Develop your
own style
and sketch with
confidence
Discover
Travel Sketching

Quickly transform the blank page to capture the beauty of the place where you are.

A short, fun course to start you sketching!

Level 1 Short Course: Perfect for beginners

Foundations

Build a solid foundation for your own sketching journey by learning fundamental observational skills and the basics of urban sketching.


Live Version starting 8 January 2025

 

Level 1 Comprehensive Course: Essential drawing skills and basic colour – perfect for beginners

Watercolour

Create vibrant and lively watercolour sketches by learning how to control your water, create watercolour magic and know when to layer or work wet-in-wet.

 

Level 1 Comprehensive Course: Best done with some basic drawing skills – after Foundations

Sketchbook Design

Design beautiful layouts for every page by learning how to add elements, preserve white space and think about placement before you start sketching.

Level 2 Comprehensive Course: Best done with some sketching experience – after Foundations and Watercolour.

Sketch Your Life Bundle

Buy Foundations, Watercolour and Sketchbook Design together and save!

Edges

Create more depth and focus in your urban sketches by learning how to limit the amount of ink drawing you do and getting more out of your watercolour.

Level 2 Comprehensive Course: Best done with some sketching experience – after Foundations and Watercolour.

Buildings

Learn a system for sketching buildings on location (no matter how complex) by seeing them as volumes and then working in a structured way.

Level 3 Comprehensive Course: Best done with some sketching experience – after Foundations, Watercolour and Edges.

Watercolour On Location

Improve your urban sketches of complex scenes by learning how to tell better stories, create stronger values and develop your own style of painting.

 

Level 3 Comprehensive Course: Best done with some sketching experience – after Foundations, Watercolour, Edges and Buildings.

Urban Sketching Bundle

Buy Edges, Buildings and Watercolour On Location together and save!

Teacups

Learn how Liz creates her famous teacup sketches and then apply the techniques to sketching teacups in your own style.

 

Level 1 Course: Complements Foundations and Watercolour

About the instructor
Liz Steel

Liz is an obsessive sketcher from Sydney Australia who sketches her life and shares the experience.

Liz worked as an architect for 20 years but now is a full-time artist, blogger and teacher. She is an Urban Sketcher correspondent, founder of Urban Sketchers Australia and a regular instructor at the annual International Urban Sketchers symposium. She also teaches face-to-face workshops locally in Australia and all around the world and in 2016 she published a book called 5 Minute Sketching Architecture.

Success Stories

“ This course is by far the best course I’ve ever had and I only regret I didn’t know about it sooner when I first started 5 years ago.

Compared to my early work, I’m now using much juicier colors. I also pay attention to values much more than I did in the beginning giving my paintings depth. “

Janice
Watercolour
“ I always thought that sketching was only about getting desired lines with pen on paper. Now I've learnt that a huge percentage of sketching is about seeing properly! I’m only at lesson 3, and I'm already very thankful for this shift in my understanding, “

Adrian
Foundations
" Because of this class, I have become obsessed with sketching!

I’ve sketched off and on for years - plagued with the anxiety of starting a new sketchbook or facing a blank page. After taking this class, I have been able to let go of perfection, and take each sketch for what it is.

I now have the tools to “save” the page or spread. Even the wonkiest of sketches can turn into a delight with a text block that relates my feelings, frustration and goal for improvement."

Emmay
Buildings
" I have learnt to see shadow shapes and to manipulate colour, tone and hue, achieving the focus and effect I want, without getting hung up about the realism of the sketch.

I also started working in a looser way, not being afraid to try different tools and techniques in one sketch. "

Tabitha
Edges
“ I absolutely loved the course!

I wanted to sketch faster on location, more spontaneous and I think I’ve learned how to do that!

I normally blindly sketch whatever is in front of me that I like, but I never asked myself “why am I sketching this?”

I plan to take a few minutes longer selecting my scene so I can tell a better story. “

Yvonne
Watercolour On Location