New Painting: Autumn Glory

"Autumn Glory" by Clare Walker
Click or tap here to browse or buy.
(There's no watermark on purchased items :-))

Hello there

As ever, I hope life is treating you well, whether it's autumn, spring, or neither of those seasons making their way into your corner of the world at the moment. 

Here it is autumn, complete with cool winds, and a sudden need for soups and stews.  And although our neighbour's silver tree hasn't quite reached the stage you see in the picture above yet, I have so many memories, photographs and previous attempts to draw upon, the time just felt right to give this another go. The result has made its way into my collection of images for sale at Pixels.Com.

A little bit more info about my art on Pixels/Fine Art America

In a previous post, I did the best I could to explain why most of my images will be there as we move forward. As a result of that, lots of questions have been asked, so I'll do my best to answer them here.

1. No, not all my previous art is there (yet). But if you like a specific picture from the past, you can ask me to put it up there, (eg with my new contact form). This is what someone did this week for my "Nasturtiums," which are now also available on Pixels:

https://pixels.com/featured/autumn-glory-vibrant-autumnal-tree-clare-walker.html

2. Yes, my designs are available on other items as well as prints, eg stickers, greeting cards and even jigsaws...

But please be aware that not all items may be manufactured locally to you (there is a map here which explains this point better than I can).

3. Yes, you can change the currency to one more local to you if your device isn't showing the one you need. Just scroll right down to the bottom of any page of Pixels/Fine Art America to where it says "Location Settings".

4. The site with my designs on it is hosted, run and administered by Pixels,Com/Fine Art America. (If  I were to run anything myself, nothing would ever get painted). But it is one of the few ways in which I can display a clear collection of my own items to you, whilst still being paid royalties when items sell, and not having my items jumbled with everyone else's (something people have talked about a lot, in the past).

5. Despite it not being my shop (and therefore, my not having much control over anything except wall-art prices), I still keep being asked questions. I've done my best to answer them here. But the real people who can answer them better are probably the Pixels/Fine Art America team, whose contact page is here.

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 One way or another, I hope these answers help and may inspire you to want to purchase a yummy item or two...

On that note, I'll leave you for now, with another pic of "Autumn Glory," after what's been a lot of words (even for me):

Thanks for being here, for your support, and for reading down this far. You're amazing.

More soon.

New Painting: Barn Owl, Night Sky, (And a Strange Tale...)

Barn Owl, Night Sky, by Clare Walker
Click here to see it as a metallic Displate

Hello there, and hope you're thriving in your corner of the world.

This week's tale, is, I promise you, unusual, (for me, anyway).

How This Barn Owl Came to Be...

You see, I suspect that there's a weird myth out there about how things get created.

The myth

It goes something like this. Artist/designer/insert name of other creator here, spends each day in a haze of glorious inspiration, effortlessly "bringing through," phenomenal pieces of work, always inspired by an ever-obliging muse.

That's the ideal, and inspiration *does* feel wonderful. In fact, it may be a (healthy) addiction to inspiration and flow that keeps anyone going in this kind of field.

The reality, however is often a lot less glamorous, and may involve anything from feeling totally uninspired by grey November weather, to shouting in frustration at a website as it refuses to upload your image for the umpteenth time (ask me how I know..:-) ).

However...

However, in this case, there was a fair bit of rare magic involved. Which is perhaps, fitting for a creature as mystical as a barn-owl.

For a start, my one and only real-life encounter with one of these magnificent creatures was the wonder of its silent flight across the lane in front of our car, in the dead of night, almost two years ago.

Barn Owl, Night SkyThrow Pillow/Cushion 

For various reasons, that night also changed my life. (So maybe some of the association between barn owls and transformation has legs).

So, there was the real inspiration. And this week, almost two years later, the image and essence of Barn Owl came so strongly into my mind that I could almost sense its silent flight, from that inner image alone (if that makes any sense at all).

Far from being an elusive muse, the image felt alive, and even had views on how best I should complete it. (And yup, I guess that betrays that I do talk (and listen!) to some of my paintings. But honestly, it's those ones that seem to turn out the best...)

Barn Owl, Night Sky Round Patterned Tablecloth

It stayed longer than I'd bargained for...

This determined barn owl soul only flew out of my mental space when it had expressed itself in full as a painting *and* been properly distributed (that last part being hand-on heart, something I don't always do as much as I should).

So that's why this bird (started in traditional watercolour, made extra bronzy with metallic watercolour, and then given his or her night sky in several digital layers) was rather special. (And appears in all the places and products scattered through this blog post).

Tap or click here to buy the sheet that
will enable you to make this card for yourself...

And so...

And so, the unusual twist in this tale, is that yes, the wonderful, flowing, inspirational feeling of  doing the bidding of a friendly but exacting (in this case feathered) muse does exist after all, it seems.

Will I be relying on it in future? Absolutely not. 

But if a kind and happy part of nature wants to pay a visit in this way again, I'm very open to the experience, and promise to do my very best, both for them and the people (maybe like you, and if so, *thank you*) who want them in their lives too.

Finally...

I hope you enjoyed this strange-but-true tale. And as ever, thanks so much, both for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon.

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A Watercolour Sketch: Glowing Autumn Berries

Hello there, and I hope all's well in your corner of the world.

Here, the very first kiss of autumn's oranges and gold have appeared. Amongst the still-very-green eaves, as if from nowhere... Berries are suddenly...everywhere...

And so, even though, I confess, have been spending a lot of time this week visiting places and just soaking them up, rather than drawing, there was chance to capture those first glowing berries, inspired by some I saw on our visit to Camley St Natural Park:

Glowing Autumn Berries: An Initial Sketch

Watch this space to see what they'll become. (Update on September 12th 2024: See them in action in this post)

And, as have deliberately gathered inspiration this year to keep things bright during the winter, expect some ongoing flowers this year, as well.

More soon.

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New Digital Painting And Its Story: Mint With a Honey Bee

"Mint With A Honey Bee," by Clare Walker BoundingSquirrel.com

Hello there

This week's offering is a digital painting (in Krita, completed stroke by stroke) of the kind which I realise have not actually posted here in a while.

There's a story behind it, too. After the best part of three years trying to get wildflowers to bloom in one of our window boxes, we have achieved this feat: with mint. Yay! Not only that, but it turns out that honey bees seem absolutely to adore spending time on the recently-flowering mint blossoms (double yay!). Watching them as they bury themselves deeply in the tiny, fluffy, florets of the mint flowers is also *the* most calming way to spend...much more time than I'd realised...

Plus there have been plenty of minty summer drinks and soups to be had :-). So, it's been an absolute win all round.

A Low Key Beginning...

Stage One of "Mint With a Honey Bee,"

This painting had a very low key beginning, as you can see from its first stage (above). the more I looked, the more it felt a bit...bleh...and as if something major was missing, but just out of reach.

So I began experimenting with the many different ways to filter, alter and add more colour in Krita. And after some hours of (frankly) "happy play," with the app/program, I realised I'd ended up with the much more dramatic version of this painting that you see at the top of the blog....And which I'm calling finished (for now...;-) ).

What Next?

 "Mint With a Honey Bee," isn't on sale, or playing any role in anything anywhere (yet). This week, it was just a lovely way to celebrate a small success...and happy bees.

But I loved how it felt to be this daring...as if a whole new dimension of something new just might be peeping through. Watch this space.

And whatever happens next with artwork here, it's already a definite success for our, "wild," window box project. In the case of mint and bees at least, it seems that I *can* say, "Plant it, and they *will* come..." :-)

As ever, thank you *so* much for being here, and for reading down this far. May all be humming in your world, too.

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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Roses, Lilies, and Christmas in July...

Hello there

Just popping in quickly, as know that lots of people are busy with all things summer right now.

"Roses and Lilies"

Firstly, thought you'd enjoy this sketch of roses and lilies. It came from some flowers that *felt* like they flew in through magical means.

 Yes, OK, though unexpected, these flowers arrived by a very human-and kind-route outside our door. But still, it felt pretty magical on a wet Saturday afternoon. (Especially as I had just been thinking..."It's a shame my birthday flowers are finishing...and I need something new to paint...," but hadn't shared that thought with *anyone*.).

The original flowers

And just in case you're thinking, "No vase would match flowers like that," here is a photo of the flowers on the day they went into the jug (please excuse the dust-art comes first!):

Photo of roses and lilies in a jug, by Jim Fernbank

(Confession: I'd been waiting *30 years* since buying that vase for some flowers to come along that would match it quite as well as that ;-) ).

Christmas in July

And yes, though the festive red, white and green did catch my eye, though for later in the year. 

Which reminds me, that if you're a crafter, I'm running a Christmas in July sale on all my sheets and kits from July 28th 2023-July 31st 2023 inclusive. Click or tap this link to see it.

And...

But whether you're a crafter already making items for later in the year, or just enjoying all the beauty and flowers of summer (or cool of winter, elsewhere in the world)...Thank you so much, both for being here, and for reading down this far.

Have a lovely weekend, and more soon.

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And Now for Something Happy, Fun, and Completely Different...

Update on July 19th 2023 

I'm re-writing this post, to offer you this design in a way that (from feedback) seems to be more popular and workable for people.

If you never read the original post, then, in a nutshell, it was a result of my having done more digital art journaling of late, such as this:

Click here to see this on journals,
magnets and more...

This is available on Redbubble at the moment, and perhaps on other sites soon.

Sorry for any confusion caused!

More soon.
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A Re-vamp and a Ceanothus

Ceanothus, by Clare Walker (Update 10th June: Now available here).

Hello there

Just popping in quickly to let you know that am revamping parts of the blog at the moment. So if things look odd for a little while, (eg, no logo)  please bear with me. (The end results will, am hoping, be simpler, sleeker and easier for everyone to visit and use).

It also seemed like the perfect time to share this little (digital) watercolour in Krita. It's of the beautiful blue bush belonging to another neighbour. The bush is bright blue, and beloved by butterflies and bees. I *believe* it's a ceanothus, (or California Lilac). But please don't quote me on that...You know my track record on such things...

And with that in mind, will leave you to your weekend. Hope it's a happy one for you

More soon(ish).

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Christmas Foliage Graphics...and a Quiz

Picture 1-Right-click, click or tap here to download if you wish.

Hello there

Hope you're well and thriving, and ready for some fun, as well as a not one, not two, but three freebies to download, as befits the approaching festive season.

You're welcome to use any of the set of three graphics in this post, in any way at all that matches my angel policy. Just right-click, tap or click (depending upon your device) on the graphic(s) you'd like to use, and the graphic should download.

And if you're not in need of freebies right now...as well as if you are, this post is also a quiz.

Picture 2: Right-click, tap or click here to download

Each of the pics in this post was created in a different way. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decide which method (A, B or C) matches which Picture 1, Picture 2 and Picture 3.

Picture 3: Right-click, tap or click here to download.

Painting and Drawing Methods Used

Which of these methods do you think matches which picture? (You may have to scroll up  from here to see the pictures again).

Method A One of the pictures in this post was created using 100% digital watercolour painting and digital ink sketching,  in the wonderful Rebelle 5 app, (not an affiliate link, I just enjoy using it).

Method B One of the pictures was created by wetting hot-pressed, (ie smooth) 300g Bockingford Watercolour paper, splashing colours into wet areas, and then, when the areas were dry, inking in details with a black waterproof pen.

Method C One of the pictures in this post was created by sketching onto 300g cold-pressed Bockingford Watercolour Paper first, and then painting in details wet-on-dry (though white highlights were still added later).

Your answers

When you think you have your answers, check the PS at the bottom of this post, to see if you're right.

Please note, this quiz is just for fun, there are no prizes, and the answers are at the very bottom of this post, in the P.S. section.

Whilst I'm in the business of making sure that there's enough text here to obscure the answers, this is probably a great point to remind you that my Redbubble shop is still a great place to look for gifts (most still in time for Christmas, or of course, any other time of year), and that  the printable designs in my Craftsuprint shop can be downloaded 365 days a year.

With that said, I hope you had fun with this post today, and/or found something you wanted in one way or another. It's only left for me to wish you a happy week, and promise that there will be more from me soon as well as...

A P.S with the quiz answers...

And the answers are:

Picture 1 was painted using method B. The surface is smooth (ie hot pressed) and the end result has a pretty sploshy wet-in-wet look.

Picture 2 was painted using method A, and is therefore, 100% digitally painted, (even though the digital paper behind it has a really convincing rougher/"cold-pressed paper" look).

Which means that Picture 3 used method C, with its rougher paper and penwork that am feeling now might have been a little over-the-top :-) .

Whatever your answers, hope you had fun, and see you next week.

More soon.
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Quick Sketch of a Corgi

Hello there

It's Friday, but very hard to know what, if anything, to post on a day like this. 

Here in London, the atmosphere is so...quiet.

Whatever a person's opinion about royalty as a concept, anyone who spent 70 years  opening hospitals and listening to pontificating politicians at dull dinners,  deserves at least a nod, and thanks for their service.

That got me to thinking about, by contrast, how important and enjoyable her corgis might have been for her. 

So, in very much a change to the post I was planning this week, here's a digital line and wash painting of a corgi. It was a quick affair, this morning, obviously,  in Krita.

Quick corgi sketch-download here

 But I hope it makes you smile. And feel free to use it if you need it in a project, either now, or later.

More soon.

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Free Poppy Watercolour August Illustration

Hello there

Hope all is well with you.

Over in these parts, the spirit of summer is alive and kicking...Not least in the free illustration for August, which is these watercolour (watercolor in the US, I know!) poppies. Which I have (again!) finally remembered to post just before August, so that you can use it (if you'd like)  ahead of time in your projects, blog posts, newsletters or pretty much whatever you fancy.

Loose Watercolour Poppies August Illustration by Clare Walker
Click, right-click or tap here to download.

Terms of use are here. And as ever, just right-click on the image and save, or tap and save, depending on your device.

These poppies are (still reasonably unusually for me) done in traditional line and wash watercolour, using Inktense paints. They are (even more unusually for me) done "wet-in-wet" (ie the paper and the paint are both soaking wet and the whole thing is a deliberately sploshy and runny experience...Hmmm, it looks like our hot summer is having more of an impact on me than I realised).

They hail from (yet again) that birthday which I can't stop harping on about. Jim and I, and our friends on the wild and windy day out took loads of photos of the poppies...Which were stunning, and a testament to the amount of wildflowers being put back into the landscape (yay!).

When I was a small child having birthdays in a similar part of the country, the reverse was happening. So it's great to know that some things really have got better with time, and that very often, the wheel turns in ways that are beautiful, and beneficial, too.

(By the way, if you've read this blog for a while, and you're thinking that I have a bit of a, "thing" about poppies, you're right. The evidence is here, and here amongst other places).

Plus...

You'll never believe this, but I was actually going to to put info about a new release into this post too . (How did I ever think that would fit or work? Slaps forehead.) 

Think will save that for next week, as this is turning into a long post itself (as ever, thank you for reading down this far). However, if you're the kind of person who likes hints and sneak peeks, an old friend that I know a lot of my customers like (thanks so much for your support) the Happy Crab makes a re-appearance in the new sheets too...

"Happy Crab" illustration, by Clare Walker, BoundingSquirrel.Com

Finally, should also just let you know that there's a previous August illustration if you prefer sunflowers to poppies (Or want both. Why choose? Go on, go wild...).

And on that note, will wish you a lovely week.

More soon.

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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A Watercolour Daisy Painting, and Card Design

Click here for more info about this painting

Hello there, and hope you've been having a good week.

I don't know about you, but it's felt like a week for exploring new things (at last-hurrah!).

So I took the time to look into a new watercolour technique, by following this tutorial, by Joanne Boon Thomas.

With grateful and genuine thanks to Joanne (it's a super tutorial), I then proceeded actually to paint something completely different and the watercolour daisies you see above are the result.

Regular readers of BoundingSquirrel will know that I have form in this area: one day I will actually follow the steps outlined in a tutorial, I will, honestly ;-).

Found myself liking that which actually emerged enough to imagine it as a print, though,  and also to turn it into this printable greeting card:

Click here to see/buy the Watercolour Daisy
quick card printable sheet

Could proper, pre-2020 levels of mojo be returning? Are you feeling this too, in your neck of the woods?

We shall see, but at least there's something pretty for me to post and you to look at this fine Friday.

Hope you have a lovely weekend, and more soon.

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Free Illustration Download: March Daffodils

 

Click, tap or right-click depending  on your
device to download this free illustration

Can you believe that tomorrow it's March already? So, definitely time for your free March illustration download. The daffodils really are coming into full bloom here now, so this slice of bright and breezy days in the park is as real  and fresh-from-nature as it gets.

As ever, you're welcome to use this jpg illustration freebie however you like within the pretty broad limits of the BoundingSquirrel angel policy.

Have fun with this, and if you're enjoying it, please feel free to leave a comment and link below to show off how you're using it (if you'd like, there's no obligation).

That's it for today, but hope you're well, and take care.

More soon.

P.S. Update on March 25th. If you like this design, you may also like the Easter daffodil ecard here.

A New Flower Painting for Crafters...

Hello there-hope you've had a lovely week.

Just popping in to give you some more autumnal colour .

Firstly, these watercolour Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed-Susan) flowers are new...

These Watercolour Rudbeckias now available as a craft sheet.

And if you'd like to use them in your projects, they're now on a sheet with the recent nasturtiums, especially for crafters and creative projects, here.

Enjoy your weekend when it comes, 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.

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.

Free September Mushrooms & Toadstools Illustration

Free September Illustration:
 Just click or right click to download-links back
appreciated if you use this

Hello there-hope you're well and feeling good. Am just checking in quickly with a September illustration, (of various mushrooms in watercolour (watercolor for US peeps!) that you're welcome to download and use if it helps with your projects.

There will be a lot of news very shortly, but it's still under wraps just yet. (And no, am not meaning to be mysterious...I just have to set up and test a lot of moving parts before making any announcements :-) ).

In the meantime, hope you enjoy this freebie, and have a lovely weekend.

New Painting: Peaceful Willow Tree

Hello there. Hope you're doing well out there in your corner of the world. 

And if you're surprised to see the style of this painting, I'll let you into a secret...So am I.

If you've followed along for any length of time, you'll know that I do little digi and traditional watercolours, right?

And definitely not landscapes of any kind.

And yet, and yet, all of this changed, in trying out my new Luminance digital painting program from Pixarra. (That's not an affiliate link, BTW. Am just really impressed with the app so far).

It's so new to me that have not even had time to review it properly.

But if it helps in creating "places," that feel as peaceful as the underneath of that willow tree...You might be seeing quite a bit more painted with it.

Many thanks and more soon.

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