When you are an author, illustrator, it is difficult to take a vacation, or even a simple day off. Why would you feel guilty about listening to yourself when you don't want to draw? Listening to yourself when you don't want to draw also allows you to listen to yourself when you want to draw and this is very important to keep the feeling of pleasure. I often have this discussion with other artists and for me, the conclusion remains that it is important to take your mind off things and allow yourself hours, days or weeks of breaks when you feel the need. This is the only way to not only keep the fun going, but also to move forward in a meaningful way on a project. A project should allow you to explore things, to accomplish yourself and to have fun. If we make it a daily chore, what should have been a field of discovery and experimentation can turn into a simple job to be done, or even real torture. And that's too bad! A project can last several months, or even several years. It should feed off the life around us and our experiences to enrich itself as it enriches our view of the world. If it arises from our curled up mind, and our body locked up 7 days a week, we end up going in circles or worse: we are influenced by our only door open to the outside world, the internet and the trends that spread on the web!

After the magical forest of Brocéliande, today I would like to take you to the Breton coast and to small fishing ports.

Let's start with the cape of Erquy, a wild place by the sea, covered with gorse and heather.

My beautiful mom

Olivier wearing his t-shirt from Okinawa

We push on to the Saint Michel islet where a small chapel is perched, which can only be reached at low tide. The beach is almost ours, with fine sand and crystal-clear turquoise water... No hesitation, we put on our swimsuits and dive into the refreshing sea.

I'm in full concentration

Far breton with Prunes

To my surprise, my mom really got into the game of sketching with us every day. For someone who never draws, it is a small feat to stay focused on a subject for 2 hours without getting discouraged and by meticulously following our technique: quick pencil sketch, inking with a pen and coloring with watercolors. I am proud of her and I hope this experience will make her want to continue drawing while traveling. And you who read me, do you sometimes draw outside? Do you ever motivate your friends or family to accompany you?