# Whimsy and Color Travel Journal Retreat with Artist Lululaberlue in France

Join artist Lululaberlue in the quiet countryside of Occitanie in southern France for a travel journaling retreat rooted in observation, texture, and play. Surrounded by wildflowers, fruit trees, and the warm light of late spring, explore mixed-media approaches using collage, gouache, watercolor, vintage papers, and lettering. Learn to create fabulous inserts using vintage papers to bind into your traveler's notebook. Whether you're just beginning or have years of sketchbooks behind you, the pace and setting invite curiosity and personal growth.Stay at a charming countryside estate, where you will enjoy beautifully prepared meals and connect with a small group of fellow artists. Throughout the week, wander through a serene French garden, sketch in the winding streets of Albi, gather materials at the vintage markets of Castres, and paint among the vines during a visit to a nearby vineyard. Return home with a journal full of layered pages, hand-mixed colors, pressed leaves, stitched memories, and visual notes that reflect your time in France through your own creative lens.

## Details

- **Dates:** April 27 - May 4, 2026
- **Location:** Teyssode, Occitanie, France
- **Starting Price:** $4,150
- **Category:** Painting

## Program

### Whimsy and Color Travel Journal Retreat
Join artist Lululaberlue for a travel journaling retreat in the heart of Occitanie, southern France. Surrounded by vineyards and fields that stretch into the distance, spend your days immersed in collage, gouache, watercolor, and lettering as you gather your impressions and turn them into personal visual stories. With Lulu’s thoughtful guidance, explore new techniques for layering handmade collage papers, stitching into your pages, and building mixed-media spreads that hold both memory and atmosphere.Sketch on location in the vintage markets of Castres and gather found bits—labels, receipts, packaging, forgotten papers—to fold into your journal. Spend a quiet afternoon sketching at a vineyard, where the landscape, wine, and soft light set the tone for relaxed observation and playful mark-making. Wander through a botanical garden, pausing to record the shapes, colors, and textures of spring blooms and water reflections. In Albi, draw inspiration from red brick buildings, tucked-away streets, and the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, filling your pages with layered impressions of place. Let your journal evolve across the week, filled with color, collage, stitched fragments, and visual notes that reflect the rhythm of your travels.Whether you’re just beginning or have been working in sketchbooks for years, the retreat offers space to play, share ideas, and let your work grow in new directions. Surrounded by fellow journalers, you’ll fill your notebook with handmade color palettes, stitched elements, botanical studies, and handwritten observations. By the end of the week, you’ll leave with a journal full of stories and textures and a creative rhythm to carry home.The topics covered during your lessons will include:Creating a journal with mixed and vintage papersBuilding a personal gouache paletteSketching and painting with gouache and watercolorPracticing hand lettering techniquesUsing collage for layered visual storiesDeveloping a daily quick sketching habitApplying basic drawing principlesExploring layout and compositionMixing media for expressive pagesIncorporating found materialsTelling stories through images and text...and many more!Your accommodation for the retreat will be a charming, restored estate in the countryside, offering the perfect environment for creative exploration. Outside of classes, you’ll enjoy wholesome French cuisine, relax by the pool, and connect with your fellow artists in a welcoming, supportive atmosphere.

### Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport and join the 3:00 PM transfer to your retreat venue. After settling into your room, take a moment to unwind and absorb the tranquil surroundings. Meet your fellow artists and get acquainted with Lulu, your instructor for the retreat. As part of an orientation tour, explore the estate’s charming garden, the historic watchtower, and inviting communal spaces. In the evening, toast to the start of your creative journey with cocktails and bite-sized canapés, followed by a beautifully prepared three-course dinner, perfectly complemented by local wines.

### Day 2: Art classes at the venue
Wake up to the aroma of fresh coffee and a nourishing breakfast shared with Lulu and your fellow artists.The morning begins by diving straight into your art journal. Using vintage papers, you'll create unique inserts to bind into your traveler’s notebook, each one a tactile, visual layer that sets the tone for your unfolding story. As the day moves forward, Lulu will introduce you to hand lettering. Try out different tools and styles, experimenting directly in your journal to see what feels intuitive and expressive. There’s space to test, scribble, outline, and refine. No pressure—just curiosity and paper.Enjoy a relaxed lunch with the group before heading into the afternoon session, a quiet pause to refuel and let the morning's work settle.In the afternoon, you’ll begin mixing gouache to develop a personal color palette. Play with pigments until they feel like they are yours. From there, Lulu will guide you through a mixed-media approach using gouache, crayons, and watercolor. Try blending them, layering them, and letting each material surprise you. The pace is open, letting you find your rhythm.There’s time later to wander the garden paths, take a dip in the saltwater pool, or just sit and look through your journal so far. As evening arrives, gather around the table for a three-course dinner paired with aromatic wine.

### Day 3: Trip to Castres brocantes & wine tasting
Begin your day with a hearty breakfast before heading out for a half-day trip to the vintage market in the medieval town of Castres.Wander the narrow streets lined with brocantes—French antique shops—and keep your eyes open for old signs, worn postcards, patterned linens, faded magazines, and curious odds and ends that hold their stories. Sketch on the spot, gather bits and pieces for collage, snap reference photos, or jot quick notes in your journal. The mix of textures, typography, and color will fuel your pages for days. Some items might even end up glued into your notebook before the week is over.Return to the venue in time to enjoy a relaxed lunch outdoors or under the shade, with space to chat, flip through sketchbooks, and settle into the slower pace of the afternoon.Later in the day, visit a nearby vineyard estate to enjoy a laid-back wine-tasting experience. Sip local wines while learning about the region’s traditions, grape varieties, and the process behind each bottle. Take in the landscape, the scent of the earth, and the quiet rhythm of the vines as you unwind and enjoy the slower pace of the afternoon.As the sun sets, return to the venue for a three-course dinner. The table fills with stories, paper scraps, and the kind of ideas that only show up after a good day out.

### Day 4: Art trip to French jardins
Start your day with a satisfying breakfast before settling into the studio space with Lulu and your materials.The morning is dedicated to preparing collage papers using gouache and watercolor. Build texture and color into your sheets through washes, mark-making, and layering techniques that will later become part of your travel journal spreads. From there, move into a series of sketching exercises drawn from the objects and plant life you've observed on previous outings. Focus on botanical forms, such as folded leaves, stems, and blooms, and look closely at perspective, shape, and structure. Lulu will offer guidance as needed, but the energy stays relaxed and exploratory.Enjoy a relaxed lunch and flip through the morning’s pages.In the afternoon, travel to a nearby French botanical garden for a half-day of slow-looking, on-location sketching. Walk the garden paths and take in the colors and textures of the landscape. Sit with your sketchbook to capture botanical forms, light reflections on water, or tangled stems and leaves. Snap photos or gather visual notes for later collage use. Sketching is free-form; mix gouache, watercolor, and pencil in any way that helps you document the moment.Later, take time to unwind, whether by the pool chatting with fellow artists or simply soaking in the peaceful surroundings. As evening falls, gather for a well-earned dinner accompanied by a glass of wine, reflecting on a day filled with creativity and inspiration.

### Day 5: Art at the venue
Wake up to a relaxed breakfast and time to catch up over coffee before heading into the studio.Start layering your journal with more visual texture and personal detail. Start with mark-making and embroidery, letting instinct guide your hand as you stitch, blot, draw, or press shapes into the paper. Continue building a stash of collage papers. Work on sketching and painting small still-life setups—food, bottles, everyday objects—bringing in bits of your experience so far. Revisit your journal pages, reflect on what’s missing, and fill in the blanks with small drawings, bits of writing, or new textures. Lulu will be nearby to support the flow, but the emphasis is on making space for your own way of working.After lunch, ease into an afternoon of focused exercises built around perspective. Start by observing and sketching buildings, rooftops, and structures. Practice translating three-dimensional space onto the page in a way that still feels playful and personal. These sketches lay the groundwork for the trip to Albi, helping your eye tune in to architectural details. Spend the rest of the day continuing to paint and draw things that feel rooted in the place. The goal is to thread your surroundings into your journal using whatever mix of collage, lettering, watercolor, and gouache fits your story.As the light softens, wind down with dinner shared among the group.

### Day 6: Art trip to Albi
Start the day with a wholesome breakfast and fresh coffee before joining Lulu and the group for the trip to Albi. The drive takes you through quiet countryside, ending in a town layered with texture: red brick facades, winding streets, old storefronts, and river views that shift with the light.Take your time and approach sketching more freely. Use what you’ve practiced in the days before. Capture interesting angles, collect scraps, snap reference photos, or jot notes in the margins of your journal. Balcony plants, tiled signs, painted shutters, and carved doorways offer plenty of material to work with. Collage pieces might come from found papers, labels, or bits picked up along the way.A peaceful lunch at a riverside café provides a moment to take in the town’s charm. Find a seat by the river or in a tucked-away square and let the atmosphere settle in while you eat.In the afternoon, visit the Palais de la Berbie and spend time inside the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Take in the bold lines and rich color choices while gathering ideas for your pages. There’s space to sketch in the gardens or pause inside the museum to do quick studies or lettering.As the sun begins to set, return to the venue, where a beautifully prepared three-course dinner and a glass of wine await, the perfect way to end a day filled with creativity and discovery.

### Day 7: Art classes at the venue
Begin the final full day with a nourishing breakfast and quiet conversation with Lulu and the group.The studio opens up for one more deep dive into your journal. Continue with mark-making and embroidery, adding texture and detail to your pages. Paint and sketch bold botanical forms—giant flowers, leaves, and stems—building out spreads that tie together your week’s observations. There’s time to make more collage papers using gouache and watercolor, layering in color and pattern where needed. Flip through your journal and notice what’s missing. A detail from Albi? A label from a bottle? A pressed leaf? Fill in those gaps however you like, stitching together your personal story on paper.Enjoy lunch together, talk through what’s come together so far, and take a moment to rest before the final stretch.In the afternoon, continue working on your journal. Add pages, adjust compositions, and finish unfinished sketches. Lulu is nearby to offer feedback or spark new ideas as needed. Toward the end of the day, set out your work for an informal mini-exhibition. There’s no pressure, just an open table where everyone can browse each other's journals, celebrate the process, and share what surprised them along the way.As the evening rolls in, come together one last time over a shared farewell dinner. Raise a glass to the creativity, connections, and unforgettable experiences shared in the heart of France.

### Day 8: Departure
After enjoying a satisfying breakfast with Lulu and the art group, it's time to bid farewell and exchange any last contact details. Prepare for your transfer to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, scheduled for 10:00 AM, with an estimated arrival time of 11:00 AM.

## Instructors

- **Lululaberlue - Estelle Calandri** - Mixed media artist, bookbinder, educator

## Accommodation

### Historic French Estate

### Shared ensuite attic room

### Shared standard ensuite room

### Shared superior ensuite room (female only)

### Shared bathroom - single room (female only)

### Single room - adjacent bathroom

### Single ensuite room

## Book This Retreat

Visit [https://uptrek.com/retreat/whimsy-color-travel-journal-retreat-artist-lululaberlue-france](https://uptrek.com/retreat/whimsy-color-travel-journal-retreat-artist-lululaberlue-france) to make a reservation.

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