Mary Ruth Butterworth, known online as Ruthie the Robot, is a Portland-based artist whose main influences are what she calls the 3 C’s: cartoons, comic books, and candy! The inspiration translates well across Mary’s entire body of work, whether it be a monochrome sketchbook spread or a drawing on a shipping label bursting with color – her artwork is easily recognizable as her own and is always very full of life. One of our favorite aspects of Mary’s work is her characters, ranging from not-so-scary monsters to gnomes and abstract shapes who have somehow come alive bearing the sweetest faces. Regardless of how they take form, there’s always a feeling of kindness and happiness that exudes from these charming creatures.
Working beautifully alongside her ability to bring the feeling of joy to life via lines on a paper, Mary’s use of color is probably the main thing that makes us stop in our tracks every time we’re scrolling through our various feeds or where we enjoy browsing her work the most, Doodle Addicts. With bursts of pinks, blues, greens, and probably every other color under the rainbow, it’s hard to not find yourself smiling while viewing her work. Although this may have something to do with color theory, which might better explain why we feel entranced when viewing her art, we like to believe it’s because Mary has figured out how to capture delight on a piece of paper. This isn’t to say her characters and use of color are the only things that make her artwork as delightful as it is, but rather that Mary is an extremely talented artist who has mastered her craft and that alone is something to marvel at.
If you’re someone who likes to view an artist’s process or enjoys art series, we’re happy to share that Mary’s artwork can fulfill both needs! Over on her Instagram, you can check out the process videos that she releases weekly, aptly named Timelapse Tuesday. She also has a yearly series she does where her doodles take shape on priority mail shipping labels! You can view Mary’s full portfolio here, follow her on Instagram here, and on Twitter here.
