How to Choose a Sketchbook Size for On-the-Go Urban Drawing
If you want one sketchbook for everyday urban drawing, start by checking what you can comfortably carry and open while standing or sitting in your usual spots. For many people, an A5 or similar 5-by-8-inch book is a useful middle ground: it gives room for a street corner or building while fitting more easily into a small bag than a large pad. Choose A6 or pocket size when carrying it every day matters most; choose a larger book when you plan longer sessions and can bring a supporting surface.
Start with the outing you actually take
“On the go” can mean a five-minute pause between errands, a commute with a small bag, or a planned afternoon drawing outdoors. The right size depends on which of those is routine. Urban sketching takes place in varied settings and can be quick or extended; Urban Sketchers’ chapter guide describes drawings ranging from brief records of a moment to work taking much longer. That range is a reason to fit the book to your outing rather than assume every sketch needs the same page area. Urban Sketchers’ Chapter Application Guide
Before buying, take the bag you normally use and check whether the sketchbook slips in without bending, whether it can be reached without unpacking everything, and whether you can hold it open at your likely drawing spot. A book that technically fits but is awkward to retrieve or support may be a poor everyday choice. These are practical checks, not universal rules: seating, weather, whether you draw standing, and the other gear you carry all change the answer.
Compare pocket, A5, and larger formats
A6 is about 105 × 148 mm (4.1 × 5.8 inches), while A5 is 148 × 210 mm (5.8 × 8.3 inches). A4 is 210 × 297 mm (8.3 × 11.7 inches). These are standardized sheet dimensions; sketchbooks sold under approximate inch labels may differ, so measure the actual book including its cover. The ISO standard defines the A-series paper sizes. ISO 216:2007
Pocket or A6-sized books are easier to fit into a compact bag and quick to open for a small subject, a detail, or a brief drawing. Their trade-off is less room for a wide scene, notes, and large shapes. If you often draw whole buildings or street intersections, the limited page may lead you to simplify aggressively or divide the scene across multiple pages.
A5 is a practical starting point when you want one book to handle both quick studies and more developed views. An urban-sketching guide describes a 5-by-7-inch book as easy to carry and pull out on location, while another practitioner favors roughly A5 for its portability and usable open spread. Those are individual preferences rather than a measurement-backed guarantee that A5 fits everyone, but they illustrate why this middle size is worth trying. Sketchbooks for Urban Sketching, Drawing on-location
A4 or a similarly large format gives more space for a broad façade, foreground, and surrounding context. It also occupies more room in a bag and can be harder to support without a table, board, or seat. Consider it when the outing is specifically for drawing and you expect to stay in one place; it is less suited to an always-with-you book in a small everyday bag.
Let the subject set the page shape
The subject’s proportions matter as much as overall size. A tall building or narrow lane often fits a portrait page; a low skyline, long row of storefronts, or street panorama may suit landscape. A square page can work for centered subjects but may leave unused space around long horizontal or vertical scenes. If your choice is between two close sizes, orientation may make the bigger practical difference.
Check whether the binding allows the book to open flat and whether its orientation suits how you draw. A stitched or hardbound book may be comfortable to carry and protect its pages, but some bindings resist lying open; spiral binding can make it easier to fold the cover behind the page but may be less comfortable to hold in certain positions. These differences vary by construction, so test the specific book rather than relying on its size label alone.
Also consider the open spread. A book bound along its longer edge can offer a broad two-page view when laid open, but the center fold may interrupt a drawing. A wire-bound book may not be ideal for continuous artwork across the gutter. If you tend to draw one scene on one page, the gutter matters less; if you like panoramas, inspect the binding before choosing.
Match the format to your drawing materials
Size does not determine paper suitability. If you draw mostly with pencil or dry pen, many ordinary sketch papers may work. If you add marker or watercolor, check the manufacturer’s stated paper type and intended media. An Urban Sketchers practitioner specifically distinguishes dry-media sketch paper from mixed-media or watercolor paper for adding color. Drawing on-location
A larger page can invite more marks and detail, but the right paper still depends on how you use the medium. For example, an urban-sketching guide reports that one 200 gsm watercolor book handles light washes but struggles with repeated layers and wet-in-wet work. That is a product-specific observation, not a general paper threshold; paper surface, construction, and painting technique vary. What’s the Best Sketchbook for Urban Sketching?
If you are uncertain, test a small number of representative marks on a sample or an inconspicuous page: your usual ink line, a marker stroke, or the kind of wash you expect to use. Notice whether the paper buckles, feathers, bleeds through, or slows your drawing. Carrying a smaller book with suitable paper is often more useful for your task than choosing a larger book whose pages do not suit your materials.
Use this short decision sequence
First, decide whether the book must live in your everyday bag or whether you will carry it only on planned sketch outings. If it must stay with you, choose the smallest size that still fits the scenes you most often draw. If you mainly plan longer sessions, prioritize page area and comfortable support.
Next, name your common subject: a single doorway, a shopfront, a full building, or a wide intersection. Imagine placing its largest shapes on the page before adding detail. If the composition feels cramped, step up one size or choose a more suitable orientation. If you are not sure, make a quick thumbnail rectangle on scrap paper at the book’s approximate page dimensions and block in the main forms. This is a simple planning exercise, not a test of drawing skill.
Then verify the book in its real setup: put it in your bag beside your usual pens or paints, take it out, open it, and try holding it in the position you expect to draw. If you use wet media, add that paper check before deciding. Buying one inexpensive candidate or borrowing a similar-sized notebook for a few outings can reveal fit and handling problems more reliably than comparing product photos.
A practical starting recommendation
For a first everyday carry book, try A5 or a nearby 5-by-8-inch format if you want a balance between portability and enough room for a typical urban scene. Choose A6 if compact carry and brief sketches dominate your routine. Move up toward A4 when you usually plan longer sessions, draw broad scenes, and have a way to support the book. These recommendations are a synthesis of standardized dimensions and practitioner accounts, not a claim that one size is best for every artist.
Keep the trial concrete: after a few outings, ask whether the book came with you, whether your usual subject fit without awkward cropping, and whether you could draw comfortably where you stopped. If you repeatedly leave it at home, go smaller. If pages feel cramped despite simplifying the composition, try a larger format or landscape orientation. Let those observations decide your next book.