Life Update, An Inspiring Idea (And a Tiny Bit of New Art)

Sticker available at Redbubble

Hello there

With huge apologies, I'm back, though still playing catch-up. Having been struck by a lurgie (including loss of voice-so no videos either) last week, there's not nearly so much to show you as normal.

However, I wanted to stop by and show you this cute little design that started life as an art journalling entry and with which you can craft (without any words, just the art and your own ideas) here.

The art journaling piece though, came about when I started to cheer myself up after the said lurgie, and to stop myself scrolling through endless social media displays of people's "fairy-tale" lives. 

And then came a more inspiring idea...

Soon enough, I shook myself, and remembered that no-one's life is a complete fairy-tale from start to finish. And then, from somewhere, an altogether more cheerful thought crept in as a result,

"Remember that for 

someone, somewhere, 

there is already a part of 

your life that seems like 

a fairy tale..."

And it's that thought which is illustrated in the sticker above (and other goodies, if you click on the link).

I'm going to leave it there for today, as am still getting back into gear, as it were.

But thank you so much for being here, and there *will* be,

More soon.

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Free Illustration: November in the Night Sky

November in the Night Sky, by Clare Walker,
BoundingSquirrel.Com
To download this free illustration for use, click or tap here.

Hello there

And yes, I know that as am typing this, it's still the end of October, (even though the illustration above clearly says November).

But that's because, just for once, it's done and posted in time for you to be able to download and use it in your own November projects.

(For those who like to know, this is a digital illustration (but still hand-created stroke by stroke, in Krita 5).

As ever, I can't vouch for the size at which it'll come out (the hosting here tends to reduce image size automatically, whatever I do). But you're welcome to use it in any way that works within my angel policy.  Credit/links back are *always* appreciated, though *never* required.

 And yes...

And yes, if you're reading this in a place where it's spring, I know that this might not feel suitable. Indulge me though, if you can, please. For some reason (perhaps as simple as the clocks going back) here, I'm currently feeling drawn to the idea of light coming out of darkness, and hope that is universal enough, wherever and whenever you happen to be reading this on the planet.

I'll leave you to your day now, but thanks so much for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon.
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"Stay Whimsical"-An Illustration *And* A Story

"Stay Whimsical," watercolour line and
 wash and mixed media whimsical art.
by Clare Walker.

Hello there

Hope all is well in your corner of the world. This week's tale is of the whimsical mushroom you see above, and how it was a case of sticking with it, and listening to intuition.

It all started with thinking about all things Halloween. And then realising/more like remembering, I really, really, don't like spooky things. And that over the last few years, I've stuck (mostly) to being truer to that than the considerable commercial pressures of the season.

And so the first, hand painted version of this mushroom was born...

A  work-in-progress
shot of 
"Stay Whimsical"

Being me of course, I seriously thought that might be the end of it. Luckily, the image was having none of it, and I was able to ink in the words, the fairy window, deeper colours  more golden light for the mushroom, still stroke by stroke, but digitally (in Krita, if you're into that sort of thing too).

Which just goes to show, it's often the art that dictates when things are finished, not the person making it. (Around these parts, anyway).

"Stay Whimsical" Fridge Magnet
Available at Redbubble.

So now, there's a cute reminder to, "Stay Whimsical" at any time, *and* (if so inclined) to be able to buy/and/or gift the idea to others on some scrummy things, like the magnet you're seeing just above this.

Thanks for reading down this far. Have a great week...Staying as whimsical as you can, obviously. ;-).

More soon.

PS. Update on Oct 29th 2026. A printable version of this design (yes, with more Halloweeny tags *if* you want them, and yes, therefore still useful for this year's Halloween if you're reading this as I type) is now available at Craftsuprint...**Where all my items are also 20% off until the end of Oct 31st 2026, GMT**).

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New Collection: Pink and Purple Asters (Including A Freebie)

Hello there

If you're a Northern Hemisphere person, you might (like me) be feeling in need of a bit of a lift as the days shorten and grow colder.

But help is at hand in the form of these gorgeous asters. I originally painted these pink and purple asters as a thank for my mother-in-law, who is growing them in her garden.

"Pink and Purple Aster Flowers, by Clare Walker."
You may download the free image via this link,

By the way, if you're thinking, "I've never seen asters that vibrant," neither had I. But there they were, and just begging to be painted or illustrated in some way.

If you're just looking for a quick floral illustration for your projects, your welcome to download and use the one above, in line with my angel policy. 


But...

I'm well aware that I haven't posted the normal amount of resources for lovely craft people recently.

"Pink and Purple Asters"
A downloadable collection of papers for crafters.
Create floral joy whenever you want.

In order to remedy this, there's a whole new collection of  "Pink and Purple Aster" downloadable craft sheets, and other items. It starts with the step-by-step card design, here, leading to the inserts (both blank and with words), here, and  a couple of yummy patterned backgrounds, here and here.

Also

If you prefer to use or craft with ready made items, this design is also on (drumroll, please): fabric (and other items) at Spoonflower, stickers at Redbubble and giftwrap and tissue paper, at Zazzle.

Thanks so much for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon

PS. If you're looking for details about the infamous "badger auction, I've updated the post here.

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Finally...It's October/Brocktober 2026 Time

Tap or click to download this image.

(The "angel policy" for its use is here.)

Hello there

Hope all is well with you. And yes, as you can see from the graphic (and no doubt, everywhere else as well), it's October. (And yes, that "October in Apples" illustration above is this month's free download here), 

But this year, October is also all about "Brocktober".

Update on October 16th 2026: The online auction is now over, and the little badger in the painting below will be off to his new home. Thank you *so* much to everyone who put in a bid, for my work or any other. Apparently, all the auction items combined raised £3,629.50 for badger conservation and campaigning.

The lovely people at Badger Trust are the ones who will be sending this and all other items  to the successful bidders, and they've asked everyone to allow up to one month to receive their item, as their small team has a lot of items to send to their new owners.

It's October 2nd as I'm sending this, which means...the online "Brocktober" Badger Trust auction is live.

To see more info about the painting I've donated specifically, tap or click here.

You can now bid on
"Young Badger in the Bluebells"
Tap or click here to see its online auction page.

There are many more details about this in my previous post, including the auction end-date on October 15th 2026.

That last post was a bit of a marathon. So I promised myself that, for your sake, today I'd just give you October's free illustration, along with the news that the whole auction is finally live (in alphabetical order, so "Young" Badgers like this one appear at the bottom...) and leave you to your day.

But do I hope that you're thriving, and that all's well in your corner of the world. Whether you decide to bid or not, or are just here to look at the art, and my ramblings, have a great week.

And as ever,  thank you so much for being here.

More soon.
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