I've always found people to be one of the trickiest subjects to sketch. They move, they change positions, they look back at you when you're halfway through your lines. But they also bring life and narrative to a scene in a way that architecture alone can’t. That's why I picked up The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion by Gabriel Campanario.
I’d already been deep in urban sketching for years, but this book still gave me tools and strategies I actually use today. Whether you're sketching in a park, on a subway, or at a street market, this book is like having a compact mentor tucked in your sketching bag.
If you’ve never heard of The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion, it’s the second volume in the popular Urban Sketching Handbooks series. It focuses entirely on capturing people and the way they move through a city—everything from gestures and expressions to the subtle rhythm of someone walking their dog.
As someone who documents daily life with a pen and sketchbook, this book hit home in a very practical way. I don’t use every tip in it, but the ones I do use have made my sketches more alive and more observant of what’s actually happening around me. And it’s helped me enjoy sketching people more, even when they’re fidgeting or walking away.
Key Points
- Capture movement by observation, not memory. Watch people before you draw—see the gesture you want to catch, then commit. Trying to sketch someone without observing first is like trying to photograph a bird mid-flight without looking up.
- Add just enough background to tell a story. Context matters. A face on a page is forgettable, but a person at a bus stop or inside a coffee shop becomes a scene you remember.
- Practice gesture drawing constantly. Gesture gives sketches life. The more you practice quick gesture sketches, the easier it becomes to capture energy fast. You’re not drawing a mannequin, you’re drawing a moment.
The Urban Sketching Handbook People and Motion: What You’ll Learn
This handbook stands out in the series because it deals with two tough subjects—people and movement. Most urban sketchers I know can handle rooftops and cafe chairs just fine, but hesitate when it comes to humans. The book walks you through several key skills that I still revisit:
Proportion and Contour
There's a brief but helpful overview of how to get basic human proportions right, even in fast sketches. Nothing overly academic, just real-world stuff you can apply on the fly. It includes reminders like the average adult is about 7.5 to 8 heads tall, which I often forget when sketching on location. I especially appreciated the way Campanario keeps things street-level—this isn't about figure drawing in a studio. It's about catching the shape of a neighbor walking by, a food vendor leaning on a counter, or a tourist reading a map.
When I first started sketching people on location, my figures either looked too short or way too long. This section helped me understand that I didn’t need to draw perfectly, I just needed to get the core shapes and relationships down fast.
I also picked up a contour trick from the book: drawing the outside silhouette first when someone is moving quickly. That alone helped my sketches look more intentional.
Gesture and Expression
This section was the game-changer for me. Capturing someone mid-step, leaning against a post, or playing a saxophone on the sidewalk—those are the moments that bring urban sketching to life. The book teaches you to look first, see the pose you want, and sketch with minimal lines. I've started doing this during walks, even without my sketchbook, just training my eye.
Campanario talks about watching people long enough to “see the move.” That phrase stuck with me. I’ve since started watching baristas, musicians, or people waiting at bus stops just to see what kind of posture or gesture might repeat or stand out. Then I draw it—not all of it, just that one key moment. It makes a sketch feel more alive.
There’s also a solid section about capturing emotion through posture and facial expression. I’d never thought to observe a subject’s emotional state while sketching. But once I started, it gave my sketches a whole new feel. A person slumped in their chair tells a different story than one sitting upright and alert.
Context and Likeness
Including just enough of the environment to tell a story changed how I draw people. I used to sketch a lot of “floating heads” on buses and trains. Sure, they were technically accurate, but they didn’t tell a story. This book convinced me that just a hint of a table, a window, or a coffee cup could ground the subject and show where they are.
Now, I always try to include something around the person, even if it’s just a trash can or part of a bench. It’s a small effort that creates a scene instead of a portrait. You can see some of how I approach this in my urban sketching people article or these urban sketching techniques.
Likeness is also touched on—how to suggest who someone is without drawing every detail. A slouchy posture, a beard, or a wide-brimmed hat might be enough. The book encouraged me to stop worrying so much about getting a perfect face, especially when sketching fast.
Who This Book Is For (And Who It’s Not)
This book is perfect for sketchers who already feel relatively confident drawing but want to build on that by tackling moving subjects. If you’re brand new to sketching, you might want to start with something like The Beginner’s Guide to Urban Sketching or Sketching People before jumping into this one. But if you're already sketching out in the world and feel held back by your ability to capture people, this book bridges that gap.
It’s also great for people who enjoy sketching quickly and on location—if you bring your sketchbook with you when you go out, travel, or sit in public spaces, you’ll get a lot from this. If you only draw at home from photos, the tips will still help, but the focus of the book is on in-the-moment observation.
This isn’t a how-to-draw-people-from-scratch kind of book. It doesn’t spend pages explaining anatomy or studio-based figure drawing. Instead, it’s about learning by doing. Drawing real people in real places with real distractions. That’s what I love about it. It’s messy, imperfect, and honest—just like the sketching I do every day.
Favorite Tips I Still Use
Here are three things I picked up from this book that I still use nearly every time I go out sketching:
- Time how long you watch. Instead of trying to sketch a moving person instantly, watch them for a few moments until you see a “repeatable” gesture—then draw. It’s often the stillness before or after movement that you want.
- Start with legs. I used to start with the head, but this book suggests sketching the legs or general stance first to get a gesture down. When I do this, my figures look more natural and less stiff.
- Think of stories. Drawing people is storytelling. Sketching a barista mid-pour or someone arguing on the phone adds drama you can't invent. It helped me think less about the technical challenge and more about what’s happening.
How It Fits Into My Sketching Practice
I carry this book in my sketch bag. It’s lightweight, fits easily, and every now and then I flip through a section before heading into a cafe or riding public transit. If you sketch on location often, it’s one of the few books that truly fits that lifestyle.
It pairs really well with some of the other resources I’ve created, like urban sketching exercises or pen and ink urban sketching. I also recommend checking out the broader list of urban sketching books if you're looking to build a mini library.
This book was especially helpful during a recent trip when I was urban sketching in New York. I found myself more comfortable adding people to my sketches, even in chaotic spots like subway platforms or crowded plazas. Before that, I’d often avoid people unless they were sitting still. Now I lean into the challenge.
Final Thoughts
The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion is one of the few books that actually changed how I draw—not just technically, but in how I observe the world around me. It made me realize that capturing people is less about perfect anatomy and more about telling stories with quick lines. I don’t always get it right, but I always enjoy the process more now.
If you enjoy nature journaling, drawing animals, or simple urban sketching, you'll find this book to be a helpful companion. And if you’re like me and want to deepen your practice in a way that feels spontaneous and authentic, this book belongs in your kit.
You can find it here: The Urban Sketching Handbook: People and Motion.