Friday, May 17, 2013

Art Smorgasbord - A Real One!

Greetings!  Yes, I have a real smorgasbord this week with everything from a pretty sketch/collage, to delicious meal photographs, to a cute digitally enhanced frog.  I hope you enjoy it!


The art journal page above was inspired by my mother and wife, who are both priceless women, and Proverbs 31:10, which was featured in Word Art Wednesday last week.  I began by sketching an antique drawing of a lady that I found on-line.  I've never sketched anything in this style, so it was fun.  I embellished my page with Tim Holtz tissue tape and a fleur cut with one of his dies, as well as with Art-C trading card clip art.  I am submitting this piece to Art Journal Journey - Challenge Yourself, Inspiration Avenue: Sad Girls with FlowersPaint Party Friday: Week 10, Year 3, Three Muses - Quote, and the Twenty Minute Challenge.


The page above is dedicated to my blogging friend, Jennifer McLean, who is celebrating her birthday this week.  May she "live, laugh, and love" for many years to come!  The hand lettering in this page was inspired by Lindsay Ostrom's alphabets, and was done using Sharpie micron pens, Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens, Prismacolor Pencils, and a paint marker.  I added a K&Company Smash flag as a finishing touch.  I am submitting this page to Artist's Play Room #57 - Birthday Art, What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 206, and Sunday Sketches.


I designed tag-shaped card above to test drive my two new Tim Holtz Baroque dies, as well as 4 other of Holtz dies and a Martha Stewart punch.  I used Canson Mi-Teintes for the card base, as well as burlap, 6x6" paper prints by Maryjo Koch, and up-cycled cardboard for all the collage elements.  I also used Recollections paper flowers, an Art-C fabric flower, and a K&Company Smash brad.  I punched a hole in the top center of the card, threaded a strip of organza ribbon, and tied it in place with some jute cording.  I am submitting this card to Simon Says Stamp and Show - A Little Paper, Simon Says Stamp Challenge - Flower PowerWord Art Wednesday - Challenge #80Tag Tuesday - Letter S, and Paper Saturdays.

(Photograph before cropping for the collage.)
The two photographs above are from my wife's Mother's Day celebration last Sunday.  My daughters and I began her morning by bringing her breakfast in bed, along with her card, fresh flowers, and gifts.  (You can get other views of the card in my last post.)  Then, for lunch I prepared her a full Mexican dinner with my daughters' assistance, which included homemade salsa and chips, guacamole, queso flameado, sangria, sirloin fajitas, nopales salad, and rice.  My oldest daughter, who's a marvelous baker, made a delicious flan.  I cropped my photographs to form the digital collage using a Comic Strip app on my iPhone.  I am submitting this photographs to 52 Photos Project: Gallery 4 {Crop It}, Take a Word Challenge - Mothers, and The Round Robin Photo Challenge: Before and After.


The little fellow above is a visitor that one of my 4th grade students brought to my classroom this week.  Isn't he a handsome dude?  I took the photo while my student was holding it in his hands.  However, I decided to have some fun and play with the photograph digitally in my Pixelmator program.  I began by adding a fog effect, which brought out the highlights.  Then, I changed the color of the child's hands to orange, to create some contrast.  Finally, I brought out the pixels for some fun.  I am submitting this photographs to Orange You Glad It's Friday #38, Mandarin Orange Monday #42, and Inspire Me Monday - Week 72.

I hope you found something in my art smorgasbord that pleased your taste for art.  Thank you for all your kind words during my last post and to all those who are now following me.  I am both humbled and honored by your by your kindness.  I also want to thank the folks at Simon Says Stamp and Show for the $50 voucher I won during their drawing.  They have so many choices, I can't decide what to get.  Hopefully someday I'll earn the honor to be chosen top 3 by their amazing design team.  Have a blessed week!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Mother's Day 2013

¡Hola! - Hello!  Although my schedule has been exhausting lately, I did manage to spend some time working in my studio.  Thanks be to God!  I didn't get a lot done, but believe it is meaningful.  With Mother's day celebrations in multiple countries this month, I decided to dedicate this post to Mothers around the world.

Life Journey
The tag above is dedicated to my mother, who taught me the difference between right and wrong, as well as how the choices I make determine my "life journey."  Although this is an original design, I was inspired by the techniques of Tim Holtz 12 Tags of 2013 - May and John Steinbeck's quote, "A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike."  I began by applying rub-on stickers and staining the tag as per Tim's instructions.  When it was dry, I used some travel label stamps to complete my background.  I proceeded to sketch the male face using a Sharpie micro pen and a Faber-Castell marker.  I finished the collage by sticking a couple of strips of commute tissue tape and stapling some film strip.  To embellish my tag, I began by tying a strip of metallic ribbon to the top.  Then, I attached a game piece to the top by using a screw eye and gem clip.  Finally, I drilled a hole to the bottom of a "life" word stick and added some texture to it with a texture hammer.  I connected it to a "journey" word key with a jump ring, and attached them to the tag with a small custom fastener.  I am also submitting this tag to Artist's Playroom #56 - Famous ArtistsSimon Says Stamp and Show: Inspired By, Paint Party Friday - Week 9 Year 3, Sunday Sketches.

To Mom, With Love
The envelope card above is for my wife, who truly puts our daughters first when it comes to their well being.  I used a card making technique by Michael Jacobs - See My Recommendations.  This design is a derivative of my original design Imagine, which I used for the grandmother's cards.  I used kraft paper and re-purposed a return envelope to create my card base.  I used a combination of Tim Holtz papers, DCWV papers, re-purposed cardstock/boxes, and discarded plastic to make my envelope card.  To make the various components of my card, I used four different Tim Holtz die cuts, one of his embossing folders, two different Martha Stewart punches, an EK Success corner punch, a pair of Fiskars decorative scissors, and a paper guillotine.  The hand lettering was done with an EK Success calligraphy pen.  I embellished the envelope card using hemp twine, Recollections flowers, and Tulip bead paint, as well as a strip of Tim Holtz print tissue tape and bauble.  I cut and enclosed 3 blank cards for each of us to write our own sentiments.  I am submitting my envelope card to the Order of the Opus Gluei: #156 Bouquet for YouBlog dos Desafios #14 - Dia das MáesCrazy Amigo Challenge: BirdsSimon Says Stamp Challenge - Things with WingsWord Art Wednesday - Challenge #79What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 205, and Paper Saturdays.

Guardian Angel Mother
The photograph above is dedicated to all my followers and blogging friends that are mothers.  It is a shot I took with my iPhone of a stone guardian angel that sits by my front porch.  Based on my personal experiences with my family's and friends' Mothers, I've always thought of them as being real guardian angels looking over their children.  I believe Abraham Lincoln felt the same way when he so succinctly said, "All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother."  Rather it's a physical, spiritual or emotional need, mothers are there to support, comfort, and/or nurse their children in any way possible.  In addition, as it is written in Proverbs 31:26, a mother "opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."  I digitally altered the photograph using a ToonPAINT app - it's fun and extremely easy to use.  I am submitting this photograph to 52 Photos Project: Gallery 3 {Street Art}Take A Word Challenge - Stone AngelOrange You Glad It's Friday #37Artists in Blogland - Show and Tell Saturday and Mandarin Orange Monday #41.

Hope you enjoyed my artwork, as much as I enjoyed working on it.  As I said, it's not much, but it is meaningful to me.  Have a blessed week, and if you are a mother, "¡Feliz Día de las Madres! - Happy Mother's Day!"

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Art Smorgasbord - Garden

Greetings!  With Spring in full swing, everything I did last week had a garden feel to it.  I hope you enjoy a stroll through my artful garden.

Garden Cross (Psalm 103:2)
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2013
Paint Party Friday: Week 8, Year 3
Word Art Wednesday - Challenge #78
Mandarin Orange Monday 40
In My Backyard
© Arnoldo L. Romero
Artists Playroom - April Showers Bring May Flowers
Lindsay Ostrom: April Showers Bring May Flowers
Illustration Friday - Tribute
Faber Castell - May 'Take the Challenge' with Mou
Sunday Sketches
Matchbox & Stamp Gift Box
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2013
Collage Obsession: Butterflies
Simon Says Stamp and Show Challenge: Passport to Fun
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Happy Mail!
Fly Away (Toilet Paper Roll Sculpture Work in Progress)
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2013
Three Muses: Hats & Crowns and Wings & Things
What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 204
Paper Saturdays
Velvet Mite
© Arnoldo L. Romero 2013
52 Photos Project: Gallery 2 {Microscopic}
Take A Word Challenge - Beautiful
Orange You Glad It's Friday #36
I apologize for my lack of elaboration regarding this post, but I'm taking my Fifth Grade students on an overnight field trip tomorrow, so I need to pack.  Thank you for all your thoughtful and encouraging comments last week.  Vaya con Dios - Godspeed!