Keeping a Sketchbook on Tour

Travel is such a precious investment, and we want to help you make the most of it for your students. That’s why we’re always contemplating ways to make the experience even more enriching, more memorable.

ACIS President Peter Jones was inspired by a recent group traveling with their art teacher Elaine Florimonte and Tour Manager Adrian Metcalfe in France. All of the students carried sketchbooks with them to capture the sights. Elaine suggested that Adrian try keeping one for himself: He was skeptical at first given his self-proclaimed lack of drawing skills, but as Elaine reminded him, it wasn’t just about making a true-to-life masterpiece at every corner. The point was to stop, take a moment and record their own impressions of the world around them. Soon, he had a sketchbook full of tour memories and would start to keep one for all of his future trips.

Fellow ACIS Tour Manager Allen Gabriel agrees that taking the time to reflect is critical:

“The thing that I always wanted as a tour manager, always want to bring to the kids on the tour, is finding a way for them to notice and notice more, not just the big cathedral we’re there to see. To go through your day with sketching, I think would be a really fun way to remember your day, to connect sort of emotionally with the feelings and to solidify those experiences. So you’re not just left with a bunch of pictures of cathedrals, but you’re left with the feelings and the excitement and a great souvenir.”

Gayle Kabaker is a celebrated artist whose work includes many covers for The New Yorker. She also believes in the power of drawing to make a lasting impression.

“Anybody can keep a sketchbook. Anybody can learn to draw what they’re seeing in a very simple way. The key is to not try to actually draw what you’re seeing, but to draw the impression of what you’re seeing and write down words about what you’re seeing or feel or whatever. And then you start to see in your sketchbook the progression of your trip. When you look back later, you’re gonna feel so happy.”

Peter, Allen, and a few other friends gathered with Gayle in a Massachusetts art studio to learn the basics of sketching in order to create these lasting impressions. She provides guidance on embracing imperfection and drawing exercises that encourage creativity and connection over realism, such as blind contours and collaborative sketching. With the help of film editor Tobias Lamontagne, they have created a highlight reel that shows the joy of the process, and as an added bonus you’ll take lessons from a star illustrator! Sample sections include:

• The Joy of Keeping a Sketchbook
• Exploring Techniques: Bling Contour Drawing
• Sketching as A Tool for Emotional Connection
• Imperfection Over Perfection

As one student student in the class remarked: “I have wanted to draw for such a long time, and I’ve tried to sketch before. And I have been so frustrated because I take things very seriously. So this felt so liberating.”

To offer your students those same feelings of liberation and creativity, consider sketching your way through your ACIS tour!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the benefit of keeping a sketchbook on your travels?

Keeping a sketchbook with you while traveling is a unique and creative way to create lasting memories. Taking down the sights around you without abiding by realism or a need to display the drawings to others will not only give you a souvenir book to look back on but also be a great way to engage more deeply with your surroundings.

Does ACIS offer educational tours for art students?

ACIS has a wide variety of educational tour offerings for art teachers and their students! We can customize more than 200 existing itineraries to fit specific historic interests or help you build a tour from scratch.