Tiny, Whimsical Sketches for World Watercolour Month 2025

Sketches for the start of "World 
Watercolour Month 2025"
in pen and Derwent Inktense
watercolours.

Hello there

Hope all's well and thriving in your corner of the world. And speaking of "world", it now being July (How? Already?!) it's World Watercolour Month, 2025.

What is "World Watercolour Month?

The idea behind World Watercolour Month is that it's a low-pressure challenge, involving optional daily prompts (usually meaning that people need to draw something random, and interestingly-outside-normal-comfort-zones).

This year, I decided at least to start off with the prompts, but to ease the pressure on myself in what is nearly-always a hyper-busy month in this house, by doing tiny two inch square sketches, and batching my uploads somewhat. This also has the happy result that innocent onlookers  don't get deluged with disparate images day after day.

But if you'd like to know more about World Watercolour Month,  as well as seeing *lots* more art from some great people, all the details are here.

That's all from here for now-and thank you, as ever, for reading down this far.

More soon.
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A Whimsical "Fairy Door" Painting...

"Blue Fairy Door," watercolour designs
by Clare Walker, on Redbubble.com

Hello there, and hope all is going really well with you.

I have a confession to make.

Whenever I see a small wooden door (especially if it's tiny, and somewhat rustic) I immediately wonder what's on the other side...and especially, if there could be something magical at work.

In other words, I love the idea that they just *might* be  "fairy doors" ;-) .

If this describes you too, you'll love this week's design, which invites you to spread some magic on everything from your tech to your postcards.

And yes, this is the finished version of the "work-in-progress" from a few weeks ago.

And yes again, this is also available as a cute and printable sheet, if you prefer the DIY approach.


Another confession

For some reason, it took forever to make this post have any links today, therefore, am going to leave this here (so that it can actually get to you something like on time :-) ).

But thank you so much, as ever, for being here, and there will be...

More soon.

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A Happy Beach Hut Design...

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

Whether or not you're actually beside the seaside as you're reading this, today's post is all about these pretty summer beach huts, and the lovely things that are now carrying this design.

The inspiration for this design was actually British seaside beach huts. But am sure the beach vibe can travel just as far as it needs to and to beaches and lakeshores everywhere.

It turns out that although I came up with idea as a set of three downloadable craft sheets...

The design (and the pattern that came from it) loves to be on lots of fun beachy items too...

Whether you want to use it at the beach, on a tote or drawstring bag, or blanket...

Beach-Hut Patterned Tote Bag

Beach Hut Patterned Drawstring Bag

Happy Beach Hut Throw Blanket

Or just put a bit of beachy vibe into your life every day, whether in a really watery way (like this shower curtain)...

Happy Beach Hut Shower Curtain

Or a completely different one... This look suits everything it seems, from a desk mat to a mug...

Happy Beach Huts Desk Mat

Happy Beach Huts Mug

Whatever your preference, thanks for reading down this far, and may some seaside happiness be with you, one way or another.

More soon.

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New Whimsical Design: "Fairies Live Here"

 Well, that took a bit longer than I thought...

Fairies Live Here Cushion
by BoundingSquirrel

At the end of last week, the actual artwork for this design was almost finished. But it's taken some time to turn it into a proper collection at Zazzle.

Fairies Live Here Doormat
by BoundingSquirrel

It's worth it, though.  You can leave these items as you are, and have an ultimate-in-whimsy garden sign, throw pillow, mug, doormat and more. Or you can personalise all the text to say whatever you want alongside the art showing a fairy in a flower... I'm guessing that people's names will be popular, or "Welcome,". But I could be wrong. 

What text would you add in this design?

Fairies Live Here Coffee Mug
by BoundingSquirrel

In any event, enjoy these designs, which you can see as a collection here.

More very soon.

Day 39: Polar Bears and Northern Lights Cartoon

 This seemed appropriate as the nights have started drawing in and the clocks have just turned back...

Day 24's Sketch: Work-in Progress "Punny Dog" Number 2-"Border Collie.."

 

This is work in progress-it still doesn't look in the least like it does in my head (!). But in the interests of keeping up with the challenge, am posting the concept of this now, to polish later.

Hope you're having a great weekend. 

New Digital Painting: "Lilacs"

Whenever the world feels turbulent (and there's a lot of it about as I'm writing) something in me decides, most determinedly, to spend a little time in a world of whimsy. 

And so, whilst it might or might not be spring for you as you're reading this, please let yourself do the same. And allow the colours of these spring lilacs to be a part of your world, too.

If you fancy putting the feeling of this into, your life, these lilacs also look gorgeous on an easy-hang Displate metal poster.

Have a great weekend, and more soon.

Clare

New Digital Painting: Whimsical Sleepy Fox

"Sleepy Fox" (whimsical digital watercolour in Krita 4.2) 

This sleepy little fox taught me two things today.

1) It is *always* worth taking a photo of something appealing the second you see it. In this case, I was glad that hubby and I had spotted and photoed this sleepy fox in a neighbour's garden during the summer. (It's a bleak, dark, rainy and windy day in December as I type this...And let me tell you *nothing* in the garden right now will beat this sleepy summer fox. :-)

2) Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it's also *always* worth persevering. I nearly gave up on this little guy several times during the sketching process, doubting the angle ("His trademark tail is hidden..Oh, no!") the shape, and even the colours. But all in all, am glad I kept going.

Am still going to wait overnight for the mysterious "art fairy" to work her magic, and let me know whether there's more that I need to do here. But just for now, I'm going to leave this here and chill, just like our foxy friend here.

More soon...

A Special Announcement...

Special announcement... Ooooh, this is exciting...I've been approved to compete in this year's Wraptious Christmas Competition, with these designs (available on either prints or cushions).

It's effectively a pop-up Christmas shop, with three trees planted for every order placed.

But whether you just want to buy or browse, I really need your help. This is because every single like and share I receive until Friday 13th December counts as a vote in the competition.

So, please visit, like and share this page: https://www.wraptious.com/collections/autumn-2019-submissions-by-clare-walker

Many, many thanks!

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!

New Digital Painting: Whimsical Blue-Purple Delphiniums

It's 1st of January as I post this...so of course a good blast of summer flowers was an obvious choice...:-). They're also my first post in joining the CreativeEveryDay project again. And if you're in the mood and need gifts for upcoming birthdays, have also popped them in my Redbubble shop

Hope you like them whenever you're reading this though. More soon!

New Whimsical Illustration: "Be Bold, Be Brave, Be Awesome

Doodled this a few days ago, and posted it to the Creative Every Day group on Facebook. Was never going to post publicly, but it seemed to resonate with people there, so am posting it here so that it's shareable.

This is only a lo-res image, but feel free to share and download (right-click and save) if it appeals to you too.

New Digital Painting...(Plus, A Hedgehog Finds His Calling...)

This autumn birch tree is a new digital painting (based on a beautiful one in the ever-whimsical Holland Park).

It's also sat around on my hard-drive for a week . Was going to post it, but fell into the trap (as ever), of feeling that it needed a "purpose".

Then it occurred to me, that for now at least, it being beautiful was quite enough. So for now at least, you can pop it on your wall in a variety of ways, here.

And now, about that hedgehog...

Besides, it's the things I draw for "no reason", or which, "didn't go the way I planned", that have a funny habit of turning out best in the end.

 Taking the prize currently for "longest time between design and ideal purpose," is a certain hedgehog sketch from over ten months ago.


The other day, it being the first truly wet autumnal one we'd had this year, I suddenly had a *huge* urge to hibernate. Figuring that I might not be the only one, I then wondered how to put that onto a  mug. (it being certain that even those humans who *want* to hibernate will be more likely to drink from a mug than actually to curl up for six months).

But how to illustrate this? All at once, it came to me...And here's the hedgehog, resplendent on his mug, and absolutely *the* best animal with whom to illustrate the idea that, "Sometimes, you just need to hibernate..."

Hedgehog Mug: Sometimes You Just Need to Hibernate Coffee Mug
by BoundingSquirrel

So there you have it-the two sides of autumn. Glorious colours versus impending hibernation. That just about wraps it up for this post. I'll leave you with Hedgehog, proudly taking up his place with the other designs in the "Cosy Autumn Mugs" collection.

Til next time...

=

New Digital "Line & Wash" Painting: Foxgloves

So the rain finally stopped the other day (and yes, I am posting this in *June*...) and the Computer Man and I decided on a day out in Richmond Park.

Also confess, it was also the Computer Man who correctly identified these flowers that we saw as foxgloves, rather than lupins, as I'd thought. (An important distinction, given how deadly poisonous these lovely-but-lethal plants actually are, by all accounts).

Anyway, the other point to note, if you're into such things is that this is still ArtRage 4, with pen and watercolour settings..but using splosher brushes that I finally discovered you can make yourself within the program. (I've only had ArtRage for the last two years, after all...:-)


Enjoy-and more soon.

New Digital Watercolour: Whimsical Pink Clematis

This is a new digital watercolour painting of a clematis flower. I actually took one of the reference photos for it nearly five years ago...and can only now even begin to feel I'm doing it justice.

Back then, the best I could do was some arty processing of the photo.

These days, this is a proper stroke-by-stroke digital watercolour (with the graphics pen and ArtRage 4, as you might guess.)

And if you weren't expecting a post after the end of the challenge on Friday...well...I *did* take a couple of days off. And I still won't necessarily post every day. But I missed this so much, just had to get back to it.

Enjoy!

Daily Illustration #100: Tortoise & Hare (Digital Painting & Final Day of the Daily Illustration Challenge)

It's here. Daily illustration 100. Thought the "tortoise and the hare" was appropriate. not just because it's the end of the challenge, but also because it's been interesting to cultivate patient and slower "tortoise"-like ways and let my "inner, impatient hare" take a back seat.  Plus it's helped me to  cement and build up work in my new style, that now feels like second nature.

Would I do it again? In a heart beat. Would I recommend or help you to do it? You bet! (please let me know in the comments if you would or wouldn't do a 100 day project like this yourself).

And, will I keep drawing? Absolutely.

In fact, as the phrase goes, it feels like I'm, "missing it already".

I'll also still be posting new illustrations and digital paintings regularly, and creating something every day. The only change is that I won't necessarily be posting an illustration onto the blog every day. Which means more time for learning, for developing my own courses and projects for which people have asked or suggested, and for linking and interacting with more people, places and websites than I've had chance to recently.

So this isn't the end. If anything, it's simply the "end of the beginning" of something so joyful (and now so well ingrained) that there will be more.

But right now, it's time to celebrate. And whilst the tortoise in that picture may be delighted with lettuce, it's time to celebrate these hundred days with something a little stronger tonight...

Daily Illustration #97: Fluffy Bees on Fluffy Catkins

OK, so this is another challenge that may or may not have come off. The other day we saw the fluffiest bumblebees, feasting on fluffy catkins. It was all pollen and cute delightfulness.

Have had about zero time to complete this today, but wanted to do something towards capturing the moment before the feeling faded, even if I come back and readdress it in much more detail (and fluffiness. Did I mention the fluffiness? ;-)
 later.

More tomorrow.

Daily Illustration #96: Zebra

Wanted to draw a zebra weeks ago, but am glad I left it this long, as he was surprisingly tricky. Just like dogs are defined by their fur, this guy is pretty much completely defined by his stripes. (It turns out that even zebra manes and tails are stripey, which I'd never noticed before).

Anyway, this was daily illustration 96. Just four more days to go until the end of this challenge.

(In answer to a query about this, after the 100 days, I'll still be drawing on most days, and posting often. It'll just give me more time for eg, paintings that take longer than a day to complete, and learning new techniques).

More tomorrow.

PS.(April 7th) In relation to the Creative Everyday "Rainbow" theme for April 2016, someone asked about adding a rainbow. This was the thought I had. Didn't like it at first, but it's growiug on me...

What do you think? Do you prefer this zebra plain or "rainbowed."? Please do comment and let me know what you think.