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.

 
___________________________

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

If You Go Down to The Bench Today (You're in For a Big Surprise)...

Hello there. Hope you're thriving. But if you're feeling in need of a pick-me-up or a bear hug, I couldn't resist sharing a photo of one of our newest local residents, who re-inspired me utterly the other day. 

Imagine my surprise the other day, when, wondering round the neighbourhood (frankly, in need of a little inspiration and hope myself, at the time) I came upon this cutie on a bench.

Who left him, and why, remains a mystery. But this huge and adorable teddy bear has also been spotted being a bench companion to people of all ages since. So however he (or she!) got here, this bear is doing a real public service, going beyond even providing much-needed whimsy and joy.

I am no stranger to teddy bears...

If you're a regular reader here, you might already know that I have a  very soft spot for bears.

For example, this little bear that I put onto Redbubble a while ago...

Buy this teddy sticker on Redbubble...

and this cute bear cub illustration...

Buy this postcard on Redbubble...

Re-inspired?

Yes, meeting the bear on the bench did re-inspire me, though in all sorts of ways, bear-related and none. A piece of work in progress is on my Instagram feed, if you'd like to see it.

But all of that's for another day. Today, it's just enough to share something that's inspired me, and hope that you've been able to have a joyful and happy surprise from it as well.

Have a lovely weekend, and more soon.

Follow on Bloglovin' to get blog updates sent straight to your inbox
Follow on Facebook
Follow on Instagram
Follow on Twitter

New Artwork: It's OK to be Happy, People Need Joy

Hello. 

If you're in a space to be thinking about joy today, I have something for you.

(To share this image, retaining the watermark, the link is here)

This was a piece of digi-art journaling (hand-lettering and painting, but in a digital art program...Krita, in this case) I got up to this week. 

If you've read these posts for a while, you'll know that this isn't the first discussion of "can art/happiness be justified when X is happening,". But this just wanted to come out, as a full technicolour reminder that joy helps the world rather than hindering it.

And yes, it's a little brighter and bolder than I might have necessarily done things for a good while. Some of the credit for that must go to the workshop I'm on this week. Am purely a participant, not an affiliate or anything, But if you've been having any kind of creative block, stuckness or general "loss of colour," in your life or work recently, it may speak to you too, and you'll find all the details at:

https://radiantearthstudios.com/unlock-your-artist-challenge

And finally

And finally, pretty much for fun, I did put this image onto Redbubble as well, and am enjoying the look of it on magnets, mugs, and the like, here.

So I'll leave you with some more visual goodies (clicking on the pictures should click you straight through if you're interested.

It's OK to be Happy People Need Joy Magnet

It's OK to be Happy, People Need Joy Mug

It's OK to be Happy People Need Joy Cushion/Throw Pillow

And more than anything, I wish you a happy and joyful weekend.

World Watercolor Month: "Home" Prompt Snail (Becomes an Animated Gif Ecard)

It's been a hot week here. But a hot week in #WorldWaterColourMonth simply means that the paints dried ultra fast.

Snail for WWM prompt Day 23: "Home"

It was one of the first times out for me with the Derwent Inktense travel set of watercolour inks. (Soo many thanks for a great birthday gift!).

And, whilst there's a long way to go, this snail made me smile, so thought I would post him (or her).

Then I remembered that I needed to wish a friend luck with their move, so realised that an animated gif was on the cards (which you can also download and use if you'd like). So...Ta-dah...

Click, tap or right-click here to download this Rainbow Snail Good Luck Wth Your Move Animated Gif

And with that, I'll leave you to what I hope is a happy and lovely weekend for you. 

Take care, and more soon.

Follow

Day 14: "Flower Garden": A Joyful Whimsical Pattern with a Boho Vibe.

And after a very full day's work, Day 14 shows what became of those black and white floral sketches on Day 8.

This is new, and will bring summer closer to you wherever and whenever you're reading this. It's based on the herbaceous borders in English country gardens. But somehow, a more joyful, hippie and boho vibe just came singing in, with all those pinks, purples and golds.

This is the pattern (which is available on fabric here...

And looks great on *so many* gifts, treats and other scrummy items, like:

"Flower Garden" phone case

"Flower Garden" Notebook

notebooks and more,,,

It's not often a design gets this far in one day, even if it's a long one. But hope it helps you feel happy and have more fun, whatever else. 

More tomorrow.