A weekend of exploring
Expressive botanicals
Date: 17th - 18th May 2025
You are invited to join me for a weekend immersed in flowers and leaves and all things botanical sketching.
In this very special weekend sketching retreat, you will be looking at how to create expressive drawings and sketchbook spreads inspired by plants and flowers. We will be using a whole mixture of materials suitable for sketching on paper such as inks, paint, pens, pencils and crayons.
17 - 18 May 2025
who is this retreat for?
THIS RETREAT is perfect for those looking to spend time in their sketchbook looking at flowers, leaves and all things botanical. Daily sketching sessions with Susan along with explanations on various techniques and materials, will help you capture florals in a new, free and expressive way.
** ALL SKETCHING MATERIALS INCLUDED **
including sketchbook, pencils, pens and a selection of plants and flowers to sketch from.
NOW TAKING BOOKINGS
Unleash Your Creativity and Connect with Nature
What to Expect
Step away from the busyness of daily life and immerse yourself in a weekend dedicated to creativity, connection, and the art of botanical sketching. This Expressive Botanicals Retreat is designed for those seeking to rediscover their creative selves in a peaceful, inspiring environment. Guided by flowers and plants as our theme, this retreat offers a unique opportunity to explore the natural world through various media, including pen, pencil, ink, paint, and crayons.
Over the weekend, you'll develop new sketching techniques and cultivate a fulfilling sketchbook practice that emphasizes self-expression, mindfulness, and joyful exploration. Each session will encourage you to see nature’s details with fresh eyes and to approach your sketchbook with freedom and confidence. Whether you're an experienced artist or simply curious about starting a creative practice, this retreat offers space to nurture your artistic voice and reconnect with yourself.
Date and Time
Saturday 17th May 2025 10am - 5pm, with two-course dinner at 7pm
Sunday 18th May 2025 10am - 5pm
"it felt like a weekend with family i never knew I had. thank you." Jenny, retreat attendee, Sept 2023
17 - 18 May 2025
But that's not all
As a group we will be looking to nature as our inspiration - painting, drawing and sketching from beautiful leaves and florals. Across the weekend you will be guided through a number of exercises and that are both fun and instructive as well as giving you time to understand the materials we are working with and how to mix them all up!
We will have a selection of flowers and leaves to observe directly in the spacious studio setting as well as the opportunity to get out and about in the wild in the hotel grounds.
Let’s really explore the beauty of botanicals and find ways that work for you to express yourself in your sketchbook.
After the retreat you will come away inspired and creatively full, with plenty of completed sketches and ideas for what to continue sketching botanicals after the retreat is over. Not to mention the happy memories of sharing this experience with other keen creatives.
Expressive Botanicals
pricing
£490 per person for the two-day retreat including materials, tuition, lunches on both days, tea and coffee plus two course dinner on the Saturday evening (alcoholic drinks are extra).
£50 discount for Inspire Members
Deposit: £100 due on booking. This will be refunded in full should the retreat not run due to the minimum numbers not be met. All other T&Cs apply.
Balance: £390 (or £340 for Inspire Members) due by 01.02.25
Payment plan available on request.
Estimated Accommodation costs:
Friday £160 bed and breakfast
Saturday £175 bed and breakfast
Sunday £135 bed and breakfast
Accommodation is an optional extra as some people may choose to stay elsewhere, drive over each day from home OR stay for between 1-3 nights. Our group allocation is held until 01 March 2025, any rooms not booked from the allocation by this date will then be released from the hold and returned back to General Freesale. When you call to book your accommodation you will be asked to make a 10% deposit to confirm your reservation with Final Balance & Extras to be paid upon Check-Out
Please DO NOT book your accommodation until you have confirmation that the retreat will go ahead and minimum numbers are met. We will contact you once this has happened.
The Wood Norton Hotel, Evesham, Worcs
peaceful stay
I am delighted to host this retreat in the beautiful Wood Norton Hotel in Evesham, Worcestershire. We have a private studio space reserved for the whole of the weekend. The Wood Norton is ideally located just 30 minutes south of Birmingham, 10 Miles from junction 6 off the M5 and 90 minutes from London by train or car.
The New Wood Norton effortlessly combines an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary design in the heart of Worcestershire’s picturesque countryside. It features original 19th century oak panelling, parquet flooring, exquisite carving and statement fireplaces crafted for the European royalty that once lived here.
Accommodation at the hotel is an optional extra and you can either stay locally, or enjoy full-board accommodation for between 1-3 nights. The full-board accommodation will enable you to relax and enjoy your stay. No chores to worry about, you can focus on your creativity, sketching and relaxing. All lunches, teas and coffees provided plus a 2-course dinner on the Saturday evening.
This truly is a sketching experience with a difference.
NOTE: Accommodation bookings will open once the minimum numbers have been met and the retreat is confirmed.
The hotel gardens will also provide us with wonderful inspiration.
Accomodation is flexible and optional to give retreat guests the option to travel in each days to stay one night, two nights or take a whole week away!
Venue Address
The Wood Norton, Worcester Road, Wood Norton, Evesham, Worcs, WR11 4YB
take time to sketch
Immerse yourself in your creativity
What to Expect
Creative sessions that include guidance from me (Susan Yeates) in sketching flowers and leaves.
Learn to observe and appreciate the small details in nature, shapes and forms often overlooked in the rush of daily life.
Play with mixing materials in an expressive way. This isn’t a ‘realistic’ botanical class but will show you that you can make your sketchbook your own!
Understand how to trust your intuition and fall in love with sketching again.
RETREAT INCLUDES
2 full days of creative workshops and sketching at the Wood Norton Hotel.
Lunch, teas and coffees on both Saturday and Sunday.
A 2 course dinner on Saturday evening (alcohol is extra)
A sketchbook and pack of your own sketching materials.
Access to wider range of ‘studio’ materials plus flowers and plants as your inspiration.
NOT INCLUDED IN RETREAT
Accomodation is not included in the retreat price. This is separately quoted so that guests can select how many nights they want to stay or travel in each day. It also gives flexibility to bring a partner or friend to stay at the hotel. Accomodation is B&B
Additional excursions
Insurance
Alcoholic drinks
Items of a personal nature/souvenirs
Gratuities
A glorious weekend of Sketching
Embrace nature and creativity
This sketching retreat is located in a beautiful environment In Worcestershire. The accommodation will enable you to relax and enjoy your stay. No chores to worry about, you can focus on your creativity, sketching and relaxing. This truly is a sketching experience with a difference.
Meet like-minded people who also enjoy sketching and painting. Share in a creative experience, immersing yourself in your sketchbook. You’ll be in a small group, creating together and enjoying downtime - many people make wonderful new friends, share art tips and geek-out on new materials. Many retreat attendees book on their own but instantly connect with the group
Artist, author and online educator
Meet your host - Susan Yeates
I teach aspiring sketchers, doodlers and dabblers how to live more creatively, re-discover their inner artist, and build confidence in their sketchbooks.
I’ve worked as a successful professional artist for over 15 years, authored 6 art books including Sketchbook Challenge: 100 Prompts for Daily Drawing, spoken at TedX Woking, been featured on HobbyMaker TV, created over 35 online courses, and taught thousands of aspiring artists sketching and drawing techniques through my membership, retreats and online courses.
For the last few years, sketching on a regular basis those things that I see around me has been my foundation, and underpins all of my creative endeavours. To just grab a pencil and sketch what you see in front of you, wherever you happen to be is such a joy.
Like a deep breath of fresh air, sketching for fun and creative play, offers a moment of calm in a hectic world.
"I cannot thank you both enough. I've refound my art mojo. I have found my confidence just to do it - right or wrong - have a go. I'm inspired so much!" Jane C, Retreat attendee, Sept 2023
What we get up to
Previous retreats
Here are some examples of previous retreats I have hosted.
Sketching the New Forest - Sept 2023
For three days this group explored the beauty of the New Forest landscape in their sketchbook, based at the Forest Park Hotel in Brockenhurst. We played with acrylic paints, studied the tallest redwoods in the forest, sketched the local ponies, looked at colour mixing and even a spot of leaf printing from local ferns. All meals, accommodation and materials were provided. This was a beautiful weekend full of landscape sketching, connection and friendship (and a smattering of the good old Britsh rain!)
Sketching the everyday - Surrey, March 2024
This sketching retreat was hosted in leafy Surrey in the gorgeous Gorse Hill Hotel. We explored sketching warm-ups to understand our materials, sketched small objects, used viewfinders and generally had a giggle whilst sketching in our special studio space. Participants came away with pages of their sketchbooks full and plenty of techniques and inspiration for daily sketching going forwards. The lunch was fabulous and some even stayed for dinner and a spot of pottery painting at Fired Frog Pottery cafe the next day.
Terms and conditions
Terms and Conditions – Expressive Botanicals
In these Booking Conditions references to “we” “us” and “our” is the company Susan Yeates Artist, references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is
made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.
Susan Yeates Artist operates in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and the
courts of England and Wales, excluding all jurisdiction from other territories / countries.
1. Contract
These terms and conditions, the booking form, along with our privacy policy (found here https://susanyeates.co.uk/policies/privacy-policy) form the retreat contract.
2. Booking and Payment
To book your place on the retreat you must book online and pay the deposit cost of £100 to secure your booking. Arrival date on this retreat is 17th May 2025. Costs for the retreat are listed above and this price does not include accommodation.
£490 per person for the two-day retreat including materials, tuition, lunches on both days, tea and coffee plus two course dinner on the Saturday evening (alcoholic drinks are extra).
£50 discount for Inspire Members
Deposit: £100 due on booking. This will be refunded in full should the retreat not run due to the minimum numbers not be met. All other T&Cs apply.
Balance: £390 (or £340 for Inspire Members) due by 01.02.25
Payment plan available on request.
Estimated accommodation costs as follows:
Friday - £165
Saturday - £175
Sunday - £135
Accommodation is an optional extra as some people may choose to stay elsewhere, drive over each day from home OR stay for between 1-3 nights. Our group allocation is held until 01 March 2025, any rooms not booked from the allocation by this date will then be released from the hold and returned back to General Freesale. When you call to book your accommodation you will be asked to make a 10% deposit to confirm your reservation with Final Balance & Extras to be paid upon Check-Out
Please DO NOT book your accommodation until you have confirmation that the retreat will go ahead and minimum numbers are met. We will contact you once this has happened.
3. Cancellations
You must contact us in writing at hello@susanyeates.com to cancel your booking. A cancellation will take effect from the date that written notice is received at our office. Should you need to cancel your space, all payments become non-refundable if we cannot fill your spot.
If we can fill your spot with a replacement, you will receive all payments back, less £100.
4. If we cancel your booking
We will do our best to fulfil the obligations of this contract. If we do need to cancel, we will offer an alternative date or a full refund.
5. Child policy
Guests must be 18 or over to attend our sketching retreats.
6. Participation
On our sketching retreat the activities require an appropriate level of fitness. We reserve the right not to accept participants on our retreats and activities if, in the reasonable opinion of the leader, this would compromise the safety or enjoyment of an individual or the group as a whole.
If you or any member of your party has any medical problem or disability which may affect your booking, please provide us with full details before you make your booking so that we can try to advise you as to the suitability of your chosen arrangements. We may require you to produce a doctor’s certificate certifying that you are fit to participate. Acting reasonably, if we are unable to properly accommodate the needs of the person(s) concerned, we will not confirm your booking or if you did not give us full details at the time of booking, we will cancel it and impose applicable cancellation charges when we become aware of these details.
7. Sketching / Painting
Tools and materials suitable for the activities of the retreat will be provided (e.g. sketchbook, pens, pencils and paints). You are welcome to bring your own materials and you will be responsible for these. In the event of unsuitable weather conditions for “plein-air” painting and/or sketching and/or drawing, the group will sketch or paint indoors (accommodation, cafés or studio if applicable). You are advised to wear appropriate clothing and footwear for outdoor sessions.
8. Behaviour
We cannot be held responsible for the actions or behaviour of other guests or individuals who have no connection with your booking arrangements or with us.
9. Food and Drinks
Each guest will be responsible for what he or she consumes and can or cannot consume while on our holidays. You agree not to hold us responsible for allergic reactions, intolerance to any foods or drinks, or for any foods or drinks consumed which had any negative consequences on your health or well-being or resulting in death.
10. Illness or absence
If you must withdraw from a holiday after commencement for any reason, you will need to contact your personal holiday insurance company. Unfortunately, no refunds can be made for absences from a holiday, including missed tutoring, missed meals, nights at the accommodation, or any activities you may have missed, or partially missed.
11. Responsibility
We hold no responsibility if you become ill, are personally injured
(fall, road accident, or any other injury) or decease during the holiday period. You are responsible for your personal and travel insurance. You are responsible for complying with our Terms and Conditions. We hold no responsibility for any staining on your clothing caused by you or any member of the group by our materials. For safety reasons, adequate footwear is advisable when walking to sites with the group, or anywhere outside of the accommodation.
By making a booking for the Expressive Botanicals Retreat listed above you are agreeing to these terms and conditions.
If you have any queries regarding the contents of these terms and conditions or would like a PDF version emailed to you, please email hello@susanyeates.co.uk and we will be happy to help.