Quick and Lively Urban Sketching Book Review

I recently picked up Quick and Lively Urban Sketching by Klaus Meier-Pauken, and it immediately felt like a breath of fresh air. This isn’t one of those overly polished, step-by-step guides that makes you feel like you need a fine arts degree to get started. Instead, it leans into the raw, expressive joy of sketching what’s around you. It’s about loosening up, sketching fast, and staying connected to your surroundings.

If you're someone who wants to sketch in the moment without getting bogged down by perfectionism, this book is a solid fit. It's approachable, compact (just 64 pages), and packed with bite-sized exercises that are easy to try whether you're at a park bench or on your lunch break.

Below, I’ll walk you through what I found useful, what surprised me, and who I think this book is really for.

Quick and Lively Urban Sketching Step by Step: What to Expect

At its core, this book is structured like a loose art class. It’s broken into seven small lessons: tools, color, composition, bringing a sketch to life, urban life, landscapes, and human subjects. Each chapter has a few core concepts, learning goals, and illustrations that reflect the author's style—sketchy, expressive, and deliberately imperfect.

Reading through the book, I felt like I was sitting in a relaxed workshop with a mentor who’s encouraging experimentation rather than aiming for realism. It’s a reminder that sketching doesn’t need to be pretty—it just needs to be yours.

For example, one section on sketching urban life shows how to capture a street scene without getting caught in the weeds. Rather than drawing every window on a building, Klaus shows how a few vertical lines and shadows can suggest depth and structure. It’s the same mindset I share in my own urban sketching tutorial—the goal is to suggest, not reproduce.

Key Points

• Sketch first, think later: The book emphasizes getting something down fast over making it look good. Don’t wait for inspiration—draw what’s in front of you. The act of sketching builds momentum and teaches you far more than planning ever will.
• Focus on contrast and dynamism: Klaus explains how depth, framing, and bold lines can add life to your drawings. You’ll see examples of how to make close-up objects more detailed and darker, and how to use looser lines in the background to keep things dynamic.
• Use what you have: Pencil, pen, a bit of color—whatever’s in your kit is enough. This book doesn’t push fancy supplies; it pushes practice. I often recommend the same approach in my urban sketching supplies guide.

Real-World Usefulness (and Limitations)

One of the reasons this book resonated with me is because it feels very grounded in reality. It doesn’t ask you to sit at a perfectly lit studio desk with an hour to spare. It assumes you’re standing on a busy street corner with ten minutes to draw, maybe less.

The exercises are genuinely doable. For instance, there’s a part that shows how to build a scene using four small panels—starting with a basic shape, adding details, and layering in contrast. This sort of visual breakdown makes it easy to apply concepts in the field, especially when you’re still developing your eye.

When I was sketching at a local farmer’s market recently, I tried using his tip of sketching the frame first. It helped me stay focused and reduced the pressure to fill the whole page. I also found myself simplifying everything around the frame—people, awnings, trees—into shapes and lines rather than getting stuck on details.

That said, this isn’t the most comprehensive book. I do wish it were longer. A few more in-depth demos or double-page sketch spreads would’ve really helped. If you’ve already explored more advanced sketching books, you might find yourself wanting more depth. But I think it works well as a sketching warm-up, or a reminder to stay loose when you’re feeling stiff.

How It Compares to Other Urban Sketching Books

There are a lot of urban sketching books out there now, and each one takes a slightly different approach. The Urban Sketcher by Marc Taro Holmes, for example, dives deep into watercolor and urban subjects with much more structure. The World of Urban Sketching is more of an inspirational showcase of artists across the globe.

Quick and Lively Urban Sketching sits somewhere in between. It’s not a portfolio book and it’s not overly academic. It feels like someone inviting you to sketch with them over a cup of coffee.

For beginners, I’d suggest pairing it with Urban Sketching for Beginners, which lays out the basics more clearly. Then use Klaus’s book as a supplement to loosen up your technique.

Who This Book Is Really For

I get a lot of messages from people who want to start sketching but feel like they “don’t have a style” or “can’t draw well enough yet.” If that sounds like you, this book is a great place to start.

It’s perfect if you:

• Get overwhelmed by complex tutorials
• Struggle with drawing in public
• Want to explore sketching as a form of mindfulness or travel journaling
• Enjoy looser, expressive art styles

I also think it’s a great fit for artists who need a reminder that not everything has to be polished. I’ve been drawing most of my life, and I still fall into the trap of overworking a sketch or freezing up in front of a blank page. Books like this one nudge me out of that mindset.

And if you’re already carrying an urban sketching kit or planning a trip to sketch on-location—like urban sketching in Seattle or urban sketching in Paris—this is the kind of guide you can throw in your bag and revisit when you need inspiration.

Practical Ideas I Took Away

Here are a few specific strategies from the book that I’ve folded into my own sketching habit:

• Start with the frame: Instead of diving right into drawing, I now draw a quick rectangle to define my sketch. It keeps me from sprawling across the page and forces better composition.
• One-line warm-ups: Drawing simple objects with a single continuous line has been great for waking up my drawing hand. I’ll do this before getting into more layered sketches.
• Tone over detail: Klaus emphasizes using contrast and tone to suggest space rather than drawing every object in full. For urban scenes with lots of detail—windows, signage, cars—this saves a ton of time and keeps things readable.

All of these ideas complement the techniques I cover in my guide to loose urban sketching and simple urban sketching, especially if you’re working quickly on location.

Where to Go After This Book

If you finish this book and want to keep building your skills, there are tons of directions you can go.

• Explore some of my urban sketching classes or try a course for deeper instruction
• Practice with urban sketching reference photos to build confidence at home
• Dive into urban sketching trees or sketching people to expand your subject matter
• Or just grab your pen and explore more urban sketching ideas to keep the habit going

No matter where you are on your sketching journey, this book is a good nudge to stay loose, observant, and expressive.