A: No, all levels of experience, including no experience, are welcome. Instruction is tailored to the experience and needs of each student, and although there will be brief lectures and critiques each morning, most teaching will happen on a one-to-one basis as we are touring and sketching around Tuscany.

A: Our travels in Tuscany will afford us a full spectrum of drawing subjects and opportunities; people, architecture, sculpture, original master artworks, landscape—we will run the gamut from micro (the smallest architectural detail) to macro (composition).

Topics we will cover will include: solid three-dimensional drawing through construction, the human figure, using light and dark, composition, the human face, plus more! There will be handouts each day addressing these various drawing themes, and will include a demonstration of that theme.

A: Definitely! The point of this tour is to experience the many facets of Tuscany at a relaxed pace.

If photography is a passion, bring your camera; if it’s writing, bring a journal…you never know when and how you might become inspired.

A: Non-drawing participants are very welcome to join in. To keep the size of the group at a maximum of 12, these participants pay the same fee as participants who wish to draw.

A: There will be discussion of participants’ drawings during morning ‘classroom’. Showing your work and seeing the work of others is a great learning tool, but it is completely on a voluntary basis.

A: A 9” x 12” spiral-bound hardcover Canson sketchbook is ideal for this sketching trip. Participants should bring an assortment of pencils and pens (pencil leads should include HB, 2B, 4B). I enjoy drawing with a 0.9 mechanical pencil—you can bring one of these also (be sure the lead is 2B). Also bring a small pencil sharpener and kneaded eraser. For adding a value ‘wash’ to pen drawings, grey markers are useful—20% grey and 40% grey. Color is not a focus of the sketching tour, but students are welcome to bring watercolor and/or goache, as they are easy to carry and use.

A: It is truly amazing how much information is available in this era of the internet! Here are some links to potentially useful websites:

A: Dress for very warm temperatures, and humidity. White is a great color choice. A hat is a good idea to shade your face and eyes. You will need sunscreen, which you can either bring (be sure to check airline restrictions for carry-ons), or buy in Florence. The first evening we will be going out for a welcome dinner; dress for the restaurant is casual. And most importantly, be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes. Rain is always a possibility, so be sure to bring an umbrella—just in case.

A: Absolutely. The registration fee for children varies, depending on the age and situation. Please contact me if you would like to participate with one or more children.

A: That is really a personal choice, although I can say that at a minimum, enough to cover meals (breakfasts are included with the hotel stay, and dinner on the first and last nights will be with the group and are included in the price of the tour), and whatever souvenirs/gifts you want to purchase. Remember to account for the dollar/Euro exchange rate, which is currently in favor of the Euro.

For current exchange rates, visit: www.x-rates.com

A: Yes. The week is designed to give participants some afternoons and all evenings free to do as they please, and have fun exploring Florence.

A: Some books you may want to peruse include: The Art Spirit by Robert Henri, and Sketchbooks of the Romantics, by Robert Upstone.

A: All days will involve considerable walking, although at a relaxed pace. Be sure to bring comfortable walking shoes. We will be traveling to sketching destinations outside Florence by private motorcoach, except for Fiesole, which we will reach by city bus.

A: You can choose to fly into either Pisa, or directly to Florence (Peretola). Check airlines for the best price. If you fly into Pisa you can reach the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence by train or shuttle bus (Terravision). Both leave directly from the airport, and you can buy your ticket at the airport. Once you arrive at the train station in Florence, you will need to take a taxi the short distance to the hotel. If you fly directly into Peretola airport, you will need to take a taxi to the hotel (distance of about 10km, about 20Euros), or Volain shuttle bus to Santa Maria Novella train station (and then taxi from the train station to the hotel). The hotel address is Via Alfieri, 18.

We will be leaving the hotel for the welcome dinner at 7:30pm. To arrive at the hotel and have time to settle in in a relaxed manner, I would suggest planning to have your flight arrive no later than 3pm (Italy time).

Here is a link to the Pisa airport, and to the Florence airport.

A: That’s a great idea! I encourage participants to stay beyond the seven days of the Sketching Tour. If you’d like to stay at the Hotel Villa Liana either before or after the dates of the tour you’ve selected, you can contact them directly at www.hotelliana.com or by calling 011 39 055 245 303. If you will be spending more days in Florence, you may want to schedule that time for after the Sketching Tour, so you will be acquainted with the city and surrounding Tuscany and know what locations you’d like to visit. If you’re interested in traveling outside Tuscany, the regions to the south such as Lazio (including Rome), Campania (including Naples), and Sicily are highly recommended.

A: It isn’t necessary to speak Italian, although knowing some will be helpful. At a minimum, it would benefit you to review a book of phrases. If you’re interested in listening to Italian radio to acclimate your ear, you can visit http://www.rai.it/dl/portal/radio.html

Please type your question in the Contact form, and Mike will get back to you shortly with an answer! Thank you!