# Coastal Creativity - A Procreate and Painting Retreat with Artist Lisa Bardot in Portugal Join renowned artist Lisa Bardot on Portugal’s Algarve coast for a week of creative play. You’ll capture the beauty of Portugal through sketching and digital illustration in Procreate, with playful gouache painting explorations along the way. The retreat is beginner-friendly and open to all levels, though best suited to those with some experience using Procreate.With Lisa’s guidance, you’ll move through demos and guided projects that encourage both play and discovery. Sketch botanicals in the villa gardens and transform them into motifs in paint or Procreate. Design repeating patterns inspired by azulejo tiles using symmetry tools and create a travel poster that captures your view of Portugal. Study the ocean and translate its energy into color studies in gouache and in Procreate!Embark on two art trips during the week. Visit Lagos for urban sketching across cobbled lanes and tiled façades. Sail along the coast to observe movement on the water and gather reference as the light shifts. Back at the venue, you will translate fieldwork into designs that grow in the studio and on screen.Stay in a traditional Portuguese villa surrounded by gardens, with meals prepared on-site each day. Paint outdoors under trees and among vibrant flowers, or within the spacious, dedicated art studio. Discover your true artistic self alongside a supportive group of 15 other artists! ## Details - **Dates:** May 5 - 12, 2026 - **Location:** Lagos, Algarve, Portugal - **Starting Price:** $4,750 - **Category:** Painting ## Program ### Coastal Creativity Retreat Jump into a week of creative play with Lisa Bardot on Portugal’s southern coast! You’ll explore the charm of the Algarve through sketching and digital illustration in Procreate, with playful experiments in gouache to see how analog and digital approaches can inform each other. This retreat is about using your surroundings to spark ideas, exploring tools in new ways, and letting creativity flow.You’ll begin in the villa’s gardens, sketching plants and flowers from life to practice close observation and capture organic forms. Lisa will introduce you to gouache painting, both with physical paints and digitally in Procreate using her custom brushes. You’ll explore how the same subject shifts between mediums, comparing the tactile quality of paint with the expressive flexibility of digital tools. As the retreat unfolds, Lisa will introduce the Travel Poster Project, a bold illustration you’ll develop over the week, drawing inspiration from any part of your Portuguese experience.Midweek, you’ll head into Lagos to gather fresh reference material. Sketch cobblestone streets, colorful shopfronts, and tiled façades that define the city’s character. Back in the studio, you’ll use Procreate’s symmetry tools to turn your sketches into tile-inspired repeat designs, experimenting with color and rhythm to echo the character of Portuguese azulejos.The sea itself will become your muse during a sailing trip along the Algarve coastline. Aboard a traditional boat, you’ll photograph and sketch cliffs, caves, and waves in motion. Back at the venue, you’ll translate these impressions into digital palettes and painterly marks in Procreate, with the option to explore ocean-inspired color mixing in gouache. Lisa will help you capture the energy of the water and use it to inspire expressive studies and future projects.Topics covered in your classes include:Sketching nature and architecture as inspiration both digital and analog artDigital illustration in Procreate: textured brushes, symmetry tools, and pattern designBotanical motifs and tile-inspired repeat patternsCreating bold, graphic travel poster–style illustrationsExploring gouache as a complement to digital workDeveloping ideas from sketches into polished artworkBalancing play with intention, cultivating flow, and building confidence in your unique style...and many more! Every aspect of the retreat is thoughtfully designed to ignite your creativity. The vibrant colors of Portugal reflect its rich cultural heritage, and you'll immerse yourself in the beauty of the Algarve region with a visit to the charming town of Lagos. Here, you'll find inspiration in the golden sands, vivid architecture, and the endless blue of the ocean. Additionally, a sailing trip on a traditional boat will take you along the stunning coastline, revealing secluded beaches, hidden caves, and striking rock formations. You'll stay at a lovely Portuguese villa, gather inspiration from its blooming Italian garden, enjoy regional, chef-made cuisine every day, and connect with a community of 16 other artists. ### Day 1: Arrival Arrive at Faro Airport and board the 3:00 PM transfer to your retreat with Lisa Bardot. Once you’ve reached the villa, settle into your comfortable room and take a moment to unwind. Later in the afternoon, join Lisa for an orientation tour of the grounds. Wander through the beautiful gardens, visit the light-filled art studio, stroll along the shaded terraces, and take in the calm atmosphere around the pool.Before dinner, come together for group introductions and a creative icebreaker exercise to spark connection and inspiration. Lisa will also share an overview of the retreat theme and upcoming projects. As the sun begins to set, gather for a relaxed dinner prepared by the chef, paired with a glass of wine. ### Day 2: Art at the venue Wake up to soft morning light and a table full of fresh breakfast, shared with Lisa and your art group. Bring your coffee out to the terrace or wander into the garden.The day begins with sketching under the sky. Explore the shapes, textures, and gestures of plants and flowers found around the venue. Lisa will guide you through loose, playful drawings that focus on seeing rather than perfecting. Work directly from life, simplifying what you observe into expressive line and form.After a breezy lunch, gather in the studio for your first session with gouache. Lisa will guide you through the basics, using both real paints from your palettes and digital brushes in Procreate. Feel the difference between brush and stylus as you explore each tool’s personality. Play with layering, blending, and color mixing, and see how physical and digital paint respond in their own quirky ways.Wind down in the evening with a shared dinner and good company, paired with a glass of delicious wine. ### Day 3: Art trip to Lagos Fill up on breakfast and sunlight before heading out with Lisa to explore the streets of Lagos. The town winds along the southern coast with white buildings, stone paths, and bursts of color spilling from painted shutters and tiled doorways.Sketch along the cobbled streets, in front of sunlit shopfronts, near boats in the harbor. Use your pencil to chase shadows on tiled walls or capture a moment in passing. Take reference photos, catch odd angles, and watch Lisa’s demos as you go. You’ll look closely, not for perfection but for what makes a space feel alive.After lunch back at the venue, flip through what you gathered. Choose a few shapes, pick a color that still lingers in your mind, and follow Lisa into the studio. There, open up Procreate and begin shaping a pattern using the symmetry tool. Design a playful repeat inspired by the tiles you saw in town. Try something bold, try something off-kilter. Adjust your brush strokes, test out color shifts, watch a single sketch fold into a full design.The day wraps up with a shared meal and stories from town, laughter across the table, and just enough energy left to tweak your favorite tile before sleep. ### Day 4: Art at the venue Wake with color on your mind and breakfast beside Lisa. Sip something warm, then walk into the studio with your sketchbook ready and your fingers already itching to move.The morning workshop will begin with an introduction to the Travel Poster Project. Lisa will guide you through vintage poster styles that rely on strong shapes, focused palettes, and bold composition. Start with small thumbnail sketches and test out layout ideas before committing to anything larger. Keep it loose. Break the format. Watch what happens when you stop trying to make it perfect.After lunch at the venue, choose your subject and begin exploring it in color. Maybe it’s the curve of a harbor, a single balcony, or a stretch of coastline still stuck in your head. Open Procreate and begin layering, shifting, and adjusting. Lisa will offer feedback as you work, helping you build a design that holds together and feels like yours.Wrap the day in conversation and paint-smudged screens, with work still in progress and the ideas still moving. ### Day 5: Sailing trip Tuck your sketchbook into your bag, finish your breakfast with Lisa, and head out toward the water.The morning will unfold on a traditional boat sailing along the Atlantic coast. Pass jagged cliffs, sunlit arches, and small grottos tucked into the stone. Watch seabirds trace the air above and feel the wind shift as the shoreline changes around you. Sketch from the deck or take photos as the boat moves across the water. Focus on motion and contrast. Try to catch the way shadows stretch across the sea or how the hull breaks the surface. Draw what flickers and wobbles. Follow the rhythm of the waves instead of aiming for clean lines. Lisa will encourage you to stay loose and explore what happens when precision takes a back seat.After returning to the venue for lunch, pause and flip through your sketches. In the afternoon, gather your paints and open Procreate. Lisa will guide you through mixing coastal tones in gouache and translating those same palettes into digital form. Test out opacity, pressure, and brush choices. Notice how each medium will shift the feeling of your scene.Close the day with a shared meal and a table full of half-finished seascapes. The ocean will stay with you, still coloring your thoughts as night settles in. ### Day 6: Art at the venue Start the day with breakfast beside Lisa and carry something small in your mind. Walk into the studio with that image and prepare to pull it apart.In the morning, you’ll take one simple subject and stretch it in unexpected directions. By trying out different artistic approaches you’ll see how style changes the mood and meaning of your work. It’s an exercise in flexibility, helping you loosen up and discover new possibilities in your creative voice.After lunch at the venue, you’ll move into color play. Working within the limits of just a few hues, you’ll experiment with how restriction can actually spark creativity. Quick studies will show you how color choices shift harmony, balance, and emotion, giving you new insight into how a palette shapes your art.Close the day with your iPad still open and your subject still shifting. As evening falls, get together with your fellow artists for a chef-prepared dinner accompanied by exquisite local wines. ### Day 7: Art at the venue Ease into the final full day with a satisfying breakfast and a delicious coffee, then return to the studio for a final morning session.Walk back into the studio carrying everything you’ve made so far. Open your sketchbook, unlock your iPad, or pull out the piece that’s been quietly asking for more. Spend the morning returning to your Travel Poster Project or pursue something entirely new. Lisa will be present for one-on-one feedback throughout the session. Use this time to ask specific questions, revisit early decisions, or clarify what you want your work to say. Push a design further, flatten it, rearrange the composition, or shift the entire palette. Lisa will encourage you to follow the energy of your ideas rather than trying to tie everything together too neatly. If a drawing feels stuck, you will have the time to take it apart and rebuild it.After lunch, continue developing your work or take time to prepare for the final group exhibition. You will have the option to present a finished poster, a series of process sketches, or something that still feels in progress. Lisa will help guide your presentation and offer support during the reflection circle. Notice what surprised you, what challenged you, and what stayed with you as you worked. Speak about your process, describe a breakthrough moment, or simply watch and listen. Every contribution will be welcomed without pressure. Lisa will offer her final thoughts and acknowledge the effort, energy, and curiosity you brought into the space.End the day with a celebratory dinner, surrounded by the people who worked beside you all week. ### Day 8: Departure Join Jimena and your fellow artists for breakfast to share any last contact details and get ready for your transfer to Faro Airport (FAO). Please note that check-out is at 10:00 AM. ## Instructors - **Lisa Bardot** - Illustrator and educator ## Accommodation ### Portuguese Quinta ### Shared triple ensuite room (female only) ### Shared standard ensuite room ### Shared superior room - garden view (female only) ### Shared superior room - sea view (female only) ### Single deluxe master suite - sea view ## Book This Retreat Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/coastal-creativity-procreate-painting-retreat-artist-lisa-bardot-portugal](https://uptrek.com/retreat/coastal-creativity-procreate-painting-retreat-artist-lisa-bardot-portugal) to make a reservation. *Provided by [UpTrek](https://uptrek.com)*