Digital art gallery featuring work created by Aaron Rutten.
Copyright 2016-2021. All Rights Reserved.
2021
2021 has been another unusual year for us all. While it’s not over yet, you can see that I have been painting a lot of landscapes.
2020
2020 was a disaster for everyone.
I started off the year getting back into live streaming and really enjoying the landscapes I was creating. I felt like I was getting into a flow. But then things got disrupted. With less time to be creative, I had to use my time more efficiently.
Despite less output, I still managed to create some nice pieces. And my surrealism made a return.
2019
This is a year where I took it easy. I didn’t create as much content because I felt like I was overdoing it. I needed to reassess my direction as a creator.
This is just a sampling of the year, so I did make a fair amount of art, but nothing that compares to how prolific I was in my earlier years.
I’m also focusing on learning new skills in 2019. Color Gamut Masking is a technique that I begin to incorporate into nearly every painting.
2018
In 2018, I continue to challenge myself to create more detailed work. Because this work is more time-consuming, I ended up with fewer paintings in 2018.
I’m also beginning to analyze my return on investment for each painting I create. Quality versus quantity begins to influence how I create art.
2017
2017 is the period where I can finally make a living as a full-time content creator. I’ve mostly phased-out doing any sort of work-for-hire, so I’m making the majority of my income from my content. As a result, I can afford to spend more time on my art which is the impetus for some of my more-intricate paintings.
Corel Painter also releases Thick Paint which I immediately fall in love with.
2016
In 2016, I’m beginning to sell courses which inspires me to create some really detailed work. I’m also discovering the popularity of landscapes which I begin to gravitate toward creating.
2016 was the year I started live streaming on a regular basis. It was a great motivator to create art.
2015
In 2015, my YouTube channel was contributing enough to my income that I could afford to dedicate most of my time to creating content.
I chose a lot of popular painting subjects which got me out of my comfort-zone and allowed me to learn some new skills.
2014-2012
The 2012-2014 period is when I begin to realize that I can make a full-time career out of creating content for digital artists. As a result, I began to focus more on creating artwork that other artists could learn from.
2011
In 2011, I created 365 pieces of art — one for each day of the year. This is just a small sampling of that body of work.
Needless to say, I gained a huge amount of experience in 2011. While this was my most creative period, this is not a challenge I care to do again.
2010-2006
This is some of my earliest digital artwork. In this period, I’m just experimenting while trying to develop a technique and style.
I’m only just getting my feet wet selling art and painting commissions. I haven’t yet discovered how to record my work in video format.
Peppered-in is a lot of “commercial art” from my stock art portfolio. My first stock royalty was probably pocket change, but it hooked me on selling art online. Creating art that is more commercially-viable is a theme that has stuck with me.
Digital Art Resources
Learn how to create some of what you saw in this digital art gallery with free and paid lessons for artists of all skill-levels.