A "Skully" Post

Throughout the history of mankind, skulls have inspired artists all around the world.  The Mayans, Leonardo Da Vinci, Paul Cezanne, José Guadalupe Posada, and M. C. Escher are just a few of the artists known to have incorporated them into their work.  The first time I drew a skull was in preparatory school, during an anatomy course I took.  As an artist, I believe drawing skulls, as well as skeletons, is one of the ways to develop a better understanding of human and animal forms.  In this post I present a tribute to the skull… and a little skeleton too.

Skull Study
Art Journal Page
Pia's Mix It Monthly - September
Eva & Kristin's Paint Party Friday Week 28-Year 3
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Anything But Plain Paper
Inspired by one of Leonardo Da Vinci's skull studies, I drew a skull with micron pens over watercolor and pencil washes.  For a little texture, I added a canvas feather quill, which I had decorated by stamping a print and adding color with a spray dye.  I believe it also gave my hand lettering a nice finishing touch.

La Calavera - The Skull
Illustration on Tag
Alexandra's Sunday Sketches
Artist's In Blogland: Show & Tell Saturday
Order of the Opus Gluei - Challenge #166
La Muerte - The Angel of Death
Illustration on Tag
Tag Tuesday - Wings
Manon's Paper Saturdays
Inspiration Avenue - Celebrate Fall
Inspired by two of the "Lotería" numbered cards, which are used in the Mexican version of bingo, I designed the two tags above.  The classic cards feature a skull and bones, as well as a skeleton with a sickle illustration.  However, I wanted mine to be different, since they are part of an original series I've been working on for about a year.

Animal Skull 1/2
© Arnoldo L. Romero
Bella's 52 Photos Project: Gallery 22 {In My Hands}
Jenn's In the Studio
Ramona's Inspire Me Monday - Week 90
Animal Skull 2/2
© Arnoldo L. Romero
Julia's What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday #224
Maria's Orange You Glad It's Friday #56
Lorik's Mandarin Orange Monday #60
Last, but not least, I have 2 versions of a photograph of a skull that I took this week.  I found the skull by the creek at Ft. Clark, Texas, and believe it belonged to a snake.  I am always fascinated by God's amazing creations.

I hope you enjoyed my "skully" post.  Thank you very much for your thoughtful comments on my last post.  I also want to thank Simon Says Monday Challenge and Try It On Tuesday for honoring me with their badges for 2 of my pieces last week.  I was truly honored and humbled to be selected from amongst so many talented artists worldwide.  Blessings!

Comments

ike said…
Oooh !! You must have snuck in late - sorry I am only just coming now !!!
Your tags are super and I love your drawings :-) I think skulls are fascinating :-D

Have a great week. Happy WOYWW 224

IKE in Greece #49 xxx
Valerie-Jael said…
Lovely work! Skulls are fascinating.
Saludos! Valerie
What a wonderful post. I had to laugh out at the second tag as it caught me by surprise :
Leovi said…
Sí, Me gustan esos divertidos estudios del cráneo!! Saludos!
Paula (PEP) said…
It's your first one that just caught my eye - to think that He created every little detail & then breathed life into the framework - it gave me pause for thought. Your little quill looks superb with the lettering - & perfectly captures the pink colour in the top left corner giving lovely balance to the whole.
Congratulations upon your badges too - I did smile when I saw your name on Simon Says Monday!
Paula (PEP)
Christine said…
wonderful skull inspiration! Perfect for the upcoming season!
Jana said…
Your talent always amazes me. I am so impressed with your sketch. Those Loteria tags are fantastic. Sugar skulls are great and this one is marvelous. Thank you so much for playing along with us at Opus Gluei. ALL of these works of art are perfect.
Electra said…
I never thought I would say I love skulls, but I certainly do love these, Arnoldo! Your tags are wonderful and perfect for our BOO! challenge at Opus Gleui.
Thanks for being the first to link up!
Anne Manda said…
Wonderful skulls! My favorite is the sugar skull tag! :)
Victoria said…
Wow Arnoldo..what a brilliant and fantastic post! I love this skull tribute-series! I am very captivated by the the very first one..stunning!Everything you shared is symbolically beautiful..
Victoria
Candy C said…
Arnoldo...your skulls and skeletons are awesome! I love your Da Vinci drawing. Man...I wish I could sketch like that! :) Your two tags are also beautifully done. Love the backgrounds with all of the doodling, etc. Thanks for sharing your art with us at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. <3 Candy
Karla B said…
These are adorable!Greetings from Brazil.
Ayala Art said…
Awesome skeletons! Perfect time of year for them :oD
Melanie said…
I am not a big skull fan, but the one with the collorful flowers on it is pretty nice. ;)
Liefs, Melanie
sheila 77 said…
Ha ha! - that's the first time I've read a "Skull" blog post. I like your "Mix it Monthly" one, with the feather which writes so well, and your two tags are beautifully drawn and painted.
manomij said…
I am also not a great skull fan but I think you have changed my mind. Thanks for sharing in Paper Saturdays. ManonX
Faye said…
Interesting post. Like Melanie, I am not a fan of skulls. Somehow it smacks of undressing what should be hidden, to me, but I know lots of people are into skulls. And I can see where knowing where all those bones are located can be of help to a serious artist. That said, I once did bring a horse skull home in my suitcase on an airline. The kids had found it on a hill in Wales. Your art work of the skull is very well done. I like the feather and the handwriting.
Very inspiring and so true that anatomy studies really help with drawing! Happy SS!
Jeannette said…
Love your skulls, that drawing skull its facinating and the tags amazing,perfect time for skulls.

greetings jeannette
Giggles said…
Oh I admire your Skull work! I am not a big fan of skullies and never have been. However they are very stylish and I am embracing them...still I am more of a heart girl. I will leave the lovely skulls to you....and admire them from afar!! Thanks for the history lesson too!

Hugs Giggles
Jez said…
All of your skulls are so expertly drawn, and you have put together quite a varied collection. They make an interesting study, and an unusual post.
Winnie said…
Awesome job on each of your creations, Arnoldo! Great to see them in different contexts and not just for Halloween! You are definately braver than I, as I don't think I could get close enough to photograph any skull, even an animal. Congrats on your recognitions this week, you rock!
Nancy B said…
I love Halloween so these skull drawings are perfect for the season! Who knew that those colors would make the skull drawing look so good! It makes it look somehow not so spooky and more beautiful. The feather looks great with your hand lettering too.
Arnoldo! What a stunning group of skully art! Your pieces are always absolutely original. I find myself staring at your projects, taking in all the techniques you employed. Thank you for inspiring me...yet again!
janice smith said…
Love your "skully" post, Arnoldo! That first drawing is particularly wonderful. Great tags, too! Congrats on the badges. Blessings, janice
All your pieces with skulls are excellent! Especially I like the first one. It´s great! Also the second tag with the wings is very imaginative!!
Jen Price said…
Wow! Great capture of that skull!
Anna-Karin said…
Such an interesting post! Your drawn skull looks amazing. Thank you so much for sharing with us at Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog!
Skulls have alot to say, don't they? :) Well done on your sketches and tags. I could never draw one. haha :)
Ivy said…
Love your skull art Arnoldo, always one of my favs and yours are fab!
Belos trabalhos...Espectacular....
Cumprimentos
PiaRom said…
Arnoldo your study is very interesting and beautiful too! The colors fits so well...they make it looks a bit more artsy than skeletonlike :) Great idea with the feather! Thank you so much to be part of Mix It Monthly again!! Love your sweet tags also and the animal skull is an eyecatcher too ♥♥♥ Conny
Lisabella Russo said…
Wonderful skull inspired art! The photograph of the skull you found is intriguing too...
FABBY'S LIVING said…
Fabulous work my friend, as always! The skulls are in season, so perfect too! Adorable tags and you, I always say, are one talented guy! I love to come by and see what you are up to next and you never dissapoint me. Thanks for your sweet and kind visit. Big hugs,
FABBY
Barb Cady said…
I'm glad I caught your skulls post! I studied skeletons for my nursing career but I so agree that anatomy is essential for artists! You are obviously very knowledgable about how the bones should be - but then you are a very gifted guy! Great post Arnoldo, best wishes barb
lorik said…
Love your transformations!! Great work! and beautiful results:)
Thanks for sharing on Mandarin Orange Monday :)
Unknown said…
Really nice skull studies I like your reference to Da Vinci (one of my favorite artist of all time) second skull makes me think of day of the death and the sugarskulls. Lovely posting.
Niina
what fab skulls! AMAZING!
Ayala Art said…
Love the "dia de los muertos" art! Your tags are perfect!
I just visited the Mix it Monthly Blog and saw Conny's film of collected artworks from last month and saw your scull drawing, and now I'm here admiring your sculls and skeleton art.
Bella Cirovic said…
Thank you for sharing to {in the circle}
Bella Cirovic said…
I meant to say thank you for sharing to {in my hands}!! Mixing up my galleries!
Rosemary said…
Oh my gosh, these are amazing. I love the patience you have with each of your works, it shows such care for the subject matter. These are fantastic and I love that you shared them with us at Opus Gluei! Thank you for coming over and giving us a peek into your creativity.
Lou Anne Hazel said…
The skulls you created are great! They fit perfectly with our Dia de los Muertos challenge at IA. Thank you for sharing them.