"Brexit Survival Kit" Cartoon

This cartoon has moved to cartoonsbyclare.com. Please click here to see it.

Two New Digital Paintings-But Only One Makes Sense...

Am posting this around midsummer. So it makes perfect sense that the wildflowers we saw on a trip last weekend make it onto the blog.

This image (on the left) is still done with various watercolour brushes  in ArtRage 4, but just at a larger size and a different blend mode: hence the extra brightness. (Largely because I'm experimenting with T shirt designs, and they need the brightness. But that's another story).

What makes much less sense is the robin motif that emerged this morning, and (provisionally-still not sure about the background colour) made his way into the repeating pattern below...Complete with a slightly "snowy" effect,(as I used the softest setting on the "soft pastel" brush in ArtRage 4, which always leaves some background colour showing through).

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you'll know I have form in this area, and that for some bizarre reason, Christmas designs come out to play in June, when I can't get excited about them in December.

Does anything like that happen to you to? If so, please let me know in the comments. And in any event, enjoy, whatever the weather or time of year for you as you read this.

Easy Pattern Motifs and Seamless Patterns (Two Videos)

A friend asked me to demonstrate how I go about digitally painting motifs, and then making seamless repeating patterns. Thanks to discovering Screen-o-Matic.Com, this has suddenly become much easier than I thought...

So I've done a couple of videos, showing the basics of the process, though not in-depth (which would take hours!).

Here's a quick ArtRage demo, showing (v. fast) inking and painting of a small motif...

And next is the basics for making that motif into a seamless pattern in Patternshop. (With the added bonus that Patternshop is an open-source, free program).

Let me know if you find this useful and or what other digital painting/digital art/design topics you'd like me to cover.

New Digital "Line & Wash" Painting: Foxgloves

So the rain finally stopped the other day (and yes, I am posting this in *June*...) and the Computer Man and I decided on a day out in Richmond Park.

Also confess, it was also the Computer Man who correctly identified these flowers that we saw as foxgloves, rather than lupins, as I'd thought. (An important distinction, given how deadly poisonous these lovely-but-lethal plants actually are, by all accounts).

Anyway, the other point to note, if you're into such things is that this is still ArtRage 4, with pen and watercolour settings..but using splosher brushes that I finally discovered you can make yourself within the program. (I've only had ArtRage for the last two years, after all...:-)


Enjoy-and more soon.

Meet Flamingo: New Digital Illustration

Meet Flamingo, the latest in a series of  illustrations...

To share the picture as it is (with watermark), just right-click and save. For a larger version without the watermark, watch this space...and have a great weekend.

"June Floral Wreath" Illustration/Clip Art for Web and Screens

It's June, and time for flowers. So I've created this illustration specifically for every kind of web or screen-based project that you might be putting together or sending out this month, from videos and newsletters to other web posts or presentations.

As ever, simply share or right-click it and link back here with credit to me (Clare Walker) if you're happy to keep the watermark.

But if you'd like a watermark-free image for any web or screen-based project that you own, you can now grab that right here via Gumroad.

There'll be more posts soon, but in the meantime, have a warm and happy June!