Here's Some Pink Cosmo Goodness...

Pink Cosmo Sketch: Inktense Paints and Sakura pen
on Artway Indigo paper

Hello there

In the midst of everything else of much greater importance in the world, if you want to relax, take a breath, and look at something pretty for a moment, there at least, I might be able to help.

The picture you see above is a sketch, based on pink cosmo flowers at Capel Manor (yes, from our trip the other week, and captured in a new, handmade-paper-and-as-far-as-I-know-vegan Artway Indigo journal/sketchbook, to which I treated myself last week. 

(And yes, if you fancy one too, that is an affiliate link, so I'd get paid a small commission if you purchased through it. But it's fine if you don't, are curious, and just want to have a look :-) ).

Good news for crafters

Which all, in a roundabout way, adds up to some good news if you're one of my readers who enjoys a downloadable craft sheet. I've started making them again. So go here if you're looking for some colourful pink cosmo crafting goodness, where you'll find a sheet that'll help you get the look of all that original paper and watercolour more instantly. 

If you keep to the card as designed (don't feel you have to!) it'll give you a result something like this:

Tap or click here to see  and buy this
as a card sheet at Craftsuprint...

Either way,  hope it gives you, or a crafter you know,  lots of fun and joy to work with.

And that just about wraps things up for the week. Be safe, well and happy. And thanks so much for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon

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Announcing: That The New Spring Florals Mini-Collection Has Arrived...

Click or tap here to visit my Craftsuprint shop...

Hello there and I hope you're thriving.

If you're one of the card makers who reads BoundingSquirrel, thank you so much for your patience...

The watercolour spring florals have finally made it into a mini-collection in my Craftsuprint shop. 

(Every sheet in the mini-collection links to the others at the bottom of the Craftsuprint site page, so it doesn't matter which one you browse first).

Each sheet gives you a watercolour design, (shown above) a blank insert, and a choice of six occasion tags, and six verses that fit into any insert. So, for example, even though these tulips are for Mother's Day by default...

Click or tap here to see the "Wild Tulips"
 card front sheet

you can change the tag to a different occasion, and mix and match with the verses that go with the crocus birthday card, 

Tap or click here to see the
 "Wild Crocus" Card sheet

or the verses that go with the daffodil card. As with all the cards in this series, the spring flowers intentionally burst out of the frame, as if in joy...

Tap or click here to see
the full daffodil card sheet...

This is much easier to see than to describe. So to have a peek, please take a look at the daffodil, crocus and tulip sheets in my Craftsuprint shop.

And, if cardmaking sheets aren't your thing, thank you for your patience too. There'll be something new and different for you too, in the next post.

Until then, thanks so much for being here, and enjoy your week.

More soon.

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New Line and Wash Illustration: Bird of Paradise Flower

Bird of Paradise Flower Illustration
(You can  download and share this, but please keep
 the attribution on the image. Many thanks!)

Hello there, and I hope any holidays you've had/are still having have been exactly how you needed them to be.

Ours were not at all as we'd planned, as not long after I'd scheduled the previous post, we learnt that my father-in-law, Mike had died. He was a good soul, whose quiet, calm presence, dry sense of humour and endless patience will be much missed.

But...

But having said that, he was also, until his last years at least, a good and enthusiastic photographer and card designer himself. So Mike, with huge thanks to all your support of my artistic (and other!) efforts, and appreciation of the details that make a difference...this image is dedicated to you, with lots of love.

And yes, it's a bright image, because even though Mike himself was on the quieter side, he never missed a chance to appreciate (and often photograph) colour in nature. Some of my best memories of him involve going round various gardens, and us  noticing, talking about and photographing plants, including the exotic ones at Kew Gardens.

This flower also feels like a symbol of hope for the future, which is what I'm sure he'd want us all to have.

 Please bear with me over the next few weeks, as blog postings may have different timings and frequency until the end of January.

And if you're new to the blog-welcome-and I promise that 99% of my posts are much more uplifting than this one.

On that note, let's all make it a Happy New Year, no matter what.

More soon.

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Incoming: Pink and White Carnation Shaped Card Sheet

Hello there

Yup, as predicted, things have been hectic here. Hope you have been able to have a chance to breathe/enjoy the season wherever you.

So, though it's midweek, am coming in quickly to touch base, and tell you the tiniest visual story.

About how this pink-and-white floral poster...

Bright Pink Carnation Poster
Tap or click here for details.

Came from birthday carnations...

Pink and white carnations Photo by Jim Fernbank.

Which led to my quick sketch...

Pink White Watercolour Carnations Sketch

Which, with some added digital love a full-resolution carnation shaped card sheet...

Pink Carnation Shaped Card Sheet: available to buy in my
Craftsuprint shop

And lots of goodies on Redbubble, such as this apron:

Bright Pink carnations apron:
Click or tap here for details.

Have hardly had time to catch my breath this week. But hope all's well in your world, and as ever, thank you for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon.
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Violets Aren't Blue...

"Stripey Violets"

It's been "one of those weeks," for sooo many people, it seems,  am almost afraid to ask you how you are.

Here, The Computer Man and I are, ourselves, fine and very, very grateful for that.

It's just that, not having hearts of stone, it's hard to see others around in bother that you can do nothing to stop, prevent, or allay.

And so...

And so, in the scale of things, if this week's post is "just a pattern" (and, somehow,  a more sombre one than I was intending) it hardly seems to matter. Especially as as have always striven to be honest here, as elsewhere.

I don't know yet what will become of this one, if anything. But thought you might like to see it anyway. Will keep you posted on what happens to it.

Violets aren't blue...

And though I was bemoaning not having a "traditional," cheery red/white/pink valentine type post for you...It's just struck me that violets are, in their way, very much a Valentiney thing.

Even if, having watercoloured them myself now, I can absolutely confirm, they are purple (or purpley mauve, anyway), and *not* the blue of the rhyme.

Hope that all is, at least, very well with you and yours.

More soon.

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New Digital Painting: Christmas Cactus

"Christmas Cactus"
Digital watercolour painting
by Clare Walker.

Hello there, and thank you sooo much for letting me in to your inbox at what is (as I type) a busy time of year for most.

In the midst of it all, I thought you might enjoy the vibrancy of this week's new, "Christmas Cactus" painting. It's a digital watercolour created in both Krita and Rebelle, (and took me around four hours to complete, if that kind of thing interests you).

Why a Christmas Cactus?

This picture is also a homage to the most beautiful Christmas cactus (or "Schlumbergera", I believe it can be called, if you prefer fancier plant names) that we used to have at home when I was a child.

Though mid-winter in Britain was every bit as overcast then as now, every year, this riot of cerise/ pink/ purple flowers would erupt from an otherwise fairly unassuming plant in the corner. It's a shade that's still one of my favourite hues (I mean, come on, what'd not to love about bright pink? Especially in winter :-)).

Thinking about it the other day, I couldn't remember what became of the plant itself...but I *could* re-create it, and here we are.

Click here to browse and buy this design
on Redbubble

And, yes, if you'd like to see this art around your home (or someone else's, as it's that time of year...) it is available, as you can see above, at Redbubble.

But above and by one that, please just enjoy these colours, in what (in the Northern Hemisphere at least) is the grey of winter right now.

Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful weekend, whether you personally celebrate at this time or not.

More soon.

 
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Poppies...In April?

Hello there, and hope you're thriving out there.

Click or tap here to get this as a printed or printable poster at Zazzle
(and change the wording, if you wish).

The reason for today's title will be clear if you're in the still-chilly-where-is-the-Spring-we-were-promised UK, anyway (and maybe other places in the Northern Hemisphere).

In the Southern Hemisphere, I guess poppy season is at hand, or just finishing.

Anyway, am guessing that you weren't expecting poppies today, so I'd better explain how come they're here.

Basically, I've been taking time to do Karen Abend's, "Sketchbook Revival," challenge this year. No, not every one of the 26 sessions. But there are some great ones, especially if you're looking to establish (or re-establish, like me) a daily sketching practice that actually feels *fun*.

Close-up of these poppies in their original sketch...

For example, these poppies were inspired by a Jeanne Oliver video, in which she championed both contour botanical drawing (ie drawing first without taking the pencil off the paper if possible) *and* sketching in odd periods of time that crop up during the day, instead of a longer (but potentially more pressurising "session".

And so, the first sketch for these poppies was done in a stray 20 minutes before heading out, rather than a specially-allotted time. That felt incredibly liberating.

Yes, there was scanning and some extra digital work to get the final result, but joyful and easy production were definitely the name of the game with this one.

If Sketchbook Revival sounds like something you'd enjoy, then, as I type this, I think you can still sign-up. (That's not an affiliate link or anything, I'm just enjoying the sessions).

Yes, these poppies were originally in my sketchbook...

The sessions are free, and going out at the rate of two a day until the beginning of April. After which there's a decent interval in which to watch anything else you missed before it disappears. So as I type, it's still very much worth checking it out if you want to.

As far as I can tell, this runs most years. So if you're reading this later on and Sketchbook Revival has closed for now, have a look and see if you can sign-up for any kind of reminder next year. On the basis of that which have experienced so far, I can definitely recommend it.

On that note, it's time just to wish you a great week.

More soon.

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Pretty Pink Tulips for Mother's Day (and Beyond)...

Hello there

Do hope the week's been treating you well.

"Tulips," by Clare Walker

The news from here is that my obsession with "garden flowers in interesting containers," seems to continuing, as you can see from these pretty pink tulips. (They are digital watercolours in Rebelle 5, but painted stroke by stroke with a graphics pen, as ever).

Could it be that this little run of paintings and drawings is turning into the very thing I once swore I'd never do...a series of related drawings and paintings :-) ? Watch this space...

Mother's Day is Coming...

If you're reading this soon after I type it, UK Mother's Day is this Sunday (March 19th 2023).

But fear not, because (whenever and to whomever you actually want to send it) you can still personalise and download this card on Zazzle.Com.

Click or tap here to see the card on Zazzle

And if you're reading this in March and feeling puzzled (because you live somewhere else), then know that this will also be available for when it's Mother's Day with you, later in the year.

Come to that, if you like the design, but want to send it for another reason, that's fine at any time, because both the physical and downloadable versions of the card can be changed to say whatever you want.

Finally, last but *not* least, the craft-kit version of this and all the "garden series" designs will also be up in my Craftsuprint shop, hopefully by the time you read this (a lot of painting also means a lot of uploading too :-) ).

Hope all of this helps, and have a lovely weekend, whether it's Mother's Day with you or not.

More soon.

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Escape Into a Secret Garden...

Hello there

This week's post is an invitation, to step into the imaginary world of a whimsical secret garden, full of cascading lavender,

"Lavender Cascade" by Clare Walker

quirky plant holders,

"Wellies and Flowers," by Clare Walker

and flower-filled planters...

"Purple Floral Planter," by Clare Walker

In part, this images were a lovely way to escape from the really-very-cold-for-the-time-of-year weather here. And on a practical level, yes, they are likely to make an appearance in some downloadable craft sheets soon.

But they were also fun, relaxing, a homage to lovely parks and gardens everywhere...and something am feeling I might like to draw more often. Escaping to an imaginary secret garden, it turns out, isn't only for children...

For now though, hope you've enjoyed this, and that you have a great weekend.

More soon.

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Announcing: New Spring Daffodil Craft Sheets (and the Story Behind Them).

Click or tap here to see the Spring Daffodil 
card sheets in more detail.

Hello there

Hope all is really well with you. And yes, as you've probably guessed from the picture above, it's time for the unveiling of three more sheets for card-making, papercraft, scrapbooking and all similar tasks.

These ones feature bright spring daffodils (about which, much more below).

There's a main card front sheet, (which lets you make decoupage daffodil layers if you'd like) an insert sheet (plus bonus daffodil-related verses) and a background daffodil-vase patterned sheet. The sentiments and verses will work for any occasion from St David's Day on 1st March, to birthdays, Easter, and even anniversaries.

Click or tap here to find out more.

The story...

But in any event, thought you might like to know the story behind this design.

It started in the depths of winter a few week ago, when some friends (you know who you are, and thanks *so* much again) were kind enough to send me a surprise bouquet of flowers...

The flowers were so stunning (especially at this time of year) that I got rather more excited about taking pictures than worrying about the background :-) ... But am sure you get the idea.

The whole thing was so inspiring, in fact, that I also *finally* got around to painting an empty jar that had been hanging around, with yup, daffodil motifs...

A painted jar...

(I'd never used acrylic paint pens before, and let me tell you, they were *fun* :-) ).

The next step was to fill that jar with tiny LED fairy lights.

Daffodil light jar...

The next project was the rough sketch that morphed into the "Daffodil Vase" pattern (eventually).

Rough Watercolour Daffodil Sketch

And then the motifs for the main designs of the sheets from the start of this post...

Watercolour Daffodil Motif

I guess I'm telling this story because so much joy came from that one bunch of flowers...Just as it can from any act of kindness, really.

Time to leave it there,  and to wish you a lovely weekend when it comes.

Thanks so much for reading down this far, and more soon.

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A New Thistle Painting and Card Front...

Hello there, and hope all is safe and well wherever you are when you're reading this.

It turns out that thistles (yup, those spiky plants) are deeply satisfying to draw, and come in the prettiest shades of purple and sage green, too.

The original digital watercolour was hand drawn and painted with a graphics pen.

And swiftly found its way into being a great card front for St Andrew's day, thistle-themed weddings, and all things Scottish.

Purple Thistle printable card front-click here for info

(You can download a sheet to print out right now-plus yummy matching inserts and backgrounds-from my Craftsuprint shop, here).

And whatever you're up to this week, have a good one.

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New Design: Cottage Roses

Cottage Roses Sticker by Clare Walker
Click or tap here for details.

Hello there.

Hope you're doing well, whatever the latest in your corner of the world. This week's post is ultra-short, but there is a happy, happy reason why, I promise.

 Just wanted to pop on here and share this pic with you as a quick peek, in preparation for the full story behind it which I'll post in a few days' time.

In the meantime-happy weekend!

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Forget-Me Not Thinking of You Card, And a Sale...

Hello there. Hope all is well with you. This week's offering is short and sweet as it's Bank Holiday here. But wanted to let you know that all my printable card sheets are 20% off until midnight on Sunday June 5th 2022, BST. Click or tap here for details.

The forget-me-not design you see here is new, and also part of the sale (including a matching background, and lots of different verses and wordings to suit all the different occasions on which you or someone you know might want to send it).

Have fun with this, and more soon.

Update on June 4th 2022: This design is now also available on fabric:

Forget-Me-Not Blue and White Floral Fabric
by BoundingSquirrel

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A Floral Art Card For Mother's Day and Beyond...

Hello there

Hope all is well with you, and that you're able to enjoy the spring/autumn/other season wherever you are in the world as you read this.

Watering Can With Purple Flowers, by Clare Walker,
Click here to buy as a downloadable card sheet.

This week's art features a piece of summer that will resonate with flower-loving gardeners everywhere, and I'm hoping that, in its various forms, it'll be useful to you whether you're celebrating Mother's Day, a birthday, or any other happy occasion you think this card would suit.

I need to shoutout to people in the USA and Australia (and maybe other countries?)  here. Am ashamed to say this is the first year that I've remembered that Mother's Day is on a different day for you than the UK (ie this coming Sunday), but I promise it won't be the last.

If you are one of those celebrating this weekend, or need a lovely birthday card quickly, there's still time to make a great card from the printable sheet here (pop the designs on some cardstock or thick paper and you'll have your card).

Or if you're looking to brighten someone's day with an ecard, you're welcome to download and share the smaller,  optimised-and-ecard version of the card below.

Tap, right-click or click to download

Either way, enjoy these flowers, and your weekend or week (depending on when you're reading this).

PS. Update on May 10th: This design is now also available as a shaped card to print out and make. Many thanks to Marion Kimberley-Scott for allowing me to use her photograph of the design when made up, and for her skills in the making of it:

Photo and make by Marion-Kimberberley Scott, from a
design sheet by Clare Walker.

More soon.

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New Art: Nasturtium Joy

Hello there.

Just popping in with some watercolour (watercolor :-)) flowers I thought you might like.

The vibrant oranges in some nasturtium flowers were practically singing the other day, and so this was the result.

If you're feeling a bit blue (as have heard from more than one person this week) please take this to heart especially, and let these vibrant oranges give you a boost.

And if you've been having a perfectly lovely week-yay! (And this can simply serve to show what happened to that work in-progress on Instagram :-).

And yes, it's fine to share this image as-is anywhere online. 

Let's spread some joy.

More soon.

Update on October 7th: if you're enjoying this image, the version for crafters is available here.

Whimsical Watercolour Painting: Happy Hollyhocks

Hello there, and happy Friday.

Don't know about you, but I couldn't quite let summer go this week. Perhaps because it's been warmer than in the actual summer ;-). 

The late heat has also keep summer flowers in bloom. Which was a great chance to capture some happy pink hollyhocks in watercolour/watercolor. There's nothing quite like sploshing around bright, happy colours on a hot day).

I'm loving how these hollyhocks have turned out as prints...

Pink Hollyhocks Canvas Print

But also that, somehow, they've sneaked onto home décor,

Pink Hollyhocks Cushion/Pillow

Pink Hollyhocks Mug

as well as Redbubble's latest and very useful offering...(just about to be released as I type)...deskmats.

Pink Hollyhocks Deskmat

That's all from here for now, but hope that some of the happiness and colour from these hollyhocks can make its way to you. Summer's been a long time coming ;-) .

Have a lovely weekend-more soon.

New Bluebell Painting: "Ringing in the Spring"

Hello there. Hope you're well and thriving.

And after a much-needed (staycation) break, it's time to reveal something new.

Enter this new bluebell painting. (Though am loving how it's turned out-and that it was inspired by a single walk in our local woodland, that was drenching itself in the magic and newness of spring).

Update in June 2023: This painting is now available in my Pixels store, and in my Redbubble shop.

There'll be more soon, and thanks for waiting for this post!

PS. Update on April 30th: If you enjoy cardmaking and crafting, a sheet based on this painting is also available.

New Design: Purple and White Anemones Are Surprising...

This week's design is a surprise. The purple and white anemones were originally created for all the lovely people who buy my craft sheets. Thank you so very much, and here's a link to the latest floral sheets in action there.

What surprised me though, is how unexpectedly bright, striking and beautiful they looked on other items, from stickers to shower curtains. And especially on the small and pretty items that are so great and easy to send as gifts, like coasters, scarves, and pouches.

You can browse the whole collection over at my Redbubble shop, and find lots of other pretty florals and other bits and pieces there too.

And if you like this design (or have others you'd like to see) please do let me know on the BoundingSquirrel Facebook page.

Hope you enjoy this design in any event...and more soon!

PS and update on March 23rd. Have just realised that forgot to say I'd be taking a week's (staycation!) break to re-charge and soak in some of fresh air and lovely spring sunshine we now have. All has gone to plan, and, re-energised and re-inspired, I'll be back next week. Thanks in advance for your understanding and my apologies for not saying this last week.

Free "Floral Joy" Flowery Printable Background Paper and More...

Hello there! Hope you're thriving. Spring has sprung (at least temporarily :-) here in the UK, and sharing this background (which started off as a doodle, then just grew...) feels like a great way to celebrate.

As ever, just right-click and save, or click and save, or tap and save, depending on your device, and it's yours to use pretty much as you like (see my angel policy for full details).

Attribution's always lovely, but never required, and if you do you use it, I always love to see what happens to my stuff "out in the wild" if you're up for that.

More than a background

If you're looking for even more though, this background has a card and insert to match over at Craftsuprint, and also looks rather yummy on some lovely things over at Redbubble. 

The choice is yours and Happy Spring(/Autumn in the southern hemisphere!) wherever you are.

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A Printable Mother's Day Card Shaped Like A Flower Pot?

Hello there. Hope you're doing well. In the UK it's coming up to that time again, where lots of people need a Mother's Day card at short notice. And even if you're elsewhere, or reading at another time, this, or any other need for a quick, pretty printable card might apply to you sometime soon.

In this case, I have you covered. If you want a printable, easy card that still looks great and has a natural "wow" factor, here it is. The image on this sheet folds up so that it's flower-pot shaped, with tags and an insert to pop inside if you choose. 

This image is low-resolution. But you can grab the printable one right here.

Hope this helsp-more soon.

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