Sketching the Ionian: Greek Island Hopping with See the Lines

Arrive in Zakynthos and make your own way to the joining hotel, where a local representative will assist with check-in and provide a brief island introduction. The afternoon is intentionally unstructured, allowing time to settle in and begin observing your surroundings through an artistic lens. The harborfront and Solomos Square offer gentle first subjects, from boats and reflections to everyday island life, perfect for opening your travel sketch journal.

In the evening, the group gathers for an included Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant. This relaxed first night sets the tone for the journey ahead, with Alan introducing the Sketching Life approach and encouraging guests to focus on observation, curiosity, and personal expression rather than perfection.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Strada Marina or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Welcome Dinner

✅ Activities

• Arrival and Hotel Check-In Assistance
• Harborfront and Solomos Square Exploration
• Welcome Dinner and Trip Introduction

Travel west to Porto Vromi Maries to begin a boat journey along Zakynthos’ rugged coastline. Time near the Blue Caves allows for swimming and visual reference gathering, with light bouncing off limestone cliffs and turquoise water creating constantly shifting color and value relationships. The cruise continues toward the iconic Shipwreck Beach, where a slow boat approach offers powerful compositional views. Beach landing is currently restricted, but the elevated perspective provides excellent observational material.

Later, join Alan for a structured three-hour guided session focused on understanding Mediterranean light, reflections, and simplifying complex coastal scenes into clear, confident sketches and watercolor studies. The remainder of the day is free for rest, solo sketching, or informal group sessions as you experiment with techniques introduced during the workshop.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Strada Marina or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Boat Cruise Along Zakynthos Coastline
• Blue Caves Swim and Visual Reference Gathering
• Shipwreck Beach Observation by Boat
• Guided Sketching and Watercolor Session
• Freestyle Sketching Time

After an early transfer to Agios Nikolaos port, board the ferry for a scenic crossing of the Ionian Sea. This transition encourages quieter observation, with open horizons, subtle color shifts, and changing light offering inspiration for loose sketches and written reflections during the journey.

Upon arrival in Kefalonia, transfer to your hotel and settle in. Later, Alan leads a three-hour guided session centered on composition and working from travel observations, exploring how to design scenes using a blend of reference, memory, and personal interpretation. The evening is free for independent exploration and relaxed sketching.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Karavados Beach or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Ferry Crossing to Kefalonia
• Guided Composition and Observation Session
• Freestyle Sketching and Exploration

Today’s panoramic island tour reveals Kefalonia’s diversity, from vineyard landscapes to underground caverns. Visits include a Robola winery, the dramatic Drogarati Caves, and the luminous Melissani Lake, where filtered light and reflections create striking visual contrasts. Lunch time is spent in the harbor village of Fiscardo, followed by stops at Assos village and the Myrtos Beach viewpoint, offering layered architectural and coastal subjects.

In the afternoon, join Alan for a three-hour guided session focused on structure, depth, and perspective. You will explore practical ways to organize complex scenes using foreground, middle ground, and background, strengthening clarity and spatial flow in your sketches. The remainder of the day is free for solo time and continued sketching.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Karavados Beach or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Panoramic Kefalonia Island Tour
• Robola Winery Visit
• Drogarati Caves Exploration
• Melissani Lake Visit
• Fiscardo, Assos and Myrtos Viewpoint Stops
• Guided Structure and Perspective Session

An early start brings a ferry crossing to Ithaca, an island rich in atmosphere and narrative. A panoramic drive introduces the capital Vathi and the villages of Kioni and Stavros, each offering distinct character, architecture, and storytelling potential. The day also includes a boat swim stop at Gidaki Beach, where movement, water color, and relaxed observation provide a different creative rhythm.

Later, Alan leads a three-hour guided session dedicated to narrative sketching and travel journaling. The focus shifts toward capturing mood, memory, and meaning through a blend of drawing and written reflection, encouraging sketches that tell a story rather than simply record a scene. The remainder of the day is free for exploration and informal group sketching.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Karavados Beach or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Ferry Crossing to Ithaca
• Panoramic Island Drive
• Vathi, Kioni and Stavros Visits
• Gidaki Beach Swim Stop
• Narrative Sketching and Travel Journal Session

This morning transfers to Sami port for the ferry journey to Lefkada, known for expansive views and striking coastal landscapes. The change of island provides space to reflect on the visual themes explored so far and how your sketching practice has evolved throughout the trip.

After hotel check-in, Alan hosts a three-hour guided session focused on integrating the week’s learning. You will refine personal workflows, practice moving confidently between ink and watercolor, and strengthen decision-making in your sketches. The remainder of the day is free for rest, exploration, and freestyle sketching.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Ianos or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Ferry Transfer to Lefkada
• Guided Workflow and Technique Integration Session
• Freestyle Sketching and Exploration

After breakfast, visit Egremni Beach, one of Lefkada’s most dramatic landscapes. Towering cliffs, bold color relationships, and sweeping scale provide an inspiring final field location for studying movement, contrast, and compositional clarity.

Later, Alan leads the final three-hour guided session, focused on developing a more resolved sketch or watercolor piece. Emphasis is placed on values, edge control, editing choices, and knowing when a sketch is finished. The afternoon is free to explore Lefkada town or the port of Nidri, with optional freestyle group sketching and reflection.

🏨 Accommodation

• Hotel Ianos or Similar

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Egremni Beach Visit
• Final Guided Sketching and Watercolor Session
• Optional Freestyle Group Sketching
• Lefkada Town or Nidri Exploration

Enjoy a final breakfast at the hotel, offering a quiet moment to flip through your sketchbooks one last time. From first loose lines in Zakynthos to more confident compositions and watercolor studies in Lefkada, this morning is a chance to reflect on how your observation skills, techniques, and personal style have evolved over the course of the journey. It’s also a moment to appreciate the friendships formed, shared sketching sessions, and the simple joy of slowing down and truly seeing each place.

With guidance from Alan throughout the week, you leave not only with finished sketches and travel journals, but with practical tools and creative confidence to continue your Sketching Life practice wherever you go next.

🍽️ Included Meals

• Breakfast

✅ Activities

• Final Breakfast
• Departure Assistance