Some of these works I have seen before and, for sure, these portraits can not go unnoticed. Here is sketching, portraiture, manual textile works, jewelry, collage, and hence the parallel with scrapbooking. However, I did not know the name of the author. Unfortunately, I have not found detailed information in the Internet so I took it from English-speaking sites. But I had no idea how wonderful she was! And not just as an artist.

Stéphanie Ledoux is a French artist, a passionate traveler and a very curious and passionate person. Three or four months a year, taking pencils and notebooks with her, she travels to distant countries, discovering people and other cultures. Drawing people's faces is the best way for her to communicate with them. In her travels, she has collected more than 60 travel diaries, which are a source of inspiration for her amazing works. While drawing, she interviews her models to learn about their lives and traditions, and then enjoys their reaction when she shows them the drawing.

"I've been drawing since I was old enough to hold a pencil in my hand, and as a teenager I started keeping travel diaries. I made my first diary when I was 13, when I was in Tahiti. During my vacation with my parents, I realized that it was interesting not only to my family, but also to my friends, and their friends, and colleagues of my father, who asked to look through my drawings."
She got an education in biology, but realized that this was not her way. Since 2010, her passion to travel and paint have become her main activity. In her trips, she prefers those areas where there is the largest cultural and civilizational gap. And even ignorance of the language plays a special role in her communication with people:
"A whole parallel language develops when you are frustrated with not knowing the language. Sometimes this leads to awkward situations, and then the drawings come to the rescue. I tend to draw more if I'm immersed in a situation I don't understand. Drawings provide an opportunity to communicate with people not like most tourists, and my actions arouse curiosity, surprise and amazement. I like the interaction created by drawing, and it's not uncommon for people to take a pencil too to help me understand things when language acts as a barrier...
When I travel, I go with a limited supply of portable materials. I ask people who are not professionals and who have other things to do to pose. They kindly give me a little of their time and I don't want to make them pose for eight hours. Then I just draw a little sketch to catch the moment: the main work will happen as soon as I get back. I often offer my portraits to my models. In some countries, I give everything, and to keep in mind, I photograph my sketch and a person. When I go back to France, I draw this or that character on a large scale to revive that memory.
In different countries, people react differently when I give them drawings. Indonesians love to be photographed, and you can be sure that the next day this picture will be decorated and placed in the most visible place in their home. There are other countries where people do not care, and in extreme cases, such as with nomads, I found that my drawing was folded and crumpled in the subsequent kindling of the fire.
Asia is my favorite part of the world. I've been to Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia, China, India and most recently Papua New Guinea. I have quite a long list of countries I would like to visit. On the other hand, I am also always ready to consider any possibilities and listen to any suggestions. In Papua New Guinea, I was appointed artist to the expedition by boat in the framework of a research project on the conservation of nature. An amazing trip, with extensive logistical challenges, as in the days of explorers. I would never have planned this on my own.
I don't agree when people say I'm lucky. After four of the happiest months I've spent in travel, I've been working alone in my studio for eight months. It also takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and into an unknown place. And like any independent job, this job is just as unstable financially. But the truth is, every day I feel like I've achieved something by being able to combine my two passions and doing a job that I now enjoy."

Having once seen this photo at an exhibition about tattoos, she did not imagine that she would ever see this woman.

A legendary 98-years-old (as of 2016) tattoo artist of the Kalinga ethnic group, in the Philippines, the last mambabatok (traditional tattoo artist) in the Kalinga ethnic group. Having no children, but striving to preserve this tradition of tattooing for future generations, she taught this art to her two young nieces.

It is no less interesting to consider both the paintings themselves and to observe the very reaction of people to their own portraits. It is impossible to look at it without a smile..)

To cover all kinds of creativity and the number of works that came out of the Stéphanie Ledoux's hands in one article is impossible, but believe me, it is worth it to look at them on the Internet. Very inspiring!

Today, each of us has the opportunity to photograph everything and images surround us in huge numbers. Ultimately, quality sinks in that quantity. Drawing also adds a "hand" touch, the old style, which makes it possible to slow down time, feel the moment, as an antidote to the rapidly changing impressions during the journey.