Los Angeles is full of famous views, but sketching it on location makes the city feel more personal. For this sketch day, I walked through Downtown LA and nearby historic streets with my small watercolor kit and pen. I wanted to capture different sides of the city: old brick buildings, civic architecture, modern metal shapes, and quiet church views. Each stop gave me a new challenge, and each sketch helped me see LA in a more creative way.
If you missed my previous post about my Tuscany adventure, you can find it here.
If you love architecture and history this LA tour is for you.
Old Plaza Firehouse
I started my sketch day at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, one of the most historic areas in the city. My first sketch was the Old Plaza Firehouse, the oldest fire station in Los Angeles, built in 1884. Today it works as a museum with old firefighter equipment, but the building still keeps its strong historic character. I loved how loose and easy this watercolor sketch felt, especially with the red brick, blue sky, trees, and quick pen lines.
LA Plaza Museum
Near the Old Plaza Firehouse, I found another beautiful building: LA Plaza Museum. This building was built in 1888 as the Vickrey Building for William Vickrey. Today it is a Mexican American history and culture museum. I liked the style of the building right away and decided to capture it in my sketchbook with simple lines and soft watercolor. My favorite part of this sketch was the street lights, because they added character, height, and a real Downtown LA feeling to the scene.
LA City Hall
My next stop was LA City Hall. I was impressed by how powerful and elegant this Art Deco building looks from the street. The tall white tower, palm trees, and deep green shadows made the whole view feel very dramatic under the sunny sky. I tried to keep the sketch simple, because the building has many windows and strong vertical lines that can easily become too detailed. First I sketched it with my pen, then added light shadows and green watercolor to show the trees framing the building.
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall was one of the most interesting sketching challenges of the day. I loved the postmodern style of the building, with its asymmetric forms, fragmented shapes, and bold departure from traditional symmetry. The metal surfaces looked like they were moving, so I tried to show the depth, volume, and sharp curves with loose pen lines. I think I succeeded in capturing the feeling of the building, especially by keeping the watercolor simple and letting the shapes speak.
Sacrament Catholic Church
While walking on Sunset Blvd, I saw Sacrament Catholic Church surrounded by the city landscape. The church tower, red roof, parked cars, street lights, and modern buildings around it created a very atmospheric urban scene. I liked the contrast between the warm church architecture and the cooler shadows of the street and nearby buildings. This was a very enjoyable sketch because it combined light, shadow, architecture, and the everyday life of Los Angeles in one view.
This LA sketch day reminded me that you do not need a big setup to enjoy urban sketching. A small watercolor kit, a pen, and a compact sketchbook were enough to capture five very different locations in one day. Sketching made the city slower, richer, and more memorable. I would definitely recommend this kind of creative walk to anyone who loves travel, architecture, and watercolor.
