"The World of Urban Sketching" by Stephanie Bower is a captivating celebration of the art form that brings cities and streetscapes to life through the eyes of talented sketch artists from around the world. This book is a visual feast, offering a rich tapestry of sketches, techniques, and stories that will inspire both seasoned artists and budding creatives.

Stephanie Bower's curation of urban sketches is a testament to her keen eye for detail and appreciation for the diverse perspectives of artists across the globe. The collection encompasses a wide range of styles and subjects, from bustling city squares to intimate alleyways, showcasing the beauty and vibrancy of urban life.

What sets this book apart is its ability to transcend the boundaries of traditional art instruction. While it provides valuable insights into techniques, tools, and approaches to urban sketching, it also serves as a window into the artistic journeys and experiences of the featured sketchers. Their personal anecdotes and reflections add a layer of depth and authenticity to the book.

Bower's writing is informative and engaging, providing clear explanations of various sketching techniques and concepts. Her passion for urban sketching shines through, and her guidance encourages readers to embark on their own creative explorations of the urban landscape.

The book's layout and design are thoughtfully executed, allowing the sketches to take center stage while providing informative captions and notes to enhance the reader's understanding. It's a visual and educational delight, inviting readers to linger over each page and soak in the artistry on display.

In conclusion, "The World of Urban Sketching" is a treasure trove for art enthusiasts, urban explorers, and anyone with a love for capturing the essence of cities on paper. Stephanie Bower's expert curation and insightful commentary make this book a valuable addition to any artist's library. Whether you're a seasoned sketcher or a newcomer to urban art, this book will ignite your passion for capturing the beauty and energy of urban environments.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my god! The sketch is very authentic, representing their own country, and I am thrilled that Malaysia is included too. The artist's skill is so impressive that I can't help feeling a little jealous of their talent. Nevertheless, I truly believe that I will appreciate the art even more by buying the physical copy instead of viewing it on a tablet. However, regardless of the format, it has been a quite enriching experience to explore these beautiful locations through the eyes of the artists. The sketches are top-notch, and the detailed descriptions add an extra layer of interest to the drawings. It makes me fall in love with the artwork even more. I want to express my gratitude to the author = artist for giving me the opportunity to sneak a peek at this valuable and timeless art.

WOW!! I want a physical copy of this AWESOME BOOK right now! The images are stunningly beautiful and the book is bigger than most watercolor books on the market, which is better because I do not like A5 format books, they are too small and make the practice more difficult. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another wonderful book on urban sketching. Not an instructional book but a wonderful overview of the world of urban sketching with many beautiful examples.

A great resource about Urban Sketching
Award-winning illustrator, teacher, architect, and traveling sketcher Stephanie Bower presents her book "The World of Urban Sketching. Celebrating the Evolution of Drawing and Painting on Location Around the Globe - New Inspirations to See Your World One Sketch at a Time", a title of the "The Urban Sketching Library", published by Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry. The book contains art from 39 countries around the world and presents over 150 Urban Sketchers and their art in this book and briefly introduces them in "Get to know" boxes. A map at the beginning of the book shows the locations where the sketches have been created. For some artists Bower also mentions their techniques or favorite tools. Furthermore, the book contains Spotlights, e.g. "Life in the Time of COVID" (which shows that sketching did not stop with Covid), "Urban Sketchers Symposium, Amsterdam", "Asia-Link Sketchwalk, Taichung", or "Food, Glorious Food". Bower includes "The Urban Sketchers Manifesto" in the introduction and defines Urban Sketching. According to her: "..., it’s recording moments of everyday life by drawing or painting from direct observation" (p. 8). Urban Sketchers are people who "across all ages, nationalities, and walks of life—sketch live and on-location, capturing their experiences in a sort of visual diary" (p. 8).
I highly appreciated the enormous variety of examples of Urban Sketching. There is also a list of the contributors and an index, divided into artist index and subject index, which is a big help when readers search for a specific artist or subject. Additionally the book also lists the titles of the "The Urban Sketching Library" and the "The Urban Sketching Handbook series". I highly recommend this book to beginner or advanced artists who are interested in Urban Sketching as well as to those artists who are generally searching for new creative ideas.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheWorldOfUrbanSketching #Netgalley

Excellent ideas for artists, with handy tips for ways to improve your sketching, and new techniques to try, this book is ideal to have on hand when you're getting to grips with urban sketching.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

A great companion guide in the series which will provide creative inspiration while traveling! I love how it features sketches from all over the world in a variety of environments. This would be a great resource for artists who want to document their travel in drawings.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing this ARC.

The Urban Sketching series never fails to amaze, and this book is no different. There is an insane amount of ideas and encouragement between the pages.

Organised by location, I enjoyed seeing bits of the homes I had lived in. As always, I wish there was more of a focus on Africa

Each spread features a location and an artist. A small description of the artist, a few works by them, insight into each piece, and the supplies used. There are also "Spotlights" which have a compilation of artists and illustrations according to a theme.

Favourite section: the spotlight on "Life in the time of Covid", and seeing how Urban Sketchers take on the less exotic location of home.

Favourite quote from Cathy Gatland, "I used to try to make everything 'perfect' which is neither possible nor interesting to my eye. I've learned to enjoy the mistakes".

My first love was--and always will be--art, and I studied studio art before making the switch as an undergraduate to English/Creative Writing. When I'm not reading, I'm usually parked in front of an easel or drawing table with paints, pencils, pens, and whatever else currently holds my attention. The World of Urban Sketching certainly held me attention with its vibrant representation of artists' work from around the globe and impressive array of tips and techniques.

Urban sketching is basically the art of capturing a snapshot of time from direct observation through the use of different media, whether is be pencil, ink, crayon, paint, or a blending of materials. No one style is dominant and all artistic forms of expression are welcomed. In the introduction of the book, Stephanie Bower lays out the "manifesto" of the urban sketchers, which simply says (in a nutshell) that the drawings/paintings are created on location, serve as a record of time and place, individual styles are cherished, supported, and shared online, but most importantly, urban sketchers "show the world one drawing at the time."

The wide variety of artists from around the world showcased in this book will certainly inspire anyone who is looking to expand their knowledge of landscape art. With tips and techniques shared from many of these same artists, even someone who is new to the art form will be impressed with the depth of knowledge found in these pages. The World of Urban Sketching has definitely earned a place on my art book shelf, and I'm sure I'll be referring to it often as I continue to hone my own style.

this book is a fun read! While I am not an artist by any stretch of the world, this book reads like a love letter to the art of sketching. From this book, I have learned about a bunch of new artists that I will be sure to follow!

Great book, beautiful illustrations It’s way past my level of sketching, so I just had to appreciate it rather than learn from it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

What a magical book. I was afforded the opportunity to read this at no cost from Netgalley and will be adding it to my wish list to purchase. I love urban sketching and urban sketchers and this book is an amazing collection of work from many artists, with beautiful and inspiring samples from each as well as some tips and ideas to use in your own work. Terrifically enjoyable to browse and learn from.

What I could see was beautiful but I’m going to have to wait to appreciate this book in print. Unfortunately the copy that opens in the Netgalley app really only shows the text and leaves the images too grainy to see with much detail. What I could decipher looked great and I will be looking for it in stores in the future but the format impacted my ability to truly give this book a fair rating.

Thank you to Netgalley, Stephanie Bower, and Quarto Publishing Group – Quarry, Quarry Books for providing me with a free copy for an honest review!

Very impressive collection of urban sketchers and their work! Even if it is not an instructional book, it contains plenty of useful tips, subjects to focus on, and techniques to try. The book motivated and inspired me to try new mediums, develop my unique style, and integrate sketching into my everyday life. It showcases brilliantly how different artists approach urban sketching. The collection of sketches from all over the world is beautiful to look at and I enjoyed every single page. I would definitely recommend this book for (urban ) sketchers, aspiring artists who aim to integrate a (daily) sketching habit and art lovers in general.

A wonderful peek inside the sketchbooks of urban artists from around the world. Packed full of techniques and tips, the reader is introduced to a total range of individual and unique styles. I would say this is more aimed at those already familiar with urban sketching. It’s not really aimed at beginners with step by step guides but more an introduction to some of the best urban sketchers around the globe, delving into their thought process. A really impressive book.

Urban sketching is a favorite activity of many artists, requiring a different set of skills than a finished, detailed painting, and of art lovers who enjoy the free, spontaneous style. The practice helps artists build speed and focus, but for some it is a joyful activity in and of itself. The World of Urban Sketching by Stephanie Bower is a treasure trove for anyone interested in the genre. She has chosen 39 marvelous artists who use a wide variety of techniques and materials including iPads with Apple Pencils, fountain pens, Pigma Micron fineline pens, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, etc. There are over 600 reproductions of work by these painters along with short but helpful bios and commentary on each of the pieces by the artist. I greatly appreciated that each sketch was accompanied by a specific list of the materials used, and it was great fun to see the creativity involved with those choices. One artist, Peter Rush of Sydney Australia, does his beautiful sketches on the reverse of flattened cereal boxes! You must check that out...Mr. Rush makes a good case for the benefits of that support.
I viewed an advance copy of this book on my old iPad so I was not able to zoom in for clear magnification of details. Quarto Publishing Group prints beautiful photographs of art works, so I can only anticipate how gorgeous (and educational!) this book will be to any reader.
Among the generous array of artists, my favorites were: Uma Kelkar, Frank Ching, Norberto Dorantes, Robert Reed, Thierry Chehab, Phil Dean, and Pat Southern-Pearce. The work of the last two especially knocked me back in my chair: Dean with gifted use of composition and powerful color in focal points among almost monochromatic surroundings; and Southern-Pearce with likewise eye-opening use of color on mid-tone grounds/supports.
If you enjoy art books and want to check out Urban Sketching (or already love it as a genre), treat yourself to this feast of a book. It will probably become dog-eared over time.

This book is absolutely gorgeous. These sketchings are a delight to look at, well done for the artwork ! It is so nice to see this place under a different angle.

A collection of art from sketchers all over the world. Very impressive sketches
Thank you Stephanie Bower, NetGalley and Quarry Books – Quarto Publishing Books for the arc of this book

The World of Urban Sketching is a quirky visual feast from 39 sketchers around the world. This book offer almost 700 picture from 150 sketches. All offer and share insights, inspiration and some technics to make all those art.

For me the book is a unique way to documenting places and unique environment when you go travelling. Of course if you are a sketchers or someone with drawing skill. This book isnt a how to or drawing course type of book but will provide some ideas and inspirations about how to go out and capture what you see in paper.

Thank you Netgalley and Quarry Books from Quarto Publishing Group for provided my copy. My thoughts always my own.

I don’t know how you do this, Quarto Publishing Group. But your team never fail to impress me. Most of the time surprise me with all the details and the presentation. The artwork. The information. The compilation. It’s like I just went for a world tour!

Thank you so much, Quarto Publishing Group- Quarry, for the advance reading copy.