A Sketchbook Full of Tuscany
with Renee Walden

New Zealand

🗓️ October 2nd to 9th 2027

🎨 Watercolours

Full Board Accommodation: 2,295€ to 2890€ for 7 nights based on room choice & single or shared occupancy.

Tutor's Fee: 900€

Partners & family may join the trip as non-participating guests without the teaching fee.

Renee's Website

Course Information

Accommodation

Course Description

A magical week of sketching, in pen and watercolour, the beauty of Tuscany in autumn: warm stone, golden vines, long shadows, and the kind of saturated colour that only October light delivers.

Renee will show you how to create loose, vibrant, personal sketches — the sort that capture not just what a place looks like, but how it felt to be there. A personal diary of a week you won't forget.

We paint OUTSIDE — that's where the magic happens.

Each day weaves together plein air time in the grounds and surrounding landscape with studio sessions — in our extraordinary converted renaissance chapel — for demonstrations, theory, and time for working on your individual projects with my guidance.

You'll learn to work with a limited palette, understand perspective without fear, capture the autumn Tuscan light and atmosphere quickly, and create loose, expressive sketches that preserve the feeling of a place.

The estate's gardens and sun-warmed buildings offer an endless supply of subjects. There will also be a day in Florence for those who'd like to sketch in one of the world's greatest art cities. We will also visit the Badia di Passignano Monastery, home to a remarkable Last Supper fresco by Ghirlandaio. Inspired by the masters, we wil sketch quietly in the cloisters.

All levels are welcome, from first-timers to painters who want to loosen up and find more confidence on location. Through daily demonstrations and personal feedback, Renee willl help you find your own way to sketch the world the around you.

You'll leave with a sketchbook full of Tuscany, skills that travel with you, and the kind of week you'll keep coming back to in your memory.

What Renee says … I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve visited Italy and the hundreds of sketches I have of this magical country - the architecture, the vistas, the friendly locals, the food, the wine! In October 2025 I guided a sketching retreat in Tuscany and was blown away by how inspiring that time of year is - the colours, the light, the cosy studio sessions. I’m so excited to be visiting Rignana Estate at the same time of year and sharing this incredible experience with another group.

Watercolour sketchbook and paint palette set up en plein air in front of a historic Tuscan church, painting retreat at Rignan

About Renee

For 18 years, I’ve taken a sketchbook everywhere with me. What started as a side hobby on a climbing trip to Spain and France completely transformed how I experience the world. Now I have a big stack of sketchbooks filled with priceless memories – villages, landscapes, flowers, food, people, and little notes that transport me straight back to those moments.

Sketching outside has immersed me in places in ways I never could have imagined, creating vivid memories and allowing me to meet locals I wouldn't have encountered otherwise.

I've been teaching watercolour since 2017. My teaching approach is relaxed and fun. Whether you're nervous about painting in public, unsure about colour mixing, or intimidated by perspective, I'll guide you through it with patience, encouragement, and practical demonstrations. Small group sizes mean ample one-on-one time with each participant daily. By the end of our time together, you'll be the artist who never travels without a sketchbook.