Duck Island Enterprises

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 mi...