My 5 favourite Urban Sketches from 2024

Counting down from number 5 all the way to number 1

When I look back at this past year it feels like I made fewer urban sketches than in previous years, yet I filled more sketchbooks. I think that is because I made less sketches that are elaborate and time consuming, and more of the quicker variety, capturing ordinary moments in my day. In this post I have collected 5 of my favourite urban sketches¹ from this past year, starting at number 5 and working my way up to my absolute favourite.

5. Cliffs between Bois de Cise & Le Treport

I can clearly remember hiking along these cliffs from Bois de Cise to Le Treport and back during this year’s Easter Weekend. The sun was shining and the weather was better than I could ever have hoped for. I remember rolling up my sleeves so that I could soak in my first big dollop of vitamin D for the season. This sketch was done with my Neocolor II wax pastels, and quickly, so that I could hike further, curious about what the view would hold over the next hill.

4. View from the ‘Sun Room’

During the summer holiday I was lucky enough to sneak away to Ireland to visit some family while my husband and kids kept the fort at home. My stay was so restful and luxurious. Think fresh vegetables from the garden. Every. Single. Day! I drew this with a black pencil and watercolours, while relaxing in the sun room, surrounded by a multitude of lush house plants.

3. The Forest on a Sunny Day

This day was hot. I chose a spot on a bench that was at that point still in the shade only for the sun to creep up on me the deeper I got into my drawing. My Neocolor 2’s did that thing that everyone warned me about - they started to melt. And I loved it. I could apply them much thicker than I was used to. It almost felt like I was painting with oil pastels.

2. Kitchen

This painting was done completely on a whim, and maybe a bit of procrastination. I had unpacked the dishwasher halfway and was just about to put away all the cutlery when suddenly I got the urge to paint the scene in front of me. I pulled out my watercolours and just stood there in the kitchen clutching my sketchbook and watercolours in one hand while I painted. All the while praying that my hand wouldn’t start to cramp up.

1. Sketching with freedom

I love sketching with people. Being surrounded by other creatives, each one putting their own vision of the surroundings onto paper. Each one as unique as the person who made it. This sketch was done during this year’s National Sketch Day in Zutphen, the Netherlands. The view of the city captivated me and I decided to just throw everything I had at it: I used an underpainting that I did beforehand and built it up from there using collage, paint, pencils and crayons. The amount of joy I experienced while doing this sketch is why I think it became my favourite of the year.

As I was paging through my sketchbooks from this past year, in order to write this post, I was reminded about all the good experiences I had, me and my sketchbook. Even during times when things weren’t the best, the act of drawing helped me to notice the small joys in the world and left me with good memories that I might otherwise not have had. If you aren’t doing it already, keeping a sketchbook is definitely something I can recommend for the new year.

Now as 2024 comes to a close I would like to thank you for following along this past year. May 2025 have many more joyful sketches in store, not only for me, but for you too!

Until next year!

Nino

1. You might notice that not all of these sketches are of buildings or were made in urban environments. In calling them ‘urban sketches’ I ascribe to the Urban Sketcher’s Vision and Values that you can read more about here.