profile

Renee Walden

South Africa travel sketches, plus a free lesson - Table Mountain

Published 4 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader,

I'm just back from South Africa — a catch up with family, and climbing and camping to some of our favourite places. South Africa is where I grew up, and it really wakes up my soul: the colours feel more 'me', there's texture and pattern everywhere, and the creative energy of all the different cultures mixed together.

I sketched the whole trip in leporellos (accordion sketchbooks) for the very first time, and it's been such a fun, new way to think about composition and storytelling in a sketchbook.

Find out about it on my blog — the leporello format, the discoveries, the awkward bits, and lots of photographs of the sketches.

FREE LESSON — Paint Table Mountain with me

Just before our trip I filmed a paint-along lesson for DeepDeepLight's YouTube channel. I paint Cape Town's most iconic view — Table Mountain — at paint-along speed, so grab your palette and join me.

INSPO FROM OUR TRIP

Now I have just long enough to refresh my travel palette and pack before my next retreat. France is on the 27th of May — ten days at Périgord Retreats. This will be my 5th retreat there — it's a bit like going home :-)

Until next time,

Renee

P.S.
If you know of someone who would enjoy this newsletter, then please forward it on. Thank you!

Renee Walden

Artist. Tutor. Sketchbook traveller

Helping others capture their memories in colour is one of the greatest joys of my artistic journey. On watercolour art retreats and in workshops I've watched people grow braver, laugh louder, make friends, and fill pages with art they never thought possible. I'm right there alongside them — and it's magic.

Read more from Renee Walden

Hi Reader, My last retreat for 2027 is filling, and I'm running an early bird offer: book before 10 September and I'll include 12 months free subscription to my Patreon, Adventures in Colour. Cabo de Gata - Sept 2027 Andalusia — Spain. Volcanic, semi-arid, bleached and burnished. This is a week for filling a sketchbook in a landscape that will genuinely surprise you — not just as a traveller, but as a painter. I've had some questions since the last email... What experience do I need? All...

22 days ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, My four retreats for next year are all fully booked. Which tells me a lot of people are already planning 2027. So today I'm announcing my last retreat for next year - and it will be in Spain! I've been living in Spain for four years, and next September I'm finally bringing a group here. It's taken me this long to find the right place and the right people to run it with — and I think it was worth the wait. We're going to Cabo de Gata, in the far south of Andalusia. A natural park of...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader, I'm often asked what colours do I use? And how do I mix them? Meet Swatch Maniac. It's something David and I have been quietly building together — me the artist, him the geek — and I shared it with my Patreon community first this week. The response has been wonderful, so I wanted to make sure you didn't miss it too. You upload a photo, and it matches the colours to real, hand-painted swatches — not just a name on a label, but an actual swatch I've painted, so you can see and...

2 months ago • 1 min read