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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Happy Sun Illustration and Animated Gif Free Download

Hello there

Just in time for the summer solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, here's a shining sun illustration that you're welcome to download and use if you'd like.

Click, right-click or tap here to download this 
"Happy Sun" Illustration.

This bright and fun sun will add light and warmth to any social media post, newsletter or website. Use to represent summer holidays, the summer solstice, or any time a post needs cheering up. 

 It's free to you as a subscriber or visitor to BoundingSquirrel.Com, to download for personal and small business use. 

Credit and links to Clare Walker at BoundingSquirrel.Com are always appreciated, but never required. Just please don't sell it separately (my full "angel policy" terms are here if you need them).

Get this a moving gif image if you prefer

Happy Sun Animated Gif

If you'd prefer the moving version of this image, then please click or tap  here to see and download it.

Most of all, I hope this is as fun and uplifting for you as it was for me to create. Thanks so much, as ever, for being here (and for reading down this far).

Update after posting...

I wasn't going to do this, but something told me to pop this illustration onto some items at Redbubble...And they looked like this, for example...

Happy Sun Throw Pillow

See everything with this design here.

And now I really am going. But there will be...

More soon.

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A New "Digital Gouache" Style and Nature Journal Illustrations

Hello there

First of all, hope all's well with you. Second, thanks so much for hanging in there and waiting whilst the blog has been...sporadic, shall we say? :-)

"Yellow Gorse Flowers"
Nature Journal Page

Now though, I'm feeling (a bit!) happier and less nervous to unveil a new (to me) art style, that just turned up without warning and definitely seems to want to stick around. (AKA, I can't seem to do anything other than this at the moment). It started when I wanted to draw the flowers from a recent trip to Cumbria...And resulted in the gorse nature page above...

And these more dramatic Welsh poppies (also plentiful on the roadside in Cumbria a few weeks ago) that turned into a card for a friend.

"Welsh Poppies on Blue"

What is this style?

I'm not even sure how to describe this style yet. So instead, I'll just tell you how it appears to want to be done. It isn't gouache (ie completely opaque water paint). No, this is digital, using just a fat ink brush in Krita, few layers, and a tiny bit of blending.

As for what to do with this new style, I don't have a clue about that either, (yet). 

But as it does seem to want to stick around, I thought it only right to share what I know, so far.

So, please watch this space as things evolve. And thanks again (soooo much) for your patience.

More soon.

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Cards for Men: A New Cartoon and Some Ideas

Hello there

It's time for a complete change of pace today. And especially time to focus on cards for men. For upcoming Father's day cards, yes, but also occasions beyond that. Hence this barbeque cooking cartoon:

Click or tap here to see the full
cartoon, available to personalise and
buy as a download or physical card on Zazzle.

And yes, if you've been following this blog a while, you might remember that my own dad died in 2023.

But in thinking about this, I decided to honour and celebrate him via a cartoon. Because many people in my life seem to love cartoons. But few have ever loved or appreciated a funny cartoon as much as my Dad did.

And in seeing the many Father's Day and "male birthday" cards around, I noticed that they all seem to assume that Dads are barbeque masters. And I'm sure many are. But my Dad simply wasn't. 

Socialising-for sure, he'd be first to chat. Opening wine or beer bottles and being a convivial host? Absolutely.

But spending happy and productive time making edible or unsinged food behind a barbeque grill? Nope. You would never have found him there willingly, for the sake of everyone's health and safety.

And so, in the great British tradition of celebrating ineptitude, I created this card to help everyone celebrate the lovable men in their life who might *not* (yet) be a barbeque king.

But if that's not your thing...

But if that's not your thing, my Zazzle store can still help out on the "cards for men," quest.

This bowls favourite is available for bowls enthusiasts,

Funny Cartoon Bowls Birthday Card
by CartoonsbyClare

or the cards I've posted more recently for bird watchers or golfers.

And if *your* dad, father-figure or man-who-needs -a-card likes (or has other strong feelings about) tech, there's also this one, 

Fart Cartoon Birthday Card For Men
by CartoonsbyClare

Without forgetting of course, the old standby of beer:

Funny Birthday Cartoon Card: Beer Logic
by CartoonsbyClare

(And yes, I know that plenty of women drink beer, love tech, play golf, or whatever else. "Cards for men," just happens to be the focus of attention in this post).

A practical point...

And, as a point of absolute practicality rather than false scarcity, if Father's Day 2025 (Sunday 15th June) is on your mind, it would make sense to buy physical cards sooner than later.

But...

But if you're reading this later, or simply would prefer to share a virtual image. these cards are all downloadable too. (And-at the time of writing, anyway- this use via the Zazzle licence extends to personal social media use, should you choose).

So, one way or another I hope there's something that works for a male card recipient in your life here.

Finally...

I don't plan always to post my new cartoons here. If you'd like to see them as they appear (not to a schedule !) please follow me on my CartoonsbyClare store directly.

And so this means...Yes, I will still be posting things other than cartoons too (watch this space for other artwork soon).

And more than anything, I hope all's well with you.

Thanks so much for being here, and for reading down this far.

More soon.
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Update, and New Cartoon for Birders and Nature Lovers

Hello there

It's been a while, so thank you for bearing with me, and hope all is well with you.

If you remember, in my previous post, I'd solved the "Why and the how," of my seemingly ever-lasting re-set.

Well, now the what (or at least some of it) has arrived too. Drumroll...

The cartoons are coming back... 

A realisation

You see, I had a realisation whilst I was doing this birthday cartoon for a friend...

Tap or click here to sea this "Seabird Sanctuary"
cartoon on a greeting card...

That I really, really, really...still like doing cartoons....Drawing quickly, having lots of ideas, (and hopefully) helping people to have more fun and more laughter.

Making it happen

"So...", you might be thinking, "Where can I see all these wondrous cartoons?"

To which my honest answer at the moment (apart from my CartoonsbyClare Zazzle store, that is :-), is,

 "Um...mostly still on my hard drive..."

This is because I've done a large chunk of  them for fun, friends and family, up to this point.

And also because, though the more serene image of a "might-soon-be-used-avatar," for the cartoons looks like this...

The reality of the situation whilst in the throes of making it happen, tends to look more like this...

 In other words, I still have to solve the final "Where?" piece of the puzzle properly. (*And * be sure that the downloads already in my Craftsuprint shop continue too).

But it is coming, and I'm even more on the case than a luggage tag.

So, in the gentle expectation that the next post will be along quicker than this one...Thanks ever so much for sticking around and reading down this far, and I'll just say...

More soon.
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