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Emma Bolton

Emma Bolton

Granada, Spain
Artist and writer based in Granada. Creator of Sketches from Granada.
Mar 23
Bring your own urban sketching kit. Me holding my urban sketching backpack, which is pink and covered in large flowers, and tossing my dark brown hair.

Assemble your urban sketching kit

It's the perfect time to try something new
3 min read
Mar 08
A silver engraved teapot with a gold and red cozy on the handle sits on top of a gold cushion and white plate.

The Hammam

Soaking up sensory delights at the Arab Baths in Granada
4 min read
Feb 25
A large black dog with brown eyes is being cradled like a baby by a white person in a navy flannel shirt on a pink couch.

February wrap-up

Plus, a review of Starling House
2 min read
Feb 10
A view of the Alhambra, Granada surrounded by forest from the Albaicín.

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Feb 05
A list of 8 finished books in a Pagebound Library with their covers, including Starling House by Alix E. Harrow and Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid.

How do you keep track of what you read?

When the process is the point
8 min read
Jan 31
Watercolour sketch by Emma Bolton of the Alhambra, Granada and the fountain in Paseo de los Tristes. A man is sketching on a low wall.

Paseo de los Tristes

Sketching "the most romantic place in Granada" in the winter sun
3 min read
Jan 26
Two watercolour sketches of white buildings in the Albaicín in two-point perspective. The buildings have brown roofs, wooden doors and are under a bright blue sky.

The 2026 Granada Sketching Retreat is open for booking!

Build your sketching confidence and style by connecting to place
1 min read
Jan 19
A hand holding an A5 sketchbook open over a pool with reflections of trees. The landscape sketch by Emma Bolton is of a turquoise ocean, pink sand and greenery in the foreground.

The Sunshine Coast

Spend the day at the beach with me
4 min read
Jan 12
A watercolour painting of the pomegranate fountain in central Granada by Emma Bolton on a background of leaves.

Fuente de las Granadas

Painting Granada's pomegranate fountain
2 min read
Jan 05
A white woman wearing glasses and a denim jacket is smiling at the camera. In the distance is the Alhambra palace and Granada.

A different kind of year in review

Celebrating the moments that made 2025 meaningful
5 min read
Nov 26
A dark grey bird with its yellow beak open and wings outspread is perched on the end of a mossy log. Small feathers in jewel greens and purples cover its back.

Starling House

A review of Alix E. Harrow's 2023 gothic fantasy novel
3 min read
Nov 06
Watercolour sketch by Emma Bolton of Carolina Bouquet flower stand in Bib Rambla, Granada. Behind the stand are lush trees and a tall white apartment block under a cobalt sky.

Conversations with strangers in Spanish

Reflecting on day 1 of our 2025 Granada Sketching Retreat
6 min read