New Digital Painting And a New Look

This new digital "Pink Rosebud" painting is based on a brave and beautiful rosebud  I spotted in the grounds of Kenwood House, London, last week. The first of its kind this year, and created with a new and more textured process, it seems a great way to herald a new-look site.

As you can see all around you if you've been here before, BoundingSquirrel has a new-look blog and site.

It's still a bit like moving house, so if you notice any glitches, feedback is welcome!



Happy browsing and more soon!

Video: Creating a Seamless Pattern Tile in Gimp 2.10.10

Hello again. This post is an update on how you can create a seamless pattern tile for free in Gimp, and is an update to the original to take into account software updates and changes.



Hope that's of interest, but if fear not if you prefer the actual digi-art-there's more of that soon too!

New Art Journal: Why I Don't Write Poetry

Someone asked me the other day, why I don't write poetry. Since have also  been on a bit of a drive to explore new ways of using my materials and apps recently, this emerged. (Who knew that trusty ArtRage5 also makes a pretty good digi-art journaling tool as well?)

More soon!

New "Joyful Dolphin" Illustration.

If you could do with some dolphin joy right now, this post's for you.

I had all these plans for logical spring-and-summer-floral-art this week. But somehow, this dolphin sneaked in. In the picture above you can see how a greeting card might turn out from this sheet.

And if you're not feeling crafty, he also features on everything from stickers to cushions and pillows in my Redbubble shop.

Thanks for stopping by-more soon!

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Two New Digital Paintings, And A Confession...

 So, the first thing I need to do, is show you these two digital watercolours...The first is a "Magnolia", based on the beautiful pink magnolia this spring in Waterlow Park, Highgate.

The second, "Wisteria", (below) is something I've been trying to draw and paint for several years...but this the first time have even come close enough to want to show anyone. Wisteria, it turns out is a complex plant, spiralling round in ever decreasing threefold patterns...

And the confession? Well, that's just that all the plans I'd been wanting to unveil for you by this point, have one-by-one, and for various reasons (mostly) outside my control, evaporated.

In the meantime, if you're liking what you see on this page, please do feel free to share them on social media.

And if love them and want more, they're also available as giftable goodies here and here, and as printables for craft projects here and here.

More soon. (Just got to pop out in the spring sunshine and revel in some more inspiring flowers first!).

New Digital Painting: HoneySuckle

This "Honeysuckle on a Summer Day" is another antidote to winter, based on one that was in the garden of my childhood home.

I hope you like it or find it cheerful in some way. This, below is the patterned version of it (also available as a craft paper in my Craftsuprint shop here...)

See you soon!

A New Pattern, Program & Project...

Hello again. In the about-to-snow cold of the end of January, please enjoy my "Boho Paradise", tropical print. Inspired by, and entered into the upcoming Spoonflower competition on a similar theme, have posted it here primarily in the hope that it warms you as much as it did me.

As you'll know if you've been here before, there's little I like better than nosing around in graphics programs. Recently, its been Krita. I designed the  entire pattern you see above  from start to finish in Krita, can't praise this free, open-source and fully -featured program highly enough.  I've put in *hundreds* of hours playing and experimenting with it now, and love the way that every time I use it, something always seems to emerge, finished, by the end.

Lots of things are happening right now. Some may lead somewhere, others may not.

In any event, more soon!

New Inspiring Quote Painting: Be the Change...

This elephant (and the message underneath, which is part of the Gandhi quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world.") took a while to come into being.

I could see a "rainbow elephant," in my mind and thought this quote, or part of it, might work underneath. But couldn't quite make it work, so left the (originally orange and muddy) elephant be for a couple of weeks.

Am liking this result this result though (even though it took work in three separate digital painting programs to make it happen) and hope you do, too.

If this elephant floats your boat, you can find him on many items in my Redbubble shop.

Hope he's given you some colour and inspiration. More soon!

New Computer, New Art, New Possibilities...

I'll admit it. I'm old enough to have been brought up with the idea that, "A bad workman always blames his tools". And it's definitely true that the effectiveness of art (or any kind of creative outcome) is never decided by the tools used. The ideas and work involved do matter more.

Work-in-progress elephant created in Rebelle digital software.

So, when, of late, I'd noticed I hadn't been getting so much out of my digital art programs and apps, my instant assumption was that somehow, I was failing/falling down/not putting in enough effort.

This went on for some weeks. Until my entirely wonderful other half (luckily a computer man) gave me the best of presents: an amazingly fast, totally souped up and incredible, new-to-me computer.

The difference has been phenomenal. Digital art is a joy again. Some programs (like Rebelle, in which the elephant above was created) have never before run as fast or effectively for me as they do now.

Which has led me to reconsider the whole "workman and tools," thing, in a way that might encourage not just me, but other artists and creative people too.  Yes, tools should never be blamed. But occasionally, maybe even those tools also need some help and sprucing up themselves, to help you get the results you want.

P.S. Update: You can see how this elephant turned out in the end here...

New Digital Painting: Whimsical Blue-Purple Delphiniums

It's 1st of January as I post this...so of course a good blast of summer flowers was an obvious choice...:-). They're also my first post in joining the CreativeEveryDay project again. And if you're in the mood and need gifts for upcoming birthdays, have also popped them in my Redbubble shop

Hope you like them whenever you're reading this though. More soon!