Original Art or Commisions?

[Issa]

Which do you buy more of and why? Please post your ideas and I will add to this list.(NYCC08 is coming up and I need to decide how to allocate my money).

 

I prefer Original Art for the following:

 

• Own actual art to pages we might have read
• 
  
• Artwork tends to be more "polished" than some expensive commissions
• 
  
• Ink on Pencils, including word bubbles and sound effects.
• 
  
• Easier to obtain for some high-profile artists
• 
  
• What you see is what you get
  
• More to come...
• 
  

Yet, Commissions have the following advantages:

• You set the price.
• 
  
• You get what you pay for (i.e. quality, content and subject).
• 
  
• You can be really creative, coming up with your ideas.
• 
  
• CON: Higher Turn-around time.
• 
  
• CON: Don't always know what you're paying for.
  

My gripes:

• 
  
• OA can be incredibly expensive, for right and wrong reasons.
• 
  
• Commissions tend to vary in quality. (I notice things like misproportioned bodys, limbs, with respect to other objects in the same drawing).
• 
  
• Getting commissions colored and inked isn't an easy process. (Has anyone here done this? Make copies of pencilled pages for inking/coloring?)
• 
  

 

 

-Issa

[LordZarak]

While I do have a few commisions, I prefer published artwork mostly because I like knowing I own a piece of that title's history.

 

Price can very. My commisions have actually been more expensive than the majority of the published OA I buy. Partly because the artist has to spend extra time for your project, rather than sell off something that has already been completed.

 

Your experience may vary.

 

 

 

[The Troll King]

My only response... see my Tony DeZuniga and Mitch Breitweiser threads (thumbs u

[Issa]

My only response... see my Tony DeZuniga and Mitch Breitweiser threads (thumbs u

 

This exactly my point. Your "New Piece by Mitch Breitweiser" looks fantastic at first glance....but Ii'm concerned about some inconsistencies that are more prevalent in commissioned work than in published art. Masuimi Max's left breast doesn't match the size of her right one. Her left arm is thinner than the right one (unless its tilted back to achieve a far away distance effect. I still love your piece and think it looks great. My point is that I believe commissioned works tend to have these small inconsistences that aren't as prevalent in published works.

 

 

Edit: Your Tony DeZuniga piece looks great and is one reason why someone might choose a commission piece or some OA. How much where they and who is the drawing of?

 

 

-Issa

[mrpunch0]

While I own both published work and con sketches / commissions I tend to prefer published work.

 

A) It's usually tied to a book or storyline that I enjoyed and the story is as much a part of it as the art work.

B) You know what you're getting up front.

[Pirate]

I prefer OA but love my sketches by Kitson, so I get the best of both worlds. I also have multiple sketchbooks I carry around for free sketches (well have paid for a few) that I cherish.

 

I don't actively seek commissions.

[Kevin Boyd]

To be honest, it depends on the piece and the artist, but I generally prefer published OA.

[Raphael]

I think eventually, they go hand in hand with each other.

 

One part of it is owning a piece of Original Comic art for all the listed reasons. Getting commissions from an artist is but an avenue for eventually purchasing the actual OA itself.

[The Troll King]

My only response... see my Tony DeZuniga and Mitch Breitweiser threads (thumbs u

 

This exactly my point. Your "New Piece by Mitch Breitweiser" looks fantastic at first glance....but Ii'm concerned about some inconsistencies that are more prevalent in commissioned work than in published art. Masuimi Max's left breast doesn't match the size of her right one. Her left arm is thinner than the right one (unless its tilted back to achieve a far away distance effect. I still love your piece and think it looks great. My point is that I believe commissioned works tend to have these small inconsistences that aren't as prevalent in published works.

 

 

Edit: Your Tony DeZuniga piece looks great and is one reason why someone might choose a commission piece or some OA. How much where they and who is the drawing of?

 

 

-Issa

 

Right and left breasts shouldn't be the same size depending on whether someone is right or left handed.

Trust me, there are plenty of "published" inconsistencies that far outweight anything done as commissions. Rob Liefelds entire portfolio comes to mind Mike Turner, Silvestri, Greg Land, etc. There are all kind of problems in their published work. I don't own much original art primarily because of the cost of it. I can't justify spending $1500 or more for a modern cover when I know I can get a hell of a nice golden age book for that money OR 20 different sketches/commissions from different artists.

 

Tony DeZuniga normally charges $150 for that type and size of sketch. It is 11x14 and you'd be surprised how quickly he knocks those out and that is Red Sonja in both of them!

When I talked to him on the phone last week he said that he doesn't get asked to do Red Sonja often but loves drawing her. If you ever meet him tell him that "Don said I should ask you for a Red Sonja" he'll be tickled I promise!

 

Not to mention I can't think of a better argument FOR getting sketches than what Stronguy has done:

 

 

 

 

 

You are still new around here (I'm not being rude I promise) so do a search in this forum for "Stronguy" and "Marvel Value Stamp" to find Jeff's postings about these incredible pages that he has. Plus the updated images are there as well.

[Pirate]

You collect GA books and would rather put big bucks into something that there are many of compared to one and that's your prerogative. Personally (not trying to be rude), I would rather put $1500 into a one of a kind than a comic book with hundreds or thousands of them.

[Issa]

Not to mention I can't think of a better argument FOR getting sketches than what Stronguy has done:

 

You are still new around here (I'm not being rude I promise) so do a search in this forum for "Stronguy" and "Marvel Value Stamp" to find Jeff's postings about these incredible pages that he has. Plus the updated images are there as well.

 

I've rewritten this reply too many times. I want it to come out just right: Obtaining that many sketches isn't indicative of why one might buy commissions over OA. You've essentially answerred my question with: "Someone might buy commissions over OA to fullfil this kind of goal: to collect commissions!". I can easily reply with 50 OA pieces involving what I like: covers with Hulk battles and use that as my point of choosing OA over commissions.

 

Stronguy's achievements are really cool. :thumbsup: It does inspire me to do something. Maybe, I'll try to obtain the same type of drawing from different artists. I could ask 5 different artists for "Person X fighting Person Y" ...and see what happens. Maybe you guys think this is boring? :shrug:

 

P.S. I can't find "marvel value stamp" posts by a Jeff-person. Do you have a link?

 

-Issa

[Mephisto]

To be honest, it depends on the piece and the artist, but I generally prefer published OA.

 

Me too. I have had one piece that was only partially published. I am afraid of paying for commissions because I'm worried I'll be disappointed with the finished product. "Patience is a virue"

[Mister Trent]

Generally, my preference is to collect (published) Original Art over Commissions.

 

Nowadays, I mostly collect covers or self-contained strips.

 

During the 1990s, I had UK artist Ron Turner re-create a number of his 1950s Science-Fiction paperback covers. It was highly probable that the original paintings no longer existed - and I've never heard of any of these surfacing in collector circles - so commissioning the original artist to re-create some of his old work was the next best option for me.

 

Turner, who is probably unknown in the US, enjoyed a career spanning over 40 years. In addition to his paperback cover paintings, Turner was a prolific strip-illustrator - his best known work being the DALEKS strip for the 1960s UK magazine, TV CENTURY 21.

 

Original (painted) DALEKS strip

 

At the time of commissioning the artist, Turner was in retirement. His charges (arranged through his agent and friend, John Lawrence) were very, very reasonable. He didn't charge by the number of characters, backgrounds, etc. He had a set fee of £80 for a painting (about $160 by the current rate of exchange). His turnaround time was about a month. Turner simply wanted to augment his old age pension with a little extra income - and he enjoyed to remain artistically active.

 

Here's a selection of some of the re-created cover paintings commissionsed from Turner - alongside the original published versions (as a comparison):

 

Re-creation

 

 

Re-creation

 

 

Re-creation

 

 

Re-creation

 

 

 

 

 

[The Troll King]

You collect GA books and would rather put big bucks into something that there are many of compared to one and that's your prerogative. Personally (not trying to be rude), I would rather put $1500 into a one of a kind than a comic book with hundreds or thousands of them.

 

Well, true to a point, but I like having a piece from an artist that was specifically done for me.

 

I don't necessarily put much value in a published piece of art because it's just not really my thing. Not that I don't think it's cool to see others that people have gotten though! I'm always excited to see what people get!

[irchooker]

Personally, I don't mind getting a sketch; it's a fun, relatively inexpensive drawing by an artist that can enhance the experience of interacting with them. I have a few sketchbooks with themes and it's a component of my OA collecting hobby.

 

I also collect published pages and covers. The basis of this collecting bug ebbs and flows, from impulse purchases, to seeking out a page from a specific run/title/issue/artist, to an interesting example of the unique medium that is comic art.

 

But I do not have any interest in commissions. None whatsoever. My current mindset is that I should only purchase art I would hang on my wall. I can justify hanging published pages of super-duper heroes on the wall because there is a comic out there that the art was published in. That is my hobby. Sketches, as I said, are a fun, little side thing that I consider the equivalent of buying comics, something I do for some enjoyment. But at this time, and for the past decade I've been collecting, I would never consider to commission an artist to draw super hero cartoons for my wall (a requirement of my current collecting mentality). It doesn't mean that I don't think some people are doing interesting works in this area, Chris Caira springs immediately to mind, but for me, it's just silly.

[mrpunch0]

I would never consider to commission an artist to draw super hero cartoons for my wall (a requirement of my current collecting mentality).

 

The commission doesn't have to be super-hero in nature. Just sayin'.

[Reno McCoy]

I only dabble in OA, so take what I say with a grain of salt. But as everyone says, collect what you like. And that's exactly what I do. I love Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars books, so I collect anything I can from that series. Because I don't have access to any published pages or covers of the comic books (although if I did, I'd try to buy some), I go after commissions.

 

Are my Dejah Thoris pieces the coolest collection in the history of the world? Not at all, but I certainly enjoy them. And I'd rather spend $100 or more on my next Dejah Thoris piece then getting page 7 from some comic no one remembers. Sure, the OA to published pieces is one of a kind, but unless it's instantly recognizable, it doesn't do much for me.

 

Will I ever be able to turn my commissions around for a profit? I doubt it, but I don't care about that. I'm not going to turn a profit on the couch I bought three years ago either.

 

I should also mention that the few pieces I do buy, whether they be commissions or OA of published art, they generally come from artists I've worked with in some way, so that sort of makes the pieces I do buy even cooler to me.

 

 

[batman_fan]

I focus on published pages but I have one page that I believe was a commission and another that is a try-out page from the Kane studios in the 1940's. I myself have never had an interest in commissions but man there are a HUGE lot of fans that do buy them. I think it is a good thing for the artist.

[Issa]

I want to thank everyone for their insight on this subject. I've going to update the above list for my own edification. I think I will buy some really neat OA pieces in the future, for the sheer fact that what you see is what you get. I also have a thing for OA with sound effects and word bubbles. I might look into one or two commissions but I am very picky about how my Hulk commissions are drawn. (If his hair is messed up, Hulk can easily look like a much younger Arnold Schwarzenneger.

 

-Issa