Duck Island Enterprises

I'm working on my bio page for my artfire.com sellers account. I am almost to the point of having stuff to sell ONLINE!!! I'm super psyched, my store is under "Duck Island" for obvious reasons.  Check it out soon!! But...um...wait a day or two til I have items set up to sell? Thanks so much!!

Actually, for me, I've been working on stuff for Christmas shoppers since June. And somehow, I have no inventory.  I keep selling stuff to Val's Vintage in Excelsior, so I can't spend enough time working on my own store! It's kinda a great problem to have. However, I need to work on more inventory for my store before I open it on Etsy or on ArtFire.  I have 1 neck scarf, 1 pair fingerless gloves (DONE) and 1 fingerless glove waiting for a mate, and one infinity scarf that is OH SO COOL!!!! My brain is broke...

I got my lovely iPad and have been using it for pretty much everything ever since.  I have a lot of stuff to announce including MY ORIGINAL DESIGNS ARE IN A REAL STORE!!! WOOHOO!!!!!! I have stuff to post of ics and suchlike of my work, but I'm kinda really spacy so...I will type the rest of my news up later!

I have an idea!! The knitting I'm doing is really not going to pay the bills any time soon.  I wanted to get into pet portraiture because I know first-hand how people spend an astonishing amount of money on their pets.  I am one of those who will spend way more money on my kitty than I will spend on me. So! Custom knit pet apparel. Awesome, no? I need to get my affairs in order and figure out how to keep accounts and grrrrrrr type stuff before I develop this idea into anything presentable. MY iPAD COMES ON FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! woo HOO!!! I'll be using it to keep track of everything and take pictures and suchlike type things. Presentations will be SO much easier when I can show a picture instead of hunting around in an over-stuffed bag for samples.  I'll have samples, of course, but I can show pictures first and then if there's interest, show the sample. Oh and showing off my watercolor portfolio will be a tap! like a snap, but even easier!!! No m

Anyone who knows me is aware that I'm only interested in money for the things it does.  I love getting things, and more than that I love HAVING things.  Fortunately, I keep my interest and enjoyment of the things I get well after I get them.  I'm not interested in the latest and greatest, I don't need to have any more money than what I need to live comfortably on and maybe pay for a few luxuries. The fact is, money is nice, but I only see it as a means to an end, like possibly to obtain more yarn or paints or...damn I need to start painting again, I have that 22x30" commission to be done by October.... And this is me having taken my ADD meds!!! Anyway! I'm finally at a point where I might actually start MAKING money instead of just spending it.  2b Inspired has bought one scarf, ordered 6 others, and now the owner has a kind of catalog (I put it together) for some scarves priced at in a way that I can't LOSE money by filling the order!  I found a good websi

Hello Readers! I have a meeting on Friday with the owner of 2 b Inspired, and thought I'd store some links here for reference.  The presentation I'm putting together isn't going as smoothly as I'd hoped, so I'm gonna link up the pages I'm getting info from.  I'm hoping to manage to get a binder (well, 2, one for me to reference, and one for her to keep) together, but getting the pictures to cooperate is...well...labor intensive.  SO! As much as I hate to advertise another business that I'm not getting something back from...er...that doesn't sound quite right.  I prefer to use this blog as advertising for me and the businesses I work with since the other businesses I use get sufficient advertising elsewhere...yeah that sounds right.  Anyway, I'm using my favorite online yarn store for info and links, but I am not advocating it...although I do love the customer service from them. I have a sample of the following knit up as an example: http://

My Market Consultant is away at her other job this summer. Poor me.  I'll have to figure stuff out alone...which actually hasn't been too bad! I have more work!! I finished my sister's shirt, birthday present in time for her Birthday this past week! Or is it next week? Interweb stalkers, you have been foiled in your stalking attempts, haHA!!! I was looking for the local bead store, and in asking for directions and wandering around like an idiot (which I do oh, so well!) I found this cute little artsy shop called 2 B Inspired.  It prides itself in helping out local artists, half the inventory is from locals.  So of course, being shameless, I ask if there's room for another artist.  YUP!!!! Now I need to work up a biography or blurb about my process, already I have a couple copies of paintings for the owner to hang up with a notecard about what I do. Now I'm also knitting some scarves for her store! WOOO!!!! Maybe market bags too, I just need to make sure I have

I'm working on a bunch of knitting and kicking Jean's seascape into high gear.  She approved the sketch I made, so I am getting ready to stretch the paper.  I'll be doing studies of palm trees and mangroves and suchlike and may be posting them here. In knitting news, I'm almost half done with my Lace Scarf!!!  Market bags are coming along. Mom's sweater back is done!! Working on her stockings, finished her blue scarf (yay money!) slowly getting her belt done...wow, I'm spoiling my mother with knitty stuff I guess.  I mean, she IS paying for half of it so maybe she's giving me business, but woooooww....I am really scattered today. I have more news to post when I get my head back.  Sister shirt to start, work on cables, work with other stuff...OH!! I found a new local store I can maybe sell my stuff when I get my inventory up!! I have GOT to work on those portfolio pieces again. Since I want this site to ATTRACT business and reassure people that I am actua

UPDATE TIME!!! My most interesting project at the present time is one given to me by Teresa Ruch of Teresa Ruch Designs, check her out at www.teresaruchdesigns.com. I'm knitting the Bird of Juno Scarf using her yarn and her pattern.  SO PRETTY!!!! Here's how it happened: Mums and I were wandering around the Hood River Fiber Festival. Stopping to admire her yarn, we struck up a conversation where I idly mentioned I wanted to make money knitting things.  Wonder of wonders, Teresa gave me a pattern, a hank of yarn, and said, "Go ye forth, and knit me a sample!" Something like that, anyway. I hope this leads to other things, she gave me lots of ideas on how to make money knitting, with samples, finishing work, all sorts of things to look into. As for my painting work, that I need to get back to work on.  I'm working on a seascape sketch for a commission and a few things for my portfolio. So it goes E

That's referring to me.  I've been kinda lax.  Ok, so really really absent minded when it comes to blogging.  I'd flagellate myself a bit more but that could get dull really fast. OREGON! The wedding was beautiful. My cousin could barely speak his vows, and they looked so incredibly happy. I'm so glad I could make it out there for many a reason. The day was glorious, the food was great, I connected with my aunts and uncles in a way that was more adult, life is very very good. I will post pics of the wine cozy when I find the camera, it turned out LOVELY! Also while there, Mums and I stopped by a fiber festival, and I gots a commission!!!!! No job at Blicks for now, but they're keeping my application at the top of the pile!! More later, I have friends coming over and my place is a bit too much like a yarn/art store for entertaining. Toodles! E

I've been a horrible blogger.  No word for what...2, 3 weeks ish?  My poor readers must be wondering what they did wrong to be so neglected! I've been busy knitting like a demon! One market bag down, one almost finished, flowers, oh and a really big deal...Cousin's wedding gift is finished! I'll post pictures soon, he gets married on Saturday!!! Some of you may be wondering about the Blick's job I interviewed for.  Well, I interviewed a second time (!!!) and will know by Wednesday what's what.  I just hope I don't get a job offer provisional on me being there this weekend, since the wedding is this weekend and I really wanted to go.  If I do get an offer, then I guess I don't see my cousin for a few years since he's all the way out in Oregon.  I wish I would have said something in the interview, but I didn't think the timing would work out this way!! I delivered my first finished commission on Thursday! It's of Luvie.  I don't have

I missed last week's update because I got...let me think...11 or so skeins of yarn last Monday.  WHEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Knitty knitty knitty knitty knitty knitty... INTERVIEW AT BLICK'S TUESDAY!!!!!!! Wish me luck! Mom's "Check This" belt is started and half done, I have been working on a market bag to sell at The Booth (aka The Farmers Market Booth, aka TFMB) made of recycled cotton yarn, working on a market bag in white to donate to a fundraiser for a certain person who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, working working working and yet it seems like nothing is getting DONE!!! Therefore, this week is Painty Week.  Again with the commission work, here's where I am: 1.) Luvie: so close to done, it's hard to work on because it's really hard to fix mistakes made at this point.  I need to suck it up and put on an audio book and PAINT 2.)Molly: I have 2 of her. The 140 lbs is about 2 days from being done, but I want to give them the higher quality

 Trying again with some pictures of WIPs:

In life we all need to do the right amount of work, the right amount of exercise, fun, friends, sleep, etc...right now it's a struggle for me to balance my knitting with my watercolor.  Both are fun, investments in learning and potentially lucrative.  So, my goals are as last week's: my commissions. But for your viewing pleasure, here are some photo updates on my work! Or not.  I'll mess with the photos in the morning, this is getting ridiculous. I'm off to bang my head against a wall or two. Cheers! E

Since I've only managed to post about once/week, I think that I post text once/week, and pictures of my progress once/week...although I will be posting long-overdue photos of many of my projects tomorrow. Well, I've now finished one knitted dishcloth for the farmers market booth, as well as several flowers.  O's scarf is done! I want to buy more yarn to make more hot pads, but must complete more projects before I'm allowed.  Maybe even make some money with the commissions I STILL haven't finished. So the commissions are what I focus on this week.  1. H's dogs, 7x10 2. H's sunset(sunrise?) of Lake Superior, 24x36 3. Princess Fiona, 5x7(2 of them) 4. Princess Fiona, 8x10 5. Luvie, 9x12 6. Molly, 9x12 And a new one! 7. Florida Coast, 22x30 As for knitting, I'm going to work on flowers and focus on finishing my poncho to free my #10 needles for placemats. Oh and work on that watercolor bed that Artworks is willing to take on consignment! Have

Typing this from an ipad. Odd. I got the flowers done! Pictures soon to come. Midweek, a migraine put my creativity out of commission thus I got a lot more knitting done. I'll post goals and pics tomorrow from a real computer.

Heh, heh, ooops.  Totally spaced on Friday's post, so a quick overview of what I actually accomplished. New business cards arrived in the mail today! Knitting:  I finished Mom's swirly scarf, worked on some flowers to be felted, finished all the letters on O's scarf, and tried a couple dishcloth patterns.  I now have an employee! Sort of.  I'll wait til I have explicit permission to use her full name on here.  I'm a little out of touch with what people want, since what I want is very rarely the most popular thing.  I have no real desire to tap into the "mainstream mind," not that there's anything wrong with it, I'm not sure I could in any case.  Therefore, a friend of mine has agreed to be a Market Consultant, to help me make sure I'm making products people will want.  YAAAYYYY!!!! Painting: I hit a block around Thursday, when I realized that my values for Luvie were way off.  So I got some tracing paper to do tracings of photos, then penci

Torchwood is back to being free to view on Amazon Prime! It was very disconcerting having established a routine of having Dr. Who-related shows on in the background while I paint, then not having that option since I'm a starving artist type and can't afford to buy both paper AND TV shows. Vistaprint.com helped out with some 250 free business cards that I only had to pay shipping on. There's advertising in it for them, and until I have a logo/main painting settled on to represent my business it's a great trade off. I've also decided to add small knitting and felting projects to Duck Island Enterprises, pending feasibility experiments. I'm hoping to make a farmers market booth with aromatherapy, felted potholders/flowers/other, the odd scarf or shawl, and a few small paintings practical. My serious goals for this week(in no particular order) are: 1. Finish my Collie, start a new line-free version of the drawing.(portfolio) 2. Finish 1 of my 2 Luvie paintings (

Reporting In! Well, I got some work done.  About a day's worth of painting in a week. But hey! I'm getting paint to paper, yeah? Actually, that's not quite fair to me.  I've gotten rather a lot done, and would have done more but... once Sherlock is out of his kennel for the day, I reach a point I need a break or need to let stuff dry I sit down in the Living room and pick up my knitting.  Next thing I know, I've got an adorable min pin on my lap who I don't want to disturb since he's not getting into mischief and he's so darn cute...Ah well, the scarf will be done sooner I guess.  Next week....hairdryer methinks. I have gotten work done on: And the pictures refuse to upload. Watson is done.  Luvie is now black.  2 Kitties are sketched in with watercolor, one of whom has wings cuz she said I could. I've gotten some work done on the bedroom scene (oooh that sounds naughty. It's literally just a bed against a window, but it's pretty) t

I started this blog in part to show off my work, but primarily to be accountable to something other than myself.  So far, not really working.  Therefore, I should have a plan to post regularly, say...Mondays to discuss what work I will be doing that week and Fridays to recap what I've gotten done.  I'll try to keep it interesting, and give the occasional how-to of something spiffy I didn't know when I first started painting. Since it's been a while, I've got to admit that painting has kinda gotten pushed aside in favor of knitting.  I now have 2 spiffy potholders I knitted and felted, and Grandmother LOVES the scarf I gave her for her birthday!  I'm also working on O's scarf in my downtime.  Designing the stitching is really fun but often bang-head-against-wall frustrating. Now for painting: I'm almost done with 2 wips, a Collie and Watson.  I'll finish both of those this week, as well as significant work on Luvie and Princess Fiona.  I'm goi

One of my biggest time sinks is experimentation. Well, that and getting caught up in the audio books and TV shows I have on for background noise.  Regardless, experimenting with different paper and techniques takes up a good deal of time that could be used working with established techniques producing an established level quality of work which is, if I may say so, rather on the higher side than the lower. (Well, that went on a bit long.) So why continue to do it? Because I'll never let my current level of skill be "enough."  Because there's so much I don't know yet.  Because it can pay off like it just DID! You recall my problems with grid lines? Well, problem solved! I discovered this absolutely marvelous product, water soluble pencils.  Wonderful things, those. I use Derwent, hardness HB for grids and...well,  I'll be posting a detailed how-to beginning to end (with pictures!) when I use the process next. In short, the result is a perfectly sketched, stret

First of all, I need to state that I love making mistakes.  Rather, I love learning from mistakes.  Unfortunately, my mistake happened on the 16x20 portrait of Sherlock on art board.  Now the learning part: do not try new things on anything big.  Also: never accept a gift of a Christmas tree if you have a recently regenerated recovering Time Lord in the apartment. I'm watching Doctor Who on Amazon in the background, you see. ON to the promised work: A bit much for all at once, but there you are. I'll limit myself to one or two works per post for the most part.  But here's some of my work! Landscape, tentatively titled "Future Path", a Christmas gift to my father I'm not sure how this works, if you want to look at it more closely I think you can blow it up. Molly, E.& Sherlock, WIPs Watson, WIP Random Collie, from reference photo. Also WIP An experimental WIP for a 3' long panorama seascape for my sister Princess

Well, people keep asking me if I have a website, because they want to see what kind of work I do.  Well, I caved.  I'll use this place to post pictures of WIPs (works in progress), finished works, and overall discuss how the business is going.  It will keep me accountable.  Now a bit of an intro: I'm Elizabeth Kramer, Artist and Artisan and CEO of Duck Island Enterprises.  Right now, I'm working on mostly Pet Portraiture by passion and commission, although I will paint just about anything, any size as long as there's a picture of it.  In addition to painting animals, I hope to work on original, fantasy artwork once I establish myself.  Lucky Dog, a local grooming salon, was kind enough to agree to display some of my pet portraits as advertising. As for training, I've been drawing for as long as I can recall.  At the University of Minnesota, Duluth, I was a Theater Arts major focusing on the design side of things while studying Math and Art as minors.  Although I h