The Urban Sketching Handbook Working with Color (Key Lessons)

If you've ever struggled with muddy washes, color overwhelm, or just felt uncertain about how to bring more life into your sketches, The Urban Sketching Handbook Working with Color might be the book you didn’t know you needed.

As someone who's filled stacks of sketchbooks over the years—often while sitting on park benches, hiking trails, or café patios—I still found myself picking up new ideas and rethinking old habits thanks to this compact guide. It's practical, inspiring, and—like most of the Urban Sketching Handbook series—easy to throw in your bag and read on the go.

Written by Shari Blaukopf, a talented watercolorist and co-founder of Urban Sketchers Montreal, this book zooms in on one of the trickier aspects of on-location sketching: confident, expressive use of color. The tone is friendly, the examples are beautiful, and there’s no fluff—just the good stuff, clearly explained. I wouldn’t call it a paint-along tutorial book, but rather a toolkit you can pull ideas from and test out right in your own sketchbook.

I often recommend this book to people who already have a basic sketching practice but feel held back by color—especially watercolor. If that’s you, I think you’ll find it incredibly helpful. And if you’re a beginner? It’s still worth a look for the inspiration alone.

Key Points

• Fresh paint matters: Tube paints and juicy washes make a huge difference outdoors.
• Think in palettes: Limited color schemes (like complementary or analogous) keep things harmonious and simplify decisions.
• Don’t chase realism: Use expressive color to set mood or focus attention, even if it isn’t “accurate.”

First Impressions of The Urban Sketching Handbook Working with Color

I’ve read a lot of books on sketching, and I own almost all of the Urban Sketching Handbooks. Each one has a different focus—perspective, people, architecture—but The Urban Sketching Handbook Working with Color feels especially useful if you work in watercolor or are trying to figure out how to make your sketches pop without overcomplicating things.

From the moment I opened the book, I could tell it was different from more academic color theory books. There’s no jargon or color wheels with arrows pointing in every direction. Instead, Shari walks you through how she thinks about color when she’s on location—how she mixes, what she leaves out, and how she works fast without losing vibrancy. It’s real-world advice, and that’s what makes it so helpful.

This isn’t a how-to-paint book in the traditional sense. It doesn’t walk you through painting step-by-step scenes. Instead, it’s more like a visual field guide for using color more intentionally. It includes swatches, technique breakdowns, and loads of annotated sketch examples from Shari and other artists.

It’s especially good if you’ve ever wondered:

• How do I make my greens less boring?
• Why do my washes look flat or chalky?
• When should I layer vs. work wet-in-wet?

I’ve recommended this book in my loose urban sketching tutorials because it gets to the heart of these questions quickly and visually.

What's Inside: Sections That Stood Out

The book is broken up into bite-sized tips, techniques, and examples. It’s a small format, but dense with information. The design is super digestible—you can flip it open to any section and learn something in just a couple of minutes.

Materials and Setup: A Fresh Start

One of the most helpful shifts I made after reading this book was reevaluating my paint setup. For years I relied on half-pans and pre-filled travel sets. They’re convenient, but I never realized how much vibrancy I was losing until Shari emphasized the difference that fresh tube paint can make.

Now I carry a compact metal palette with freshly squeezed tube colors. It’s a little messier, but the difference in saturation and flow is undeniable. Especially for skies and big washes—your paint just behaves better when it’s not bone-dry.

She also discusses brush choice. If you’ve been relying on a water brush (I definitely did for a while), consider trying a quality travel mop brush. When I switched, I immediately noticed I could cover large areas more quickly and get smoother transitions in my skies. I break down my full setup in my watercolor urban sketching guide, and a lot of it is influenced by the recommendations in this book.

Color Mixing and Limited Palettes

One section that had a major impact on my workflow was about simplifying your palette. I used to carry way too many colors. Now, thanks to this book, I often work with a limited triad—usually a warm and cool version of each primary—and mix everything else.

There’s a great section on complementary and analogous color schemes, with swatch examples and finished sketches that show the difference they can make. If you’re not sure how to start applying these ideas to your own work, this is where the book really shines. It connects theory to practice through real-world examples.

One practical tip Shari shares involves pre-mixing tricky colors like greens and neutrals. She even gives her exact mixes, including Forest Green by Sennelier (which I immediately added to my palette). I live in a pretty green-heavy environment, and her mixes helped me move away from the flat “Crayola” greens I was unintentionally leaning on.

Expressive Color, Not Just Realism

This section was a game-changer for me. I’ve always admired sketchers who use bold, emotional color, but I wasn’t sure how to do it myself without making the scene look unnatural. Shari breaks it down clearly: color isn’t just about matching what you see. It’s about setting a mood, creating focus, and conveying energy.

She shows examples of how she uses purples in shadows, exaggerates warm tones in sunlit buildings, and makes cooler backgrounds recede. These subtle shifts make a big difference. I’ve started experimenting with this in my own sketches of cities like Seattle and New York, where the architecture gives you a lot of freedom to play with temperature and value.

If you enjoy exercises that push you creatively, try combining this book with my post on simple urban sketching prompts. You can also use it to rethink your color choices when working from urban sketching reference photos.

Who This Book Is Best For

In my opinion, this book is perfect for urban sketchers who already sketch regularly and want to get more confident with color. It’s especially useful if you’ve felt stuck between making your work more expressive vs. staying realistic. Shari gives you the tools to strike that balance.

It’s probably not for someone who’s just picking up watercolor for the first time. You might find it more helpful to start with urban sketching for beginners or even the Start Sketching course, which covers basic drawing skills and light/shadow concepts.

But if you already understand the basics of sketching and want to level up how you use color on location, this is a great next step.

I also love that the book features artwork from other urban sketchers around the world. You get to see how different artists use color in different environments, from bright tropical cities to moody northern towns. It’s a great reminder that there’s no single right way to sketch with color—only ways that feel authentic and interesting to you.