Digital Art Blog and Illustration Tutorials

Understanding Digital Art - Questions & Answers

2010-07-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

To be successful as an artist, the general public must be able to value the craftsmanship of my work. The purpose of this Q&A article is to help people who are unfamiliar with digital art, understand how to accept and appreciate this new medium. The questions are based on dialog I have had with artists and art collectors.

Q: How do you create your digital artwork?

A: I illustrate by hand, using a digital pen and tablet. Software allows me to create a painting, using the computer screen as my canvas. The software simulates traditional mediums like chalk, oil, and watercolor. It gives me the freedom to mix mediums, and create elaborate compositions in my own unique style.

Watch my live painting demonstration video on YouTube

Q: Is digital a legitimate medium?

A: That's a silly question. -- There are a lot of people who fear what they don't yet understand. Is art produced with oil on canvas any more legitimate than art made with chalk on paper? Art is not defined by a medium, it is defined by the artist.

I may not be using a physical pigment while creating my work, but I am drawing on my lifetime of art education and talent for illustration. I'm using traditional painting techniques to develop my illustrations. I'm sketching, painting, smudging, erasing, blending, and tinting. I'm using color and value. I'm painting still-life, or just from my imagination.

Q: How long does it take you to finish a digital painting?

A: On average, I spend anywhere from 10 to 30 hours on a single painting, depending on how detailed the composition is.

Q: How is digital art viewed?

A: I believe that digital art is best viewed on a large digital LED screen. However, I also make high quality prints of my work on canvas and paper.

Much like the evolution of music, art is becoming more portable. With the Internet, I can sell and exhibit my art anywhere in the World. Collectors of my art can display my illustrations on their TV, phone, and computer.

Q: If your work can be replicated infinitely, does it lose value?

A: No, it does not lose value. I often sell my originals, including the copyrights to my paintings. Are the lithograph prints from Rembrandt's etchings any less valuable because they can be mass produced? It's great to be able to sell and print digital reproductions. I can even license my artwork for limited commercial use where my artwork gains additional exposure, more than if I were solely dependent on exhibiting and selling though a physical gallery.

Q: If making digital art is more convenient for you, does that make it cheating?

A: Not at all. We have evolved as a species to use technology to make things easier.
In this modern age, it's quite difficult to make a living as a traditional artist. I make a successful living as an illustrator because I can produce art in a shorter time frame, which results in more affordable pricing and consistent sales. There is a high demand for digital art and digital artists. I'm simply evolving along with the art form.

Because the medium is so new, I'm encouraged to pioneer my own techniques. It is an additional challenge to use a digital medium to produce illustrations which resemble traditional paintings.

Q: Do you ever create art without a computer?

A: Yes. I often draw with ink pens in my sketchbook.
I've spent my entire life illustrating. I prefer to create art on the computer because I enjoy the process more. Because I'm more comfortable, I'm more productive, and my work is more organized.

Q: Where can I buy your digital art?

A: Follow the link below to visit my online store, where you can purchase posters, canvas prints and official merchandise featuring my artwork.

Now that you know how much time, talent, and passion I put into creating my art, I hope you can appreciate the unique qualities which make digital art special.

If you enjoyed this article, please show your support by:

1. Liking me on Facebook

2. Following Me on Twitter

3. Purchasing posters, canvas prints and other merchandise
from my Zazzle Store

4. Hiring me for your graphic design or illustration project. (Logos, commissioned artwork, portraits + more.)

Aaron Rutten, Seattle Illustrator & Graphic Designer | www.surrealpixelstudio.com | aaronrutten@gmail.com

Digital Art Tutorial: How to Paint Clouds with Corel Painter

2010-05-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

Painting Clouds With Corel Painter 11
by Aaron Rutten
www.surrealpixelstudio.com

Watch the live video tutorial on YouTube
17:00 HD video tutorial recorded in real-time with live audio narration by the artist.

Copyright 2010 Aaron Rutten. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

Surrealist Sketchbook II by Aaron Rutten

2010-04-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Surrealist Sketchbook II
by Aaron Rutten
www.surrealpixelstudio.com

Ink illustrations from 2008

Copyright 2008-2010 Aaron Rutten. All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

How To License & Sell Your Artwork & Photography As Stock Imagery

2010-04-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

With websites such as dreamstime and shutterstock, anyone is capable of turning a hard drive full of digital images into into extra income. Something you once thought of as just a hobby could actually be earning you royalties, and your work could be viewed by people all over the world. -- Maybe even featured in a prestigious publication.

The following is an overview of how you can get started as a Stock Photographer.

1. Build A Portfolio

You probably already have a good collection of images to pick from. Try to find your best 5 images. Almost every Stock Agency will ask you to submit samples to be approved as a Photographer.

The two main factors of passing the approval process are QUALITY and VIABILITY.

Good quality images are 8+ megapixel, hi-res jpeg, tiff or Camera Raw files. (The bigger the better.) You should apply some basic touch up editing with Photoshop or photo editing software.

Bad quality images are blurry/out of focus, noisy/grainy/pixelated, under/overexposed and have poor composition. Saving a jpeg/.jpg file as a jpeg multiple times will degrade a file. Always save your photos as TIFF, PNG, PSD, Camera RAW, or your camera's native format.

Viability is a bit more subjective, but is basically defined as an image's potential for commercial use based on content. Almost any image could be considered viable if put into a proper context, so it's up to you to substantiate your concept with composition, title, description and keywords.

Some things are too viable and will likely get rejected. -- Like non-contextual photos of pets, clouds or close ups of eyeballs.

Also be aware of copyright infringement. -- Don't let anything like logos, artwork, sculptures etc into your composition or you may not be able to sell the image.
If you take photos of people, you will have to get a signed model release to use their likeness.

Once you have selected your top 5 images, you can start applying for agencies.

2. Stock Image Agencies

There are tons of Stock Image websites to choose from. I recommend these top 7 ranked by personal preference and number of sales:

Shutterstock
Dreamstime
BigStockPhoto
Fotolia
CanStockPhoto
123rf
Crestock

I've found most of the other agencies out there don't produce enough sales to justify maintaining an account. Unless you want to, don't agree to be exclusive to any one agency. -- You can license your work anywhere you want.

3. Image Approval

Each agency has different standards, but generally if your images are good quality and commercially viable, you should have no trouble getting approved.

If your images are rejected, try a different agency. If you're still getting rejected, you may need to build a better portfolio and try again.

4. Upload Your Images

Once an agency has approved your work, upload your top 5 images to start with, and then add the rest later once you are familiar with the submission process.
Each time you submit an image, it will have to be approved by the agency. This takes 4-5 days on average.

When uploading images, you will need to provide information about each image.
A good description and keywords are almost more important than image viability.

An accurate description allows you to put your image into a context. Keywords will help people find your image in a search.

For example, a photo of a leaf could be marketed as nature, recycling, landscaping, etc... Get creative and try to imagine who would use that image and for what purpose.

If you have Adobe Bridge or a way to enter meta data into your file, add your description and keywords directly to the file before uploading. This will save you from having to re-type the information multiple times when submitting to several agencies.

Once all of your images are submitted, hang tight and wait for the agency to approve your work. This is a good time to fill out your personal profile and check out all of the features the agency has to offer.

You will want to look for the options which specify how each image can be licensed. I suggest taking advantage of every option available except Agency EXCLUSIVITY. With dreamstime, you can even set a price to sell your image, copyright and all.

5. Make Money

Once your images are approved and online, you should begin to see downloads.
The quantity and quality of images you have available will dictate how often your work gets purchased. I suggest adding as many images as possible and make sure you keyword them well.

6. Increasing Sales

Here are some other tips for increasing the viability of your portfolio.
Start by looking at what other people are selling. Shutterstock has a page that shows you popular keyword searches and top images sold.

Consider why people need stock images. A pizza shop just opened down the street, maybe they need a photo of a cheese pizza for their menu.

Go out and shoot photography. Concentrate on things that make for viable imagery.

Upload frequently. Most agencies feature newly uploaded work on the main page or in a specialized search query.

7. Final Notes

You should now be well on your way to collecting royalties from your image collection. It may take you a few months to accumulate enough money to get paid out via check or PayPal, but it will happen. You can accelerate the process by being active and following the tips in this article.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me for advice.
Once your portfolio is up and running, send me a link so I can check out your work.

Here are links to two of my portfolios:
Dreamstime
Shutterstock

Aaron Rutten | aaronrutten@gmail.com | www.surrealpixelstudio.com

Dionysus DIGITAL ART Painting Tutorial

2010-02-25T01:33:00.000-08:00

Digital Art Tutorial: Overview Of The Digital Painting Process

Dionysus (Feb 2010)

1. Initial sketch.

2. Defining overlapping layers with flat colors.

3. Fleshing out 3D shapes and designating colors in isolation.

4. Adding the background basics to establish shading and environment colors.

5. Adding hilights and shadows to the background.

6. Adding more elements to the composition.

7. Fleshing out the remaining basic elements.

8. Adding details and accessories to each element.

9. Rendering the final lighting and fine details.

10. Adding the final touches to the composition.

11. Enhancing the environment with tinting, depth of field and vignetting.

12. Finished version with final touch ups applied.

Copyright 2010 Aaron Rutten. All Rights Reserved.
www.surrealpixelstudio.com

Featured Artwork from 2009 by AARON RUTTEN

2010-02-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

The Greatest Hits of 2009

Thousand Arm Buddha

Ginerva

Son Of Magritte

The Satyr

Drowning In Sleep

Tea Party
(Published In Drink Me Magazine, San Francisco)

A Textbook Surrealist Landscape

Escape Route
(Awarded as the 5 Millionth image featured on Dreamstime.com)

Rabbit Hole
(Published In Drink Me Magazine, San Francisco)

Dexter

Copyright 2008-2010 Aaron Rutten

Jan 2010 Surrealist Artwork - Digital Paintings by Aaron Rutten

2010-02-19T02:39:00.000-08:00

"Siren"

"Pablo 2"

"Caligula"

Copyright 2009-2010 Aaron Rutten. All Rights Reserved.

Official Website & Art Gallery | Facebook Fan Page

Digital Art Illustration & Graphic Design Services - $35 per hour.

Professional Logo Design Packages - $150 to $250

Posters & Canvas Prints available.

Digital LED Frames pre-loaded with 100+ original art images

What is Digital Art? - Defining Digital Artwork by Seattle Surrealist, Aaron Rutten

2010-02-19T01:34:00.000-08:00

What is ART?
Art is independent of medium. - It is neither canvas, nor paint. -- Art is defined by its creator.

Fundamentally, visual art is a representation of our expressions, created consciously or subconsciously through the skilled utilization of physical analogs. - It is a powerful and effective way of sharing our unique imaginations with others.

What is DIGITAL ART?
Digital Art is hand illustrated artwork which has been created by drawing brushstrokes with a pressure sensitive pen onto an electronic canvas, called a "tablet."

Advanced illustration software grants modern Artists the freedom to choose from realistic brushes which behave like traditional mediums such as oil paint, watercolor, and chalk.

With proper knowledge of traditional art techniques, Digital Artists can convincingly
imitate paint on canvas or mix mediums to develop their own personal styles.

How is DIGITAL ART made?
Smearing pigments onto wood pulp with animal hair on a stick is scarcely a notch above stone age cave drawings. - It's time to move forward, folks.

Digital Art is composed by arranging pixels on a computer monitor. - Think of it like painting with tiny points of light that project color into your eyes.

Aside from the computer hardware used to store the data, Digital Artwork its self has no physical mass and it can be reproduced infinitely without cost. The illustration is defined in a large data file which will last forever and will never degrade, so long as the data is preserved.

Where can I find DIGITAL ART?
Whether you can spot it or not, Digital Art is everywhere. It is the standard format for creating art illustrations for print and web design.

Some of the most common applications for Digital Artwork are canvas reproductions, t-shirt designs, web graphics and stock imagery. However, with the development of better and more affordable LED technology, cutting-edge science has enabled Digital Artists to display entire collections of their work on ultra thin LED displays.

> Watch my LED Art Frame video demo on YouTube

From wall mounted hi-definition TVs to sleek tabletop photo frames, LED displays compliment the exhibition of Digital Art with unrivaled image prominence and visual depth. - Enjoy a clear uninterrupted window into each illustration.

> LED Art Frame Ordering Info

As viable intellectual property, Digital Art is widely distributed across the internet where it is sold, licensed, and displayed in endless galleries throughout the world.

What makes DIGITAL ARTISTS unique?
Digital Artists are not bound by the constraints of buying costly and environmentally unfriendly art supplies. They create and exhibit amazing works of art without harming our trees or the environment, and the money they save on materials allows for the provision of more affordable goods and services.

Personally, I've noticed I worry far less about making mistakes because I can easily edit individual elements of my illustrations without having to rework unnecessary areas of the artwork. There is no messy clean up and all of my artwork and tools are organized in one convenient place.

This often lends a positive attitude and makes the art creation process more enjoyable for me. I can focus on improving my technique and it allows me to dedicate more of my time and creativity to my work.

Who are DIGITAL ARTISTS?
Digital Artists like myself are tech savvy, creative dynamos, who ride the edge of technology on a wave of artistic talent into an infinite horizon of possibility.

Liberated from the constraints of archaic tools and methods, we have transcended tradition into a paradise of limitless imagination. - We are Digital Pioneers, actively defining the structure of our own emerging art form. -- Passionately writing our own ticket to success and constantly redefining the popular opinion of what is or is not "real art."

- Aaron Rutten
www.surrealpixelstudio.com
www.facebook.com/pages/Aaron-Rutten/171670581802