Karine Ardault

And in the US, I have been...

there:

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Countries were I have travelled

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painting

This is the results of this week lesson with Paulette Insall "All about faces" Class. I did not have the right colors to mix for the face shades expect for one but I think I managed. Globally, I think the lady is a little pale but right now I think she is looking ok for a first one :-)

And another Saturday without power

I was woken up by the rain this morning. it was raining heavily. In the living room too! Still I went for grocery shopping. The good side of it is that other people stayed home so there was no traffic and it was easy to park! That was the good side of the rain. Driving in the puddles of water was fun too...

Ben was not flying today (happy face there). We played with our respective computers until the power went out after lunch time. so I made some art.

Below is my first try at making a mosaic with some of my flickr pictures.

 

1. DSCN0966web, 2. DSCN0959web, 3. _K112101web, 4. _K112093web, 5. _K081929web, 6. _6040016web

I should do that more often.

Violette is still home. from the start I found she was smelling quite strong even after having been given a bath. I noticed this morning that the smell is coming from her back were she has been wounded. There is a lot of dead skin. It was not easy to spot because spikes are very close to each others and there was no blood. So now the priority is to have all the dead skin on her back removed slowly and she is going to have massages of her back twice a day with aloe vera. She is recovering are new spikes are already coming out from under the skin.

That's all for today

Sky

 

Fly.....

landscape

This picture was taken during one of our little drive around Arusha. One of the many rifts around here.

Sorry, not much time lately... I am spending way too much time in Office so no time to play!

This is Violette

Last Sunday when coming home from a dinner with friends I saw a hedgehog who was about to cross the track just in front of the car. To get home we have to take a dirt road from the tarmac road. As hedgies are nocturnal animals, when I drive at night I always look carefully if there in not one of those wonderful creatures on my way. The area where we live is quite populated so if I see one hedgehog, I would take it, clean it and release it as soon as possible in a safer environment. So Sunday, here it is, a little creature about to cross. I stop the car and ask Ben to go and get it. The little spiky thing looks quite relax when Ben grabs it. Muffin was with us, in her bag. I had an extra towel in the bag which I give to Ben as the little thing is quite dirty... it is the rainy season here so it is muddy. Also, as hedgies are mammals, they can always have rabies.

So as the little thing looks quite relax, it is fairly easy to manipulate. After a first quick check we know 1) it is a "she"; 2) she is one-eyed; 3) one of her feet is missing; and 4) some of her spikes are missing too. All of these look like old injuries. Poor thing. She looks quite tired, not nervous at all to be manipulated by those two humans.

First thing, a bath. She is very dirty. Then it is a good way to spot blood. A bit of olive oil and doggie shampoo. Ticks hate olive oil. hee hee!

No blood. Her wounds seem to be old ones. She looks ok but needs some rest. Funny she does seem to be quite confident.

  But drama this morning! Since Sunday she was enjoying the main bathroom as her playground at night without problem. But  this morning when opening the door, I find her sleeping above the water evacuation hole in the shower. I immediately know there is something strange as a hedgie would not choose this place as there would be some air coming from under. So I grab her slowly and find quickly that her handicapped leg is stuck in the grid. She looks calm though. I go wake up Ben and get the kitchen oil. I put some on her leg and on the grid but to no avail. Her leg does not move. She starts panicking poor thing. she bites me but she is not as good as Muffin for this so it is ok. Ben takes a screwdriver and takes off the grid. We are more at ease but we do not really know what to do. She gets more and more nervous. Just one solution. I put her on her back, put a towel on her face and hold her firmly while Ben pushes her leg out. She cries (quit unusual to be noted as hedgies are quite silent except for their puffing) but she is free. Her little leg regain colors and her heart is beating like crazy. She deserves a full day of sleep.

Tonight she is feeling better. This picture was taken less than one hour ago and now she is trashing the guestroom. Those little things are real pooh machines.

She is feeling ok, I think, looking less miserable than Sunday, being cleaner, with less ticks, eating fine and getting massage with aloe vera gel. She looks to be a quite old hedgie. She also walks ok.

During the week-end we will release her! (I am sure Janeth will be happy!) Hope she will do fine!

By the way, I named her Violette from Violette Szabo a war heroin from the WWII.

April inchies ready to go!

My April inchies are ready to go for the Hannah Grey swap. This month color was beige/white.

Mine are beige and I used golden flakes. They are different for the inchies I have done so far but I like them. Even Ben said they were nice. But maybe it is because he finds their are looking like little chocolates!

Practice

So one of my goals for this year was to learn how to draw and paint. I have taken Paulette Insall's Background class which finished last moth. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot about acrylic paint and backgrounds. I am also not afraid anymore to paint on canvas! well, the only problem is that I have to find a way to have canvases come to Arusha... hmmm... Any idea? except having to spend my yearly shipment with that supply?

Now I am taking Paulette Insall's Faces class... PAINTING a FACE... Wow. Frightening!!!

So This week I am practicing. Well, I have started practicing but I should do so more because so fare my lips and eyes are not very appealing! For now it is just one page and I am going to do more.

It is my FIRST page and I need to PRACTICE so no drama so far!

 

My first face. Well she looks a little sad.

All for now!

Playing with Photoshop Elements

For those who know me, they know that for my pictures I do not use many enhancement before putting them on the web and/or selling them.

First I do not own Photoshop but Photoshop Elements. Reason 1: Price. Reason 2: I do not think i would use the full features of Photoshop when I am just using 10% (or less) of Photoshop Elements.

First I use Adobe Light Room to order my pictures and then i work a little bit on them. To make it short, the point is that I do not transform my pictures. If I do that, it is not photography anymore but another form of art.

But this morning I just played a little bit with Elements. Earlier this week I found to butterfly wings near my garage doors. They are quite large. I scanned them this morning and then played.

 

    

 

I'd better go create!