Cover illustration for a book project on île d'Oléron, off the coast of France

Details

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  Description

  Hello Workawayer !
  
  I am currently looking to host an experienced illustrator who travels with her/his iPad (or equivalent) for producing digital illustrations. See below for details about this particular project , as well as others that are waiting in the wings.
  
  
  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 YOU: A confirmed illustrator who loves to do good work and enjoys investing herself/himself wholeheartedly in a project.
  
  
  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.
  
  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.)

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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 current project:
  
  I have a finished novel to publish and it needs a cover illustration. The finished format is roughly 28,5 cm x 20,5 cm (approximate), CMYK.
  
  As a point of departure for this particular book, I am looking for an approach that could be a cross between neoclassical realism and vintage-travel-poster styles. The goal is to portray a rich, verdant valley in the middle-ground; in the lower left foreground, two nude human figures – male, female, seen from behind and recalling the ideal one finds in classical period Greek statuary; in the background, beyond the furthest reaches of the valley, a desert that stretches to the horizon.
  
  I am inclined to think that this project could take an experienced illustrator perhaps 2 to 3 weeks to complete.
  
  I look forward to hearing from you if this project piques your interest.
  
  In making your initial contact, please include links to an online portfolio or Instagram account, to give me an idea of your work.
  
  Finally, with regard to upcoming projects I have that might also be of interest to you, please know that I have half a dozen finished manuscripts that are all destined to become illustrated books for children. If I spot something in your illustrative strengths that appeals to me and that I feel could be a good fit for one of these projects, then maybe we do a workaway in that direction, if the project appeals to you.

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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. ¿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 not be a good fit. 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

  You 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 (ages 20, 23, 25, 27) 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 old 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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  Hours expected

  Project oriented - As a general guide, 3 to 4 hours per day, 5 days per week

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