Granada

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
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 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
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
Sep 29
Watercolour painting of three people sitting on the edge of a grey wall looking over a terracotta roof to the Alhambra and Sierra Nevada by Emma Bolton.

Mirador de San Nicolás

Painting Granada's most iconic view of the Alhambra
4 min read
Aug 04
A gouache sketch of an entryway with mint green walls, a tiled staircase, plants and a wooden window and door. An edge cutter and a white card with plant illustrations.

An ode to home

How my connection to place took root in Granada.
4 min read
Jun 22
Bright watercolour painting of the Court of the Myrtles at the Alhambra, Granada by Emma Bolton. Watercolour palette and brush.

Painting the Court of the Myrtles

As soon as I finished painting the Comares Palace at the Alhambra, I knew I had to paint the view from the other side of the Court of the Pool. When you enter the courtyard, you're drawn to the reflections in the enormous central pool, which is framed by thirty-metre-long myrtle bushes.
2 min read
Jun 15
Two white women sitting in a coffee shop in the Albaicín in Granada and holding up watercolour sketches with big smiles.

Granada Sketching Retreat l 23-27 October 2025

Julia Henze and I are hosting a Sketching Retreat in Granada from 23 to 27 October 2025. We'd love you to join us as we immerse ourselves in the beauty of this city with a community of like-minded sketchers.
1 min read
Jun 01
Emma Bolton wearing glasses, a blue puffer jacket and a green bag and smiling at the camera in the Albaicín.

The question Spanish people don't ask that helped me to find myself

5 min read