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,
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.
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).
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. ;-).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This week, I'm hugely excited. At last, I can finally reveal "Young Badger in the Bluebells," and his very special destiny, in full.
This little badger, getting up to all sorts of mischief amongst the spring bluebells, is going to be a lot in the Badger Trust's online Brocktober auction, beginning on October2nd 2026.
******Excited update on Oct 2nd 2026 at midday:******
(Note to self...Never again will I title anything beginning with a letter so near the end of the alphabet. As my own lot in this auction is called "Young Badger in the Bluebells", it counts as beginning with "Y" and is at the very bottom of the page. Lesson learned :-) ).
More about the painting
Let me tell you why this is so exciting and unusual...
As well as being cute as a button, this is an original watercolour and mixed media painting (approximately 6x8 inches, originally, now also mounted- maybe best in an A4 frame).
The item itself has a Clare L Walker signature in the bottom left-hand corner. Obviously, it doesn't have a BoundingSquirrel watermark on it-that's just to keep the image safe online.
Speaking of online, I freely admit that this picture does *not* do the badger justice. He's much cuter in real life. That might come across a bit better in the video I took when he was being parcelled up...
If you're interested in bidding, I should also mention that this is unusual simply because its an original.
If you're here often you'll know that you'll more usually, my illustrations and paintings become print-on-demand prints and surface designs, rather than ever being sold as originals, let alone auctioned.
(All the parcelling up and ensuring safe transit etc usually puts me off sending or selling originals anywhere).
But nature is the source of my inspiration, and badgers need help. So I decided to make this exception.
More about badgers
If you're reading this from outside the UK (as I know many people do) I should probably also give you a little intro to badgers themselves. They are ancient animals, who have been part of the British landscape for thousands of years. They live in inherited family tunnel-systems called setts, are so fastidious that they even change their own bedding, and generally do good in the landscape as they root around for worms and beetles.
In other words, they're much gentler than some types of animal with a similar name (eg honey badgers) found elsewhere in the world.
However...
For reasons I can't really fathom, and despite apparently in-depth studies saying otherwise, they are also blamed for problems in cattle and subjected to persecution. Rather than mix up all that with an art blog, you can read all about it (and watch some hugely cute badger videos) straight from a better info source: Badger Trust itself.
What I love most though, is that by donating this painting to the auction, I'm actually able to do something to help them.
And by bidding on this badger painting when the auction goes live, you'll be able to as well.
The auction itself
I'm going to update this post with a live link as soon as the auction itself goes live on October 2nd, 2026-October 15th 2026
In the meantime, thanks sooo much for reading down this far. And please do bid on this badger painting (and anything else that catches your eye in the auction), when it goes live.
Hope all's well with you. Apologies for this being a little late (especially if you wanted to use this month's free illustration-above-early in the month).
However, it's been such an exciting few weeks, I can't wait to tell you all the news.
And, unusually, I can even make a shrewd guess as to why everything has suddenly decided to become so exciting. Strap in and come along for the ride...
How it all began...
It all began with one brave thing. An illustration opportunity that I didn't even get, but nerved myself to go for anyway. Nonetheless, the encouragement of the enthusiastic response I received during that process made me a bit bolder.
Which led me to thinking that maybe it was time to paint outside. That bit, you do know about, (and if you're new here, it's all in my previous post).
The success of that got me thinking, "What if I intentionally do one brave thing every week?".
(And yes, I know. There are plenty of self-help gurus out there with shiny white teeth, and a conviction that one should do such a brave thing daily. But I'm a highly sensitive person who'd rather not fry their nervous system completely. So one brave action a week it was to be).
By Week Three...
The thing is, it turns out that if you do one brave action, the adrenaline of it all can get a bit...addictive...
So suddenly I ended up watercolouring a card for a neighbour, (yes, I'd hitherto been veeery bashful about telling any neighbours about well...pretty much any of my art, actually. Previously, I just put it noiselessly on print-on-demand sites. And yet there I was, sending this (sans water mark, obviously):
"Pelargonium 'Islington Peppermint'" in line and wash watercolour.
This was on top of: a really exciting project I can't tell you about yet, but am longing to, then deciding to sign up as super-early-bird (not an affiliate link!) for a year-long one-session-a-week course in 2027 (eek) *and* then signing up for a more immediate post-on-Instagram-each-day-for-a-week challenge.
Yes, I got (temporarily) addicted to this "one brave step" thing and did too many all at once...until they all collided. Yes, my nervous system *is* now officially fried like an egg.
But yes, also, "one brave thing a week," is going to continue to be phrase for me. Life is more fun with it than without it.
Finally
Finally, as always thanks ever so much for being here. If you truly want to witness my (howlingly bad) first-ever attempts at reels, selfie reels, etc, on Instagram then there is a sample here.
But if you do, I should at least give you a peek at how that sketch of purple scabious flowers is supposed to look, first...
Purple Scabious Flowers & A Butterfly Sketch
More soon-though please forgive me if the soon stretches just a little bit at the moment.
As promised, today's topic is compleeeeeetely different. It's everything I learnt from my first-ever attempt at sketching outdoors (at the beautiful Delapré Abbey, in Northamptonshire).
Rough Pen and Watercolour sketch of part of Delapré Abbey
Warning: There will be bloopers, rookie mistakes, comedy, and lots of rapid-rather-than-lovely sketches.
That said, I also learned more in one day outside than maybe three months of learning indoors. So here are my key takeaways from the day.
1. People didn't appear to notice that I was sketching, at all.
Yes, that's right. It took a full five years from my first thinking about nerving myself to do some drawing in a public outdoor space, to actually doing it. Five years of being convinced that everyone would notice what was going on (and *not* in a good way...Fevered imaginings of people telling me their five-year-old could do better, abounded, during those years...).
And then when I did finally pluck up the courage...I chose shady spots (because it was a hot, sunny day)...And it was as if no-one could even see me. At all.
Rough pen and watercolour sketch of a whimsical pink love seat outside the *gorgeous* Eden Wild Floral Shop.
Maybe if I'd had an easel, instead of a pen, tiny paintbox and small homemade sketchbook...people might have noticed more. But everyone I met when just moving around there was lovely anyway, so I doubt anyone would have been anything other than supportive, even if they had noticed.
Lesson learnt.
2.It was huuuge *fun*...
This was another big surprise. Being forced to work quickly (see below) and see things as they really are, gives you quite an adrenaline rush. Which I, at least, really enjoyed.
Rough sketch of a bell tower- or was it a dove-cote?
3.The light moves all.the.time...
Which means you just have to do your best in the moment, work quickly and ...seize the day, before everything changes colour again. There isn't time for overthinking. (Another huge plus point if you're such an overthinker you've spent five years mulling this idea over... :-).
Rough Pen and Watercolour Sketch of the belltower/dovecote including the sun on the gorgeous yellow stone...
4. In fact, everything moves, all the time...
From people...
Watercolour and Pen sketch of two passers-by
to bunches of flowers in an honesty bucket...
Sketch of the Eden Wild honesty bucket. The flowers were lovely (and therefore kept disappearing...)
Everything moves, all the time....And sometimes disappears altogether, if you dawdle.
Which means that the increased sketching speed, though exhilarating, also exposes any weaknesses that need improvement.
For example, it turns out that a weeping willow tree only looks like a weeping willow if its fronds are in motion, which am not at all sure I can capture...yet.
Really rough pen and watercolour weeping willow sketch...
5. Don't sketch in midday summer sun...
Unless you actually want everything to look parched and bleached out, like my attempt at sketching the deer-park...
Rough sketch of the bleached out deer park at midday..
and
6. You don't need a big art kit.
I had been worried that my art kit was too small, as I took only a home-made sketchbook (see video below) a waterproof black pen, a sheet of kitchen towel, a small box of Inktense paints (yup, that's an affiliate link, because as you'll know if you've been here before, I love Derwent Inktense paints) and a medium sized Pentel waterbrush (also an affiliate link...also a trusted favourite).
In fact, I was really grateful not to have to lug anything more around. So in the end, art kit size was about the only thing about the day that I'd got right in advance.😂😂😂😂😂
A double sycamore seed just landed in front of me (so obviously had to be sketched!).
And the extra "bit" from the title is...
That it's a *lot* harder to make those "sketchbook flip-through" videos that you see online than you might think.
Or at least, I found it so, on this first attempt. But if you want to see the actual sketchbook, (complete with jerky footage, plenty of fingers over the lens, and yes, even many accidentally-upside-down shots)... I've included it here.
NB. If you watch this, it might be easiest on a phone as then at least you can turn things right-way up. Motion-sickness pills are also advised ;-).
But for comedy-value if you've had a bad day...Here is my first ever (unedited) flip-through video attempt...
First-ever Sketchbook Flip-through Watch for Comedic Value Only...
Finally...
Above all though, I'd say...If you're even curious about sketching outside...Please don't wait five years like I did. Please just...Take the plunge and do it.
That's all for now. Thanks so much for being here, and for reading down this far.
Hope all's well with you (and that you're surviving the heat, if you have it in your part of the world too).
Here, the woozy heat has had me physically art journaling instead of tied to tech.
Believe it or not, this piece began its life as a serious of black, dark grey and indigo blobs. (They were result of an online workshop with the warm and wonderful artist and facilitator Elizabeth Foley. Huge thanks, Elizabeth).
I guess, after the workshop, some would have left the blobs as a memorial to the friend they were grieving.
But, I just...couldn't. It seems it simply isn't in me to leave things looking dark or broken, when there's even a possibility that they might, somehow, be transformed.
Somewhere in the blobs, I thought I could see a peacock. Bearing in mind that I never usually work this way at all, turning those blobs in a peacock felt ultra-transformative...Liberating and lightening, all in one go. And I love the resulting peacock with all my heart.
Given that the friend whose grief precipitated this was himself a force for transformation, joy, and the uplifting of others, I hope that he'd approve too. (And yes, I sent the peacock to his equally wonderful and amazing wife first, before even posting here).
Here's to healing and transformation for everyone, and everything feeling in need of it.
Hope all is well and safe wherever you are in the world. And also I know that it's already July 29th as I'm delivering this, "August in the Sand", illustration for you to enjoy and/or download and use, *and* that it's far from summer, or a beach situation, in many places.
But if the vibe of relaxing and re-balancing with the calm of the sea resonates with you, then this August illustration is yours to use in many different ways (see my angel policy for details)
I created this image originally at 300dpi and A4 size. My current blog software compresses images, so you probably won't be able to download it at that size, but should be great for printing at a small size, or on-screen use.
(And yes, one of my aims for the month is to solve this image-size and download issue one way or the other, once and for all. Which-as well as the heat- is why this is a short-but-sweet newsletter and blog post).
For now though, as ever, thanks so much for being here, and there will be...
Well, I'm back, as promised, with an update (and sooo many thanks to the people who got in touch saying that this is a good thing, in one way or another).
And as you'll see, the new art that's emerged during the break (and is still emerging) is very, very different to the old. But now I'm used to the bright shock of it, am loving it, which is a great start.
This yellow Rudbeckia flower, which I've painted in digital watercolour, was growing in a park we visited recently.
Hello there
Hope you're doing well out there, in heat (if you have it/have had it) or whatever else life has in store for you at the moment.
Here, it's a strange season, for reasons well beyond the heat (though with so much else going on in the world, the Computer Man and I both still very much realise the extent of our good fortune-we, in ourselves, and together, are fine).
What it does mean is that it's time for a blogging break here. Not just because of "events," but also...After over 700 posts, (and therefore-yikes-nearly 15 years of this blog)...I need to take some time, not just to re-charge, but also to re-think, and re-align myself.
And it is a very different self from the one who started on the "Can I, of all the artistically-challenged people, really learn to draw?" exploration all those years ago.
Yes, I've answered that question. Yes, I can definitely draw, paint,cartoon, create cards, design patterns and more, both traditionally and digitally. And so, by the way, can anyone else who really wants to do so.
If nothing else, I, and this blog, are living proof that it isn't inborn talent, but a huge degree of desire, which makes the difference, and keeps you practising happily enough, for long enough, to get to your own point of, "Yes, I can do this."
But with the original question answered, the new ones that have been whispering for a while are, "What's next?," and even the old chestnut of, "Is any of this helping the wider world enough?"
On a less navel-gazing note, at the moment, it feels very much though, like more cartoons may be involved... Because, isn't life serious enough already?
And so...
And so, as you can see, it's time for a re-alignment, a re-think, and a re-jig. Wish me luck, and thanks so much for being here.
As soon as there's more than that solidly in place, I promise to let you know.
In the meantime, take good care of yourselves out there, and have a great summer.
Clare
Update on July 22nd 2026: It turned out that the re-jig didn't take that long, and the blog continues (yay!). Tap or click here to read the next post now. ___________________________
Hope all is well with you where you are. Here, it's most definitely summer, and here's an animated gif that celebrates that, with blooming flowers and a happy butterfly.
(You're welcome to download and share it if you'd like-please just keep the watermark in. It's already at a small size. Links back always appreciated, but never required).
Also, as befits summer, I'm keeping this brief, and maybe popping in here a little less than usual over the next few weeks.
In the meantime, thanks so much for being here. Stay cool if you're in the heat, and there'll still be...
As I type this, going to be the Solstice on Sunday. How can we be that far through the year already?!
But as we are, it's time to unveil a graphic I've been wanting to create for ages, but never quite worked out how best to do it simply...Until now.
Finally, it's here. The Happy Solstice illustration that works just as well (and I hope, just as fairly) whether it's currently (approaching) the Summer or the Winter Solstice wherever you are.
Please do feel free to tap/right-click/click here (depending on your device), or on the image itself to download and use in any Solstice-related projects at any time.
Unbelievably, (given that Father's Day in lots of the world is a full 10 days way, as I type) I'm sending this post as a "last call" for 21st June 2026 Father's Day.
And just in case you think that it seems a little harsh, bear in mind, that all the text is fully editable, and that the inside, by the default you can see below, also says..."But you are the ABSOLUTE BEST at being a Dad...Happy Father's Day!"
Yes, if you've been here before, you have probably guessed that I'm going to include him again in my list ('cos I really do love him...) the "Bear on a Bicycle," is printable too...
As are the majority of cartoon cards in my CartoonsbyClare store. And whilst none of the cards in there are for Father's Day specifically, most are editable.
I hope this has given you the inspiration you need if the deadline for sending a card to your Dad is looming.
And if Father's Day is a bit of a trigger for you, I do get it, being not that many years from loss there myself. However, I decided in the end that it wasn't very honouring of great dads in general to give up on designing for them.
Besides, drawing bears and other fatherly creatures is so. much. fun...:-)
Equally though, I can absolutely reassure you that the topic will be a different one next week.
In the meantime, thanks so much for being here, and have a great week.
Hope all's been well with you these last couple of weeks. But as time rather ran away with me last week, this newsletter is (I hope!) a double bill of joy and news.
And in utterly unrelated news: Father's Day is Coming Up on June 21st...
A fact which led me to realise that a) I haven't offered nearly enough designs on this topic for you, and b) a certain bear on a bicycle with balloons from previous posts might just be perfect for this purpose too.
Well, it seems like he really has found his niche, and he's available to buy (as a printed card or a download that you print and give as you like-handy if the deadline is looming a bit for you as you read this).
Yes, I'm back from the land of scheduled posts and holiday, to a something-like-posting-more-normally, pace.
Yes, there was inspiration aplenty in the Lake District (if you're reading this from outside the UK, that's waaay northwest of London, near to Scotland, and the place most associated with such luminaries as Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth, if that helps).
Was it inspiring? Absolutely, eg in the pattern above (and the new-look logo and "BoundingSquirrel" labelling, if you're interested/eagle-eyed about such things).
Inspiring then, yes...
But not just in the ways you might imagine...
For example, anyone familiar with the area might assume that my first inspiration back came from the Lake District, came from, oooh, I don't know...A lake, perhaps? :-)
There were plenty to choose from, after all. (The photo below is of a tiny part of Coniston Water, with thanks to The Computer Man for his excellent photography skills).
Yes, people. For some reason, some wild white daisies and clematis-type flowers at the edge of a petrol station forecourt (yes, you read that correctly) were the first inspiration I took from all the beauty that is Cumbria.
No, I can't really understand it, either.
But if it led to things that look as nice as this duvet cover (shown king size, but all are available)...
I'm more than happy (and humble) enough to be grateful for the inspiration, regardless of its source, and leave the insistence on high-minded inspiration to the Wordsworths of this world.
Thanks ever so much for being here, and for reading down this far.
.png "Cute Bears Father's Day Card, by Clare Walker, BoundingSquirrel")
.png "Editable inside text of Cute Bear Father's Day Card")
