Lots of Blossoming, and a Sale...

It's Time to Blossom...

Hello there

Despite everything going on in the world, here, we're lucky enough to be experiencing all the joy, and the feeling of unstoppable blossoming, that the spring brings with it. So, I just had to capture that in a digital watercolour in Krita (the result of which is above).

Not even just blossom...

It isn't just blossom. During my time off, there were sooo many parks and gardens that suddenly seemed full of flowers, sunshine and hope, as if the world had gone from grey to colour in just days.

Here's a selection of the gorgeous spring inspiration that we (well, OK, mostly The Computer Man) managed to photograph since I was last writing to you...(I love the sleeping duck, too...)

Hope you can feel some spring from these photos...

And it even goes even further...

There's also been joy and blossoming of a different kind here, as a family member has received so much benefit from this course for adults who stammer that they participated in a live story-telling event this week, in front of 150 people.

(And yes, you're right. This is waaaay off-topic for an art blog. But I very much wanted to give a shout-out to such an important resource, in the hope that it can benefit others as well). 

Last but not least, there's a sale...

Firmly back in the world of illustration again, I'm delighted to let you know that there's a sale on all my items at Redbubble from April 16th-20th 2026. How that works in practice and different time-zones etc is up to Redbubble, So if you're reading this close to the time it's written, now's the time to visit my shop.

Personally, I'm eyeing up more stickers (they're so useful for sending to others to make cards etc a bit more special) such as  last week's toucan, my ever-popular, "bear-hug" design, and of course, this week's encouraging cherry blossom...

It's Time to Blossom Sticker
Click or tap here to buy on Redbubble

And with that said (thank you so much for reading down this far, and for being here). I shall leave you to your week. May it blossom for you too, in whatever way will give you the things you most love.

More soon.

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New Art: Remember That the Magic is Within You...

"Remember That The Magic Is Within You"
Image: Clare Walker

Hello there

And I hope life's treating you well, whether in autumn (as here in the UK) or the spring of the southern hemisphere.

It was the shortening of the days that had me feeling more mournful than I'd have liked...When a wise whisper inside encouraged me to, "Remember That The Magic is Within You,".

So, in honesty, I created this first of all as a cheering-up, "note to self". But seeing as it turned out better than I thought it would (with a ton of new ideas and options I've never even thought to use before...Like creating my own digital stencils in Rebelle...Soooo fun!).

Well, then it seemed only right to share, in case the message resonated with/could be useful to anyone else. Yes, it's shoppable (and commentable) if you'd like, here. But my main aim  in posting it was to spread some cheer as we go into October.

And yes, Southern Hemisphere peeps-I hear you. Enjoy your spring (and know that this should still be here in April, if you need it).

With that, I'll leave you to your week. Thanks so much for reading down this far, and for being here-I really appreciate it, and you.

More soon.

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Thrive: Bright New Tulip Painting

Thrive, by Clare Walker.
Available on Redbubble.Com

Hello there, and as ever, I hope life is treating you well.

This week, it felt like time to offer you something *really* bright and cheerful. We first saw these tulips in Holland Park, west London, last weekend.

And in a spring that's still to get going full-time (I'm wearing a winter jumper and two layers as I type this) their brightness was *such* a huge beacon, as they danced by their yew hedging...

Tulips in Holland Park. Photo Jim Fernbank.

There's something about them that's so cheering and full of "get up and go," isn't there?

So, I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise when those there tulips almost began to draw themselves, (and in a wilder, freer way than I'm used to) as soon as we got home.

Once the art was done...

Once the art was done, something still felt undone. And there seemed no better word to add as a finishing touch, given all that, "get up and go," than, "Thrive".

I hope you like this design too, and can get any and all the energy you need from it, whether life itself is revving you up or not.

Should it float your boat, it turns out, not surprisingly, that this design also shines rather scrumptiously elsewhere too.

Such as on magnets and stickers...

Thrive magnet, available on Redbubble

Postcards and greeting cards...

Thrive Postcard, available on Redbubble

Or framed on the wall...

Thrive Framed Print by Clare Walker.
Available on Redbubble.

Above all, thank you for being here, and for reading down this far.

Have a good week.

More soon.
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Spring Is On Its Way...

Spring Is on Its Way...

Hello there, and in a change to the usual schedule, am sending this so that you get it on a Monday (a temporary thing, unless you like it better, in which case I could always change things around...).

Anyway, thought you might like to see this little digital watercolour sketch, inspired by the very first finger of pink winter blossom, poking its way into the sky from a neighbour's garden, that I spotted a few days ago.

It felt like the branch was saying, "Keep on going...Spring, is on its way...".

And so, this illustration was born.

Now, we all know there's plenty of time for Spring to take, shall we say, a little detour. But I hope that even the promise of it (or beautiful autumn, in the Southern Hemisphere) gives you a lovely start to your week.

Thanks so much for being here.

More soon.

___________________________

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Digi-Watercolour Art Journaling "Let Little Things Spark Joy"

You are welcome to share this, "as is," including the watermark.

Hello there. Hope you're doing OK in the still-strange times in which we seem to be living.

I've always been focused on "happy art," and to that end, have been darting about enjoying spring this week, and doing my best to record happy thoughts (like the one above) in a digi watercolour art journaling style.

Focusing on the budding flowers, bees, spring sunshine and a thousand other details has been a good plan this week. So that was the thought I recorded here, and hope helps someone else too.

This is a hand-drawn (stroke by stroke) digital watercolour of little white jasmine flowers, in Krita 5, with digi hand-lettering, also in Krita.

Let Little Things Spark Joy Pin/Badge

If you fancy this in your life, it's available on prints and postcards too, in my Redbubble shop. But for now, I'll leave you with it (and its "Happy Birthday," printable cousin in my Craftsuprint shop) 

and wish you a happy weekend.

More soon.


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Echinacea Art Journaling, And Daring to Be Imperfect...

 Hello there, and hope you're feeling well and thriving.

In social media land, everyone always seems to be thriving, after all. There they are, tirelessly churning out *amazing* artwork day after day, or so it seems. Good for them, if that's how it really happens (and by the way, if that person is you, wow, and can you please get in touch and let me know how you do it? Thanks!).

One thing I keep meaning to get into is the habit of planning these posts in advance. "Keep meaning to," as in, "haven't done yet". So, what you see is what you get. Which is a problem, if it's Friday, and the feeling assails me that I haven't done enough that's bloggable, this week.

(Don't get me wrong, plenty has been done, but more of the sketching ideas, walking in the sunshine, and re-connecting with people variety).

And then I remembered...    

And then I remembered this Echinacea art journaling:

Echinacea art journaling. You're welcome to
share this on social media, but please keep the
watermark intact. Many thanks!

Which put me in a spin, because it was art journaling just to clear my own head... I hadn't really meant to share this at all. For one thing, a traditional watercolour (and as a mostly digital gal still, I do get nervous about sharing those. The lettering is digital, but still hand-lettered, another rarity for me).

But now that I see it, and am about to hit, "post," it' dawning on me that this is the perfect, "imperfect" post to share. 

"Perfect Imperfect," is Probably Where We're All Mostly At, Right Now...

For am guessing that I might not be the only one feeling a little wind-blown by the last couple of years. If you can relate, then I hope the idea of seeds having been sown gives you as much of a boost as it did for me.

In any event though, if we all keep posting just the shiny, sanitised, "perfect" versions of ourselves and our work, then we're creating an exhausting and ultimately, unsatisfying,  rat-race of comparison for ourselves and others.

On the other hand, if we do our best to be as real as possible, and  to acknowledge that life happens in ways not always easily sliced into blog posts, then am guessing there'll be less stress, and a lot more fun  for everyone.

In any event, thanks for  being here and reading this (I really appreciate it), and have a lovely weekend.

Update and PS. It turns out that this image is striking a chord for some people, so I've also popped it on a sticker here:

Buy this sticker at Redbubble

Not the outcome I expected, but thank you.

More soon.

Grateful: Free Clip Art/ Ecard for Thanksgiving/Gratitude

Click, right-click or tap to download this graphic

Hello there.

Well, that was a longer break than was meant, and I ended up really needing to recover. This is ongoing, but I couldn't go another day without posting...Especially as I know that if you're in the US, it's Thanksgiving this Thursday  soon (apologies for my lack of knowledge here in the UK), and so a freebie around gratitude is in order.

(And for the rest of us-there's never a bad day to be grateful, is there?)

This is  also one of the first pieces of anything at all have created for nearly two weeks, and not least because I am feeling immensely grateful for all the help, love and support have received, and for having more energy day-by-day.

So this image is yours to download and use, in line with my angel policy.

Or, if you need something more solid, it also looks great on magnets, stickers and other items at Redbubble. 

Here's to gratitude-and a good week for all of us. Thank you for being here.

More soon.

PS. For another freebie on a similar theme, you can also have a look at this post.

Hope something helps one way or another, and have a great day.

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New Lighthouse Painting: "Shine..."

Hello there. Hope you've had a great week. 

This week's illustration has a touch of nostalgia for me...

See this design on stickers, prints and more at Redbubble...

 When I was a teenager, we lived by the sea. And on clear nights, you could see  the lighthouse at Portland (Dorset),  a good 30 miles away, but beaming steadily through the darkness. There was always something very solid and comforting about that, even on land, and in times that were so much more certain.

All these thoughts of lighthouses got me to thinking about how it still feels important that each of still remembers to *shine*  brightly whenever  and as much we feel able.

And so the design was born. It's a hand drawn "traditional", line and wash watercolour/watercolour, but finished off digitally. So a true hybrid, really.

 Hope it sparks something for you too (and there are more details about it here, if it "floats your boat," as it were. (No puns were intended when I began that sentence, but hey, who could resist by the end? :-) )

Have a lovely weekend, in any event.

More soon.

New Inspiring/Funny Quote Illustration: Life *Is * A Bowl of Cherries. But...

It's cherry season here. Somewhere in the course of the first few this year, I got to thinking the thought, "Even cherries have pips". Which evolved as you see below.

Find this magnet on Redbubble

Just a fun thought for a Friday, which you're also welcome to share via the image below if you'd rather.

Hope you have a happy weekend. More soon!

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Free Inspiring Quote Image and Ecard: You Can Do This...

Let's face it, life continues to be various kinds of weird for a lot of people at the moment. Which (maybe) is why this illustration popped into my head. This woman *is* managing to balance her strange and heavy load at the moment. Maybe the message, "You Can Do This..." that goes with it *is* all she needs.

If you know someone who would appreciate this, it's fine to tap, click or right-click (according to your device) on the image on the left and send it to them. Please leave the web address and signature on it, though.

Also...

Also, if you'd rather send them something more physical (or have some encouragement yourself), I have greeting cards, magnets, badges and more that carry the same message, available on Redbubble.

(You can see what some of them look like in the images below).

Buy on a tote bag here

Buy as a sticker here

Buy on a greeting card here

And whatever you do or don't do, remember that you too can do whatever is in front of you. And that, better yet, you have the power to let other people know that they can, too.

Hope this helps anyone who needs it. More soon!

New "Happy August" Challenge: Day One

I'm challenging myself to create some kind of  inspiring, fun or otherwise uplifting image each day in August. Here's the first:

This challenge is entirely self-imposed. But if you'd like to join in, feel free to #happyaugust any of your own images too. Let's have some fun this month!

So as not to overwhelm anyone who prefers this blog for other reasons, subsequent posts in this project will be on Instagram (details below).

More soon!

P.S. Update: this rabbit is now available on a printable craft sheet...

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Be Inspired By Nature Screensaver is Here!

At last, the "Be Inspired by Nature" Screensaver is ready.

Take a peek at this video to view 9 of its 33 pictures (and turn up your speakers to listen to the gorgeous music, (used with the permission of the wonderfully-talented Jamie Sims)

Then, to experience this fully, buy your full screensaver by clicking here.

First feel-good screensaver is coming soon...

Yay! There's real progress here at BoundingSquirrel, in the shape of our first product...a screensaver full of natural photos and inspiring suggestions, to help you feel good every time your screensaver springs into action.

The picture above is a sneak peak of just one of the images. We're just working out how best to get the finished versions to you, and then it'll be up for grabs.