Extreme Sketchbook Art Journal Vacation in France
With Lloyd Dangle as your teaching artist, and the French Riviera as your playground, learn to create a sketchbook that is full of texture, surprise, and salty irreverence.
“Let’s explore the French Riviera together and create wild, irreverent travel journals.“
Dates: October 18-24, 2027
Duration: 6 nights
Location: Nice, France
Cost: $3495 per person double/twin occupancy, $4195 for a private, single occupancy room
Maximum Class Size: 14
Land only. Non-art travel companion packages available (spaces are limited). All amounts in US dollars.
Sketchbook Art Journal Vacation in France
Imagine yourself on the French Riviera––the gorgeous pastel houses stacked upon the cliffs of the Cote Côte d’Azur, the marine blue waters that have mesmerized beachgoers since antiquity. This playground for artists, celebrities, aristocrats, billionaires, and French actresses in comically large sunglasses offers a picturesque canvas for your creative expression. Join long-time cartoonist and artist Lloyd Dangle for a Extreme Travel Journal Workshop in France. Bring your unique eye, hand, and vision to life as you embark on an exhilarating journey to create a messy and wonderful travel journal. Document your experiences in this world-class destination and capture the essence of the enchanting French Riviera.
What to Expect
Sketchbook Journal Workshop Program
What makes the workshop extreme? You’ll be supported to push the boundaries of typical travel journals–at least the ones we’ve seen on Instagram and Pinterest–to make an artifact that’s full of texture, surprise, and salty irreverence. Lloyd’s prompts and assignments disrupt typical journaling practices to help you reveal your journey’s ups and downs with vividness and honesty.
Lloyd’s teaching style offers activities that are broad and open-ended so each student can bring their own peculiar inventiveness to the table. Every student’s sketchbook will look different. Someone might make a comic strip using wrappers from sardine packages. Another might make a watercolor masterpiece of a mouthwatering French pastry. It should be fun to try new things and each student’s individual art approach will be honored (even if they’re not sure they have one yet).
Each day, you’ll receive prompts for timed freewriting and doodling. You’ll see inside Lloyd’s “comics storytelling machine” and learn how to collect bits of stories, characters, dialogues, places, and images that capture your interest. Then you’ll weave these bits into a compelling visual narrative. Lloyd will be there, working in his own journal, sharing insights, tips and tricks.
Is skilled drawing required for this retreat?
Heck no! If you can tear paper, scribble with a crayon, and use a glue stick you’re good to go. There will be no expectations of making things pretty. No stuffy “art school” critiques that make you feel bad about your work! You’ll be the boss during this exploration of creativity.
The Takeaway
Over the week, your journal will transform into a unique visual and textured account of your journey’s highs and lows. From stunning sunsets to gelato mishaps, you’ll capture it all. Using text, hand-drawn marks, and collaged ephemera, your sketchbook will become the Technicolor Holy Bible of your 2027 French Riviera Adventure. The Extreme Travel Journaling techniques are fun, applicable, and will forever transform your journaling practice.
Travel & Touring
This sketchbook art workshop in France is also an active, immersive vacation. We explore the Riviera the way locals do—on foot, by train, and by bus—following a curated itinerary designed specifically for creative travelers. Each outing offers opportunities to sketch, photograph, and gather inspiration, whether wandering a medieval village, strolling a coastal path, or browsing a bustling market. With a balance of guided experiences and free time, you’ll connect deeply with the region while filling your sketchbook with the colors, textures, and rhythms of the Côte d’Azur.
We will explore a region of the Cote d’Azur between Cannes and Menton. Centrally based in the city of Nice for all six nights, you’ll unpack only once. Every day begins with an energizing walk along a new section of beautiful Mediterranean coast. Our daily destinations may include a bustling open market, a remote island monastery, or a pastel-hued medieval village overlooking the sea. We will stop for sketchbook sessions along the way. You will practice traveling lightly and drawing in the moment. Creating is part of the journey.
Art Walk participants should be able to walk comfortably for an hour at a time at a leisurely pace. We will be walking on ungroomed trails, cobbled paths, sidewalks, pavement, and stairs. Some terrain may be uneven and rocky.
What you’ll love
1. Small group classes
With a maximum class size of 14, you can expect quality time with Lloyd as well as your friendly, like-minded classmates.
2. Immersive experiences
Step away from your everyday life and fully experience the food, culture, and landscape of the French Riviera
3. Movable Studio
Develop skills and techniques to use whenever you travel. Specifically, learn to pack light and create as you go.
4. Planning with Care
We take care of the details. You enjoy your vacation!
What’s Included
sketchbook art journal vacation
- Daily, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hour sketchbook art journal classes with Lloyd Dangle
- Six nights at our centrally located 4-star hotel in the French Riviera
- Full hot & cold buffet breakfast daily
- Welcome dinner
- Gelato!
- Snack of Niçoise specialties
- Lunch in Menton
- Farewell dinner
- One-week unlimited use TER regional train pass between Cannes and Menton
- Visit to Cours Saleya flower market
- Visit the towns of Menton, Villefranche Sur Mer, Antibes, and Cannes
- Visit to Antibes’ Marche Provencal
- Ferry trip to the Lerin Islands and Île Saint-Honorat
- Guided walks along the coastal sentiers (paths) of the Cote d’Azur
- Absinthe museum experience (optional)
- Daily customized itineraries
- Your English speaking guide
- Fully hosted and escorted
- All hotel taxes and service fees
Example Itinerary…
Actual daily schedules may differ.
sketchbook art journal vacation
Day 1
Arrive in Nice and settle into your hotel before meeting the group for a warm welcome and orientation walk. We wander toward the Old Town, ending with tastings of traditional Niçoise specialties. It’s a relaxed introduction to the week and a chance to get to know Lloyd and your fellow travelers.
Day 2
We begin at the colorful Cours Saleya Market, where Lloyd leads a lively sketching session among flowers, produce, and bustling vendors. After a lunch break, we walk up to Castle Hill for sweeping views, then continue to Garibaldi Square and back into Old Town. In the evening, we gather for a festive welcome dinner.
Day 3
A short train ride brings us to Villefranche‑sur‑Mer for a morning sketching class along its picturesque harbor. After lunch, we set out on a coastal walk around Cap Ferrat, following turquoise coves and rocky paths. Return to Nice in the late afternoon with plenty of inspiration for your journal.
Day 4
Today we walk the scenic Cap Martin coastal path to Carnolès, where we enjoy a relaxed seaside lunch followed by a sketching session with Lloyd. Afterward, choose your own adventure: continue on to Menton, hop over to Monte Carlo, or return to Nice at your leisure.
Day 5
We begin at Cannes’ Marché Forville, gathering treats for a picnic. A short ferry takes us to Île Saint‑Honorat, a peaceful island of vineyards and monastery grounds. Lloyd teaches class beneath the oaks, surrounded by sea views and quiet paths. After our picnic, we retrace our steps and return to Nice.
Day 6
We take the train to Antibes for a scenic walk along the ramparts and through the historic center. Lloyd leads a final sketching session before lunch. Return to Nice at your leisure. In the evening, we gather for a seaside farewell dinner to celebrate a week of creativity, connection, and Riviera beauty.
Day 7
Enjoy breakfast before departing at your leisure. The hotel will hold your bags if your departure is after checkout, giving you time for one last stroll or sketch along the Promenade des Anglais.
Important Notes
Sketchbook Art Journal Workshop in France
Deposits
Your place on a tour is secured once we have received and confirmed your deposit payment. Before the final payment date, a non-refundable deposit of $500 for walking vacations and $750 for art vacation workshops is required. After the final payment date, the entire tour amount must be received to hold a space on a program.
You may cancel for any reason up to 90 days prior to departure and your non-refundable deposit may be forwarded to a future tour. Any balance on your account will be returned. For complete details please see our Terms and Conditions.
Solo travelers and single supplements
For our guests who are traveling solo... for your comfort we offer private rooms. Whenever possible singles will be placed in the same room category as our double or twin rooms.
Twin / Double Rooms
Please be aware twin beds in Europe may have very little or no space between beds. Also, for double beds, instead of a king or queen mattress, double beds are often two adjoining twin mattresses secured together and made with double bedding.
Fitness
Walking is a part of this program. It is both a means of visiting locations and a way to immerse yourself in a place. Our scheduled walks are usually 1-2 hours long at a casual pace. Participants should be able to comfortably walk 2 miles in an hour. We provide a general description of our walks here. It is your responsibility to know your own physical and medical condition with respect to the advisability of participating in a chosen trip. Please be realistic about your physical abilities when booking an active walking vacation. We suggest you prepare by doing at least 1 hour of walking several times per week, and a longer walk at least once per week. Ideally, include walks with elevation change and stairs. (There are always stairs.) If you have compromised knees, hips, back this tour will be challenging and perhaps not appropriate.
As with any exercise program, we recommend you consult with your physician prior to your arrival regarding the suitability of a walking tour.
Some of our guests find trekking poles helpful on steep or uneven terrain. In Europe they are quite common. Before using them on a vacation, please practice at home. We strongly advise you get comfortable using trekking poles on familiar paths first.
For additional information on these topics and more, please see our FAQ page.
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