project
- Architectural Sketching for Urban Illustrations
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
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FAQs
Urban sketching is the art of drawing live urban scenes, capturing the everyday life of cities spontaneously. To start, all you need is a notebook, a pen, and the willingness to observe and draw different urban settings.
Yes, this course is perfect for those who already have basic drawing skills and want to deepen their knowledge of urban sketching, perspective, watercolor, and composition in city environments.
You’ll need a sketchbook (ideally A6 size), pens, pencils, watercolor paints, brushes, suitable paper, a brush pen for shadows, and optionally tweezers, a backpack, and digital tools for editing.
You’ll learn observation techniques, live architectural drawing, perspective use, watercolor application, simplifying shapes, organizing materials, and digital editing of sketches for sharing.
The course shows you how to use watercolor to create mood, volume, and light in urban drawings, using blending, gradients, white space preservation, and layering colors for depth and realism.
Yes, the course covers how to draw historic architecture and live urban scenes on location, teaching you how to observe, frame your shot, and simplify complex forms.
You’ll study linear perspective with one, two, and three vanishing points, plus curved and spherical perspectives to portray depth, volume, and realistic urban scenes.