The Complete Urban Sketching Companion makes the most sense if you want one compact book covering perspective, architecture, color, people, and movement instead of buying or carrying several individual Urban Sketching Handbooks.
I bought the book for exactly that reason. I had already used several books in the Urban Sketching Handbook series, but I wanted something I could grab when I needed a quick refresher without carrying multiple volumes.
After using it for several months and taking it on sketching outings, I think the all-in-one format is both its biggest strength and its most obvious compromise. You get an impressive amount of useful information in one portable book, but the small page size, tight layout, and binding are not always ideal when you actually want to study the illustrations closely.
See The Complete Urban Sketching Companion
Is The Complete Urban Sketching Companion Worth It?
For me, yes, especially as a compact reference.
I would choose it if I wanted one book that could remind me how to approach several common urban sketching problems without turning my bag into a small library.
| What I considered | My take |
|---|---|
| Perspective | Useful refresher for complicated streets and buildings |
| Architecture | Strong enough to support general location sketching |
| Color | Practical introduction to using color on location |
| People and motion | Helpful for getting life into street scenes |
| Portability | One of the book’s biggest strengths |
| Page size | The major tradeoff |
| Best use | Portable reference and refresher rather than oversized home-study book |
What Is Included in The Complete Urban Sketching Companion?
The book combines material from four volumes in the Urban Sketching Handbook series:
- Understanding Perspective
- Working with Color
- Architecture and Cityscapes
- People and Motion
That combination covers most of the problems I regularly run into while sketching on location.
A street scene may require me to simplify perspective, decide how much architecture matters, add a few people, and make quick decisions about color all on the same page.
Having those subjects together makes practical sense.
The book does not eliminate the need for deeper study in any one area, but it gives me enough information to solve common problems while I am actually sketching.
The All-in-One Format Is the Main Reason I Use It
I own art books that are better for sitting at a desk and studying for an hour.
That is not really how I use this one.
I like The Complete Urban Sketching Companion because I can look up a specific problem without deciding which separate book I need first.
If a building is confusing me, I can revisit perspective.
If the drawing feels empty, I can look through the sections on people and motion.
If the line drawing works but I am unsure what to do next, I can look again at the color material.
That makes the book especially useful as a reference rather than something I feel obligated to read straight through.
Perspective Is Especially Useful as a Refresher
I am comfortable with perspective, but complicated streets and plazas can still become visually overwhelming.
What I want in the field is usually not another long theoretical explanation. I want a reminder of how to simplify what I am seeing enough to get the drawing moving.
That is how I use the perspective material in this book.
I can review an idea quickly, look back at the scene, and decide which structural relationships actually matter.
If perspective is the specific skill you want to study deeply, the individual Urban Sketching Handbook on Understanding Perspective gives that subject its own dedicated volume.
The Architecture Material Helps Me Simplify Busy Scenes
Architecture can tempt me into drawing every window, railing, sign, roof edge, and decorative detail.
For location sketching, I usually need the opposite approach.
I want enough structure to make the place recognizable while allowing secondary details to stay secondary.
The architecture material works well beside the perspective sections because the two problems are often connected. Once the larger structure makes sense, I can decide where detail is actually useful.
That same process is central to the way I approach urban sketching generally.
The Color Section Gives Me Enough to Make Decisions Quickly
I do not always want an urban sketch to become a complete watercolor painting.
Sometimes I only want enough color to establish atmosphere, separate major areas, reinforce a focal point, or make the page feel more like the place I remember.
The color material in the Companion works well for that kind of practical decision-making.
I particularly like seeing different artists handle color differently because it keeps the book from implying that there is one correct urban-sketching look.
If watercolor is the part you specifically want to develop, my urban watercolor sketching resources go further into that side of the practice.
People and Motion Make the Book More Useful on Location
Buildings usually cooperate with a sketcher.
People do not.
That is why I think the material on figures and motion is important in an all-in-one urban sketching book.
People give scale to architecture and make public spaces feel inhabited, but trying to draw them as carefully as a stationary building usually does not work.
I use this section as a reminder to concentrate on gesture, placement, proportion, and the role a figure plays in the larger scene rather than chasing details before the person moves.
Different Artists Keep the Book From Feeling Like One Formula
Another thing I like is the variation in the examples.
Shari Blaukopf, Stephanie Bower, and Gabriel Campanario bring different strengths and visual approaches to the material.
That variety matters to me because I do not want an instructional book to convince me that successful urban sketches are supposed to look like one artist’s work.
I can study how another artist handles watercolor, perspective, architecture, or line without feeling obligated to imitate the finished style.
The useful part is the decision behind the drawing.
The Compact Size Is Both a Strength and a Weakness
This is the biggest tradeoff in the book for me.
I bought an all-in-one companion partly because I wanted something easier to carry. On that front, the small size works.
I can put it in my urban sketching bag without adding the weight and bulk of several separate books.
But fitting so much information into a compact volume means some text and illustrations feel cramped.
If I am sitting at home and want to study artwork closely, I generally prefer a larger-format book.
In the field, portability often matters more.
The Binding Is My Biggest Physical Complaint
The binding creates another compromise.
My copy can feel stiff, and some material becomes harder to see near the center gutter.
I have sometimes used a clip to help keep the book open while sketching.
A binding that opened flatter would make much more sense for a book intended to function as a practical companion.
This is not enough to stop me using the book, but it is worth knowing before buying it.
Should You Buy the Companion or the Individual Urban Sketching Handbooks?
This is the main buying decision I would make before choosing the Companion.
| Your situation | What I would choose |
|---|---|
| You own none of the four included handbooks | The Complete Urban Sketching Companion is an efficient way to get all four subjects together. |
| You want one portable reference | The Complete Urban Sketching Companion |
| You primarily want to study one subject deeply | The individual handbook devoted to that subject |
| You prefer larger pages for studying illustrations | The separate books may be more comfortable |
| You already own several included handbooks | The Companion may contain too much material you already have |
This is also why I would check what is already on your shelf before buying it.
If you already own Working with Color, People and Motion, and one of the other included volumes, buying the combined edition is mostly a question of whether having everything together is worth the duplication.
How I Actually Use the Book
I have ended up using the Companion in three ways.
Before I Go Sketching
I sometimes flip through the section related to what I expect to encounter.
If I know I will be surrounded by complicated architecture, I might revisit perspective. If I am going somewhere crowded, I might look again at figures and movement.
I treat that as a mental warm-up rather than a lesson I need to complete.
When a Sketch Is Giving Me Trouble
The book is also useful as a troubleshooting reference.
If the scene feels flat, I can revisit perspective and spatial depth.
If the page feels lifeless, figures and movement may be the missing element.
If the line drawing already works, the color section can help me decide whether color would actually improve it.
For Short Practice Sessions
I also use individual exercises or ideas from the book on days when I am not working on a larger sketch.
That lets me practice one small problem rather than trying to create a finished page every time.
My urban sketching exercises are useful for the same kind of focused practice.
Who I Think The Complete Urban Sketching Companion Is Best For
- Beginning urban sketchers who want several core subjects introduced in one place
- Intermediate sketchers who want a compact refresher
- Travel sketchers trying to keep their kit reasonably light
- Artists who want exposure to several approaches rather than one artist’s method
- People who do not already own the four included handbooks
I think the last point is particularly important. The less overlap you already own, the more value the combined volume offers.
Who Might Be Better Off With Something Else
I would probably choose a different book if:
- you already own most of the included Urban Sketching Handbooks
- you want very large reproductions of artwork
- you want an entire book devoted to one specific skill
- you dislike small text or crowded page layouts
- you primarily study at home and portability does not matter
For a broader comparison of books rather than one combined reference, see my urban sketching books guide.
The Complete Urban Sketching Companion Has Stayed Useful Because I Can Dip Into It
I do not use this book like a course.
I use it when I want a reminder.
Perspective, architecture, color, and moving figures are problems I encounter repeatedly, so having all four subjects together means the book remains useful after the first read.
The compact format is not perfect. I would prefer a binding that opened flatter, and some illustrations would benefit from more room.
But those are compromises I can live with because portability is part of the reason I wanted the book in the first place.
My Verdict
I would buy The Complete Urban Sketching Companion if I wanted one portable reference covering the major problems I encounter while sketching cities and did not already own most of the four books it combines.
Its real advantage is not that it replaces every specialized urban sketching book. It is that perspective, architecture, color, people, and movement are available together when I need a quick reminder.
For the way I use it, especially before or during location sketching, that convenience outweighs the cramped pages and stiff binding.
See The Complete Urban Sketching Companion
You can compare it with the other titles I use in my urban sketching books guide.