Day 78/100: A Christmas Cactus Watercolour Sketch

 

So today's offering is just a quick sketch in a corner of my  sketchbook. But it felt *so good* just to do something for the fun of it, which this Christmas cactus bloom absolutely is.

My mum had a Christmas cactus when I was small, and we both loved it for the way it was so defiantly exotic in the midst of winter, daring to be pink and green, when everything else was standard Christmas red-and-green at best.

And I liked it because, as a small child, the blossoms on the end of each stem reminded me of  twirling ballerinas. (Actually, even 40 years later, they still do...)

So that's the story behind this sketch (in ink and watercolours). May well be posting more that's just fun and (hopefully) nice to look at rather than overtly Christmassy, over the next few days.

More tomorrow.

Free Purple Floral Clip Art Flower/Floral Illustration Image: Verbena

Hello there, and if you fancy a free floral clip art this fine Friday (or whenever it is that you're reading this) here it is:

Just save the image above onto your device, and you can use it free in any personal or commercial project, provided that you don't sell it "as is" and copyright stays with me.

Credit for my images is always appreciated but never required. If you want to credit me, please link to or mention "Clare Walker, BoundingSquirrel.com"

For full details, see my "angel" policy here.

If you need more...

The full digital watercolour of these verbenas (complete with butterflies, a bee and extra sentiment tags for card-makers) is also available on this card sheet in my Craftsuprint shop:


Here's a quick (lo-res) preview of it):

Matching backgrounds and inserts are also available. (See the links under the main design in the shop).


And there you have it. Have a lovely weekend.

Hope this helps, and more soon!

"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!

Honeysuckle (New Digital Illustration)

This honeysuckle sketch is quicker than I would have liked. Am working on something new that will be able to tell you about in a few weeks when it all comes together.

For now, just took a break from planning to relax with this.

And by the way, if you're in the US, do you call this a "woodbine" or still honeysuckle? Please do leave a comment if you know!

Day Four: Flower Painting Hydrangea Pattern (Work in Progress?)

For Day Four of this still-ridiculous daily challenge, decided to attempt a repeating pattern.

I took a photo of  a hydrangea about 18 months ago, always meaning to do something with it, but never quite getting round to it.

Today was the day, and it was the reference for a digital watercolour in ArtRage4. Which in turn, is the main motif in the pattern on the left.

Am not yet even sure if this is "finished", but need to leave it and look again in the morning!






























































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Poinsettia Digital Painting

Yes, poinsettias are another Christmas flower/plant. But I hope this one, when it's finished, will be able to stand up for itself on its own merits at any time of year.

Stay tuned-there are autumnal paintings coming too!

New Fuschia Digital *Watercolour* Painting

Hurrah for new things! This digital watercolour is possible because of new software.

The Computer Man bought me ArtRage 4 (not an affiliate link, I just love the product) for my birthday. And with it, a whole slew of new techniques has opened up.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and play with my (very wonderful) new toy just a bit more...

P.S. Update on July 9th: You can now bring nature into your life with this design on a whole range of gifts and products. As a tea-lover, I've particularly got my eye on this one...

Fuschia (Watercolour Design) by BoundingSquirrel
View more Fuschia Teapots

New Digital Painting: Bougainvillea (And a Happy Accident)

Here's the latest: a decidely unbotanical bougainvillea to counteract London's leaden skies. The place my Dad had in Portugal used to have beautiful one, and I spent some time looking through the photos of all that sun this week...

Anyway, this is also a happy accident because, things have felt a little flat. So I started playing. The original painting is in digital oil pastels, from scratch. But this time, it has textures overlaid in Photoshop above it.

I loved the look, and am thinking of going back over everything with similar ideas...

Have a great day.
PS. This design is now available on a whole selection of beautiful gifts, like this one:

Deep Pink Bougainvillea Blossoms (Painted) Wall Clock by BoundingSquirrel
Check out more Bougainvillea Wall Clocks at Zazzle

New Digital Painting: Pink Rambling Rose

Pink rambling roses are in short supply in London in November. Hence this new digital painting of blue sky and a fragrant flower, I guess :-).

Anyway, enjoy, and thank you to the people who have already visited (and *bought from* -you are amazing-I love you!) the new version of my Zazzle store.


Update: 11/2/14: A new version of this picture is featured in the new ebook, "Fall in Love and Stay There", available via all Amazon stores.

Geranium Digital Painting, Beginnings & Endings...

At long last, another, proper digital painting: inspired by the pink geraniums that The Computer Man bought me *months* ago for my birthday.

This of course continues the theme of my posting up pictures unrelated to the season in which they're being posted. ;-)

As to why it's an ending, and a beginning...

It's a funny, when things arty just descend on you from out of the blue. (If you haven't been with the blog from the beginning, you can read more about how I just started doing art one day, without any warning or prior interest in it, here).

Art descended, it seems to work, it absolutely makes me more joyful...And I still find it really, really hard to take it seriously. As if, one day I'm going to go back to being the "real" me, (who didn't draw and didn't want to, for almost 40 years).

What I'm beginning to see is that there probably is no going back. And if there is no going back, then one thing I better get serious about getting my stuff out there.So, this post is the beginning of that journey. ('Cos if I say I'm going to do it here, I'll actually have to do it. For real.)

And the ending? Well, I was going to finish this seemingly endless series of flower paintings and move on to a different subjects. But then I got an idea for "just one more". Well, I might just have to follow it through. And then move on...

More soon.

Cx

PS. Customisable gifts like this one are available with this variations on this design:

Bright Pink Geranium Design iPhone 5/5S Covers by BoundingSquirrel
Browse other Geranium Casemate Cases

Digital Painting: Winter Primrose

Last winter, the vibrant red and gold of the primroses by our window was a daily dose of joy. Quite why I've remembered it now, surrounded by summer flowers, I'm not sure. But, here it is anyway, as "Winter Primrose"...

Update: It's now also available on gifts...

Red & Gold Winter Primrose Phone & Tablet Case iPad Mini Case by BoundingSquirrel
Check out Primrose Cases online at zazzle