Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 8: City - Longer Sketches

I decided to split all my "Toulouse city" sketches into two posts. Mostly because when I look through them, I see two very different approaches and two different things to learn from them. 
This is part 1:
These sketches took longer; they are mostly painted with gouache and mixed media, and I used different papers. I can definitely see which ones were done at the beginning of the trip and which ones came later - with a more relaxed and "in the groove" feeling I developed by the end of the trip. Looking at them now - after almost a month since I was there - I wish I could re-do them all :)  It is obvious that there were several sketches that had to happen only so that better sketches had a chance. There is a long list of "what is wrong" in my head, but I am working on focusing on positive things in each sketch. So here they are: 
  • I am grateful for the idea of pre-mixing certain gouache colors to take with me. 
  • And that there were not too many of them. 
  • I am glad I thought about pairing my paints with other media in terms of colors and how they work together. 
  • I liked the overlapping, and leaning into a more gestural/dancing approach to composing my pages.
  • I like how white space worked in the bridge sketch. 
  • And I remember how I enjoyed adding typographical elements - even is it is ineligible mostly now. 

Succulent Garden as and Answer

When in doubt about what to draw, if I have limited time or am still jet-lagged, there is an answer to "what to draw": succulent garden! Gouache in my new Etchr Hot Press Sketchbook - gifted by Etchr as one of the sponsors at the USk Symposium.
 



Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 7: Markets

While in Toulouse, I visited a couple of outdoor markets and a famous covered market named after Victor Hugo. All the tour guides suggested having breakfast or a branch of lunch there, but somehow I only drew :)

There are very colorful meat and seafood stalls, as well as bread and cheese. Fruit, flowers, wine, and coffee ones I did not get to sketch - will have to tackle them next time! 

Two Recent Publications!

After sorting through my travel-delayed mail, I finally got my hands on an actual real-life copy of "On The Spot" with my art on the cover and my underwater sketching article inside! (Here is my original post about it) Thank you, Gabriel Campanario, for your support in editing the article and getting in published! 
And in the June 2026 issue of Drawing Attention (Urban Sketchers Publication), I have an article, "Printmaking in Urban Sketching". Thank you, USk Editorial Team and Suhita Shirodkar, for your support in editing the article!

Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 6: More People

After scanning through my whole Toulouse sketchbook, I realized that I have more sketches of people than I thought (and shared) before! But I still wished I sketched people more!

Here are some notes and sketches from three lectures that I attended: Len Grant, Rita Sabler, and Suhita Shirodkar

From the Big Crit Event:

Random people on the street:
Faculty Tour:
Another Dinner with Friends:

Trip to Toulouse, France, 2026: Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around it. 
Part 1: My Workshops
Part 2: My Demo


Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 5: Japanese Garden

I did my demo for the Urban Sketchers Symposium at the Japanese Garden (Jardin Japonais Pierre Baudis), but since it was so close to the hub and such a wonderful place to visit and sketch, I ended up going there several times! To draw the large metal steampunk sculpture of the dragon sitting in the lovely duck-infested waters (Tholus the dragon, by Tom Petrusson), to draw in preparation for my demo (second image), and to draw with friends while being chased from the grass by the garden worker! (ducks visited us there too :) 


On My Table: Beginning of August 2026

August is here, and the truth is, despite the fact that I returned home almost two weeks ago, all of my trip tools are still living in my backpack, and I take them to drawing outings. Nothing was taken out, nothing was added. Is this a sign that I packed well? Or that it takes time to let go of the trip memories? Or that my cup was full after the trip and I enjoy the memory of it by keeping all the tools in the same place/color order? Or that there was so much going on since I came home that I did not have time to unpack/repack? Some from each of these I think :) There are many images in this post as I am posting all the photos with details about pencils and paints, etc. As you can see, Sketchbook 165 expanded quite a bit - I managed to fit all my France travel there and now am working in a lovely hot press sketchbook from Etchr, which they gifted me recently. 






Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 4: Rooftops

After the Symposium, there were opportunities to go further from the hub and sketch in more unusual places. One of my favorite ways to see a new city is to find a good rooftop view! I had some wonderful company to sketch with in both places and used my gouache kit (see post about my trip tools) and some pencils over it.


Toulouse, France 2026: Trip to the Urban Sketchers Symposium and a few days around It. Part 3: People

The best part of USk Symposium? People!

Since my return from the trip, I've been thinking a lot about different aspects of the Symposium experience, and every time my mind goes back to PEOPLE. People I knew who made me super welcome. People I knew only online but finally met in person. People I've never known but now have an amazing connection to. People who came to my workshops and gouache demo. People who shared the experience of sketching in a hot city with lots of other sketchers. It was amazing! I drew people as much as I could, but I wish I'd drawn more :) 

Here are some of the people sketches - no names ;)