My First Urban Sketchers Symposium: So What Did I Really Think?

Before this year I’d never attended a USK Symposium. I’d seen the photos, watched the videos and heard people talk about what an incredible experience it was, but I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Was it really worth travelling halfway around the world? Would everyone already know each other? Would I feel out of my depth?

Now that I’ve experienced my first symposium in Toulouse, I thought I’d share what it was really like from a first-timer’s perspective—the things that surprised me, the things I’d do differently, and why I’d happily go again.

There’s so much I could say about the symposium that, unless this article is going to run to ten pages, I’m going to have to give you the highlights tour!

I should also add that I arrived in Toulouse with an injured ankle and spent the symposium wearing an ankle support. Add temperatures hovering around 40°C (104°F), and I probably didn’t get around quite as much as I otherwise would have. So this is very much my experience of the symposium—and I’m sure I missed plenty along the way.

Arrive early if you can

I arrived in Toulouse before the symposium officially began, and I’m so glad I did. People start arriving early, sketchbooks come out and suddenly your Instagram feed is full of people you know—or have followed for years—already sketching together. If you’re sitting at home watching it all happen, I can imagine the FOMO is considerable—just ask @appupaints!

One thing I would do differently is not put the symposium at the end of a seven-week holiday. By the time I arrived I’d already done a lot of travelling and sketching, and the symposium is full-on. It’s exciting, busy and there is always something happening. Next time I’d like to arrive with considerably more energy in reserve.

Staying reasonably close to the symposium hub is also something I’d recommend if possible. I was particularly conscious of distances because of my ankle and the heat, but even without those, being able to pop back to your accommodation without a major expedition is a definite advantage.

The ticket question

I’m not going to tackle the actual ticket-booking process here. That particular adventure deserves an article of its own! Before the next symposium I’ll write a separate guide about how the booking process works and what I learned from doing it for the first time.

What surprised me was how much of the symposium you can enjoy without a workshop ticket.

Of course, having a ticket is great. It gives you access to your booked workshops and demos, and there’s something rather exciting about having your programme mapped out. But the symposium is much bigger than the formal programme. There are free sketchwalks, the art market and, most importantly, hundreds of sketchers filling the streets.

I found that some of the time I enjoyed simply finding somewhere to sit and sketch with friends as much as anything on the official programme. So would I go to another symposium if I didn’t manage to get the ticket I wanted? Definitely.

Registration was much easier than I expected

Having survived the ticket-buying process, I was half expecting registration in Toulouse to involve hours of queuing. It didn’t.

Once registration got underway, everything moved surprisingly quickly and was very well organised. Although you already have an Eventbrite ticket, registration is where everything is officially activated: your ticket is scanned and your workshop allocation is confirmed. We collected our workshop passes, printed programme and goody bags and were ready to go.

And then there’s the goody bag. Opening it felt a bit like getting a Christmas stocking for artists—you know it’s going to be full of goodies, but you’re not quite sure what you’re going to find inside.

Workshops, demos and learning

You may not get every workshop you hope for. I didn’t manage to get into Ian Fennelly’s workshop, which had been high on my list, but I was lucky enough to get a place in a fantastic workshop with Owen Labbé (@owen.labbe). I’d already discovered his work on Instagram and I highly recommend you check it out.

Owen was sponsored by Lamy and Daniel Smith, and for our particular workshop we each received a small set of Daniel Smith paint samples and a special black Lamy USK Toulouse fountain pen. Mine has become a rather nice reminder of Toulouse.

I also went to a wonderful lecture by Stephanie Bower. One of the great pleasures of a symposium is suddenly being able to learn from artists whose work you may have been following online for years.

Then there are the stickers..

I’d been warned about the stickers and arrived with an assortment of my own, but I hadn’t realised quite what a big part of the symposium they would be.

Sketchers arrive armed with their own stickers and swap them with each other throughout the symposium. It sounds like a tiny thing, but it’s enormous fun, slightly addictive and a surprisingly good icebreaker. Walking up to somebody you’ve never met is considerably easier when you can start with, “Would you like a sticker?” or “Do you have any stickers?”

If you’re going to your first symposium, take an assortment of your own. People were very creative with their sticker designs!

Beware the art market

Before Toulouse I kept hearing the same advice: arrive with a half-empty suitcase.

Naturally, I thought this was ridiculous. I wasn’t going to go mad buying art supplies.

And, to be fair, I was relatively restrained.

I bought a set of Kremer watercolours and an Escoda Último Evolution brush—both of which I absolutely love and do not regret in the slightest! Many of the exhibitors offered special symposium prices, so if there is something you’ve been wanting to buy, the market is the ideal opportunity.

There were also plenty of samples and things to discover without buying anything. Paper samples are particularly useful because you can actually take them away and sketch on them rather than trying to judge a watercolour paper by touching a corner of it at a stand. Hahnemühle were very generous!

I bought one of Stephanie Bower’s books at the bookstand and had the bonus of Stephanie signing it for me.

So perhaps the half-empty suitcase advice wasn’t entirely ridiculous after all.

What I’d carry next time

The symposium reinforced something I already knew: art materials get heavy when you are walking around a town all day!

Think carefully about the size of sketchbook you want to carry and take the supplies you actually use rather than every material you might conceivably need. I’ve written more about my own sketching kit on my Materials & Gear page (add link here).

Needless to say, comfortable shoes and clothes are essential, and I’d definitely take a lightweight stool. Toulouse also finally converted me from a sling bag to a backpack. When you’re carrying your kit for hours, distributing the weight properly makes a difference.

I really recommend a large insulated water bottle and, in the Toulouse heat, I was extremely glad I had one. Keeping the water cold was particularly welcome.

More than the workshops

Looking back, what stays with me most is the fun atmosphere and the inspiration everywhere.

For a few days you are surrounded by people who think nothing of sitting on a pavement drawing a drainpipe for twenty minutes because the shadows happen to be particularly good. You can stop and watch somebody sketch, start talking to the person beside you or find yourself drawing alongside someone whose work you’ve followed for years.

I came home with new friends, new ideas and completely fired up to sketch.

I also learned more about the Urban Sketchers events held in Asia, which suddenly makes the possibility of another international gathering considerably more accessible from my side of the world.

And then came the announcement that the next international symposium would be in Toronto.

Toronto? Yes, please!

At the beginning of this article I asked whether a USK Symposium was really worth travelling halfway around the world for.

Now I know the answer.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Look out, Toronto!

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