The artist
Caroline Smith
I’ve been drawing and painting all my life and have a passion for sketching urban cityscapes. A career in Interior Architecture combined with a desire to travel, have allowed my skills to develop and interest to grow. These are the main ingredients that have formed the brand ‘Urban Sketchliner’. I also have a love for coffee and usually end up doodling on take away cups where possible, to create a little mobile art.
It is great to take this a step further with Winsor & Newton to produce a set of Urban City Cups using the wonderful and versatile Watercolour Promarkers. I have always loved blending loose ink lines with watercolours so this was the perfect opportunity to combine these mediums.
Step 1
Begin with a blank canvas (or found object like a coffee cup) and use pencil to sketch the focal point, such as a key building, while letting the rest of the cityscape fade out on either side.
Step 2
Using Winsor & Newton fineliner, outline the main building forms, keeping the lines loose and natural for a free-flowing feel.
Step 3
Take a Promarker pen, especially Payne’s Grey, and use it to create depth and tone by focusing on shadows and darker areas.
Step 4
Continue shading with the Promarker to add layers of light and dark, emphasising the focal point with richer tones.
Step 5
Refine finer details using the fineliner again and adjust the amount of detail towards the edges to maintain the faded effect.
Step 6
Decide whether to keep the work in black and white or add colour for a striking finish and review the composition to ensure balance and focus on the main subject.