Sketching Sicily: A 19-Day Travel Sketchbook Adventure
Before our little one starts school in September, we decided to embark on a 19-day Sicilian family adventure. It was a chance to switch off, relax, explore, and simply enjoy being immersed in another country, language and culture, for a little while forgetting the rat race of being a self-employed creative.
This holiday was different for one reason though: for the first time ever, I packed a sketchbook. Woo!
I think it's safe to say that's a tradition I'll be continuing thank you very much.
My new travel companion - a trusty little sketchbook
Finding Inspiration Quite Literally Everywhere in Sicily
There was so much I could have drawn. Inspiration was everywhere.
Instead of rows of familiar fast-food chains (Sicilian service stations are incredible by the way), there were cosy, bustling cafés and restaurants overflowing with local produce, alongside vibrant markets full of colour and character.
Instead of swanky 4x4s, the roads were filled with beautiful vintage cars and wonderfully clapped-out classics. Teal Fiat Pandas quickly became a firm favourite of mine.
And then there were the beaches. Forget the sewage-ridden shingle beaches of England's south coast - every corner of Sicily seemed to have another stunning beach for three pasty white Brits to discover. White sand, black volcanic sand, pebbles, crystal-clear water…each one had its own feel.
The Scala dei Turchi (Turkish Steps) - quick sketch with pen, watercolour pencils and oil pastel
The landscape was dry yet luscious thanks to the rich volcanic soil, and I haven't even mentioned the architecture. I found myself taking endless photos of weathered shutters, abandoned yet stunning and intriguing settlements, ornate balconies, baroque facades and colourful peeling paint. That wonderfully shabby-chic (for want of a better term) look that only seems to get better with age.
Sicily is just...cool.
A Holiday Sketchbook Challenge
Surrounded by all that beauty, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to finally try something I'd always meant to do: a low-pressure sketch-a-day challenge.
I've always struggled with working quickly and trusting my instincts. I'm a classic overthinker. I procrastinate, ponder and worry about getting things wrong or ruining a drawing before I've even started.
The funny thing is, those first loose scribbles are often the best, and almost impossible to recreate once you've started overthinking them.
So I made myself one simple promise: one sketch every day.
No expectations. No finished artwork in mind. No client. No deadline.
Just drawing for the pure enjoyment of it.
Over our 19 days, we stayed in five different locations, so we were constantly on the move. Even if it was close to midnight after a full day of travelling and exploring, I made sure I sketched something before bed. However shitely it turned out!
My Travel Sketchbook
I packed a small textured sketchbook along with pencils, a rubber, waterproof ink pens, a tiny set of watercolours, watercolour pencils and a handful of oil pastels - which, until this trip, I'd never actually used.
Looking back through those pages now, I'm genuinely surprised by what I created.
There are sketches of architecture, historical sites, Mount Etna, food and drink, sunsets, fishermen counting their cash, and little everyday moments that I might otherwise have forgotten.
Fisherman counting his cash post bonkers bustling market in Ortigia
Each page feels like a memory captured in a way that a photograph never quite could.
Here is one of my favourite moments that I’m so pleased to have a sketch record of. My son spent a good 45mins planting this tree to warn incoming boats not to leave rubbish on the beach to protect our planet.
Pen & Watercolour sketch at Marzamemi - a little fishing village in Southern Sicily
One evening, dinner out was getting quite late for the 4 year old. To be fair nothing really gets going until at 9pm! We were about to pull out the phone for entertainment when I remembered my daily sketch. I was quickly scribbling the bottle of wine in front of me when my son asked if he could draw too. Phone went back away and we had a lovely ‘sketch off’ until food came. A healthy reminder.
Why Holiday Sketching Matters
It's amazing what you can create when it doesn't really matter.
When nobody else is looking.
When nobody's paying for it.
When the only person you're creating for is yourself.
Having the time and headspace to keep a travel sketchbook felt like such a privilege, but it's also reminded me of something I'd love to carry into everyday life back at home.
Creativity doesn't always need a purpose.
Sometimes it's enough to simply sit, observe and draw what's right in front of you.
I'm ridiculously chuffed with my little collection of 19 pages of holiday memories. And the best part? They don't require endless scrolling on a phone.
So if you're heading off on holiday, or simply fancy reconnecting with your creativity, take a sketchbook.
Scribble what's in front of you.
And this goes for anyone by the way, regardless of whether you’re an ‘artist’ or not.
Do it. You might surprise yourself.
View from our accommodation in beautiful Baroque gem Scicli - pen, watercolour with a dash of oil pastel