Doodle Holidays
Hello! Welcome to everything you want to know about this fully inclusive 5 day doodling and drawing holiday for absolute beginners in the Dordogne valley of South West France. The great thing about my workshops is they're friendly and supportive, so there's nothing to fear (and there's cake). We start from basic shapes you're already familiar with and step-by-step, build them into results anyone can achieve, even those who say they can't! So leave your self-doubt behind and join us as we explore both doodling and the Dordogne. Throughout your stay we will immerse you in our French lifestyle: the food, markets, chateaux and riverwalks. We know where to buy the best croissants, the gooiest cheeses and where to find the most stunning views and we will share it all with you!
When not in our dedicated workshop, you will be introduced to the best of French living with great local food, wines, visits to markets and beautiful cliff top villages. Jan is your host and chef who will make sure you enjoy the best the region has to offer.
Year round direct flights available UK to Bergerac
Sat - Thur*
What’s included:
- 5 nights accommodation either sharing a double room or single in one of the 2 fully equipped gites on site.
- Each gîte has 2 bedrooms with shared bathroom and shared living room with English TV and wi-fi. Please be aware the course is open to male and female attendees and we will always try to accommodate attendees requirements.
- All meals, breakfast, lunch, dinner. All wine with meals and workshop refreshments - tea, coffee, biscuits, cakes. Please advise of any dietary requirements at time of booking.
- All outings and excursions (all within a 20 min drive so no long journeys!).
- All materials used for workshops including your own personal kit specially created for this course. Please allow room in your luggage to return home with an 800gm (approx), 10cm square flat drawing kit.
- Bergerac airport pick up.
*assuming flight timetables are the same as 2022.
Your accomodation -Petit Jacques Gîtes, St Cybranet, Dordogne
2 x 2 bedroom fully equipped self catering cottages wi-fi included plus extensive private gardens where you can relax and enjoy open views.
For those sharing, rooms can be made up as double or twin bedded. Just let us know.
Price per room based on 2 people sharing £1,950. Single occupancy £1,150. A Deposit of £100 with full payment is required at least 60 days before commencement date. Max 8 people on course. Not included - Flights, transfers from airports other than Bergerac.
The Course
This is a friendly, happy doodling course for beginners, especially for anyone who says “I can’t draw”. We somehow expect to be able to draw, even though we may never have been taught! There's no need to feel intimidated because our course is designed to be encouraging and supportive, guiding you from absolute beginner to confident intermediate. After a few days you'll be able to draw simple buildings, wild flowers, foliage and wreaths. You’ll learn useful tips and tricks including using your inner critic (we all have one!) to help improve your skills and find the simple shapes in things you want to doodle. We’ll talk about the mindful benefits of developing a regular drawing practice and you’ll learn how to layout designs to create personal greetings cards, bookmarks and journal pages. Each day, you'll work in the blank book provided as part of your kit. This book will become a personal record of your development and a reference for continued exploration!
Approx 16 hours of relaxing workshops will be held in a converted barn overlooking the beautiful Ceou valley. Workshops will be spread throughout the week and will allow plenty of free time to practice what we have covered. All refreshments (and cake!) will be provided.
Course Tutor
Expert tuition is provided by Deborah aka Attic Lane. Over the past 25 years, Deborah has run workshops in UK and France, been a design ambassador for a variety of craft brands and had projects published in numerous craft magazines. She started her You Tube channel, Attic Lane over 6 years ago to educate and encourage others to find their creative voice. She has filmed over 400 free videos and built a supportive online community of over 23,000 subscribers. You can find her at atticlane.com or on You Tube https://www.youtube.com/c/AtticLane or follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/atticlane
Some of the topics we’ll cover:
- Finding the simple shapes
- The simplicity and relaxation of doodling. Leaves.
- Doodling from observation. Simple buildings
- Composition. Flowers, Petals and Blossom
- Doodling, drawing and illustration.
- Using photos as reference
- Wreaths and Wild flowers for all seasons
- Drawing your own greetings cards, decorating journals, visual diaries
- The many benefits of doodling
Kit:
- 1 e-book summarising all workshops
- 1 blackwing pencil & 2 black pigma micron pens 01 & 005
- 1 drawing book approx A5 size
- 1 eraser
Example Itinerary
Day 1 - Saturday
Pick up from Bergerac airport and scenic drive of just over 1 hour following the river Dordogne to St Cybranet via the stunning village of Lalinde and the cliff top chateaux of La Roque Gageac and Beynac et Cazenac. After a quick tour of the facilities and time to settle in, we can take a gentle stroll to the river before meeting up on the terrace at 6.30pm for aperos, the French tradition of socialising with aperitifs and canapés prior to a 4 course home cooked evening meal.
Sample dinner menu
Hunters Chicken (white wine, mushrooms, lardons in a creamy sauce) and seasonal vegetables OR vegetarian caramelised onion tart , local cheeses with home made seeded crackers and red onion chutney , light strawberry mousse, Tea/Coffee served with home made macarons
All served with local wines
Day 2 - Sunday
Help yourself to continental breakfast, croissants, toasted local breads, yoghurt, fig confit, tea, coffee, juice
10.00 - 12.30 Workshop - Stems, leaves, doodle flowers
12.45 - 1.45 Lunch
2.00 - 4.00 Workshop - Putting it together - wreaths
Early evening walk round La Roque Gageac
6.30pm Aperos on the terrace
Dinner
Day 3 - Monday
Breakfast
10.00 - 12.30 Workshop - Little Buildings
1.00 -1.45 Lunch
2.00 - 5.30 Workshop - From doodle to drawing, working with shade, making a scene! (Composition and illustration)
6pm Aperos
Dinner
Day 4 - Tuesday
Breakfast
10.00 - 12.00 Workshop - Mushrooms
Lunch followed by visit Beynac et Cazenac
4.00 - 5.30 Workshop - Blooms
6pm Aperos & Dinner
Day 5 - Wednesday
Breakfast followed by visit to Sarlat market shopping for goodies!
Lunch
2.30 - 5.30 Workshop - Composing Blooms!
6pm Aperos & Dinner
Day 6 - Thursday
Breakfast
10.30-11.30 Discussion and feedback on course. Preparation to depart for airport and fond farewells
| Course Dates 2023: | Rooms Available |
| Sat 16th - Thur 21st Sept 2023 | (All rooms can be converted to singles, twins or doubles. Shared double or twin room £1950. Single room £1150. Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 |
A £100 deposit confirms your reservation. The deposit is not applied to the course of the cost. It is held as a deposit during your stay and (assuming no damages) is fully refunded within 7 days of departure.
Payment.
We hope to offer secure online payment via this website soon (April 2023). In the meantime please e-mail either of the contacts below to secure your place and for information about how to make a direct payment until the online option becomes available.
Contacts
If you have any questions do not hesitate to get in touch. E-Mail either Jan [email protected] or Deb [email protected]
Finding Us:
La Croix du Fraysse, Saint Cybranet, 24250, Dordogne, France
By Air
Bergerac airport is 65 kms from St Cybranet
Bordeaux airport is 210 kms from St Cybranet
Flights to Bergerac from UK
British Airways fly 4 times a week from London City early May - end Sept
Ryanair fly to Bergerac from Bristol, East Midlands, Liverpool and Bournemouth for most of the year and from London Stansted all-year round
Flights to Bordeaux
Air France, British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair
From Bordeaux airport, take the bus to the train station in central Bordeaux (Gare Saint Jean) where you can take a train to either Saint-Cyprien or Sarlat. Both are a 20 min car journey from St Cybranet.
By Train
Eurostar from St Pancras International, London into Paris Gard du Nord. Change to Paris Gare de L’Est for Montparnasse to Bordeaux Gare St Jean
Frequent fast trains (3 hrs journey time) from Paris Gare de L’Est to Bordeaux
Driving from Ferry Ports to St Cybranet
| Calais | 835 km | 8hr 30 mins |
| St Malo | 621 km | 7hr 30 mins |
| Le Havre | 720 km | 7hr 30 mins |
| Santander | 545 km | 7hr |
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