Hello everyone,
I think I’m in the right place because I have OA questions and I’m a complete newbie about it outside of a few blank cover sketches I’ve acquired at conventions.
I’ve been collecting comics for 9 years now (as an adult, I also owned comics as a child but wouldn’t consider that kid a “collector”), and after having a couple of blank cover sketches done, I found that I loved having sketches that were mine. I think I was amazed by how my poorly articulated requests were converted into impressive works of art.
Now that the seal has been broken, I find myself interested in acquiring pages and jam pieces to add to my collection. As a big fan of going to conventions and meeting and chatting with the creators, I have some questions about OA at cons.
1. What do you use to carry your purchases and works-in-progress around at conventions? I saw that Itoyas are the most common recommendation for storing art, but are they equally viable for transport around a show floor or should look into something more secure, if there is anything like that at all?
2. If I’m expecting to meet an artist I’m a fan of at an upcoming show, is it alright to reach out to them or their rep about bringing a certain piece to the show with them? I know we often have a “never hurts to ask” attitude in the world of comic collecting, but I’d like to build relationships with these people over time and not complicate that by overstepping boundaries during our first interaction.
3. This may be the wrong spot on the boards, but, specifically for jam pieces, is there a roughly accurate way to determine what an artist will charge for a jam piece contribution? I see quite a bit of commission information on websites and reps’ websites, but seeing as how a jam requires a portion of an 11x17 page and not the entire thing, I’m curious what I should expect price-wise as I embark on my first piece.