Your First Sketch Tour

The last six lessons have handed you individual tools: equipment, line, perspective, values, colour, suggestion. Now you put it all together, outdoors, on a real sketch tour of about an hour. You're not on your own: the app's AI coach accompanies you through the whole session, from choosing a subject to critiquing your finished picture.

How it works with the AI coach

Open the app on site and start with the subject: walk around the area for a few minutes and look for a scene you like – a café, a row of houses, a market stall. Then take a photo directly in the app. The AI coach analyses it and shows you where light and shadow fall, where the horizon line runs and which areas would work as a focal point. Read this analysis calmly before you start drawing; it doesn't replace your own decision, but it gives you a second look at the subject. Afterwards, spend a minute or two sketching a small value thumbnail, as you already know how to do, to confirm the overall layout. Then the actual work begins: 30 minutes of painting time, line and glaze following the three-pass method, with an eye on white paper and focal area. When the time is up, photograph your finished piece in the app. The AI coach gives you a critique of it, specifically about what you have painted, not about general rules. Take the opportunity to ask follow-up questions: ask why a spot has been flagged as mud, or how you might tackle a particular façade differently next time. That's exactly what the coach is there for.

Before you set out: bag, weather, seat

Pack the basic kit from Lesson 1, plus your phone with a charged battery, since you'll need it for photos and the app analysis. Check the weather shortly beforehand: light rain is no obstacle with a sturdy sketchbook and a bit of patience, whereas strong wind makes even small formats a chore, because pages flap and water dries unevenly. Once you're there, deliberately look for somewhere to sit, not just to stand: a bench, a step, a café table. Pay attention to three things – a clear view of your subject, some shade so the paint doesn't dry too quickly and you aren't sitting in the sun yourself, and a firm surface for your sketchbook and paint box, such as a small table or your knees.

Dealing with onlookers

It's almost inevitable that at some point someone will stop and watch, and some will even comment. That's part of urban sketching and is rarely meant unkindly; usually it's genuine interest. Brief eye contact and a short "Thanks" or "Yes, just practising" is perfectly enough – you don't have to start a conversation if you want to stay focused. If you do feel like chatting, take a moment for it; the sketch isn't going anywhere. Over time you'll barely notice the attention; it simply comes with painting in public places.

A schedule for 60 minutes

For the full hour, a rough breakdown helps: about 10 minutes to arrive, choose a subject, take the photo and read the AI analysis, 5 minutes for the value thumbnail, 30 minutes for the actual painting time, 5 minutes for the photo of your piece and reading the critique, and the remaining 10 minutes for follow-up questions to the coach and first notes in your journal. These times are a guide, not a rule – more important than sticking to them exactly is that the painting time itself doesn't get squeezed, because that's where the real learning happens.

Writing up in your sketch journal

After every tour, note the date, place and weather in your sketch journal; it takes a minute and is worth its weight in gold later. Add two or three sentences: what went well, what would you do differently next time? Have the AI coach's critique to hand as well, and write down the one point you want to work on in the next session, such as "mix shadows cooler" or "stop the third pass earlier". Over several tours, this journal becomes a map of your own progress, something you can otherwise easily lose sight of.

Going to an Urban Sketchers meet-up

Urban sketching is an active community worldwide, and local groups meet regularly to sketch together in one place. Look for an Urban Sketchers group near you; many organise themselves through social networks or their own websites and are open to beginners. At a meet-up like this you sit next to people painting the same scene from a different angle, you get to see other people's sketchbooks and talk about technique, entirely without any sense of competition. These meet-ups are a good next step after this course, because they show you that practice is at its best when it doesn't happen alone.

Exercise

Plan your first complete sketch tour for the next few days, with suitable weather and at least an hour of time. Follow the process with the AI coach step by step: choose a subject, photo and analysis, thumbnail, 30 minutes of painting, photo of your piece and critique, follow-up questions. Then write your first sketch journal entry, either right there or once you're home. Afterwards, search online for an Urban Sketchers group in your region and make a note of the next meet-up.

Key points

The AI coach accompanies you through the whole tour, from analysing the subject to critiquing the finished picture – make active use of the option to ask follow-up questions. A seat with shade and a firm surface makes painting time far more pleasant than an improvised standing spot. A short journal entry after every tour and contact with other urban sketchers will take you further in the long run than any single exercise on its own.