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Emma Bolton

Emma Bolton

Granada, Spain
Artist and writer based in Granada. Creator of Sketches from Granada.
Jul 13
Alcohol-marker sketch by Emma Bolton of a mobile phone and headphones in pink, green and dark purple. The phone is playing "Your next audiobook".

When you can't read the way you used to

How to enjoy audiobooks (from someone that didn't come naturally to)
6 min read
Jun 30
The grey stone fountain comprising a bowl held up on the backs of stylised lions. Behind the fountain, a line of tourists is walking into the Alhambra palace.

The perfect shot

Capturing the Patio de los Leones at the Alhambra palace in Granada
3 min read
Jun 16
A hand gently holding up a partially-open rose. In the background are a few new leaves, and lots of dead ones, in a terracotta pot.

Summer War

A flash for the UK's National Flash Fiction Day 2026
1 min read
May 28
Watercolour sketch of a coffee on a wooden table. A more confident watercolour sketch of an apartment block surrounded by a blue sky and green trees in Jaén, four years later.

Find your urban-sketching flow

When you've started sketching outside but it's not quite clicking yet
8 min read
May 14
Ripped up pieces of a watercolour painting showing parts of a pink castle, a blue sky and a garden are scattered on a brown cotton carpet.

Lessons in destruction

Or, my dog ate my painting
3 min read
Apr 30
Watercolour sketch by Emma Bolton of the Brisbane Powerhouse surrounded by lush greenery on the Brisbane river under a turquoise sky.

The CityCat

Take a ferry ride with me
4 min read
Apr 26
Today's the day you sketch outside. A white woman in a green top and black jeans is sketching in a park under a judas tree.

Your first urban sketching session starts now

In about 20 minutes, you'll have completed your first sketch on location!
6 min read
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.

Subscriber Survey

I'd love to hear your thoughts about the Sketches from Granada newsletter!
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