A Poppy Thank You, And Changes Afoot...

"Thank You" Poppy Planter Sketch

Hello there

Hope all is well, safe and happy with you. It is here-but have been so busy, that this thank you (originally created as thanks for some lovely birthday gifts)  has been just about the only new design I can share with you.

But it is also meant as a thanks to you, both for being here, and in advance, for your patience.

Basically, the time has come to move to a better platform for newsletters (so that you don't have to be bothered by any pesky adverts for who-knows-what, for one thing. Many apologies if you've already been affected by this. Please know that change is coming).

However, to get this right, it's going  to take some research, adjustments, and thought. So please bear with me whilst I work this one out.

In the meantime, thanks again for being here. Please feel free to share the image above too, if you find it useful, and have people you'd like to thank (especially online, as I've sized it more for that here...). Note, am hoping that the new solution will make such sharing waaay easier :-).

Take care, and more soon-including some summery tales...

P.S. Update on 13th September 2025: A variation of this image (minus the text) is now available as a print and on all sorts of goodies here.

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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 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.

A Tale of Restoration and Happy Mooching...

Hello there

I'm back now from a little break away from work and oh, can totally recommend it if you're feeling a need to re-charge.

Anyway, thought would use this post as a first little catch-up on what I got up to. First off, not *everyone* in London was knee-deep in Jubilee celebrations last week. The Computer Man and I know this, because whilst we were scoffing yummy bagels at the newly re-opened Camley Street Natural Park, so were quite a few other people. 

(Massive thanks to the Computer Man for so much, but especially in this case, this lovely photo...)

Photo by Jim Fernbank

The Camley Street Natural Park is amazing, not least because it spent a century or so as a coal drop storage yard, sandwiched as it is between  King's Cross and St Pancras railway stations (both originally built in the 19th century.

Yup, you read that right. You can now even enjoy a wildlife pond, woodland, and a just-beginning-to-bloom wildflower meadow, complete with bees and beautiful flowers like the one above, within shouting distance of  the Eurostar.

According to the park's  info-signs, several centuries ago, the area was once part of the ancient forest of Middlesex. And it absolutely gives me tingles to think of even a tiny part of that being re-forested and  renewed...If this place can be restored, anywhere can.

And the next step was inevitable...

And so, of course, after all of that,  the next step was inevitable.  A memento was needed. Which of course meant drawing that flower... (Yes, that meant digitally drawing in Krita. Clearly there's a big part of me that, mysteriously, doesn't perceive drawing on the computer to be something that interrupts a break...).

 I think the flower in question was  a poppy, though it was more beautifully exotic and "ruffly" than any poppy I've ever seen before. It started like this...

progressed into this...

and may or may not finish up like this, at least for now:

I've absolutely no idea if it will turn into anything, and am kind of liking the sketch more than the colour at the moment.

And there was more...

And I discovered more-a lot more when there was actually time to browse around and do things for fun again. But as this post is getting looooong, I'll save that for another time.

Thanks for reading down this far-and have a lovely weekend.

More soon.

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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...)

Watercolour Poppies: New Surface Pattern Design

Created these poppies are (ta-da!) in traditional watercolour pencils and ink (though I still created the actual pattern from the motifs digitally).

If you like this, it's already available on items at Redbubble, such as the tote bag, throw pillow, and even an A-line dress. Just a couple of items are shown below, but there are many more here.

 

Click here to buy this bag

Click here to buy this throw pillow

And if you like the fabric, but are thinking, "I'd like to make something with this for myself," then please favourite it over at Spoonflower. (The BoundingSquirrel fabrics you favourite get offered for sale first).

That's all for now, but if there's a design you'd like to see here (or you end up with pics of these items in use!) please do post a comment below. Many thanks!

Daily Illustration #76: Traditional Watercolour Poppy Pattern

Ok, so this poppy pattern tile
is absolutely, definitely my last foray into "traditional" watercolour for a while.

This only happened today because the latest Spoonflower contest (as opposed to just a challenge) theme was finally announced as traditional watercolour. (Please vote for me if you're a member there. Many thanks!)

So, much as I've enjoyed all this unexpected practice it will be back to digital for a good while after this.

Daily Illustration #59: Large Red Poppies & New Digital Painting

Large red poppies, a digital pen-and-wash sketch for an upcoming project.

Will update this later when the project is complete and received.

New Digital Painting: Poppies by the Stream

At last, another digital painting: Poppies by the Stream.

It's in my favourite digital oil pastels (by Pixarra Twisted Brush) but  also something new: an 8" by 8" landscape, deliberately quicker, looser, and more abstract.

The question I'm asking myself is: why do I leave it so long between paintings. I *love* to paint, but stop myself with all the things I feel I have to do.

To get around this, am attempting more paintings, but with shorter time limits, and a more "broad brush" approach, as you see here.

(This picture is based on some beautiful poppies-and pretty purple flowers-in my inlaws' garden in Devon).


Will "being more casual, more often" this work? Time will tell.

Do you find yourself putting off doing things you love? And/or have you found a way around it? Please comment if you can relate, and/or to say "hi"...and have a great day!

P.S. I posted the original design  to give you the idea. But I'm really excited about how it came out on household goodies like this...

Poppies & The Lure of Etsy...

Etsy, oh, Etsy...My shop has been in progress (with designs ready on the computer) for quite a few days now... But the site is sooo beautiful... (That techy word "sticky" doesn't do it justice, though it's definitely a place to stick around).

Anyway, please enjoy the fruits of my latest distraction there, and the talents of all these poppy-makers... (including their wonderful product shots, grouped below, but needing a browse in their own right)... at:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTU1ODY1Nzh8NjY5ODgwNzky/poppy-heaven

Update: That link is no longer available. But here's another expression of my love affair with poppies!

Red/Orange Poppy Phone/Tablet Case Cover For The iPad Mini by BoundingSquirrel
See other Poppy Cases at zazzle