1936年参加民族解放先锋队，1938年在茅盾主编的《文艺阵地》上发表《会议》等素描作品，并在《力报》、《申报》上发表了他的第一批以控诉日本侵略者罪行为内容的木刻《无妻之夫》、《无母之儿》。同年，加入中国共产党。

1939年参加新四军，历任新四军歌舞团团长，苏中《江海报》社总编辑，苏中新华社社长，先后在《抗敌报》、《战士报》上发表《反动派的滔天罪行》等木刻作品。皖南事变被囚于上饶集中营，后越狱回到革命根据地，在《苏中报》社工作。第三次国内革命战争期间，邵宇在沈阳《东北日报》社任记者和通讯采访部长。

1946年冬，赴黑龙江省东安地区参加土地改革运动，激发他创作的强烈欲望，所创连环画受到徐悲鸿先生的称赞，认为其画风“用来描写中国社会非常适合。可称简约、紧凑、扼要，而极具力量”。全国解放后，邵宇任新闻摄影局副秘书长兼美术创作室主任。

1950年，参与主持筹建人民美术出版社工作。

1951年冬，他奔赴抗美援朝前线，创作了一系列战地素描。《上饶集中营》、《千山万水》等优秀作品是这个时期完成的。

自1955年起邵宇先后任《人民画报》总编辑，《人民日报》美术组组长，人民美术出版社社长、总编辑，中国美术家协会常务理事、书记处书记。

1984年兼任《中国美术全集》编辑出版委员会主任，主持《中国美术全集》编辑出版工作，1988年，任《中国美术分类全集》总编辑。

1990年起任中国书法家协会主席、党组书记。曾当选第三届全国人大代表，第五、六、七届全国政协委员。人民美术出版社编审委员会主任、教授。

 德国的珂勒惠支，法国的杜米埃、米勒以及美国的海恩里西、齐勒（《柏林生活素描》的作者）都给予他多方面的启示。

参军后，在那段历经严峻考验、曲折难忘的日子里，奠定了他深厚的生活基础，形成了创作激情的根源，无论是他的水彩画、速写或是国画，都是以他自己独特的艺术语言，揭露旧社会，歌颂新生活。

水彩画本身就带有速写的特点，他要捕捉瞬间即逝的动人景象，他要描绘动人的情节，充分发挥水彩画洗练、准确、感人的艺术效果，在许许多多大的场面中，不允许你去精雕细刻，相反，只有以动人的水彩追求强烈、概括的生动气氛，创造出美的意境去感染读者，这就是邵宇水彩画的特长。他的代表作《办喜事》、《迎新娘》不仅充分地反映了少数民族的风土人情，而且作者的激情充分显示在那流畅的速写线条和优美的色块交织之中，给人以美好印象。《迎新娘》一画采用大块明暗的对比，表现和煦的阳光，同时线条色块并用，勾染兼施把中国传统绘画的技法巧妙地运用到水彩画之中，形成了东方艺术美的风格。画中迎亲的行列，疏密开合，寥寥数笔，主次分明，情节动人，是作者几十年来长期深入生活和多年艺术技巧磨练的结果。《办喜事》是《迎新娘》的姊妹篇，描写的是傣族人在娶亲大喜的日子里宾客满堂，在那富有民族色彩的竹楼里，抽烟喝茶、欢声笑语的场面，这两幅作品都是炭笔淡彩，是邵宇的拿手杰作。

 1954年首届全国水彩、速写展览会上邵宇的《成渝路上》是展览中优秀作品之一，那是歌颂祖国建设的篇章。他的其他作品《选举》、《早读》、《瑞雪》、《日夜服务商店》等，每一画面都呈现出他那以洗练的色彩和简洁的用笔，生动地刻画出社会主义建设和人民生活欣欣向荣的景象。邵宇的速写加水彩是一特长，20世纪70年代以后他的作品用墨笔速写，略赋淡彩，其黑白相映，节奏明快，加上色彩鲜明绚丽，苍厚有力，更突出了他的独特风格。如《中山纪念堂》（1977年作）、《香港之夜》（1977年作）、《黄河之滨》（1979年作）、《雨中岚山》（1979年画于日本）、《有朋自远方来》等，都是非常成功的作品。80年代以后的作品，多炭笔速写淡彩，亦画钢笔淡彩。云南少数民族地区之行，画了大批的动人作品。

 In 1936, he participated in the vanguard of national liberation. In 1938, he published sketches such as "Meeting" in Mao Dun's "Literature and Art Front", and published his first batch of woodcut "Wifeless Husband" and "Motherless Child" in "Libao" and "Shenbao". In the same year, he joined the Communist Party of China.

In 1939, he joined the New Fourth Army and was successively the head of the New Fourth Army's song and dance troupe, the editor-in-chief of Jiang Poster Society in Central Jiangsu, and the president of Xinhua News Agency in Central Jiangsu. The Southern Anhui Incident was imprisoned in Shangrao Concentration Camp. After escaping from prison, he returned to the revolutionary base and worked in the Suzhong Newspaper. During the Third Civil Revolutionary War, Shao Yu served as a journalist and Communications Minister in Shenyang Northeast Daily.

In the winter of 1946, he went to Dongan District of Heilongjiang Province to participate in the land reform movement and stimulated his strong desire for creation. The comic strip he created was praised by Mr. Xu Beihong, who believed that his style of painting was "very suitable for describing Chinese society". It is simple, compact, concise and powerful. After the liberation of the whole country, Shao Yu was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Bureau of Press and Photography and Director of the Art Creation Room.

In 1950, he participated in the preparation of the People's Fine Arts Publishing House.

In the winter of 1951, he went to the front line of anti-American and aid Korea and created a series of field sketches. Excellent works such as Shangrao Concentration Camp and Thousands of Mountains and Rivers were completed in this period.

Since 1955, Shao Yu has successively been the editor-in-chief of People's Pictorial, the chairman of the fine arts group of People's Daily, the president and editor-in-chief of the People's Fine Arts Publishing House, the executive director and Secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Artists Association.

In 1984, he also served as director of the editorial and publishing Committee of the Complete Works of Chinese Fine Arts, and presided over the editorial and publishing work of the Complete Works of Chinese Fine Arts. In 1988, he was the editor-in-chief of the Complete Works of Classification of Chinese Fine Arts.

Since 1990, he has been the Chairman and Secretary of the Party Group of the Chinese Calligrapher Association. He was elected deputy to the Third National People's Congress and member of the 5th, 6th and 7th CPPCC National Committee. Chairman and Professor of the Editorial Committee of the People's Fine Arts Publishing House.

Cole Whitzer of Germany, Dumier of France, Miller of America and Heinrich and Ziller of the United States (the author of "The Sketch of Berlin Life" all give him many enlightenments.

After joining the army, he laid a solid foundation for his life and formed the root of his passion for creation in those days, which experienced severe tests and unforgettable twists and turns. Whether his watercolor painting, sketch or traditional Chinese painting, they exposed the old society and praised the new life with their own unique artistic language.

Watercolor painting itself has the characteristics of sketch. He wants to capture the moving scenes that are fleeting. He wants to depict the moving plot and give full play to the artistic effect of watercolor painting. In many big scenes, you are not allowed to carve carefully. On the contrary, only the strong and general pursuit of moving watercolor is allowed. Vivid atmosphere, create beautiful artistic conception to infect readers, this is Shao Yu's watercolor painting's specialty. His masterpieces "Happy Events" and "Bride Welcome" not only fully reflect the customs of ethnic minorities, but also show the author's passion in the smooth sketch lines and beautiful color blocks, giving a good impression. "Welcome the Bride" uses a large contrast of light and darkness to show the warm sunshine, while using lines and color blocks, to delicately use the techniques of traditional Chinese painting in watercolor painting, forming the style of Oriental Art beauty. The ranks of greeting relatives in the paintings, dense and open, few pens, clear primary and secondary, and moving plot are the result of decades of deep life and years of artistic skill training of the author. "Happy Events" is a sister piece of "Welcome the Bride", which describes the Dai people in the wedding day full of guests, smoking, drinking tea, laughter and laughter in that ethnic bamboo building, these two works are charcoal light colored, is Shao Yu's masterpiece.