What happens when you stop worrying about getting every detail right and start drawing with rhythm, expression and movement? That was the starting point for my recent Line & Wash in the Urban Landscape workshop at The Brewhouse, Taunton, where a group of artists spent two hours exploring a different way of looking at, drawing and painting the urban environment. The workshop was designed to be practical, energetic and, above all, liberating. Rather than simply sitting down and copying a...

Last week, I had the pleasure of delivering a live urban sketching demonstration for around 12–15 members of the Taunton Creative Club, exploring the loose, expressive approach to drawing and painting that has become such a big part of my own work. I wanted the session to be about much more than simply showing people how I draw. For me, the real challenge is helping people understand how to let go of the desire to make a perfect picture and instead create something that feels personal,...

Urban sketching has become a huge part of how I make art. It isn't simply something I do when I'm travelling or when I have a spare afternoon. Drawing on location has fundamentally influenced the way I see, draw and paint. For me, urban sketching is about much more than recording a building or capturing a particular view. It is about being present in a place, making decisions quickly and responding to what is happening around me. Simplifying what I see Spend a few minutes looking at a city...