When I first picked up The Urban Sketching Handbook Drawing with a Tablet, I was cautiously optimistic. I’ve drawn with just about every tool you can think of—pencil, pen, gouache, and even watercolor while out on location. But switching to a tablet always felt like stepping into unfamiliar territory. This book promised to ease that transition, and after spending some real time with it, I’m ready to share my experience.
My experience with The Urban Sketching Handbook Drawing with a Tablet
If you’ve been curious about combining the portability of urban sketching with the convenience of digital tools, The Urban Sketching Handbook Drawing with a Tablet is a natural bridge. Uma Kelkar does a great job walking the line between beginner-friendly and surprisingly deep advice for more experienced sketchers.
Before reading this book, my digital sketching was sporadic. I mostly used Procreate for experimenting with ideas or cleaning up scanned drawings. But I wanted to get better at drawing directly on my tablet, especially when traveling or heading out for a sketching session without lugging a big art kit. I was hoping this book would help me transfer some of my real-world sketching habits into the digital space without losing the energy and looseness I value in my traditional work.
I already had some experience using Procreate, but I wanted to learn more about making my digital sketches feel as natural and lively as my pen-and-wash work. Uma’s approach focuses on workflow, brush settings, and how to think like a traditional artist while using a digital medium. That resonated with me.
If you’re brand new to digital sketching, this book doesn’t overwhelm you with technical jargon. And if you already know your way around layers and blending modes, there’s still plenty of thoughtful advice to help you grow. Uma doesn’t just throw a list of shortcuts and tools at you. She explains how to think when drawing digitally, which is honestly the hardest part for someone used to analog sketching.
Before I dive into the details, let me give you a few quick takeaways.
Key points
- Simplify your toolkit: Create a minimal, custom brush set to avoid decision fatigue while sketching on location.
- Focus on layers and organization: Understanding how to use groups and layers efficiently can make or break a digital sketch.
- Think traditional, draw digital: Uma’s exercises help you transfer your on-location sketching habits to the tablet so your digital work feels just as authentic.
Who is this book for?
This handbook is ideal if you’re already comfortable with urban sketching but want to explore digital tools—or if you’re a digital artist interested in on-location drawing.
If you’re brand new to urban sketching, this might not be the best place to start. It assumes you have some experience with observing scenes and simplifying complex visuals into quick sketches. If you need to build those skills first, I recommend my guide on what is urban sketching and my simple urban sketching tutorials. Mastering those skills first will help you get more out of this book.
What I liked about the book
Uma Kelkar’s writing feels personal and grounded. She doesn’t just tell you what to do—she explains why each method works. I appreciated that she takes time to discuss the mindset of drawing digitally. For example, she addresses the temptation to overwork a digital sketch simply because the tools allow endless adjustments. That was a big aha moment for me because I’ve definitely fallen into that trap.
One of the most useful sections covers creating a limited brush set. This might sound basic, but it’s a game changer. I used to open Procreate and spend way too much time fiddling with brush settings before even starting to draw. After following Uma’s advice, I built a small, reliable set of brushes that mimic the pens and washes I use for pen and ink urban sketching. That removed a huge mental barrier.
Her advice on layers and groups was equally practical. I already used layers, but she introduced some new ways to organize complex sketches that helped speed up my workflow. If you’re juggling multiple layers for linework, color, and texture, her system is a lifesaver.
Another thing I loved was the inclusion of work by other urban sketchers who use tablets. Seeing their different approaches and styles helped me feel less pressured to create polished or “perfect” digital sketches. If you want even more examples of varied sketching styles, I also keep a collection of urban sketching reference photos that are great for practice.
Where the book could improve
No book is perfect, and this one has a few limitations. While it covers the fundamentals of digital sketching well, it doesn’t dive deeply into advanced Procreate techniques or more complex digital art workflows. If you’re hoping to learn how to create custom texture brushes, master lighting effects, or explore 3D model references, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
I also felt that beginners might struggle a little with the assumption that you already know how to sketch from life. Again, this isn’t necessarily a flaw—it’s just that this book focuses on adapting existing sketching skills to digital tools, not teaching sketching from scratch.
If you’re just starting out and feel a bit lost, you might find my beginner-friendly urban sketching course or some of my urban sketching exercises helpful before jumping into this book.
How this handbook compares to others in the series
I own several titles from the Urban Sketching Handbook series, including Understanding Light, Color First, Ink Later, and The Urban Sketching Handbook 101 Sketching Tips.
Compared to those, Drawing with a Tablet is more specialized. It won’t teach you broad sketching techniques or art fundamentals. Instead, it’s a focused guide for artists who already sketch and want to explore or improve their digital sketching. I actually appreciated this narrower scope because it allowed Uma to go deeper into the unique challenges and opportunities of tablet drawing.
If you’re looking for a more general overview of urban sketching, I’d recommend starting with The Beginner’s Guide to Urban Sketching or The Art of Urban Sketching. Then, once you’re comfortable with those skills, move on to this book to explore digital tools.
Practical ways I applied the book’s advice
Theory is great, but what really matters is how you apply it. Here are a few specific changes I made to my digital sketching process after reading the book:
- Custom brush set: I created a brush set that mimics my favorite traditional tools. This drastically reduced time spent choosing brushes.
- Layer organization: I started using groups for each major part of a drawing (linework, color, texture). This made editing much easier and kept my files cleaner.
- Quick sketching habits: I embraced quick studies using Procreate’s timer. This helped me keep my digital sketches as loose and spontaneous as my real-world nature journaling pages.
- Portable sketching mindset: I packed my iPad into my urban sketching bag and used it for casual sketches at coffee shops and parks—places I used to avoid sketching digitally because of setup hassles.
These small shifts made a big difference. My digital sketches now feel more intentional and enjoyable, and I spend less time fussing with technical settings.
Is this book worth it?
In my opinion, yes—if you’re at the right stage in your sketching journey. If you’re looking to expand your skills into digital urban sketching without feeling overwhelmed, The Urban Sketching Handbook Drawing with a Tablet is a worthwhile investment. It’s especially valuable for traditional artists transitioning to digital tools, which is exactly where I found myself.
If you’re a complete beginner to both urban sketching and digital art, you might need a bit more foundational guidance first. But once you’ve built those basics, this book is a great next step.
And if you want to keep building your skills, I recommend exploring my urban sketching tutorials, loose urban sketching techniques, and urban sketching supplies guides. You’ll find lots of advice that complements what Uma teaches in the book.
Final thoughts
For me, the value of The Urban Sketching Handbook Drawing with a Tablet was in how it helped me transfer my natural, intuitive drawing habits to a digital format without losing the soul of my sketches. It helped me think about digital sketching as just another medium—not a completely different world.
If you’re ready to make the leap to digital sketching on location—or if you just want to experiment—this book is worth adding to your shelf.