Friday 25 March 2022

Happy Easter Daffodils

 Hello there, and hope that life is treating you well.


Cheerful daffodils dance against a blue sky in this free e-card.
Click, tap or right-click and save this
free daffodil Easter ecard


I know it's a little early for Easter (17th April if you're reading this in 2022), but wanted to post this up for you in good time if you're wanting Easter cards. (The printed version of this card that you see below is available to buy in my Redbubble store here).


Happy Easter Daffodils Greeting card (photo of same)
Click here to buy this daffodil Easter card on Redbubble.


And yes, this card is similar to the illustration for the month, but a development of it. I wanted to add more flowers, depth and effects to these ones, and bring them alive as much as possible. Spring, with its gentle sun and gorgeous vitality, feels like it's in full swing here. It's my favourite season, so I challenged myself to pack as much of that feeling into this design  as I could into this digital painting (in Krita 5). 

In fact, this was really only ever going to be a painting at first-and then no sooner had I finished that and someone asked for an Easter card. So there I was, with daffodils mysteriously at the ready, and it all morphed from there. Am finally beginning to learn that sometimes, life really will work out, if you go with it, rather than trying to force any issue.

Enough waffling from me. Here's to feeling the joy of Spring when possible, whatever the actual season wherever you are.

That's all for this week, but thanks so much for being here, and more soon.

PS. If you're feeling in need of more daffodil designs and Easter downloads, there are also several in my Craftsuprint shop.



A free animated gif showing a happy chick breaking out of an egg, and wishing the viewer a Happy Easter.
Happy Easter Chick Animated Gif by Clare Walker,
 BoundingSquirrel.Com. Click here to download
 and use or share it.

Yes, Easter would appear to have snuck up on us again, and so before taking a break for it, I just wanted to send you my very best wishes, whatever your way of celebrating  this time of year (or not).

For me, nature and the arrival of new life and hope is always key in spring, hence this image.

If you'd like to share this gif/send it as an online Easter card, please do (right-click, click or tap on the image to download and use it). I don't insist on credit, but it's always lovely if you're able to do so, or link back in some way.

Hope all is peaceful well and happy wherever you are. Have a lovely weekend (or more) and I'll see you in a few days.


Thanks so much for being here, and more soon.


___________________________

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Thursday 17 March 2022

The "Spring Crocus" Cardmaking Collection is Here...


Image features a card front of watercolour crocuses, layered papers and ribbons
Click here to buy the "Spring Crocus" card front sheet
 from my Craftsuprint shop,
for instant download *or* print-and-post.

Welcome, to a post (and a part of the world-I realise it's not the same everywhere) in which Spring has sprung.

The "Spring Crocus" collection is a set of papercraft products that celebrate this, and it's lovely to be able to reveal this to you today.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've poured my heart and soul into getting the essence of spring to glow into the art work and the finished papers of this collection.

It's been a joyful, though full-on process, at which I thought you might like to have a peek.

(If you're a "Just gimme the papers," type of person though, then please do click or tap here...).

 But, to begin at the beginning...


The initial idea...

The initial idea came all in a flash, one sunny Sunday a couple of weeks ago, strolling through the park with my husband. It was the first in months where it had felt warm enough not to wear a coat... (Yay, as am not a fan of coats, or heavy clothing generally). Anyway... what with the not-wearing-a-coat, the sun, and beautiful crocus like this one peeping through the soil after the winter...(this is my hubby's photo-thanks Jim)...


Photo of a pale purple crocus with an orange centre, nestled in grass.
Photo by Jim Fernbank.

It was pretty easy, all-in-all, to begin to imagine "Spring Crocus" artwork taking shape.

Now at this stage, I remember a carpet of crocus having been there. But somehow, mysteriously, I failed to take a decent photo of it. (I wish I were joking when I say to people that I got into art because I really can't take decent photos, but, there you go...It's the absolute truth.).

What next?

So at this point, imagination and memory also took a hand, and lots (and lots...) of artistic licence.
After all, for me at least, the real point is remembering that feeling (often of joy, as in this case) and getting something down which represents it, (and on a good day, might even transmit that feeling) to another person. 

Sooo....

First, there was an initial sketch to get some shapes and colours...


A portion of sketchbook and a first crocus sketch



Which became a traditional and digital watercolour hybrid like this...

Watercolour graphic of a crocus cluster

And lots and lots of small pattern motifs that look really weird when you see them out of context, like this one...

small cluster of pen and wash watercolour crocuses




Until...

It all came together in a paper pack, card sheet, and even a sheet with inserts and verses...


Graphic showing all the Spring Crocus paper craft sheets
Tap or click here to find out more...

And so, if you've been one of the people I haven't got back to yet this week, this is probably why ;-) .


Finally...

Thanks soooo much for reading down this far, and really appreciate you being here, whether it's to grab the new papers, or mostly to hang out for the story and the pics.

Wherever you are, and whatever the season with you, hope this puts a literal "spring" in your step. And have a lovely weekend, when it comes.

More soon.



A free animated gif showing a happy chick breaking out of an egg, and wishing the viewer a Happy Easter.
Happy Easter Chick Animated Gif by Clare Walker,
 BoundingSquirrel.Com. Click here to download
 and use or share it.

Yes, Easter would appear to have snuck up on us again, and so before taking a break for it, I just wanted to send you my very best wishes, whatever your way of celebrating  this time of year (or not).

For me, nature and the arrival of new life and hope is always key in spring, hence this image.

If you'd like to share this gif/send it as an online Easter card, please do (right-click, click or tap on the image to download and use it). I don't insist on credit, but it's always lovely if you're able to do so, or link back in some way.

Hope all is peaceful well and happy wherever you are. Have a lovely weekend (or more) and I'll see you in a few days.


Thanks so much for being here, and more soon.


___________________________

Like this post? Tap or click here to subscribe to BoundingSquirrel



Friday 11 March 2022

Cheery, Good Luck or St Patrick's Day Animated Gif Ecard

 Hello there

If you're feeling in need of some cheering up, I may have just the thing today. As I'm writing this, we're just a week from St Patrick's Day. But you can get there instantly,  by sending this ecard...


Animated Gif in which a leprechaun appears from behing a good luck sign, and sprinkles magic dust...
To download, just right-click, tap or click here 
depending on your device and save.


Hope this helps. Be safe, well, and ...lucky...

More soon.

PS. Since this post went live, the background shamrock pattern that you see in the gif is for sale for instant download in my Craftsuprint shop if it takes your fancy too.




A free animated gif showing a happy chick breaking out of an egg, and wishing the viewer a Happy Easter.
Happy Easter Chick Animated Gif by Clare Walker,
 BoundingSquirrel.Com. Click here to download
 and use or share it.

Yes, Easter would appear to have snuck up on us again, and so before taking a break for it, I just wanted to send you my very best wishes, whatever your way of celebrating  this time of year (or not).

For me, nature and the arrival of new life and hope is always key in spring, hence this image.

If you'd like to share this gif/send it as an online Easter card, please do (right-click, click or tap on the image to download and use it). I don't insist on credit, but it's always lovely if you're able to do so, or link back in some way.

Hope all is peaceful well and happy wherever you are. Have a lovely weekend (or more) and I'll see you in a few days.


Thanks so much for being here, and more soon.

___________________________

Like this post? Tap or click here to subscribe to BoundingSquirrel

Thursday 3 March 2022

Free Animated Peace Gifs



 
Animated Peace gif, spells out the word peace in the sky, then a dove and olive branch appear too.
Please share this if you wish-
tap, click or right-click to download and save.



The reasons for this week's post are likely to feel all-too-obvious to anyone reading right now.

As it says above, please feel free to download, use and share this if it's useful, and/or speaks to you.

Note, if you're wanting to send a smaller image, the one below may be better for the purpose.

Take care, and more soon.

Small optimised peace gif, spelling out the word in the sky, then a dove and olive branch appear
Animated Peace gif in a smaller,
 optimised size, for email, etc. Right-click,
tap or click (according to your device) to download