A sketching holiday in charming villages
and serene nature

Rural and Urban Sketching Holiday in France

This Urban Sketching Holiday in France lets you discover Occitanie’s charming villages and stunning nature while sketching with a qualified art teacher.

Overview of the creative holidays

Saturday June 13 – 20 Fully Booked
Saturday July 25 – August 1 Fully Booked

Capture the most beautiful corners of Najac and its unspoiled surroundings through sketching.

Head out with your sketchbook, find a picture-perfect spot and bring charming villages and stunning nature to life on paper. Najac, one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France, lies in an area where the Aveyron River winds through unspoiled nature. Along with nearby picturesque villages, it’s the perfect setting for a calm, relaxing Rural and Urban Sketching Holiday in France.

sketching at te riverside on rural and urban sketching holiday in France

Not confident in your drawing skills?
Unsure where to start with sketching or how to fill a page in your A4 sketchbook?
Wondering which materials are best for your subject?

Learning to draw realistically can feel daunting, but with guidance from an experienced art teacher, you’ll find it both rewarding and relaxing.

A calming experience: drawing at the riverside

A picture perfect spot combining rural with urban sketching

A moment of calm in the Abbey of Ginals

So many charming sketching spots in Najac

Castle drawing in Lunac with a beautiful view over the countryside

The input from the group is truly inspiring.

Enjoying working with acrylic or watercolours on our small-group painting holiday in France.

Learn drawing techniques: understanding how to use your materials helps you sketch with more confidence.

Explore the steps you can take to create drawings you feel proud of

Learn to see like an artist, noticing not only your own sketches but also those of your fellow participants

Relax and enjoy the creative process, without focusing too much on the final result

Try out a variety of drawing materials, from watercolour- and pastel pencils to ink and graphite, and discover what suits you best.

Discover The Lovely Drawing Spots Available For Our Sketching Classes

Drawing buildings and village scenes

Urban sketching

There are many ways to draw a building, from realistic to more stylised. Every urban sketch, however, begins with careful observation: what is the essence of a building? How does one line relate to another, and how do the proportions of shapes compare? Learning to see and translate what you observe onto paper is a key part of our Rural and Urban Sketching Holiday.

sketching at the riverside during sketching holiday in France — Just relax and enjoy capturing nature on paper

Drawing nature realistically

Rural sketching

The area around Najac is known for its peaceful walks through beautiful forests and along the gorgeous Aveyron riverside. It’s a joy to sit with your feet in the water, surrounded by nature, and capture it on paper. During your Rural part of our Rural and Urban Sketching Holiday in France, you’ll learn how to bring the natural world to life using a variety of drawing materials.

La Forêt Souriante

One morning we stay close to home, in our own La Forêt Souriante. Our garden and woodland are, after all, wonderful places to sketch and relax.

Najac

Of course in our own picturesque village! There are so many sketch-worthy spots. Najac is not for nothing one of les plus beaux villages de France.

Ginals

The abbey in Ginals is a three-in-one destination: a beautifully restored abbey, a modern art museum, and a stunning garden all in one place.

Lunac

Lunac is one of those undiscovered gems. Very peaceful for sketching, with many picturesque spots in the village and wide views over the Aveyron landscape.

Bor-et-Bar

The beautiful riverside near Bor-et-Bar is not only a perfect place to sketch, but also ideal for a refreshing dip, surrounded by breathtaking nature.

urban sketching at riverside during creative holiday in France

Laguepie

The castle in Laguépie can be seen from the riverbank. A pleasantly shady spot in summer and sunny in late summer, with the bonus of swimming in the river.

Sketch, Connect, Learn, Enjoy and Souriant!

We look forward to seeing you at the rural & urban sketching holiday in the stunning scenery around Najac!

In full summer Najac, one of the plus beau village de France and its surroundings offer an inspiring setting for a week of en plein air sketching.
Book your holiday now and start looking forward to an unforgettable creative experience!

Book your holiday ‘rural & urban sketching’

Explore the Details of the Program in the Creative Week

A sketching holiday in charming villages and serene nature