Outdoor Sketching for Beginners: Why You Don’t Need to Draw Perfectly or Know Perspective
Winchester Artist, Jenny Muncaster, Urban Sketching
Can’t Draw? Can’t Do Perspective?
-Perfect, you’re exactly who should be sketching outdoors!
Forget perfect lines. Forget technical skills. If you’ve ever told yourself, “I can’t draw”, — then I invite you to prove yourself delightfully wrong. Mixed media sketching isn’t about getting it “right.” It’s about having a go, loosening up, and seeing the world a little differently — through your eyes, your marks, and your own creative lens.
Why Mixed Media Sketching Outdoors is for Everyone
Sketching outdoors is one of the most freeing ways to connect with the world around you — and you don’t need a suitcase of supplies (or an art degree!) to do it.
Here are some simple, joy-filled tips to get you started:
Beginner Tips for Outdoor Sketching
1. Limit Your Materials & Colour Palette
You don’t need everything in your art stash (yes, I’m reminding myself too... #packhorse).
In fact, limiting your tools makes your sketch feel more cohesive, calm, and confident.
Try this:
Choose just 3 or 4 colours — and see how much range you can create.
Layer them, blend them, add water for soft washes, or use bold, direct marks.
Use one pen or pencil and explore how many kinds of lines it can make.
Less clutter = more clarity and creativity.
2. Embrace the Wobble
Wonky lines have soul. They show movement, personality, and energy.
Don’t aim for perfection — aim for expression.
Play with:
Continuous line drawing: one long line without lifting your pen.
Blind contour drawing: draw while looking only at the subject, not your paper.
These simple exercises loosen the grip of perfectionism, leading to sketches full of life and charm.
3. Start with Collage
Before you pick up your pen, try laying down blocks of paper to map out shapes and areas of colour.
Torn, cut, layered — it’s a tactile, intuitive way to build your scene.
Then draw into the collage — add linework and detail on top. This layering approach helps you see big shapes first and reduces the fear of the blank page.
4. Simplify the Scene
You don’t have to draw everything. (Please don’t.)
You’re the artist — you decide what to include. Suggest detail with simple shapes or marks and let the viewer’s imagination do the rest.
Choose one thing that catches your eye — a doorway, a tree, a corner of a café — and make that your focus. Let the rest blur or fade.
Sketching outside isn’t about being “good.” It’s about seeing differently, slowing down, and playing on the page.
So grab what you have — even a biro and the back of an envelope — and give it a go.
You don’t need to be an artist to sketch. You just need to start.
Here’s to the wobbly lines, wonky windows, and wonderful discoveries waiting outside.
My capsule sketching kit
-Materials I use here to create these mixed media sketches in and around Winchester Cathedral.
A few pieces of collage paper; old map, brown paper, dress pattern, coloured paper, etc
Small glue stick
Graphite stick water soluble - Lyra
Small water spritzer – Hobbycraft/Amazon
Inktense water-soluble pencil – Iris blue - Derwent
Inktense water-soluble pencil – mustard - Derwent
Artists Brush Pen – Faber Castell – black
Paint brush – small round no 10. – any brand you prefer
Fibre tip pen - black - water soluble – Specialist Crafts
White acrylic marker – Pilot Pintor – or preferred brand
Ready to Take Your Outdoor Sketching Further?
If these beginner tips have sparked your curiosity, why not join me for a sketching workshop? You’ll learn mixed media techniques, practice loosening up your linework, and enjoy the freedom of creating outdoors in a relaxed, supportive setting.
