Announcing: That The New Spring Florals Mini-Collection Has Arrived...

Click or tap here to visit my Craftsuprint shop...

Hello there and I hope you're thriving.

If you're one of the card makers who reads BoundingSquirrel, thank you so much for your patience...

The watercolour spring florals have finally made it into a mini-collection in my Craftsuprint shop. 

(Every sheet in the mini-collection links to the others at the bottom of the Craftsuprint site page, so it doesn't matter which one you browse first).

Each sheet gives you a watercolour design, (shown above) a blank insert, and a choice of six occasion tags, and six verses that fit into any insert. So, for example, even though these tulips are for Mother's Day by default...

Click or tap here to see the "Wild Tulips"
 card front sheet

you can change the tag to a different occasion, and mix and match with the verses that go with the crocus birthday card, 

Tap or click here to see the
 "Wild Crocus" Card sheet

or the verses that go with the daffodil card. As with all the cards in this series, the spring flowers intentionally burst out of the frame, as if in joy...

Tap or click here to see
the full daffodil card sheet...

This is much easier to see than to describe. So to have a peek, please take a look at the daffodil, crocus and tulip sheets in my Craftsuprint shop.

And, if cardmaking sheets aren't your thing, thank you for your patience too. There'll be something new and different for you too, in the next post.

Until then, thanks so much for being here, and enjoy your week.

More soon.

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Free Peace Dove Graphic

Peace Dove Graphic-share freely if you wish

Hello there

Early for this week, but very late for last, am coming in to share this graphic with you that's free to share if you'd like to use it-just click, right-click or tap (depending on your device) to use and share it.

For what it's worth, it's a digital watercolour in Rebelle 5, if you're the sort of person who likes to know these things.

Enough said, and 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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Pretty Pink Tulips for Mother's Day (and Beyond)...

Hello there

Do hope the week's been treating you well.

"Tulips," by Clare Walker

The news from here is that my obsession with "garden flowers in interesting containers," seems to continuing, as you can see from these pretty pink tulips. (They are digital watercolours in Rebelle 5, but painted stroke by stroke with a graphics pen, as ever).

Could it be that this little run of paintings and drawings is turning into the very thing I once swore I'd never do...a series of related drawings and paintings :-) ? Watch this space...

Mother's Day is Coming...

If you're reading this soon after I type it, UK Mother's Day is this Sunday (March 19th 2023).

But fear not, because (whenever and to whomever you actually want to send it) you can still personalise and download this card on Zazzle.Com.

Click or tap here to see the card on Zazzle

And if you're reading this in March and feeling puzzled (because you live somewhere else), then know that this will also be available for when it's Mother's Day with you, later in the year.

Come to that, if you like the design, but want to send it for another reason, that's fine at any time, because both the physical and downloadable versions of the card can be changed to say whatever you want.

Finally, last but *not* least, the craft-kit version of this and all the "garden series" designs will also be up in my Craftsuprint shop, hopefully by the time you read this (a lot of painting also means a lot of uploading too :-) ).

Hope all of this helps, and have a lovely weekend, whether it's Mother's Day with you or not.

More soon.

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It's Groundhog Day All Over Again: Free Marmot / Groundhog Background

Free Groundhog/Marmot Background
Click, right click  or tap to download

Hello there

Hope you're thriving and ready for today's free download: Cute groundhogs, in a printable that you can use in lots of different ways.

The sheet prints out well (300 dpi) at ordinary A4 size in a home printer, and is based around a pattern that's also on lots of cute stuff in the shop...

A confession...

I would have got this to you before today ('cos as I type, it as already Groundhog Day, Feb 2nd).

But for reasons best known to myself, I only realised this morning that marmots and groundhogs are the same animal...

Anyway, you have them now (and let's face it, cute marmots/groundhogs help to make life happier at any time of year, don't they?). (Here's the download link again, if you need it).

Hope you have loads of fun with this. 

More soon.


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Well, The Sunflowers Are Enjoying It...

Hello there

Hope you're doing well and thriving in your part of the world, whether you have the heat that we do (yes, still...I know, it's crazy, isn't it?) or something else.

The sunflowers, of course, *are* absolutely loving this weather. And as ever, when they poke they're heads up into the sky ('cos they really live in next door's garden) I can never resist doing my best to capture them in some way. They just exude such happiness and joy...

Sketch of Next Door's Sunflowers...

This year's effort is a quick-very quick-pen and wash sketch on new Bockingford hot-pressed (ie absolutely smooth) watercolour paper. And with the equally new-to-me Derwent water brushes. (They could soon become my new favourites, as being able to control how much water is on the brush with a button, is soooo good. Watch this space).

In other news...

In other news, despite the heat, the wonderful Marion Kimberley-Scott has still-somehow-been busy making cards with some of my new summer floral backgrounds over at Craftsuprint. 

Please do head on over there to see them in action. But here are just a couple of her pics of her makes to whet your appetite. (So many thanks to Marion for allowing me to use those pics, too).

Nasturtiums came first...

Nasturtium design by Clare Walker,
made and photographed by Marion Kimberley-Scott.

And am also loving what she made using both the new butterfly bush background and its main matching card sheet from some time ago...

Butterfly Bush design by Clare Walker,
made and photographed by Marion Kimberley-Scott.

Sooo many thanks to Marion for making these look so amazing, and please do also check out everything she makes too.

Soooo

That's about all for now-am feeling a need to settle down with a glass of something very long and very cold.

But thanks so much for reading down this far, and I hope you have a lovely week with whatever you most need at hand to feel comfortable, too.

More soon.

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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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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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Free Pumpkin Clip Art for Halloween

Hello there. Hope all is well and lovely for you, wherever you are.

This week's post is earlier than usual, mostly because this pumpkin clip art would be great for Halloween projects. So if you're looking for it right now, here it is. (Having said that, being pumpkin-themed, it might also be lovely for Thanksgiving, a little further away).

Free Pumpkin Clip Art-right-click, click or tap here to download

Anyway, as with all the clipart on this blog, simply right-click, click or tap, depending on your device, to save it, and it's yours to use in many and varied ways. (See my angel policy for full details).

NB. There are more Halloween-themed freebies on the blog from previous years as well, such as this raven, and a Halloween ghost gif.

Finally, if you're liking this pumpkin, and wanting a craft sheet featuring this pumpkin and other yummy autumnal squashes and motifs...

you can buy and download this to use instantly, at Craftsuprint.Com

Hope this helps, and more soon!

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.

New Art: Nasturtium Joy

Hello there.

Just popping in with some watercolour (watercolor :-)) flowers I thought you might like.

The vibrant oranges in some nasturtium flowers were practically singing the other day, and so this was the result.

If you're feeling a bit blue (as have heard from more than one person this week) please take this to heart especially, and let these vibrant oranges give you a boost.

And if you've been having a perfectly lovely week-yay! (And this can simply serve to show what happened to that work in-progress on Instagram :-).

And yes, it's fine to share this image as-is anywhere online. 

Let's spread some joy.

More soon.

Update on October 7th: if you're enjoying this image, the version for crafters is available here.

Thank You (A Message *and* a Free Graphic for You)

Here's a confession for you. As you might have noticed, have written several versions of this post. And in the end, all I really wanted to say was "thank you".

Click, tap or right-click here to download this image

Yes, it is technically my 500th post. But I'm dyscalculic, so what does a number really matter anyway ;-).

What matters, and touches me deeply, is that you and so many others have kept bothering to visit through all that time. Thank you so much.

And yes, of course, the graphic that goes with it is yours to download, below, if you'd like it.

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.

New Bluebell Painting: "Ringing in the Spring"

Hello there. Hope you're well and thriving.

And after a much-needed (staycation) break, it's time to reveal something new.

Enter this new bluebell painting. (Though am loving how it's turned out-and that it was inspired by a single walk in our local woodland, that was drenching itself in the magic and newness of spring).

Update in June 2023: This painting is now available in my Pixels store, and in my Redbubble shop.

There'll be more soon, and thanks for waiting for this post!

PS. Update on April 30th: If you enjoy cardmaking and crafting, a sheet based on this painting is also available.

Whimsical Rainbow Winter Birds In Birch Trees Pattern (and Day 95/100)

 Following on from yesterday, it turns out that those rainbow birds did have a little more adventure to go, but not in quite the way I had thought.

I didn't add more to the picture, but I did turn it into a pattern. Which ends up looking like this... in my Redbubble shop...

And the nifty thing is, they're a lovely way to treat yourself and brighten up the winter, rather than being just for any festive season.

Update 22/12/20: The design is now also available on fabric:

Rainbow Winter Bird Fabric
by BoundingSquirrel

More tomorrow.

A Rainbow Watercolour Robin... (Day 85/100)

 

Oh life is so definitely, as the saying goes, "what happens when you're making other plans..."

Today's was going to be a *massive* post, all about how it's 10 years to the day since I first attempted to draw anything. (With a mouse,  because I didn't have a fancy graphics pen. Feeling like an idiot, and completely mystified about why I was trying this thing I ,"couldn't do". And it really was a "first-time" feeling...Prior to that, I'd decided, pretty firmly, that I "couldn't draw," when I was about three).

So, telling that story in detail was the plan. Then the internet went down. Now, this wasn't as bad as it seems...Am lucky on so many levels to be with The Computer Man.

But  our internet was down for just long enough that all there's time for is.... 1) Huge gratitude to my past self that I took that leap, and to you all for sticking with me...

And 2) sketching this little rainbow Christmas robin, in traditional watercolour and pen, but a "rainbow style, " that's as new to me in that medium as was trying to do art at all, a decade ago.

So I'm looking backwards and forwards today. Which turns out to be the perfect way to celebrate, after all...

More tomorrow.

PS. Have just added this design to my Redbubble shop. Depending on where you live, you may need to act very fast if you want this design to be part of your Christmas this year. (Obviously, this won't apply if you're reading this at a later date...;-)

Day 15: Fish Motifs and the Start of Inktober

 

Day 15 involves more fish, but this time co-ordinating themselves a bit better, colour-wise, and hopefully looking more goldfish and koi-carpish, for an upcoimg pattern.

In case you're thinking there's something really fishy going on here (yeah, pause to groan, that's fair :-) ), I'd been thinking about a fish pattern for a while, but was spurred into action by it being, not just Day 15 of my own minnow-like daily sketch challenge (OK, time to call the pun police...) but day one of the huge online art challenge that is Inktober. And Day One's prompt for that challenge is/was "fish".

And if you're thinking, "Isn't there some controversy around Inktober this year?", yes, you're right, But as I don't know the ins and outs of it and only want to enjoy pen and wash as normal, my thinking this year is simply to enjoy it, and to take advantage of the very many prompt lists for the event as and when they sound fun, as a way of being able to travel alongside more artists and designers, and so make my own 100-day daily challenge feel less daunting.

(And yes, for the purists, I know that some people tut at the idea of adding colour to an Inktober sketch. But art without colour? I won't say it *never* happens here, but it's rare).

Does all that make sense? I hope so. In any event, watch out for these fishy folk on a pattern near you soon.

More tomorrow.

Why PC Problems Were the Best Thing Ever (and Daily Sketches 9, 10 and 11)

 Phew-today's sketch is finally here. Not because of the sketch itself, but because the PC needed fixing.

(Sidenote if you're new here-I'm lucky enough to be married to a computer man.)

The fixing itself was no problem, because the Computer Man actually had a free morning, and bless him, got to the fixing really quickly.

But the PC's initial refusal to play nicely was the best thing ever...

How can I say that? Surely it's just stressful?

Well, yes. But it also forced me to:

a) Do an entire half-day of purely traditional pen and wash art.

Daily Sketch 9

Like this one, which shows the main ingredients of a cheese and chutney sandwich (which I found myself  yearning for at an inappropriate 11am. As with other food, once I'd drawn it, I stopped craving it. Magic!) But I digress...Also had to...

b) Move rooms whilst the PC was being fixed. (yes, we live in London. So the options for moving around the house are limited. But even a move to the sitting room was a move to different light, with different objects to normal. Like our trusty (if somewhat overgrown) rubber plant...

Daily Sketch, yes am ahead of myself, 10

and 

c) Force myself just to draw, without checking reference images on the PC, (Like these highly whimsical fish). Whose scrummy neon pink colours really haven't scanned in well at all. But who are a homage to my Mum-RIP for more years now than I can believe-whose favourite go-to doodle was anthropomorphic  fish. 

Day 11: Highly anthropomorphic fish

Which led to...

d) The discovery that *sometimes*, doing quicker, smaller art (these are all more like 2 inches or 3 inches squareish in a sketchbook) is so much more fun, more liberating, and "do-able all-round) that that's probably where I'll be heading for some of the days of this challenge.

And speaking of the challenge... I could simply have auto-posted these three images to look like they were spread over three days. In the interests of transparency though (and sanity), as discussed yesterday, I'm "telling it like it is," posting all three, and taking the weekend off.

See you Monday. Have a good one!

Beautiful New Art/Home Décor: Pink Gladioli

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

Today's post is for you if you love flowers. Specifically, loose watercolour pink gladioli, whose splooshyness and sploshiness was a completely new departure for me when watercolour went on paper wet-on-wet... But it turned into something *amazing* when applied to aprons, clothes, shower curtains, and other items by the lovely people at Redbubble.com.

For a closer look at these and other gorgeous items, just head here.

Thanks for dropping by today-more soon.