Thinking of Leading a Sketchwalk? Here’s What’s Involved
In our recent engagement survey, many of you said you’d love to get more involved with Urban Sketchers London — especially helping to lead a sketchwalk. But lots of people also told us they’re not sure what that means, or whether they’re “qualified.”
The good news? You don’t need to be a professional artist or a public speaker to lead a sketchwalk — just someone who enjoys urban sketching and wants to help shape a day out.
We usually run one sketchwalk each month — plus four weekday evenings in summer — and every walk is led by two sketchwalk leaders. If we can fill just 50 volunteer slots (you can volunteer more than once!), we’d be able to bring back double sketchwalks and offer even more opportunities to draw together. We really need you to step up — now’s the time to get involved!
We’re always on the lookout for fresh faces and ideas, so if you’ve got a favourite London location in mind, we’d love to hear from you.
When and How to Get Involved
We begin planning the following year’s sketchwalk calendar as early as August or September, so if you’d like to get involved — either as a lead or a co-lead (sidekick!) — the summer months are the perfect time to speak up.
You can:
- Suggest a location you know and love
- Offer to co-lead with someone more experienced
- Or let us know you’re interested, and we’ll match you with a sketchwalk
What’s Expected of a Sketchwalk Leader?
Leading a sketchwalk is a creative, hands-on experience — and we’ll support you every step of the way. Here’s what we ask:
Scout the Location
You’ll visit the sketchwalk location in advance to:
- Explore what’s sketchable, take some photos
- Choose a good meeting point and throwdown locations. Take a photo of the meeting point and note the location, What3words.
- Identify shelter options in case of rain
- Think about access to loos, cafes, and transport
Also consider:
- Can the location handle a crowd?
- Is it private property? If so, we may need to request permission, and we’ll help with that by providing an official letter if needed.
- Try to scout the location on the same day and time as the sketchwalk — that way, you’ll know what’s open, how busy it gets, and what to expect.
Write the Blog Post (with our help if needed)
Two months before the sketchwalk, you’ll draft a blog post that gives attendees everything they need to know. We use a simple checklist:
Before the event: “Let’s Draw…” blog post
- Title: “Let’s Draw [Place Name]”
- Date and meeting and throwdown times (11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:30 pm)
- Intro and short description of the location
- Let’s Meet Here card: address, post code, short description of meeting point, What3Words.
- What to sketch, provide 6 photos
- Rain cover options
- Practical information: transport, loos, cafes
- A few sketches (yours or shared by others — with permission and names!) to feature the blog post could be a lovely addition
Don’t worry — the admin team will help review, polish, and format the post.
On the Day
You’ll arrive early to:
- Greet sketchers
- Talk through the plan for the day – 3T‘s: Toilets, Timings, and Things to draw.
- Guide people to throwdown points and times
- Help everyone feel welcome
One of the admin team or another sketcher will also be there to help — you won’t be doing this alone.
After the Event
We invite you to write a short recap post on the Facebook group page with:
- Post group photos of throwdowns
- A few words about the day
- Sketches and sketchers (with permission) from attendees
Again — we can help!
Not Ready to Lead Just Yet?
You can volunteer to co-lead instead — a brilliant way to see how it all works and gain confidence without taking the full lead.
Ready to Step Up?
If you’ve got a location in mind — or just want to express interest — email us or speak to a team member at the next sketchwalk. We’re always happy to chat, help, and encourage new volunteers to get involved.
Let’s draw together — and make London even sketchier!
