Illustration for book projects on île d'Oléron, off the coast of France

Details

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  Description

  Hello Workawayer !
  
  In 2025, I will be looking to host an experienced illustrator who travels with her/his iPad (or equivalent) for producing digital illustrations. The project details are found in the Help section below.
  
  Something about YOU: A confirmed illustrator who loves to do good work and enjoys investing herself/himself wholeheartedly in creative projects.
  
  Something about ME: Originally from southern California, I've been living in France since 1994. I am a writer, a small-time publisher, a guitar-playing singer-songwriter, and a person who loves to make and create things.
  
  Something about WHERE: On the île d'Oléron, just off the western coast of France. Here you will enjoy a home that I designed and in many respects built myself, with lots of light and space, a somewhat wild garden, and a beach that is just around the corner.
  
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  I provide accommodation, meals, bedding and towels, fibre-based wifi connection to internet and a home-away-from-home for workawayers.
  
  Workawayers are free to organise their work time / days as they like. As a general guide, 3 to 4 hours per day, 5 days per week. I am not myself a late-riser, but people who are late-risers are welcome (I loathe alarm clocks).
  
  I am however a NON-SMOKER and I have an aversion to smoking. Are you a smoker ? Hey, listen, I quite understand – I have a chocolate habit of sorts – but in all honesty, I think it's better if we part ways here. I trust you'll understand. Besides, there are plenty of other Workaway opportunities to pursue in France. I wish you the best. (The same goes for anyone who uses drugs. Just not my cup of tea. Merci y gracias.)
  
  Finally, a word about my 2024-2025 calendar: I am not hosting in the winter months because I consider my house too stingily heated to comfortably accommodate guests. As for the yellow-marked spring and summer and fall 2025 months, they're currently too far down the road for me to have a clear picture of whether I'll be in a position to host or not. If you're interested in a yellow-marked period, please reach out anyway and we'll see what I can work out. Thanks (-:

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  I am ever keen to meet people. I like to ask questions, find out how other people think & see the world, and learn about how they are living their lives today. So I look forward to some rambling one-on-one conversations with you while you're here.
  
  If you are interested in things like house design and house building, publishing and writing, philosophy, art history, aviation, meditation and spiritual pursuits, I can share with you some of my experience in these areas. I can also teach you how to make home-made bread and chapatis.

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  Help

  More information about my book projects:
  
  I currently have more than half a dozen finished manuscripts that are all jockeying to become illustrated books for children.
  
  Each story calls for its own particular style of illustration. While I have rough idea of a drawing style that I think would be a good fit for each story, that is just a point of departure; it is in working on the project that we discover the best place to end up.
  
  When contacting me for this Workaway, please include – if possible – a link to your portfolio (Instagram account, etc) so that I can see the kind of work you enjoy doing. If you don't have an online presence, then I'll provide you with an email address where you can send me samples of your work or your pdf portfolio. (Rest assured : I will not use your work without your authorisation nor pass it on to someone else.)
  
  If I spot something in your illustrative strengths that appeals to me and seems like it might be a good place to start for one of my projects, we can go forward from there and work out details for your stay...

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  I am reading in Spanish, but I'm nowhere near being able to speak it conversationally. ¿Hablas español ? ¡Quiero aprenderlo! If you yourself are looking for a Workaway experience where you will be able to practice and improve your French, PLEASE TAKE NOTE : I am fairly fluent in French, but I am NOT a native speaker of the language. I generally speak English at home, and I am personally looking to learn Spanish. So if you are hoping to have an immersive, French-speaking experience, please be aware that my Workaway proposal is probably not a good fit for you. That said, you can practice your French with the natives in your free time, and I can share with you my tips for dealing with conjugation and grammar (-:
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  Accommodation

  Workawayers will have a separate bedroom on the upstairs floor, with access to a bathroom that is only shared if there is another traveller present (very rare) or if one of my 4 children (currently ages 21, 24, 26, 28) happens to be staying for a short spell (also very rare). My own sleeping quarters and separate bathroom are downstairs and I will not intrude upon your upstairs space.
  
  When it comes to food, I observe a more or less vegan diet, and most of what I buy is organic/bio. I bake my own bread and chapatis, and content myself with simple fare. I look forward to learning new recipes from you and having fun when it comes to cooking meals. (I trust it goes without saying that wherever we live, we all need to contribute some of our own time to keeping the house tidy. I appreciate guests who take the initiative to sweep now and then, to help with meal ideas, et cetera...)
  
  You will have access to wifi/internet (high-speed fibre connection). There are a few well traveled bicycles that you can try out and use for exploring further afield.
  
  Please note: there is no television. But the house does have plenty of books and comic books in both French and English, and a few in Spanish.
  
  There is a piano that you're welcome to use. Also a guitar, a cajón, bongo drums, and other small percussion instruments.

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  What else ...

  You will find that the island is a place where you can savour your own rhythm. The nearest beach is just 5 minutes away by foot. I can provide you with a not-very-new bicycle for getting around... there are other great beaches to discover, there is a lighthouse you can visit (climb 224 steps and you'll have a great view from the top), numerous surf spots (we can loan you a surfboard or a body-board), and lots of nature and birds to see.
  
  During much of the year, there is boat service from Oléron to Aix island (Napoleon spent his last night on French soil there) and nearby La Rochelle – both make great destinations for a day-trip, or even a weekend getaway.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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