Courses

DISCOVER TUSCANY WITH JAMES RICHARDS

With James Richards

At Lucca , Italy - Villa Vistosa

02 May - 12 May, 2027

Join me for an unforgettable 10 days in one of the worlds most inspirational places! I’ve been sketching and painting in Tuscany for years, and I can’t wait to share my favorite artistic and cultural immersion experience with you. Our workshops are a celebration of the transformational experience of travel, and the added richness, exuberance and creative rush that on-location sketching brings to it. You'll learn to use sketching as a tool for exploration and a doorway to discovery in some of Tuscany’s most beloved hill towns, landscapes, and coastal villages. Along the way, we’ll enjoy gourmet regional cuisine by our personal chef, the region’s finest wines, winery visits and tastings, a cooking class—even a Puccini opera performance! The goal of this workshop is not for you to draw like anyone else. My goal is to equip you with eye-opening lessons, techniques, shortcuts and inspiration from my own decades of experience and travel that can help you develop your own style, provide sketching breakthroughs and shave years off your learning curve. Our workshop guests often say we've "given them permission" to be themselves and to enjoy every day of the process. You’ll depart with a newfound sense of freedom and confidence that's the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment and continued growth.

Course Highlights

  1. Sketching instruction on location demo by James
  2. Lucca,Portofini ,Florence Greve and Panzano in Chianti , Devils bridge
  3. Wine tasting
  4. Cooking Lesson with Chef Karolina
  5. Glamorous Tuscan food & wine
  6. Pizza festival
  7. Giacomo Puccini Concert in a Romanesque church- top experience even for not Opera music fans

Day by Day Workshop Schedule

  1. Day 1: 2 MAY The arrival day! Group will be picked up from Pisa/Florence airport or Lucca Station at 4:00pm. Arrival, unpack, settle in the Villa, time to rest. Around 6:00pm Welcome gathering with James and Karolina including day-to-day schedule and workshop plan, goals, and challenges. Dinner – Karolina’s favourite Tuscan delights.
  2. Day 2: 3 MAY Home day! breakfast at 8:30-9:30 am. Time to relax and enjoy surrounds - first instructional session with James 10:00am . Limoncello making lesson afterwards, Lunch under pergola at 1:00pm prepared by our Chef. Post lunch, it’s time to explore Lucca! First warm up sketching session with Jim at Piazza San Frediano ,after time on own for exploring, shopping (with a map in your hand) Dinner home at 7.00pm.
  3. Day 3: 4 MAY Breakfast at 7:30-8:30am, 8:45am -Color demo with James and 9:30am Departure to Iconic Portofino - jewel of Italian Riviera where pastel houses hugging a turquoise harbor, where sunlight, sea breeze and quiet elegance feel perfectly timeless.Sketching session upon arrival, time on own for lunch, explore and shop , Return home 5:30pm. Dinner prepared by our Chef.
  4. Day 4: 5 MAY 8:30-9:30am breakfast, 10.00am sketching instruction with James. 1:00pm Lunch under Pergola. Post lunch, back to Lucca for more exploring, afternoon sketching session with James at beautiful square ,,Piazza Anfiteatro,, 6:45pm meeting for Puccini Concert. Dinner in Karolina’s favourite restaurant.
  5. Day 5: 6 MAY Home day! Breakfast at 8:30am followed by session with James around the villa’s gardens. Lunch at 1:00pm. After lunch, time to relax, around 4:30pm, the group will enjoy cooking lesson and prepare dinner for everyone 7:00pm. For non-cooks we offer optional massage by our specialized masseuse Charlotte.
  6. Day 6: 7 MAY Breakfast at 8:30am followed by session with James around villa. Lunch at 1:00pm. Post lunch excursion to Fabbrica San Matino for bio dynamic wine tasting with Giuseppe. Back home for dinner.
  7. Day 7: 8 MAY Breakfast at 7:30am, 8:30am day trip to Greve and Panzano in Chianti -Wine & Beef land .We will start with sketching session on main Square in Greve , later we will drive for Lunch with Dario Cecchini- Mad Butcher from Netflix Chefs table series -Unique experience, time for gelato and stroll around . Return home 5:00pm for pizza party at villa.
  8. Day 8: 9 MAY Breakfast en-route ! Depart 8:30am . Time to explore Florence town - We will start from Piazza Michele Angelo overlooking the entire City , later we will drive to main old center for sketching session with Jim , time on own afterwards to explore ,make last shopping and have lunch . Return home at 5.00pm. Dinner at 7:00 with Your Chef
  9. Day 9: 10 MAY Breakfast at 8:30-9:30am , Time in the studio with Jim , Lunch at home , afterwards departure for session at Devils Bridge-most iconic bridges of Tuscany -only 25min drive , afterwards dinner at our Friend restaurant Terrace with stunning views of Matraia valley-we will savor home made meet product from Severino
  10. Day 10: 11 MAY You’ll start the day with breakfast at 8:30am. The group will finish their art works. After lunch at 1:00pm, there’ll be time to pack, relax, and rest. Later in the afternoon, we’ll create a gallery with all of your works! You’ll enjoy this with a spritz and casual spuntini. At 7.00pm there’ll be a glamorous gala dinner offering the best Tuscan cuisine. You’ll have a five-course meal prepared by our Chef along with homemade verbencello.
  11. Day 11: 12 MAY Departure day. ☹ Breakfast at 8:30am. After breakfast, the group will be taken to Lucca train station or Pisa airport.

Course Cost: 5299 Euro

ABOUT THE ARTIST :

James Richards’ career crosses many creative boundaries, and drawing has always been a cornerstone of his creative life and work. He is an award-winning artist, author, urban designer, and former university professor whose work explores real places and real stories around the globe. Jim is the author of the award-winning book Freehand Drawing and Discovery: Urban Sketching and Concept Drawing, a popular text at design schools across the U.S. and abroad.

Jim’s travels have taken him to 45 countries. He is an instructor, online contributor for Urban Sketchers, the international non-profit that promoting on-location sketching around the globe. His sketches have been published worldwide, appeared in solo and group exhibitions, seen in the National Geographic film Selah and on NBC Nightly News. His solo exhibition "Hemingway's Cuba" was shown in Hemingway’s estate outside Havana (now a national museum) during the 2015 Havana Art Biennial. Richards is the first American invited to have an exhibition in the Nobel Prize winning author's home. Jim is a popular online instructor on Skillshare.com, Craftsy and The Great Courses. He travels globally to teach urban sketching workshops for artists, designers and travelers.

www.JamesRichardsSketchbook.com

www.instagram.com/jrsketchbook

Your Tuscan Experience

Our 10-day course isheld at the beautiful farmhouse , on the idyllic hill overlooking the city of Lucca.

Tuscany is one of Italy’s best-loved regions. It’s beautiful countryside is reminiscent of the landscapes of Renaissance masterpieces. Along with rolling hills and vineyards, it also offers a rich artistic heritage including exquisite art and architecture – not forgetting premium wines and delicious cuisine.

Set between the blue-green Apennine Mountains and the turquoise Tyrrhenian Sea- Tuscany is the heart and soul of Italy. Known and loved for amazing light, splendid landscapes, charming low hills, olive groves, vineyards, and beautiful old farmhouses, Tuscany is the ideal location for any artist.

As an immersive cultural experience, we also offer activities including a classical Puccini concert, cooking class with our Chef who specializes in Tuscan cuisine, wine tasting in our favourite local vineyards- These are only a few of our many close-by attractions.

Workshop Information

Each day will include an instructional session, with the topic of the day related to that day’s destination or activity. These sessions will include a 20 to 30 minute talk, followed by a 30-minute demonstration. Participants will then sketch at various locations throughout the day, with one-on-one suggestions from James. Sketching sessions will usually conclude with an informal showing of all the sketchbooks, with James and participants offering constructive suggestions. The goal is to have each person more knowledgeable, inspired and excited for the next day.

Instructional themes for each day will include:

Day 1: Introduction to workshop, teaching methods, challenges and goals.

Day 2: Getting started: James’ step-by-step approach to on-location sketching and a color demonstration.

Day 3: Speed sketching techniques

Day 4: Achieving a sense of depth:town and countryside

Day 5: Using color strategically

Day 6: Designing with darks

Day 7: Capturing the crowd

Day 8: Demonstration of combination of techniques

Day 9: Pulling it together to capture sense of place

Day 10: Review and questions as group, then work on your own finishing sketchbooks

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This workshop is being arranged through followtuscany.com Karolina will follow up on all questions about the workshop, accommodations, activities, coordinate arrivals and departures, food issues and all other details.She will handle all booking arrangements, all enquiries, and receive the payments of deposit and balance from the students directly.

Contact:

Karolina Lenart

Email:followyoursensesintuscany@gmail.com

Web:followtuscany.com

Telephone: +39 3455809974

Included in the cost of your workshop in Tuscany:

  • Accommodations
  • All tuition fees
  • All excursions
  • All activities
  • Airport transfers and local transportation including day trips
  • All breakfasts lunches and dinners (excluding 2 lunches)
  • The use of folding stools

Exludes:

  • Flights to and from Pisa
  • 2 lunches (Portofino,Florence )
  • Painting supplies

Single bedroom occupancy supplement charge of 850Euro


Travel:
It is suggested that you fly into Pisa/Florence airport as our transportation for the workshop will be coordinated from there . We can also pick up participants from Lucca train station.

Departure is scheduled for 10.00am Please make sure your flight back is coordinated with departure from Villa.

Register: To sign up, a non-refundable deposit of 1000 Euro is required. Reserve your place now, so you don't miss out!

Contact Karolina to register:

Karolina Lenart

followyoursensesintuscany@gmail.com