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Travel Sketchbook Tips: How to Draw on Location and Keep the Habit Going

A camera records what a place looked like. A sketchbook records what it felt like to stand there. That difference is the reason many travelers pack a small book and a few drawing tools alongside, or instead of, a phone. This guide collects practical travel sketchbook tips for people who want to draw on location without turning the trip into an art project: how to choose a book, what to carry, how to work quickly, how to cope with weather and crowds, and how to keep going when a day does not go to plan.

Why keep a travel sketchbook at all?

Artists have been doing this for a long time. The sketchbook began as a convenient supply of drawing paper in book form, and artists have used them as part of their creative process and as a blueprint for later work. A 2006 exhibition at the Fogg Art Museum proposed two broad categories of sketchbook: observation, which documents the external world, including travel and nature studies, and invention, which records compositional ideas. A travel sketchbook sits firmly in the first group.

Some of the best-known examples are travel books. J. M. W. Turner produced about 300 sketchbooks on his travels, and they are held at Tate Britain. Conrad Martens produced three sketchbooks on the Beagle expedition, held at Cambridge University Library. David Hockney made 25 palm-sized sketchbooks over 18 months in 2002 and 2003. You do not need to match their output. The point is that small, portable books have long been a normal way to record places.

The modern on-location sketching community shares that spirit. The Urban Sketchers manifesto says that its members "draw on location, indoors or out," that their drawings "tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live, and where we travel," and that their drawings are "a record of time and place." That last phrase is a good description of what a travel sketchbook is for.

Choosing the sketchbook

There is no single correct book, because sketchbooks come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, with varied covers and different numbers of pages. A few questions help you choose.

How big should it be? Smaller books are easier to pull out in a crowded station or at a lookout, and you will actually use them. Larger books give you room, but they are harder to hold while standing. If you are unsure, start small. Hockney's palm-sized books are a reminder that small is a legitimate choice.

What paper does it have? High-quality sketchbook paper is distinguished by its weight (sheet density) and its tooth (grain), and paper characteristics may suit certain media better than others. Papers also come in different tones, such as white, cream, and less commonly gray. If you plan to use only pencil or pen, a general-purpose sketch paper is enough. If you plan to add watercolor, you need paper that can take water without wrinkling, so look for a book marketed for wet media.

Does it lie flat and survive a bag? A sturdy cover helps when the book rides loose in a backpack. Check that you can open it and rest it on your knee or a railing and still draw across the spread. This is a hands-on check worth doing in a shop if you can.

Can you stand to fill it? Many beginners buy a beautiful book and then feel afraid to ruin it. If that sounds like you, buy a cheaper one for the trip. The aim is to fill pages, not to protect them.

A light kit that works

The lighter your kit, the more often you will actually draw. A simple travel set might include:

One or two pencils and a small sharpener, or a pen you like.
A waterproof ink pen if you plan to add watercolor over your lines.
A compact set of pan watercolors and a brush, if you want color.
A clip or a rubber band to keep pages from flipping in the wind.
A small pouch to keep everything together.

Resist the urge to bring everything. Plan to make decisions with fewer tools, because deciding quickly is part of the skill.

How to work quickly on location

Travel rarely gives you hours at one spot. These habits help you finish drawings before it is time to move.

Pick a viewpoint and commit. Spend a minute choosing what to draw, then stop shopping for a better view. A drawing of an ordinary corner is better than no drawing.
Start with the big shapes. Place the main masses first: the horizon, the roofline, the largest building, the curve of a road. Details can come later or not at all.
Set a time limit. Ten minutes is a useful default. Short limits keep you from overworking and help you leave with several pages instead of one.
Accept an unfinished page. A half-drawn scene still records the moment. Some of the most appealing travel pages are loose and incomplete.
Add notes. A date, a place name, a line about the weather or a sound turns a drawing into a diary entry. Words and images work well together on one page.
Draw people small and quickly. People move, so treat them as gesture sketches. A few marks for posture is enough.

Coping with weather, crowds and nerves

Outdoor artists have always faced practical obstacles. Painters working outdoors contend with wind, rain, temperature extremes, shifting light, and insects, and travel sketchers meet the same list plus a few extras.

Weather. If it rains, draw under an awning, from a cafe window, or inside a station or museum. The Urban Sketchers manifesto even says "indoors or out," so a window view absolutely counts. In strong wind, clip your pages down. In cold, remember that temperature extremes can affect paint, so a dry medium may be easier to manage.
Light that keeps changing. Shadows move quickly. Make a note of where the shadows fall in the first minute and stick with it, rather than chasing them as they shift.
Crowds. Some people feel watched when they draw in public. Sit near a wall or at the edge of a space so nobody is behind you. Most onlookers are friendly and curious rather than critical, and you can always turn a page and keep going.
Perfectionism. If a drawing goes badly, turn the page. The sketchbook is a record, not an exhibition.

Making the habit stick

Draw something every day, however small. A cup, a train ticket, or a view from a window counts.
Keep the book accessible. If it is buried at the bottom of a bag you will not use it. Keep it in an outside pocket or a small shoulder bag.
Pair drawing with waiting. Waiting for a train or for food to arrive is time you do not otherwise use. Sketch then.
Review at the end of each day. Flip through the pages, add a caption, and note what you want to draw tomorrow.
Share if you want to. Online communities of sketchers post their on-location drawings for others to see. Sharing is optional, but a community can keep you motivated.

Back home: using the book

When you return, the sketchbook becomes a source. You can scan favorite pages, use a quick sketch as a study for a longer drawing, or simply keep the books on a shelf as a different kind of travel album. Over time, you may find that the pages you valued most were the fast, imperfect ones.

Bottom line

A good travel sketchbook is small enough to carry everywhere, simple enough to use in a few minutes, and forgiving enough that you will not be afraid to fill it. Choose a book that suits your media, carry a light kit, work from big shapes to small ones, accept unfinished pages, and add notes. The result is not a gallery but a record of time and place that no photograph quite replaces.