Sketching On The Go

Sketching On The Go

Written by Lana in watercolors
April 25,2026

Just a few years ago I started to go out more and sketch on the go and here I am… still enjoying it so much.

Chapters

Last week I enjoyed the beautiful warm spring weather by going out. This was the day I wanted to dedicate to sketching and I did. Not in a café as I did so many times during winter, but actually out, without a goal, sketching whatever feels tempting to me.

Of course I had company. My company brought a book.

We went to the lovely city park looking for opportunities and a nice place to sit. Which we found.

Open sketchbook with an ink sketch and a pen touching the page in the process.

Rough paper and ink are usually not a great combo, but for me this one works.

A Small Kit And A Bench

All I needed to start was my tiny kit, that I’ve been taking with me on the go many times before and a medium I know well: watercolors.

A man reading caught my eye, so I started sketching him. Calm and simple, he seemed to enjoy his time among the green of climbing roses, not yet blooming.

Finished watercolour sketch of a sitting man, on a bench, reading, surrounded by green and a park.

Finished sketch of a man reading.

After the ink has dried, I used my tiny set of watercolors to finish the sketch.

A List of My Supplies

Open sketchbook on a bench with a tiny watercolour palettenext to it, open and filled with Daniel Smith watercolours, a travel brush and a dirty tissue, that was clearly used in the painting process.

My tiny setup to sketch on the go.

In case you’re curious, what I’ve taken with me this time, it’s in the list below. Please don’t see these as a recommendation to purchase anything and start with whatever you have on hand!

The palette and Daniel Smith paints I received as a gift from a lovely art friend.

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Waiting For The Paint To Dry

As watercolors use some time to dry and I’m not the most patient person… and I also wanted to try a little setup using markers and a tiny A6 sketchbook on the go… I just started sketching an old lady that sat close to me, which I could see from the same bench I did the watercolor sketch from.

I rarely ever sketch people. Never actually… And doing it with markers felt bold at first. But I actually like the result a lot.

Sketchbook in a hand with green behind it. The sketch shows a lady with short hair in orange, turquoise and purple.

Secretly I've sketched the lady sitting on a bench in front of me using the three markers I own.

The selection of markers I chose - not only to take with me, but to purchase - because I only own these three colors, are: Amber, Turquoise and Lilac.

They work so well together and I’ve been really enjoying the brush tip. But be aware that there are other markers by the same brand with a felt tip, that just don’t work the same way. Also if you use them in a watercolor sketchbook, they flow really nicely while being blended with water.

In this case I used them as they are in the little Art Creation sketchbook. No blending, nothing. I usually start with orange for the lightest areas, layer Turquoise for the middle tones and end the sketch with the dark purple for shadows.

Spread in the sketchbook with the finished sketch of the woman with short hair. Orange is used for the highlights, turquoise for the middle tones and purple for the shadows.

Finished spread in my small sketchbook with a marker sketch. Rarely is it a person, now it is one.

Yes, they bleed through the paper as you can see in the scan. But I don’t mind. It’s quick and dirty and I love it.

A Rainy Place In A Café

After that second sketch we felt like switching scenery and get some tea and cake too. The poppy seeds and lemon cake was delicious and while we enjoyed it, I sketched a lovely pup from a table close to us.

Sketchbook on a table with a purple mechanical pencil next to it. On the open page are sketches of a dog.

The cute pup from next table was a great one to sketch from life.

This one was also done in the little A6 sketchbook. I wanted to test out, if I can get the habit of quick sketches where-ever I go. Somehow I imagine it would be a great way to keep track of what I do without writing it down. I like sketching and feel I’m decently fast doing so.

So I used my Faber Castell mechanical pencil for it with a 0.7 lead. And here comes my issues with it. I really like the pencil and how it feels. It’s why I got it in 2 colors. But the HB lead seems a bit too light sometimes for my liking. I might switch it out for a softer lead to be able to achieve darker values easier. This will also make it easier to write with it. That little bit of contrast is what I really like and what I just prefer in my writing and sketching materials.

Full spread in the small sketchbook showing several pencil sketches of the dog in different positions.

The pup indeed was perfection and I enjoyed sketching him while it lasted. Too bad I had to escape the rain.

And just as we sat there, enjoying the session. It started raining. So we switched places, finished the cake in a dry spot and I didn’t sketch… until…

Last Sketch Of The Day

We went home. Walking through the city, finding new pathways. In a shop I found more of the Art Creation sketchbooks on sale, in colors that probably go out of production and will be renewed by new releases. So I got myself a few. Now that I enjoy them so much. Especially the A6 ones. It’s a little collection now. I also found a leaf shaped plate, which I will use as my mixing palette in the studio and which I showed off so proudly on stream.

And because it was such a great day out, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner. Where I indeed sketched the last time outside for the day.

It was delicious. And the day as a whole a full success.

Spread in the sketchbook showing a man from the side, again sketched in the markers I used before in orange, turquoise and purple.

Perfect finish of the day using the markers.

I went out with the goal to sketch. To capture my day. To relax and enjoy myself. And I did. Fully.

My supplies were simple and limited. I could have used either. Just the pencil, just the markers, just the watercolors. But I wanted to explore the setups. Next time, it will be less. It will be just what I need. Because I want to be able to be quick. To capture people before they leave. Sketch more pups. More plants. More everything.

Have a wonderful day sketching!