Urban Watercolor Sketching: Thoughts and Key Takeaways

A few years ago, I picked up Urban Watercolor Sketching by Felix Scheinberger expecting a how-to manual. What I got instead was something more interesting—a quirky, colorful deep dive into watercolor techniques, urban sketching mindset, and artistic freedom.

If you're into urban sketching, or just curious about using watercolor in a more expressive way, this book is worth a look. I’ve kept it on my shelf, dog-eared and underlined, long after I first read it.

Whether you're a doodler, travel sketcher, or already deep into the world of urban watercolor sketching, this book isn’t a rigid tutorial—it’s more like an inspiring artist’s journal that gives you permission to let loose and trust your eye.

It won't teach you how to draw buildings with architectural precision, but it will push you to get messy with color, embrace imperfection, and see your city through a new lens.

Urban Watercolor Sketching: My Honest Thoughts

Felix Scheinberger writes the way a good art teacher talks—with humor, confidence, and permission to break the rules. The book is packed with tips, but it reads more like a stream-of-consciousness ramble from someone who has spent a lifetime experimenting with art materials. He mixes anecdote with technical advice in a way that never feels patronizing. Instead, it feels like you're sitting next to someone on a sketching trip, listening to their stories while watching how they paint.

One thing I appreciated was how unapologetically personal the writing is. He’s not trying to be a neutral instructor—he’s sharing what has worked for him, what excites him about watercolor, and why he loves sketching in urban environments. That kind of enthusiasm is contagious, and honestly, it got me out of a creative rut more than once.

If you’re looking for a clear-cut beginner’s manual with step-by-step sketches, I’d point you to something like The Beginner's Guide to Urban Sketching. But if you want to see watercolor through an emotional, playful lens, Urban Watercolor Sketching is a breath of fresh air.

Key Points

• This isn’t a step-by-step book. It’s more about mindset, color theory, and learning to love watercolor’s unpredictable nature.
• You’ll get a deeper appreciation of watercolor. From pigments to glazing to color harmony, the author gives you the why behind watercolor techniques.
• Perfect for sketchers who want to loosen up. If you’ve been feeling stiff or perfectionistic, this book might be the nudge you need to sketch with more freedom.

What You'll Learn (and What You Won't)

The book covers everything from the science of pigments to the author’s favorite brushes. It’s broken into themed chapters on color theory, technique, mindset, and materials. A lot of the book is focused on watercolor itself—more than on the sketching part.

I found the most useful parts to be the ones that explain how to use watercolor in ways that feel natural and unforced. There’s a big focus on process and emotion—like how color impacts mood, or how to let go of the need to “finish” a sketch. There’s even a lovely section on painting when you don’t have water on hand (yes, he actually suggests spit).

Here’s a sample of what you'll find inside:

• Wet-on-wet and glazing basics
• Mixing colors with emotion in mind
• Pigment behavior and layering
• Glaze vs. wash techniques
• Working outdoors with minimal tools

But don’t expect it to tell you how to sketch a perfect building or how to set up a perspective grid. For structured guidance like that, I’d recommend checking out this step-by-step urban sketching tutorial or simple urban sketching tips.

Who This Book Is Really For

I think this book works best for artists who already have a basic sketching practice but want to start incorporating watercolor in a more expressive way. It’s for the person who has a watercolor set but isn’t sure how to use it without overthinking. Or maybe for the person who used to love art but now feels stuck or too polished.

If you’re brand new to sketching, the lack of structure might feel overwhelming. You might want to start with easy urban sketching for beginners to get some practical habits in place first.

Here’s who I’d say this book is best for:

• Sketchers who want to explore expressive color and texture
• People who find typical how-to books a little dry
• Artists who want a deeper emotional connection with their work
• Anyone interested in watercolor theory and experimentation

Favorite Takeaways from the Book

This book made me rethink how I approach watercolor. I used to treat it as a precious, fragile medium that required tons of control. But Scheinberger’s casual and spontaneous attitude toward color helped me loosen up. I now have a much more experimental sketchbook process.

Here are a few takeaways I still use today:

• Paint what you feel, not just what you see. This mindset completely changed how I approached sketching. Instead of trying to match colors exactly, I started using them to express the mood or energy of a scene.
• Trust your instincts with color harmony. There’s a section on using warm-warm or cool-cool combinations, which helped me move beyond the usual complementary color advice. Now I try more intuitive mixes that still feel balanced.
• Keep your kit simple. One of the most freeing parts of the book was the advice to travel light. I downsized my materials and built my own urban sketching kit based on his philosophy—and it actually made me sketch more.

What It’s Missing

I want to be honest about what this book doesn’t offer, because it’s not a one-size-fits-all resource. If you want clear, progressive lessons on drawing urban scenes, this might not meet your expectations.

There’s not much on technical topics like perspective, architectural drawing, or page composition. And even though the title includes “urban,” it’s really more about watercolor in an urban context—not how to draw the city itself. For that, I’d recommend a book like The Urban Sketcher, which is much more structured.

Also, if you’re looking for guided exercises or daily prompts, you won’t find many in here. For more practice-oriented content, I’ve put together a bunch of urban sketching exercises that might fill that gap.

Where It Fits in My Sketching Journey

When I first read this book, I was stuck in a perfectionist loop. I had a habit of over-editing my sketches and hesitating before putting anything on paper. This book gave me a much-needed permission slip to play.

I now keep two sketchbooks. One is for clean, planned sketches. The other is messy and spontaneous—my watercolor playground. That second book exists because of Urban Watercolor Sketching. I let myself paint with no outlines, using colors based on mood instead of accuracy. I started layering colors wet-on-wet just to see what would happen.

If you’re at a point where your sketching feels formulaic or flat, I’d highly recommend giving this book a try. It might not teach you how to draw a building, but it will help you rediscover why you love sketching in the first place.

Here are a few related guides you might enjoy:

• Loose urban sketching techniques
• Reference photos for sketching