babsrocks31

These are... okay. I am utterly neutral towards them. I think, if I found one I fancied on the cheap (under $60) i'd consider it an absolute steal, but if someone paid more than a couple hundred for one i'd consider them nuts (only in the realm of my own opinion).

Very cool piece, and I love the idea of displaying the larger original page with both the issue itself, and the reproduced color page.

There are examples of commissions later being used as covers etc. Has anything like this ever happened to anyone? It happened to me in a pretty unique way, and with my favorite character too. When Dynamite ran their second Chastity series, I bought some pages from the series artist Daniel Maine. I also commissioned one of the series variant cover artists, Catherine Nodet (super underrated btw), to do a commission of the character for me. Since it is briefly mentioned in issue #1 that Chastity pays the bills via part time burlesque, I asked Catherine to incorporate that into my commission. I asked her to keep it sexy but respectful, get across Chas's fun personality, and to include red and purple. Catherine sent me a rough outline that included a giant cross on the outfit. She asked if I wanted the cross removed or if I wanted the cross made solid instead of fishnet. I told her to keep the cross and keep the netting. She delivered me a beautiful piece and with a handwritten letter confirming we created it together and she drew it for me, too. To my surprise, I opened up the last issue of the series and Chastity and many other characters were doing a burlesque performance... In these very outfits. She wore them across numerous pages. Since I was in contact with the interior artist and co-writer of the series, I asked him how that came about. He said he saw an amazing commission posted on one of the cover artist's Instagram accounts (my commission) and thought the outfit was perfect for the character so he decided to incorporate it into the series finale. Pretty cool ... Needless to say I had to pick up one of the pages the outfits appeared in, too. So... Share your cool stories like this if you got em!

Inktober piece by Bryan Baugh

Got a doozy of a splash here: Emilio Laiso from Hack/Slash. It is still listed as FS on comicartfans but it is most certainly SOLD since it is on my wall.

Chastity, Jennifer Blood, and Vampirella in one image. Nicely done! (I have some pages from that series too, including the splash of J Blood impaling Chastity with the sword).

This is timeless. The way the guy is cluelessly enjoying himself, and only his date sees the horror right behind them... So good!

Absolutely, although in this case it's unlikely I'll be able to go that route. And thanks for the heads up on Rudy.

Thanks for the recommendation. This is another good one... Rudy is getting up there in age, do you know if he still does commissions? Seems like a nice fellow. Thanks

Totally. I own a lot of Dave's art. I actually have two pages from him in the mail, and recently started a thread on him in this very forum as Underrated Artist Snapshot # 3. Glad to see someone else give Dave a mention!

Thank you all... Some really great suggestions here (seriously). I have searched every single artist and they all seem to be good options. Thanks again

I'm looking for some recommendations. I'm getting some art related to Justice League Dark, and spent most of my budget on some pages by Kyle Hotz (Can't wait for them to arrive). I have a little left over and want to get a sketch cover done, with Zatanna and the Upside Down man. I am on the list of an up and coming artist named Cam Adams whose work I like, but I'm not certain it will pan out. Does anyone have some recommendations for artists who have a knack for horror or genre type stuff, and aren't overly pricey (in the range of $75 - $250usd)? Thank you!

I've never been huge on inside sketches, mostly cause I find it hard to display them (the only way to see them is to actually pull out the book and open it up). If I really loved the sketch I'd want it on my wall sometimes, but I'd never want to tear it out of the book. That said, inside sketches have a very personal feel... Almost cozy, and I can see how they appeal to others. It would be a neat feeling to open up a copy of something and see a sketch for the first time, especially if I didn't know it was going to be there.

A couple pages from Dave Acosta's art for the Chastity relaunch back in 2014. Some vampire goodness. And what I consider to be a hidden gem of a page by Jim Terry depicting Chastity versus a nightmare plane version Alice Cooper.

Luke is an awesome artist. Always thought he should have been bigger. Maybe I'll feature him next in my Underrated Artist Snapshots, though he is a pretty known name.

Picked up these pages by Dave Acosta over the weekend (still waiting on their arrival). Dave's art is affordable and truly underrated.

Couldn't resist bumping this with two more pages I picked up from Dave the other day. Very affordable, fun horror stuff.

This is a really great post. As someone a little younger (31) and who doesn't make a lot of $$$... This post really lays out a groundwork of why the hobby is worth it, and how to manage my own interest in the hobby going forward. Actually, every single post in this thread has been very valuable for me to read and consider. Thanks everyone.

Thank you! I don't have the software development skills, which is where the $ might need to come in.

No problem. Glad to hear it! Dave certainly deserves recognition. Also, glad to meet (kind of) the comic art tracker guy! Your site is beyond awesome! I've been thinking of founding my own comic art related database (not relating to currently for sale art), but I don't have the start up funds.

Pretty sure I learned my lesson.

I love this... These types of varying (and both completely valid) opinions are what I find most interesting in the comic art community... Its one of the pluses for having so many different artists and writers work on a variety of titles. There are constant themes that resonate no matter who is handling a character, but as fans we get to interpret so many different takes on the characters we love, and all have different things to offer us.

That's fair. I think relationships can be built online, too, but I see how that is more of an on going process. I can certainly see the benefit of cons, but as someone who makes less than 40k a year in Canadian dollars, the travel and the costs just aren't worth it.

Not familiar with him, obviously wears his influences on his sleeve but i have no problem with that. Honestly, I dig it! As for prices, pages by lots of artists might still be 'cheap', but 400 for a cover sketch is about as low as it gets.

Its time for another Underrated Artist Snapshot, especially since the last one on Paul Pelletier proved popular. Dave Acosta has done very little work for the big two, although he's certainly capable. His art is versatile, as his pencils and inks occupy that stylistic middle ground somewhere between realism and light in style. Dave does a great job with beasts and monsters, as well as everyday people. His characters in general seem to be moving, lounging, and generally acting like real people do, something that even some of the major artists in comics struggle with at times. I really can't highlight that enough, which is why I underlined it. Dave also has a knack for making characters who are related look like they are actually related, yet he still avoids all his characters looking the same. Depicting emotions is another strong point evident in pages He has a particular skill for tweaking eyebrows, lips and cheekbones to make characters expressive, rather than just utilizing the classic frown or slanted brow. You know how in the old Sabrina The Teenage Witch tv show she'd wiggle her nose to cast a spell? Dave is the sort of artist who could pull that off flawlessly in a panel. And for those who do like cheese, Dave can combine sexy with realistic to make some pretty jaw dropping pinups and commissions. One of Dave's first works was the underrated horror tale, Vessel Of Terror for UK publisher Markosia but his arrival on the mainstream scene came with Dynamite's relaunch of Chastity by writer swiss army knife Marc Andreyko in 2014. This was a good series in my opinion that didn't gain much traction with original Chaos fans because it was, well, a lot less cheesy and frankly a lot more grounded than the 90's originals. This time around Chastity was a young gymnast turned Vampire. Dave's art really sold her acrobatics skills and the self-doubt of being a teenaged girl. The horror aspects were a natural fit from the start. On a personal note, my first ever purchases in the original comic art market were by Dave from his Chastity run. He was phenomenal to deal with. It was obvious from emailing him how hard he was working to meet deadlines and produce quality stuff. He seemed like a great guy who genuinely loves drawing. If you get a chance to buy some affordable art from Dave, don't pass it up. I know he has a shop on his website, the aptly named DaveDrawsGood, and I know he can be contacted for anything that isn't on there. After several purchases from Dave, I tried to buy the last page of his Chastity run and he declined to sell it, stating it was important to him from a sentimental standpoint. This helped me understand how hard artists have to bust their butts to make it in comics. Years later when Dave was a little more settled in comics, he knew how much of a Chastity fan I was and decided to sell me the page at a very fair deal. I couldn't be happier. It is one of those pieces that I will probably never sell or trade. I find Dave's style seems to have changed the last few years. It's gotten more cartoonish and dare I say it, a little less appealing to me. I still think he's a really underrated artist, but I just can't put my finger on it... He was the regular artist on Elvira for Dynamite and he nailed the humour and sex appeal of that series, but it seemed like Dynamite was pressuring him to cut more of the realism from his style. It worked for that series, but it doesn't work as well outside of the Elvira character. I have no idea if this is true or not, just speculation on my part. if Dave ever gets a chance to draw a Batman mini or any of the younger X characters for Marvel, I think he'd knock those out of the park. The man deserves his due, so here's some art by Dave Acosta: A weary Jim Gordon sketch From Vessel of Terror, this page looks a little inspired by Lovecraft and perhaps Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley from Aliens. From Chastity From Chastity From Chastity, with some on point color work by Thiago Ribeiro (should I do an underrated colorist series in the future?) A Chastity Sketch Cover (the first piece of comic art I ever bought) Chastity pin up The Last page from Dave's Chastity Run