Turn Your Landscape Photo Into a Sketch

Sketching a place you love

Travel photos, the view from a favorite trail, the street where you grew up: a landscape sketch turns a place into art for your wall. It also makes a good gift for someone who moved away, or a memento of a trip.

Landscapes work differently from portraits. Instead of a face, the sketch needs clear structure: a horizon, a path, a building or a tree that gives the eye somewhere to go.

Choosing the photo

• Look for a clear subject

  A lone tree, a lighthouse or a bridge gives the drawing a focal point. Wide, empty views can sketch as plain texture.

• Shoot in the golden hour

  Low morning or evening light brings out shape and texture. Midday sun flattens a landscape.

• Keep the horizon straight

  A tilted horizon is more obvious in a drawing than in a photo. Straighten it before you upload.

• Give it a foreground

  Rocks, a path or flowers in the foreground make the sketch feel three-dimensional.

Styles that suit it

• Watercolor Sketch. Loose washes of color over pencil. The natural choice for travel art, and the style of the first example above.
• Pencil Sketch. Detailed and architectural. Great for cities, bridges and buildings.
• Colored Pencil. Rich, textured color that fills the whole scene.

Questions people ask

Can I sketch a city skyline?

Yes. Cities with strong lines, like bridges and towers, sketch especially well. Pencil Sketch brings out architectural detail.

How large can I print a landscape?

Landscapes are often printed big. Choose 4K from a paid pack for large prints so fine detail holds up.