Getting back to articles from my recent trip to France….

It’s always a little hard to do a symposium blog post as so much happens that it’s impossible to summarise in a few words and images. But here goes…

I had a great time in Toulouse – spoke to so many people, sketched with some of my friends and had lots of inspiring art conversations. It is a beautiful city (and I loved filling my sketchbook with pink-ish terracotta hues), and yes, it was hot most days… but as my visit was all about the people, I’ve already forgotten about how uncomfortable the weather was.

If you missed it, I have my own vlog from the Toulouse week (with lots of cameos by my friends!) available for free on Patreon (until 15 Sept 2026) – check it out here.

Since the symposium is all about people, I’m going to start with a big collection of photos I was tagged in! (I know that there are more but these are the ones I could find on my phone)

As for my sketches…

As always, I didn’t sketch as much as I had hoped.

My only official duty this year was teaching one demo (so technically my schedule was free for sketching), but it still is hard to find time to sketch – I’m always meeting people and having conversations.

It’s also hard to focus on my work because of the energy of being around people constantly and all the interruptions. But that’s totally fine, as I go to symposiums to see people, not to sketch. And this year I had many inspiring chats with other sketchers, which was super special!

That said, I am pleased with what I managed to get down during my week in Toulouse.

  
First Toulouse sketch – interruptions galore (sketchers coming up to us and filming at the same time.)

Sketching with Suhita and Uma in a quiet part of Toulouse.

Tuesday: A distracted sketch (due to talking) of the famous dome. Note: I didn’t get to sketch by the river as much as I expected.

Wednesday: on the left, a sketch during the faculty tour, and on the right, some items from the Art Market.

The Japanese Gardens next to the hub – at all times there were many sketchers here.

Thursday afternoon: My wonderful demo group.

I was showing how to sketch architecture in mixed media (using tempera sticks for texture). After a quick architectural analysis of our building, I then did some tests for a good wall colour.

Exploring different colour palettes. Thanks to Marianne, my wonderful volunteer, for all the photos.

Here’s the final sketch.

Friday: I did Marina’s wonderful collage workshop. I’m super excited by the possibilities of including collage in my work going forward.

The only sketch I did of the Pont Neuf was a collage version! 

Two street scenes – Thursday noon and Friday evening.

Saturday morning: I managed an hour-long solo sketching session – and felt so refreshed afterwards. Sketching is the way I like to process thoughts, so it was wonderful to have a little time to catch up with myself while doing this.

I then joined the sketchwalk and managed these two quick sketches – on the left while catching up with Shiho and on the right, sitting by myself.

In the afternoon I caught up with some of the SketchingNow/Patreon gang and did this sketch of the basilica from a side street.

And then two more sketches while talking non-stop.

The last evening of the symposium was all about talking to people, so I didn’t manage another Toulouse sketch.

As I flip through the pages of my sketchbook now that I’m back home, I’m struck by the strong terracotta colours of my Toulouse sketchbook.

These days I interpret colour rather than try to match hues exactly, but I still find myself asking: was it really that colour?

So I decided to create a colour swatch page from my photos. (Note: I created a similar image from photos online as part of my trip prep (which I shared with my community), but it’s so much better to use my own photos.

And yes! Toulouse buildings truly are those gorgeous vibrant colours! 

I loved visiting the Pink City, and I’m still in a pinkish-hue mood, trying to use pink or salmon whenever I can in my everyday sketching.

Finally – A huge thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to make this symposium such a success – from the incredible local team to everyone in the USK committees and executive board.