Noob Exasperation

[Dave Aikins]

"Speaking, personally, I don't need advice from anybody on what OA to buy, or what artists to buy from.

 

I know what I like.

 

Don't you?

 

Follow your heart, not the $$$s potential."

 

In part I agree with what you're saying. I've never asked anyone "who should I buy art from?" I buy art from artists that I either know from my life of reading comics, or artists that I discover... although I do have friends that will say (n general terms) "check out this guy's work!". But that's never specifically about buying art. I know collectors who are very different about this. They buy art based on whether it's a good deal or if they like the art. They couldn't care less about who the artist is or if they've ever heard of them before. No real big deal either way- it's not like one way is better than the other...

 

Where I do like help and advice is when I want to buy a commission from an artist. I like to know how long it takes, how the art was shipped, if the artist was reliable, etc. So, the advice isn't about whether or not I like the art, it's about whether or not the business side of it has gone well for others.

[Trev]

I recommend the book Grail Pages if for nothing else that giving you a lot of perspectives and history on the art community. The collections in it will blow your mind and the prices are out of sight, but the books does give some great insight into how collections were built and how the art collecting market works.

 

Don't get caught up on $$. Follow what you like and it will take you where you want to go -- even if you start small.

 

My first piece of OA was given to me -- not an expensive piece but still it got me thinking about getting more . . .

 

I have about 30 pieces all told in various formats from sketch covers to commissions to con sketches to OA and I think my most expensive pieces aren't more than a few hundred dollars.

 

When I look around my office, I see art I like by artists I like and every piece tells a story about how I got it or what i meant to me at the time.

 

I will echo someone else's advice to start slow until you get more experience. Once I realized I could get OA from many artists for less than or on par with full figure commissions, it completely changed the game for me. Now I have a completely different approach to OA and Commissions.

[Trev]

Oh yeah -- one more thing I will add is that when I first decided I might try it, I reached out to someone I knew who had been collecting art for a while and asked if I could hang out with him and get some pointers at SDCC one year. That helped me tremendously. One of the easiest ways to get experience is to walk around with a more experienced collector you trust and just talk about the art in context.

[Terry Doyle]

You guys are great help. Seriously.

 

In other fields of collectibles, I recommend finding items that meet three categories (1.) rare (2.) cool and (3.) high grade. Then I counsel people to find the stuff they can buy that meets all three categories in their budget. So for some comicbook collectors, that might mean collecting copper age, for others bronze, etc. What's interesting is that with art, there (generally) is only rare and cool. But defining "rare" and "cool" is gonna be hard to do. Might be interesting to define the sliding scale between the two.

 

And yes...I need to study the market. I've always heard that, I've even given that advice, and yet I never do. I'll give it a go this time. I've only bought one so far, and I have my eye on something that is underpriced and something that it is beautiful. I'll try to hold off. Though there is one item that might drop into my lap for pennies...I'll have to get that.

 

Hey, one last question. Speaking of not being able to hold off. I'm going to Megacon at the end of the week. Any artists there who I should definitely get a sketch from? Anything I should look for? I'm only going to be there a day and I have comicbooks to buy/sell/trade, but I'm going to have to look at some art.

 

WC

 

Speaking, personally, I don't need advice from anybody on what OA to buy, or what artists to buy from.

 

I know what I like.

 

Don't you?

 

Follow your heart, not the $$$s potential.

 

Terry, not being independently wealthy, I have to wholeheartedly disagree.

 

There are many things that I love, that are owned by people / dealers that will only sell for multiples of the art's value. I am not going to throw buckets of money at something because I love it. I'll wait for the next one to come at a reasonable price.

 

I know what I like, I know what it's worth, and I hope that it will retain value in case some day I need to get some of my money out of it. I am not worried about losing a few bucks here and there, but I would not say "buy what you love with caution to the wind" either!

 

In recent years most of my acquisitions have been modestly-priced, as I'm not independently wealthy either.

 

There are lots of affordable, emotionally and aesthetically pleasing pieces of art out there to satisfy most tastes (and pockets). You don't need to throw caution to the wind.

 

Just be realistic in your expectations.

[Garf]

 

Just be realistic in your expectations.

 

This...

[Greedo]

.

 

Hey, one last question. Speaking of not being able to hold off. I'm going to Megacon at the end of the week. Any artists there who I should definitely get a sketch from? Anything I should look for? I'm only going to be there a day and I have comicbooks to buy/sell/trade, but I'm going to have to look at some art.

 

WC

 

http://sketchprices.com/home.html is a good spot to get an idea on prices, but artist prices do change regularly.

 

I would look at "Budget Legends"

- Geogre Perez - Head sketch

- Bob Layton

- Alex Saviuk

 

 

If I just wanted to spend $100 I would:

 

A) Bob Layton full figure

 

Or

 

B) Perez - Head Sketch & Spend rest on Layton (probably get a nice Torso shoot)

[john h.-migration]

My 2 cents.

Since you're not attending Friday, getting on a sketchlist is pretty slim.

BUT you can stop by the Hero Initiative booth and see who is scheduled

for that day (most likely George Perez !).

Getting free sketches as an adult is rare since most artists need to sell

something to cover their expenses of being there (even as a "guest").

Unfortunately with your monthly budget of $100, you'll have a very tough

time buying published art. Especially since most modern art pages START

at $200. So you'd need to save for 2 months to get 1 piece.

Since you collect comics, buy original art from the titles you like/love.

 

 

John H.

 

[Pete Marino]

My 2 cents.

Since you're not attending Friday, getting on a sketchlist is pretty slim.

BUT you can stop by the Hero Initiative booth and see who is scheduled

for that day (most likely George Perez !).

Getting free sketches as an adult is rare since most artists need to sell

something to cover their expenses of being there (even as a "guest").

Unfortunately with your monthly budget of $100, you'll have a very tough

time buying published art. Especially since most modern art pages START

at $200. So you'd need to save for 2 months to get 1 piece.

Since you collect comics, buy original art from the titles you like/love.

 

 

John H.

 

http://www.theartistschoice.com/

 

Tons and tons of reasonably priced published pages imo (starting around $50). Not everyone's taste is there, and slick web design, but worth spending the time to check out!

 

And the best annual sale you'll find in the universe.

[Dave Aikins]

If you aren't concerned about a page not having major characters in costume on it, or a ton of action, or that it's from a recent book, or...you'll find that many DC & Marvel artists have some pages for fairly cheap prices- especially pages from books past their prime. I know many artists with at least one good sized stack of pages that just sit around collecting dust...so there is still such a thing as the $50 page.

 

They might not take them to conventions, though.

 

Heck, my buddy Chris Sprouse has a whole bunch of pages for sale on his website for $80 and under.

 

Less known inkers are often a good source of pages, as they might be cheaper than buying from the better known penciler...

 

Just a thought.

[Koa]

You guys are great help. Seriously.

 

In other fields of collectibles, I recommend finding items that meet three categories (1.) rare (2.) cool and (3.) high grade. Then I counsel people to find the stuff they can buy that meets all three categories in their budget. So for some comicbook collectors, that might mean collecting copper age, for others bronze, etc. What's interesting is that with art, there (generally) is only rare and cool. But defining "rare" and "cool" is gonna be hard to do. Might be interesting to define the sliding scale between the two.

 

And yes...I need to study the market. I've always heard that, I've even given that advice, and yet I never do. I'll give it a go this time. I've only bought one so far, and I have my eye on something that is underpriced and something that it is beautiful. I'll try to hold off. Though there is one item that might drop into my lap for pennies...I'll have to get that.

 

Hey, one last question. Speaking of not being able to hold off. I'm going to Megacon at the end of the week. Any artists there who I should definitely get a sketch from? Anything I should look for? I'm only going to be there a day and I have comicbooks to buy/sell/trade, but I'm going to have to look at some art.

 

WC

 

Speaking, personally, I don't need advice from anybody on what OA to buy, or what artists to buy from.

 

I know what I like.

 

Don't you?

 

Follow your heart, not the $$$s potential.

 

Unless what you love is well out of your financial comfort range.

[suspense39]

3 pages at 50.00. Drawings , i don't blame people for what they cant afford but who gives a s*t about what your going to collect at that level....just do it or dont! I mean really it s only 50 dollars if you can't afford to lose that you should definitely not start in this hobby.

[Westy Steve]

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I find that what makes collecting enjoyable is the people you meet.

[Westy Steve]

FWIW, I went back and looked at my old convention sketches. I have two nice sketches in my book from William Stout and he also did on for me that is "loose" and more elaborate. A mermaid, if I recall...still looking for that one...it's here somewhere. I figured out that they are worth way more than I paid for them back in the day. Not that I'd sell. I'm still gravitating toward the idea of getting better pencil sketches from some of the more well known sci-fi/fantasy cover artists like Stout, Jusko, etc. I could see how cool stuff could pop up on the secondary market at good prices if I'm patient. I'm trying to figure out who else fits in that category. The sketches probably will cost more than $100, but that' OK if I like them and they don't come along real often.

[Terry Doyle]

You guys are great help. Seriously.

 

In other fields of collectibles, I recommend finding items that meet three categories (1.) rare (2.) cool and (3.) high grade. Then I counsel people to find the stuff they can buy that meets all three categories in their budget. So for some comicbook collectors, that might mean collecting copper age, for others bronze, etc. What's interesting is that with art, there (generally) is only rare and cool. But defining "rare" and "cool" is gonna be hard to do. Might be interesting to define the sliding scale between the two.

 

And yes...I need to study the market. I've always heard that, I've even given that advice, and yet I never do. I'll give it a go this time. I've only bought one so far, and I have my eye on something that is underpriced and something that it is beautiful. I'll try to hold off. Though there is one item that might drop into my lap for pennies...I'll have to get that.

 

Hey, one last question. Speaking of not being able to hold off. I'm going to Megacon at the end of the week. Any artists there who I should definitely get a sketch from? Anything I should look for? I'm only going to be there a day and I have comicbooks to buy/sell/trade, but I'm going to have to look at some art.

 

WC

 

Speaking, personally, I don't need advice from anybody on what OA to buy, or what artists to buy from.

 

I know what I like.

 

Don't you?

 

Follow your heart, not the $$$s potential.

 

Unless what you love is well out of your financial comfort range.

 

Well, I always loved Ditko ASM covers.

 

If a Ditko ASM cover was my only aim, the sum total of my collection would be this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

If you aren't concerned about a page not having major characters in costume on it, or a ton of action, or that it's from a recent book, or...you'll find that many DC & Marvel artists have some pages for fairly cheap prices- especially pages from books past their prime.

 

Not all of us are stuck in the Superhero/Marvel/DC groove, Dave.

 

 

[Dave Aikins]

okaaay... that changes my comment how? Or are you just reminding me that my comments need to cover every genre and publisher?

 

for non DC/Marvel pages...yer doomed. Those cost a minimum of a grand per page.

ALWAYS.

 

 

 

Although, it is amazing how some of the Indy books are by artists that step into the Fine Art world with their art prices and gallery shows. Folks like Chris Ware and Daniel Clowes command prices that go beyond most DC & Marvel artists get when selling originals.

[Terry Doyle]

okaaay... that changes my comment how? Or are you just reminding me that my comments need to cover every genre and publisher?

 

Sorry, no, it doesn't change your comment - but it's worth remembering (and reminding) that strip-illustration covers a far-wider spectrum than just superhero stuff.

[Dr. Balls]

I have a limited budget for comic art, and my personal philosophy is to buy what I like, but also use the potential for resale as a focus. I keep a separate Paypal account active for my "big" purchases that I save for, which usually ends up being OA or sketch covers.

 

I started out originally collecting sketches, and I didn't like that I had all these different characters and artists, and sizes and mediums - I sold off all that and started over. Now, I buy certain characters, but my focus is splash pages, action pages or covers. That keeps me from buying things out of boredom and makes me really think if what I'm buying fits my collection and adheres to my focus.

 

But that focus works for me. Some people want to collect certain artists, or genres - I think the main thing gist of what I'm saying is that a laser-tight focus helps me not to buy a bunch of stuff willy-nilly.

 

Big covers or pages ($1200+) are beyond my reach, permanently. Collecting within your means and being ok with that is a big key to having fun IMHO.

[Dave Aikins]

Oh sure! I was just editing my post to agree. Heck, I tie DC in with Vertigo so much, that I don't tend to think of DC as just Super Heroes...

 

 

 

Do you find other current areas/genres tend to regularly command higher prices for current art? Not just asking prices, but selling prices?

It always seems to me that for most genres, you have many artists with a stack of leftovers at some point that they can't get rid of. Especially for artists that produce a steady amount of work.

 

Damn loser pages...

 

This does come around to how silly it is for someone to ask "what should I buy?" There's just so much out there these days. What do you like? Thats' the first question you need to answer..if anything just to narrow things down.

 

If the original poster likes Fantasy art...best to try the Spectrum convention, or other illustration conventions that pop up from time to time. Heck, even gaming conventions might be a good source of art.

[Dave Aikins]

"I think the main thing gist of what I'm saying is that a laser-tight focus helps me not to buy a bunch of stuff willy-nilly"

 

 

Trying very hard to gain that focus...

 

 

Did anyone go to this last year?

 

http://www.spectrumfantasticart.com/spectrumfantasticartlive/

 

 

 

The Spectrum Fantastic Art Live con is May 17-19

Lots of amazing artists at the show!