Small-group sketching trips led by a skilled watercolor artist. Paced slowly enough to finish the page with meaning.
UpcomingLate March 2027 · 14 Days
Five historic cities, a desert crossing, and the workshop towns of the Fergana Valley with a sketchbook in hand. Timed to spring, when the whole route is bursting into new life.
Past Trip6–19 May 2026 · 14 Days
Fourteen days across Tashkent, Khiva and Samarkand, with an afternoon spent painting the citadel walls of Khiva under the guidance of a local watercolour artist.
Past Trip24 May–6 June 2026 · 14 Days
Two weeks across Tashkent, Khiva and Samarkand, with a morning given over to block printing and dye making before the drive to the Ulugh Beg Observatory.
Meet Naomi Reece. She's spent the last decade teaching sketching in the field, led courses on the Urban Sketching Symposium circuit, and published a collection of travel sketches from six years living in Lisbon. Her rule is simple: sit down, don't rush, and don't get up until the light has changed.
You don't need to be an accomplished painter. Just someone who's picked up a brush before, knows the basics, and wants a real reason to get better. If you've done some sketching on your own and keep meaning to do more of it, Wayward Paper was created for you.
Every day has a sketching session at its centre. You'll sit in one spot for an hour or two, tea arriving before you think to ask for it, and watch a bazaar, a citadel wall, or a mountain terrace change under moving light, painting it while it does.
Does that sound like your kind of trip?
Groups stay small enough for one-on-one time with the artist most days.
A professional sketching instructor, leading every session herself, in the field.
Days are paced around finishing the page, not covering more ground.
Wayward Paper is built by Leatherback Travel, the team already running 10+ reputable travel brands. This one is built specifically for people who prefer a sketchbook to a checklist. And it runs on one idea: a place is worth stopping for exactly as long as it takes to draw it. That means small groups, a route we've walked ourselves, and a daily rhythm built around finishing the page, vs just seeing what's next.
In business since 2019
489+ trips concluded
4,423+ happy travellers
Member of ATTA (Adventure Trade Travel Association)
Officially Australia's #5 Fastest Growing Company
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