You don’t need many urban sketching supplies to start drawing on location. A sketchbook and one pen or pencil are enough. If you want to add color, a small watercolor palette and travel brush can still keep the entire setup compact.
I’ve gone in both directions over the years. I’ve carried a backpack full of watercolor gear, and I’ve walked out the door with little more than a pen and something to draw on. The lighter setup usually gets used more.
This guide covers the urban sketching materials I find genuinely useful, what beginners actually need, and which extras are worth carrying once you know how you like to sketch.
If you want to see how I combine these individual supplies into one portable setup, I have a separate breakdown of my urban sketching kit.
Urban Sketching Supply List
| Supply | Do you need it? | What I look for |
|---|---|---|
| Sketchbook | Essential | Portable size, paper suited to your preferred medium |
| Pen or pencil | Essential | One drawing tool you enjoy using |
| Waterproof fineliner | Useful | Especially helpful if adding watercolor over ink |
| Brush pen | Optional | Useful for strong darks and expressive lines |
| Watercolor palette | Optional | Small palette with a limited selection of colors |
| Travel brush | Optional | Compact brush or water brush |
| Clips | Useful outdoors | Small binder or bulldog clips for windy conditions |
| Bag | Useful | Small, comfortable and easy to access while drawing |
| Portable stool | Optional | Worth carrying when you expect longer sessions without seating |
For a beginner, I would start with the first two items and add supplies only when you discover a reason for them.
1. A Sketchbook You Aren’t Afraid to Use
The sketchbook is the foundation of an urban sketching setup, but I don’t think you need to obsess over finding the perfect one.
I care about three things: whether the book is small enough to carry, whether I enjoy drawing on the paper, and whether the paper works with the materials I plan to use.
I rotate between a Stillman & Birn Alpha when I want paper that can handle light washes and a cheaper Moleskine when I’m working dry. Neither choice matters as much as whether I actually want to open the book and draw in it.
What Size Sketchbook Is Best for Urban Sketching?
I prefer something small enough to hold comfortably and carry without thinking about it. A large sketchbook gives you more room, but it can also make finding somewhere to sit, balancing your materials and drawing discreetly more difficult.
For quick everyday sketches, portability usually wins.
What Paper Should You Use?
Match the paper to the materials rather than buying paper based on price alone.
- Pencil and dry media: most general sketchbook paper works.
- Fineliner and ink: choose paper that doesn’t feather badly.
- Ink and light watercolor: use heavier paper that can tolerate some moisture.
- Heavier watercolor: watercolor paper will behave better than ordinary sketchbook paper.
You don’t need archival paper while you’re learning. I’d rather fill an affordable sketchbook than become so protective of an expensive one that I hesitate to use it.
2. One Drawing Tool You Really Like
If I had to reduce my urban sketching supplies to two things, I’d take a sketchbook and one reliable pen.
Carrying five nearly identical pens usually doesn’t improve the drawing. It gives me five decisions to make every time I reach into the bag.
I would rather know one tool well.
Waterproof Fineliners
A waterproof fineliner is one of the easiest choices if you like combining line and watercolor. Pens such as the Sakura Pigma Micron or Uni Pin give you predictable lines, and waterproof ink means you can usually add a wash without turning the drawing into grey soup.
If pen is your main medium, my urban sketching pen guide goes deeper into the different options.
Brush Pens
I like a brush pen when I want more variation in line weight and stronger dark shapes. The Pentel Pocket Brush is one I’ve used because I can move from a thin line to a much heavier mark without changing tools.
Brush pens aren’t essential, but they’re useful if you want expressive linework rather than a consistently even fineliner.
Pencils
A mechanical pencil is easy to carry and doesn’t need sharpening. I sometimes use one for layout before ink, although you can skip the pencil entirely if you prefer drawing directly in pen.
Going straight to ink can also help keep a sketch from becoming too cautious. My guide to pen and ink urban sketching covers that approach in more detail.
3. Watercolor Is Optional
You do not need watercolor to be an urban sketcher.
I used to associate urban sketching so strongly with ink-and-wash drawings that watercolor felt almost mandatory. It isn’t. Plenty of sketches work beautifully with nothing but line, pencil, markers or other dry media.
But watercolor is useful if you want a fast way to establish color, atmosphere and larger shapes without carrying tubes of opaque paint.
Keep the Palette Small
My preference is a compact palette rather than a large travel set. I usually keep mine to around eight colors and mix what I need from those.
A smaller palette takes less room and also forces me to get better at mixing instead of searching for a separate pan for every color I see.
If you want to build your own, see my urban sketching watercolor palette guide.
4. A Travel Brush or Water Brush
If watercolor is part of your setup, you’ll need some kind of brush.
A water brush is convenient because the handle stores water. That eliminates a separate water container for short sessions, although I don’t love the handling of every water brush I’ve tried.
A regular travel brush with a small container of water gives you a more traditional painting experience while still keeping the setup compact.
I wouldn’t carry several brushes unless I knew I was going out specifically to paint. One versatile brush is usually enough for a normal sketching walk.
5. A Few Colored Pencils Can Be Enough Color
If you want some color but don’t want to deal with water, brushes and drying pages, colored pencils are an easy middle ground.
I sometimes carry only one or two colors. Blue and ochre can add enough variation to keep a page interesting without turning the supply kit into another project.
This is particularly useful when I know I’ll be standing, moving frequently or sketching somewhere that makes watercolor inconvenient.
6. Clips Are Tiny but Surprisingly Useful
Binder clips or bulldog clips have earned a permanent place in my supplies because wind can make an otherwise simple sketching session miserable.
A couple of small clips weigh almost nothing and can hold a sketchbook open when pages keep lifting or flipping.
This is exactly the kind of urban sketching supply I didn’t think much about until I needed it.
7. Carry Something for Water and Cleanup
If I’m painting, I also bring a few inexpensive items that make watercolor easier outside:
- A small water container if I’m not using a water brush
- A cotton rag or reusable napkin for blotting and cleaning
- A mini spray bottle for rewetting dry watercolor pans
- A small pouch or zip bag for used tissues or anything that gets wet
None of these makes the artwork better by itself. They simply remove small annoyances that can interrupt a sketching session.
8. Choose a Bag for Access, Not Capacity
The wrong bag encourages you to carry too much.
I’ve used sling bags, small hiking daypacks and camera-style shoulder bags. What matters most to me isn’t maximum capacity. It’s being able to get to a pen, sketchbook or palette without digging through a deep compartment.
I prefer a small bag with easy access and enough organization that everything has an obvious place.
My urban sketching bag guide goes into the different setups I’ve tried and what I look for in one.
9. A Portable Stool Is Useful, but Not Essential
A small collapsible stool can make a major difference when I’m planning a longer sketching session somewhere without convenient seating.
But I don’t consider it essential urban sketching equipment. It’s another thing to carry, so I bring one when I expect to need it rather than automatically taking it everywhere.
The Best Urban Sketching Supplies for Beginners
If you’re completely new, I would ignore most elaborate urban sketching supply lists.
Start with:
- A small sketchbook
- One pen or pencil you enjoy using
- A few clips if you plan to draw outdoors
- Optional: a tiny watercolor palette and one brush
That’s enough to discover whether you like sketching with pen, pencil, watercolor, or some combination of them.
After you’ve filled some pages, your frustrations will tell you what to buy next. If you constantly wish you had color, add watercolor. If you hate carrying water, try colored pencils. If you keep losing pens at the bottom of a backpack, rethink the bag.
If you’re new to the practice itself, start with my urban sketching for beginners guide rather than buying more equipment first.
Minimal Urban Sketching Kit vs. Watercolor Kit
| Minimal setup | Ink and watercolor setup |
|---|---|
| Small sketchbook | Watercolor-friendly sketchbook |
| Pen or pencil | Waterproof pen |
| 1–2 clips | Small watercolor palette |
| Small bag or pocket | Travel brush or water brush |
| Water container | |
| Rag or tissue | |
| Clips |
For most sketching walks, I lean toward the smallest setup that will let me make the kind of drawing I have in mind.
Urban Sketching Supplies I Usually Leave at Home
Knowing what not to carry is part of building a good kit.
- Large sets of nearly identical pens: I rarely need that many line widths.
- Huge watercolor palettes: I don’t use enough of the colors to justify the weight.
- Too many sketchbooks: deciding between several books adds unnecessary friction.
- Multiple brushes: one versatile travel brush usually handles what I need.
- Anything I’m afraid to damage: outdoor supplies eventually get scratched, wet or dirty.
I’ve found that every extra tool needs to justify its weight and space. If I repeatedly carry something without using it, it eventually comes out of the bag.
How My Urban Sketching Materials Changed Over Time
My setup has become simpler rather than more complicated.
When I first started experimenting with different materials, it was tempting to carry every option. Having more supplies felt like being better prepared.
In practice, weight and setup time matter. I’ve skipped sketches simply because I didn’t feel like dealing with everything I had brought with me.
Now I think of a good urban sketching kit as something that removes excuses. I should be able to take out the sketchbook, reach for the tool I need and start drawing before the moment changes.
What Urban Sketching Supplies Do You Really Need?
For most people, far less than the average supply list suggests.
A sketchbook and one reliable drawing tool are enough to begin. Add watercolor, brushes, colored pencils, clips, a stool or other equipment only when those things solve an actual problem in the way you sketch.
The best urban sketching supplies aren’t necessarily the most expensive or specialized. They’re the ones light enough to carry, dependable enough to use anywhere, and enjoyable enough that you want to reach for them regularly.
If you want to see how I put everything together, continue to my urban sketching kit. For the broader practice itself, my main urban sketching guide connects the rest of the tutorials and resources.