2026 Lyon France Workshop
Glenn Vilppu workshop in Lyon!
Set by the Romans in the south-East of France, the ancient capital of Gauls (Lugdunum) has an extraordinary well-preserved heritage, with streets and monuments dating as far as the Roman Empire. It is known today as the capital of gastronomy.
Explore the rich heritage of Lyon with Glenn Vilppu and sketch a variety of subjects, urban scenes and ancient monuments. This Sketching on Location Workshop will take you through historical sites of the city, from the Roman amphitheater remains and through the Renaissance neighborhood, all the way to nineteenth century monuments.
You’ll follow Glenn and sketch along with him in the streets and of the historical city and Museums, in an informal setting allowing you a more personal learning experience. You will get daily group and individual demonstrations, opportunities to watch Glenn draw and ask questions, and personal feedback and advice for your work.
All levels welcome. Enrolment is limited to 15 students to ensure the best learning experience.
Itinerary Highlights (subject to change):
* Lyon’s Museum of Fine Arts, set in 17th century abbey Palais Saint-Pierre
* Fontaine Bartholdi, 19th century fountain by Auguste Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty)
* Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon), one of Europe's most extensive Renaissance neighborhoods
* Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist of Lyon, completed in the 15th century and recently restored
* Notre-Dame de Fourvière, 19th century neo-byzantine basilica
* Parc de la Tête d’Or, 117 hectares (290 acres) park with Lyon’s botanical garden and 19th century greenhouses
* And more!
Join Glenn for the weekend only, weekdays only, or for the full workshop:
* Weekend only, May 23-24 (2 full days, $500): Museum of Fine Arts, Place des Terreaux and Vieux Lyon (Renaissance neighborhood)
* Weekdays only, May 25-29 (5 full days, $1,100): Parc de la Tête d’Or, Roman amphitheater, Lyon cathedral, historical sites of the « Presqu’île » (between the two rivers), and more
* Full Workshop, May 23-29 (7 full days, $1500): weekend + weekdays
Workshop details:
* Price includes instruction from Glenn Vilppu.
* Students are responsible for their own lodging, and meals.
* Lyon Saint-Exupéry (LYS) is the closest airport, the city is also accessible in 2 hours by high-speed train from Paris or Geneva
Join us for this unforgettable artistic journey, where you’ll sharpen your skills in one of France’s oldest cities under the guidance of a legendary drawing instructor.
Customer Reviews
Glenn has a way of being polite, kind, and straight to the point all at the same time. I've seen so much improvement in my drawing practice after spending time in person with him. I've lost exact count of how many workshops I've attended - I've been to Belgium, Vienna, Italy and New Mexico with Glenn, and loved every second. Eleanor (Glenn's wife) and Glenn are such wonderful and kind souls to be around, and have helped immensely when it comes to my anxiety around drawing. I cant recommend his workshops enough!
I had the privilege of studying with Glenn in Belgium in 2024. This was a life changing experience for many reasons, and one that I will always treasure in my heart. If you go on a trip with Glenn, you will learn a lot about drawing, but you will also have the opportunity to meet many incredible people who are at different stages of their artistic education. Glenn’s classes attract very special people who are worth getting to know and I would place the caliber of these relationships on a similar level of significance to me as great friendships from college. These trips are in part special because many adults at different stages of their life have set aside time to make a serious effort to improve with a wonderful teacher. The experience of drawing with this small community and getting to know each other is precious. Glenn is very good at working with each student individually and quickly realizing a clear, concrete step the student can take to improve. When Glenn observes your work, he will quickly discern a path and show you the way with a demo. There have been times when I didn’t understand what he meant to teach me, and months and years later I figured it out. One useful thing about working in person with a class is you get to see how he works with other students. If you pay attention to those interactions and observe carefully, you will find that those lessons can be applied equally to your own work. The students in my trip were at varying skill levels. This is very positive because you are exposed to a wide range of critique and instruction. Seeing how Glenn worked with more advanced students was as helpful as seeing Glenn approach fundamental problems. Whenever you see Glenn work with a student, you should always assume that this lesson can benefit you. One things that never ceases to amaze me about studying with Glenn is how his lessons tend to imprint on the mind. I think that Glenn teaches as much with passion and joy as he does with word and demos. Sometimes I am surprised by how vividly I remember an image he drew and how his hand moved on the page. If you are at all hesitant, don’t be. You will have a great time with wonderful people, make wonderful memories, and learn how to draw!
In 2013 I attended my first on-site workshop with Glenn in Munich. I consider it one of the best things that happened in my artistic career that I started studying with him back then. I attended as many on-site workshops with Glenn as I could ever since. Getting his feedback in person is very valuable and being able to ask questions right away is just great. Glenn’s motto - “No rules just tools” is a concept that I very much appreciate. He helped me improve my art skills tremendously without interfering with my style of drawing.
I have already reserved my spot for the full workshop. Don’t miss the opportunity to work with Glenn and take your art skill to a new level.
I highly recommend Glenn’s workshop in Lyon!
I’ve done several Vilppu workshops in Europe and in US. Each one has changed my life.
These workshops are intensely about learning to see and draw through interaction with other artists, the local community, the landscape, local art and, of course, Glenn’s guidance.
There is no substitute for “being there”.
It’s no small thing that I developed several long term friendships along the way.
I've been to the previous sketching workshop on Sardinia last year, and I'll leave this review here as a food for thought for people who consider joining this one.
The Sardinia trip was amazing, and I'm looking forward to this one. To Glenn, drawing comes as naturally as breathing. His art looks beautiful, effortless, and fun. For someone like me who was scared of failing at drawing, this attitude shift alone was worth the price of attendance. After that I carry a sketchbook everywhere I go and I draw all the time. This class quite literally changed my life.
Glenn is also great at teaching. His instruction was a great help, and he adjusts his feedback based on the artist's level, so everyone is welcome. If you want to learn to sketch, or if you want to learn to draw like the great masters of the past, or just spend a week drawing beautiful scenery with like-minded people, I can't recommend this course enough.