New Digital Pastel Painting: In the Poppy Meadow...

"In the Poppy Meadow"

Hello there, and hope that all is well and thriving with you.

This week, I've been celebrating. Specifically, there was delight to be had in:

1. All the wildflowers that  are making their way back to to so many spaces here in the UK. Not just in meadows, or even field margins and by the roadside. 

No, they seem to be appearing in ever space, including even more by our local reservoir...

(Photo by Jim Fernbank)

2. Finally capturing all of the feeling of that beauty in the way, and at the size, I've really wanted to for years. Hence the digital pastel painting at the top of this post. Why all new things seem to start with poppies for me, I'm not sure. But they do. Perhaps it's their beauty, and my love of them. And/or their being beloved and familiar, when trying something otherwise new). Anyway...

If you're into this kind of thing, here's a quick time-lapse of the different stages of the process I went through in digitally painting "In the Poppy Meadow " (which took about two hours in real time).

And  all of this led (via a route with which I won't bore you) to the realisation that:

3. I can (finally, and thanks for your patience) add paintings and designs to...jigsaws! Here's what "In the Poppy Meadow" looks like as a jigsaw puzzle (which can be of various sizes):

"In the Poppy Meadow" Jigsaw Puzzle".
Click or tap here to find out more.

That's all for now. But hope this post was a fun boost one way or another-and thanks *so* much for being here, and taking the time to read this.

More soon.

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Free Bouncing Bunny Animated Gif for Spring

Tap (or right or left click,
depending on your device)
and save this image to
 download it.

Hello there

As ever, I hope life is treating you well.

Today, as promised (and now that it finally actually feels like spring here) am back with a gift for you.

 In celebration of all things spring-like, happy and fun (including any flavour of festival into which you might be at this time of year), this bouncing bunny animated gif is yours to download if you wish. (The image is already deliberately small and optimised for phone screens/the web).

Just right-click and save (or tap and save, or left-click and save, depending upon your device).

As ever, credit is *always* appreciated, but never required.

And if you'd like more rabbity goodness...

And if one rabbit simply isn't enough for you, you might also like:

The new easy-to-make rabbit-shaped card in my Craftsuprint shop...

Or this  lovely rabbit-patterned background (also at Craftsuprint).

Rabbit-Patterned Background,
 available at Craftsuprint

Or if you just want to grab something funny and go, my Easter-Rabbits funny cartoon card is ever-popular on Zazzle (and downloadable for the first time, this year, so it's not too late to grab it).

Funny Cartoon Rabbits Printable Card

*More* freebies...

If that's still not enough (and/or you'd like more freebies), you can also check out some springtime gifts from previous years, such as:

This Happy Easter Chick Animated Gif

or this Easter daffodils image/ecard

That's all for now, and I'm going to wish you a happy few days, whatever you're up to. I'm taking a short break from the blog for a week or so. But, as ever, there will be...

More soon.

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New Painting: Wild Flowers by the Sea

"Wild Flowers the Sea," by Clare Walker

Hello there

Hope that you've had a great week and are thriving.

This week's post is all about giving you a chance to breathe, relax, and take a stroll along a deserted coastal path, bordered by a wild flower meadow, and leading into soft green hills...

I hope that you enjoy this as much as I loved creating it, and it gave me a sense of peace (and mojo) that have been missing for a while, all-in-all. It is a digital watercolour (in Rebelle 5...But somehow, it came out looking surprisingly traditional.

So please do watch this space for more like it, and for the final destination for this painting too.

In the meantime,  please relax into this image if you'd like, and have a lovely week.

More soon.

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Nesting: Introducing New Spring Craft Sheets...

Click here to see the sheets

Hello there

Hope the week is treating you well. And speaking of treats, if you're one of those people for whom spring can't come fast enough, the spring-based craft sheets above may be just what your looking for.

The idea is simple: three sheets featuring cute blue tit birds, a nest and spring leaves (and even enabling you to make a nest-shaped card if you want to). One of the sheets has min-inserts and toppers with verses centred on nests and spring, which can fit into the nest shaped card (and most other places you'd want to use them as well).

As a bonus, the main nest sheet is currently on special offer (as of  today, 19th January 2023), along with lots of my other spring-themed items.

So, if you fancy a spring-time boost a little early, please do pop to my Craftsuprint shop and have a look.

That's all the news for now-though I'm hoping to be able to share something *big* with you in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, take care, and thanks for being here.

More soon.

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In the Lavender Garden...

Hello there

Hope you've had a lovely week, and are coping with the heat/cold/other weather oddity (delete as applicable) in your particular part of the world. Here in London, it's seriously warm. So, where better to take you, than a lavender garden?

Click or tap here to see the full version of this design

This is a digital watercolour of mine in Krita, and it's based upon a trip we took to see the Fawcett Garden in Vauxhall.

As you can see from these photos, the garden is smaller than the mythical place in my imagination :-) (isn't that always the way?). But it is beautiful, and we got there at just the right time to see and smell, the lavender. (As ever, the Computer Man and I went together. Most of the photos are his, as he's much niftier with a camera than me).

Happy bees abounded...

And there were roses, too...

Photo by JimFernbank

As well as a general feeling of "Cottage Garden-ness"...

Photo by JimFernbank

Which is all the more amazing, when you consider that Vauxhall Park is just a stone's throw from the MI6 building in central London. 

The thing I loved best though, is that the park's lavender (which also featured in rows like these)...

Photo by JimFernbank

is harvested every year, by volunteers, with proceeds from the resulting oil being used to fund the ongoing upkeep of the lavender garden.

You can't beat a situation so full of win-win aspects for everyone, can you?

And on that note, I'll just wish you a happy weekend (or week, depending upon when you're reading this).

And thank you for reading down this far into a long post :-).

More soon.

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Happy Easter Daffodils

 Hello there, and hope that life is treating you well.

Click, tap or right-click and save this
free daffodil Easter ecard

I know it's a little early for Easter (17th April if you're reading this in 2022), but wanted to post this up for you in good time if you're wanting Easter cards. (The printed version of this card that you see below is available to buy in my Redbubble store here).

Click here to buy this daffodil Easter card on Redbubble.

And yes, this card is similar to the illustration for the month, but a development of it. I wanted to add more flowers, depth and effects to these ones, and bring them alive as much as possible. Spring, with its gentle sun and gorgeous vitality, feels like it's in full swing here. It's my favourite season, so I challenged myself to pack as much of that feeling into this design  as I could into this digital painting (in Krita 5). 

In fact, this was really only ever going to be a painting at first-and then no sooner had I finished that and someone asked for an Easter card. So there I was, with daffodils mysteriously at the ready, and it all morphed from there. Am finally beginning to learn that sometimes, life really will work out, if you go with it, rather than trying to force any issue.

Enough waffling from me. Here's to feeling the joy of Spring when possible, whatever the actual season wherever you are.

That's all for this week, but thanks so much for being here, and more soon.

PS. If you're feeling in need of more daffodil designs and Easter downloads, there are also several in my Craftsuprint shop.

Happy Easter Chick Animated Gif by Clare Walker,
 BoundingSquirrel.Com. Click here to download
 and use or share it.

Yes, Easter would appear to have snuck up on us again, and so before taking a break for it, I just wanted to send you my very best wishes, whatever your way of celebrating  this time of year (or not).

For me, nature and the arrival of new life and hope is always key in spring, hence this image.

If you'd like to share this gif/send it as an online Easter card, please do (right-click, click or tap on the image to download and use it). I don't insist on credit, but it's always lovely if you're able to do so, or link back in some way.

Hope all is peaceful well and happy wherever you are. Have a lovely weekend (or more) and I'll see you in a few days.

Thanks so much for being here, and more soon.

___________________________

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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.

Seashells-Just in Time for the Beach...

Hello there and hope all is really well there.

It's a relatively quick post today, to introduce a new design.

In honesty, I started on these motifs an few weeks ago...And then realised that it's August already and that beach season (here in quite far north in the Northern hemisphere, anyway) can be short... Luckily, the turned into a pattern that features gorgeous and restful watercolour  turquoise, pink and white seashells on an aqua background. (I believe the shells are scallops, sea snails, cowrie, whelks  (and not a shell, but oh so cute and beachie) starfish are included too.

So, whenever you're bound for the beach, this tote bag, drawstring bag, backpack or dufflebag would make  great companions.

And luckily, this whimsical  design that can be lovely all year round.

Such as in this clock, 

and lots of other items.

Finally, the pattern's also on a range  there's also fabric on Zazzle, if you prefer to make your own items.

Seashell Patterned Fabric
by BoundingSquirrel

Hope you can find something here to love, and perhaps even send to someone else if you're looking for a gift, rather than a trip to the beach.

More soon!

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.

Fun Highland Cow Cartoon Card

Hello there. Thought you might like some cartoon fun this fine Friday.

(This one's also available as a customisable card on Zazzle, or a printable sheet from which to make your own card, over at Craftsuprint).

Have a good weekend, and more soon.

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Day 94: Whimsical Rainbow Birds and Winter Birches Digital Painting (Work-in-Progress)

Day 94 and these birdies were inspired by my watching a "squirrelly" video on Youtube (oh, I know how to live...oh, yes...;-) . In one "background" shot, there were also snowy Scandinavian birch trees, full of birds. 

The birds in the video were not of course, anything like these colours, being mostly small and brown, bless them. 

But watching that made me think about what it would be like if they *were* rainbow-coloured, (like my robin from Day 85)...

Which was just a hop, skip and a jump (or in this case, flutter) away from adding in rainbow  splats too, and more snow, twigs and trees, And before you know it (really fast, by my standards) this digital painting in Krita was the result.

Am still calling it work-in-progress though. Am leaving it here for now, but suspect there's something more to come here.

More tomorrow.
 

Free Christmas Printable/ Clip Art Motifs (Day 81/100)

 Hi all. Following on from yesterday's post, the motifs now have colour. But as am not sure yet (mostly owing to the time of year) whether will use them in a pattern, can be certain, they'll make great Christmas printables/clip art for your projects.

Just right-click, click or tap (depending on your device) and save and you can use them in your projects in all the (many, many) ways set out in my "angel" policy for crafters, small business and personal-educational users.

Have fun with this-more tomorrow.

P.S. Update: for an example of how they can be used (and another free Christmas printable) click here.

Daily Sketch Day 20⁠ ⁠: Love me, Love my Houseplants

Day 20's sketch is "Love me. Love my houseplants," which is destined for T-shirts and the like.

 It's also something I actually said to my husband the other day. (And was rather unfair considering that it's him and his long arms that do a lot of our watering).

Anyway, hope this is fun for you, and more tomorrow.

New "Butterflies & Aquilegias" Mini-Kit for Cardmakers and Papercrafters

How are you doing? There are so many ways to adjust to our temporary "new normal," I hope you've found the ones that are just right for you.

One of my strategies has simple been to keep designing. But it can be challenging to keep inspiration flowing amid all the changes. This week, I struck lucky, and was able to complete a design request for a customer. (She's fine with this going on general sale too, by the way).

And so, am happy to present a new mini-kit to you, "Butterflies and Aquilegias".

The kit includes a card front optional decoupage layers (that you can also use as embellishments too, a gift tag, verse, sentiments, blank insert and printable background paper).

As well as making a fab card, you could also use them again and again in other scrapbooking and craft projects.

So, if you're wanting to bring a bit of summer into your locked-down life (or your life, if you're reading this later) you can download the kit straight away here.

And if you make it and want to sell the finished card, please remember that's completely fine under my terms of use. (If you have pictures, that would also be awesome, and I can help share them on social media if you wish).

In any event, enjoy, and hope you have the loveliest weekend you can.

More soon.

New Echinacea Inspiration-Free Printable

Hello again and hope you're managing to keep safe, well and as happy as possible in these strange times.

In order to help that along, this image  is fully printable, and yours to download and share if you wish. Echinacea is traditionally a plant associated with healing, so it felt like a good choice. Just right-click and save to download.

Thanks for being here, be well and more soon!

PS. As ever, if you happen to be feeling crafty and want to work with just the image, it's available in various craft sheets here.

Free Chinese New Year of the Rat Clip Art

Though there's much else going on in China right now, it's also Chinese New Year this weekend.

As I know I have some blog readers who also use Feng Shui and have various other connections to China, I thought you might enjoy using this happy little rat (it being the start of the Year of the Rat) in your projects. The usual angel policy terms apply, and you can just right-click to download. (He's not huge in size,  but would work well in web-based or small-scale projects).

And of course, it's fine to use him at any time, and not just in relation to Chinese New Year.

More soon.

AEDM Day 26 & New Illustration: Orange Slice

For Day 26 of Art Every Day Month, here's a slice of orange on a work top, in Krita...I'm out of time for anything more fancy...

More tomorrow...

Free Autumn Watercolour Clip Art/Illustration Image: Mouse & Berries

It's the autumnal equinox this weekend, so thought this illustration might help you celebrate the beginning of all things autumn and fall. (Southern hemisphere people sit tight-other images will follow soon).

To get the image, just tap, or right click, or control click (depending on your device) and save. It's a  png, and free for use in any project, personal or commercial.

Attribution back to me (Clare Walker) at BoundingSquirrel is always appreciated, but never required.
(For full details, see my "angel" policy here. )

Finally...

If you're looking for more and bigger images to help your card, craft and creative projects along, everything in my Craftsuprint Shop is available on 20% discount today (Sept 20th) until. Sept 23rd 2019.

Go here to pick up a bargain.

And in any event-I wish you a lovely and peaceful weekend.

More soon!

Announcing New, Easy Hang Wall Art (That Even Helps Nature)

Hello again, and am hoping this post finds you well and thriving.

Let's get down to it...I'm absolutely thrilled to announce that lots of my most popular floral art, like these summer poppies, has been accepted by Displate.Com to be part of their new easy-hang wall-art range.

The concept behind these affordable metal poster size prints is amazing: they hang with magnets, and can be put up in minutes, without damaging your walls. No need for framing or waiting around.

And because they're made of metal, the rich colours of digital art get shown off to great effect.

Best of all, 10 trees are planted for every Displate purchased.

So if you're looking for flowers or floral art to hang easily on your wall, and would love to help nature too, please do head over to my Displate page now.

(And of course, this design is still available for you as an ever-popular printable download, here...)

New Computer, New Art, New Possibilities...

I'll admit it. I'm old enough to have been brought up with the idea that, "A bad workman always blames his tools". And it's definitely true that the effectiveness of art (or any kind of creative outcome) is never decided by the tools used. The ideas and work involved do matter more.

Work-in-progress elephant created in Rebelle digital software.

So, when, of late, I'd noticed I hadn't been getting so much out of my digital art programs and apps, my instant assumption was that somehow, I was failing/falling down/not putting in enough effort.

This went on for some weeks. Until my entirely wonderful other half (luckily a computer man) gave me the best of presents: an amazingly fast, totally souped up and incredible, new-to-me computer.

The difference has been phenomenal. Digital art is a joy again. Some programs (like Rebelle, in which the elephant above was created) have never before run as fast or effectively for me as they do now.

Which has led me to reconsider the whole "workman and tools," thing, in a way that might encourage not just me, but other artists and creative people too.  Yes, tools should never be blamed. But occasionally, maybe even those tools also need some help and sprucing up themselves, to help you get the results you want.

P.S. Update: You can see how this elephant turned out in the end here...