thoughts on having faded art re-inked

[MIL0S]

I have a published piece where the main figure was inked but portions of the background apparently were inked using markers that have since faded badly. assuming it was possible to have the original inker re-ink the faded portions, would you do it?

 

 

 

 

[Dumur]

Interesting. Not sure I would do it, but an interesting thought.

[malvin]

I would do it.

 

I know others have done it for faded Death of Captain Marvel pages. I've had it done for sketches, never for published pages, but I would do it. (depending on the cost of course)

 

Malvin

[AKA Rick]

Personally, to me it's restoration, so I'd probably not do it, I'd maybe make a high quality copy, then have those inked over for display, but I'd never ever touch the original, even if it's the original artist retouching it and especially if it's not the original artist, that's assuming you want to ever want to resell the piece or trade it out, and this mainly applies to published art, if a commission, then it's more open game to alterations and interpretations.

 

If you plan on living an dying with it, then of course do as you wish with your property, but many others think it's a deal breaking aftermarket alteration.

 

 

[Eltanin]

Personally, to me it's restoration, so I'd probably not do it, I'd maybe make a high quality copy, then have those inked over for display, but I'd never ever touch the original, even if it's the original artist retouching it and especially if it's not the original artist, that's assuming you want to ever want to resell the piece or trade it out, and this mainly applies to published art, if a commission, then it's more open game to alterations and interpretations.

 

If you plan on living an dying with it, then of course do as you wish with your property, but many others think it's a deal breaking aftermarket alteration.

 

I have the exact same opinion. I wouldn't do it. (but i would maybe ask a copy to be inked, while keeping the original intact).

Though I am open to restoration, as long as it's not impacting the original inks.

[Silver Surfer]

I would say no, leave it as is because there is only one original. Spend the money on a recreation or perhaps another piece.

[Dr. Balls]

Interesting idea and comments. If the art was created using Sharpie (presumably, because that ink is substandard), would re-inking with a better ink consistute as conservations and/or restoration?

 

A piece of art that has such a monumental defect such as faded ink detracts from it's overall beauty. Is it better to have an original piece, that when shown to someone thier first reaction is "Boy, what happened to that?" or is it better to have a restored piece that someone looks and says "Wow, that's amazing!".

 

Tough question to answer - I can see merit in both leaving the original, or having it conserved with better inks.

[lb jefferies]

If the original inker still has the same inking chops now then when he first worked on the art then I think it's a no-brainer. Ink it. How can you enjoy the art if it eventually fades away into nothing?

 

Restoration is exactly that. Saving the art. It should in no way have the same stigma that it carries in the world of comic books.

[Bronty]

I see both sides of this. Its tricky because you don't want to mess with the original lines.

 

If it was just large tracts of solid black, I'd have it done. If it were fine line work... boy I don't know. I'd probably leave it alone.

[DocR]

I have a published piece where the main figure was inked but portions of the background apparently were inked using markers that have since faded badly. assuming it was possible to have the original inker re-ink the faded portions, would you do it?

 

 

 

 

I definitely would. And if the original inker wasn't around anymore I would still have it done by a different professional, But thats just me, I like looking at the art and don't care what people will say in resale.

 

The purists do realize that mona lisa and the sistine chapel undergo restoration on a regular basis and the statue of David has been cleaned twice (that I'm aware of in its history) right? This thought that we should just let art degrade until its is crumbling faded and worthless makes no sense to me.

[malvin]

 

 

The purists do realize that mona lisa and the sistine chapel undergo restoration on a regular basis and the statue of David has been cleaned twice (that I'm aware of in its history) right? This thought that we should just let art degrade until its is crumbling faded and worthless makes no sense to me.

 

Yup, i'm repeating what I said, but some pieces will just fade to nothing. It makes no sense to not do anything, why even buy it in the first place?

 

and some people are even creative (or forgetful). There is one piece that is very faded that is repeatedly listed on ebay, and the seller says the artist coloured it brown for extra effect. err.. no, its fading

 

Malvin

[Junkdrawer]

Sometimes when you have something tattered and torn, it can still be appreciated because the fact that it merely exists. One of a kind items are exactly that. Damage can happen. It can also add provenance to a piece. The bullet holes in Bonnie and Clyde's car should never be filled with bondo

[Junkdrawer]

Re ink over a fading Babe Ruth signed ball. See how that goes over.

[DocR]

Sometimes when you have something tattered and torn, it can still be appreciated because the fact that it merely exists. One of a kind items are exactly that. Damage can happen. It can also add provenance to a piece. The bullet holes in Bonnie and Clyde's car should never be filled with bondo

 

Agreed but the bullet holes are what makes that special. I don't think anyone highly desires a piece of comic art with inks that are fading away to nothing. In my caf gallery my perez inhumans page was a disaster when i got it and i had it professionally restored. I think its 10x better now, but to each his own. I think the fact these are one of a kind items argues for restoration, because it still is the only copy. If I was buying a classic car that had been repainted I could hold out for one with original paint. In comic art what you get is what you get.

 

[DocR]

Re ink over a fading Babe Ruth signed ball. See how that goes over.

 

From last Heritage Auction: 167K. They cut the art off the original board on this piece and it still sold for a fortune.

 

Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia Tales of Suspense #84 Captain America Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1966). One of the very best things about the Silver Age of Marvel Comics was the reintroduction of Golden Age Timely hero Captain America, and Jack Kirby's mid-sixties run of stories in Tales of Suspense still thrills comic lovers today. There are few things more appealing to a collector of original superhero comic artwork than a cover by the King, and this particular piece will certainly not disappoint. Cap is in a great action pose here, ready to throw a mighty punch at the Super-Adaptoid. The artwork has some professional restoration, including skimming the Kirby art from a piece of illustration board, and attaching to a backing board with photocopied keyline Marvel/Curtiss art board graphics. The masthead and white-on-black type box were replaced on the art with photo copies; the original masthead, itself a photo print, is included with the cover. Kirby's image area measures approximately 13.25" x 13.75", while the overall cover image is 15.5" x 22". Artwork in ink and graphite, in Very Good condition. Make Mine Marvel!

[drdroom]

This was discussed recently in another thread and several examples were given of heavily restored artwork selling at no discernible discount. I'm not completely clear on how well the buyers understood the extent of the work, though, since the OA dealers and auction houses have not as yet been forced to be transparent about such things.

 

That said, I'm very much in favor of preserving artworks that are in danger of fading away and, if the job is excellently done, I think the page value will be increased, not decreased.

 

I have a couple pieces being restored now. One was a victim of amateur restoration, the other was censored after first publication for a second post-code publication. In both cases small areas of the art will have to be entirely recreated, based on the published comic. I have no doubt that I am serving both my own investment and the greater good of the hobby in doing so. My main dilemma is whether to have the restorer make pencil notes on the back describing the work that was done, or record it on a separate sheet?

 

I haven't done a re-ink of markers yet, but I have a couple of candidates (they aren't very faded though, so I have time to think about it). One thing to consider is that we are still in an era in which we have a lot of inkers with the skill to do this work. This might not be true in a few more decades.

[comicsnyc22]

Would any of you guys have a piece worked on if the paper was breaking down substantially? To me, I think it's in the owners' best interest to maintain the integrity of the piece.

[Cogansway]

If the original inker still has the same inking chops now then when he first worked on the art then I think it's a no-brainer. Ink it. How can you enjoy the art if it eventually fades away into nothing?

 

Restoration is exactly that. Saving the art. It should in no way have the same stigma that it carries in the world of comic books.

 

I think that LB is right one with his statements. If you can get the original artist/inker to touch it up, then by all means do so, especially if it's just the backgrounds. As others have pointed out museums often have their masterpieces restored, why shouldn't we?

 

One of the first pieces of art I bought when I got into collecting in 1993 was this Robin cover by Matt Wagner.

 

http://cafeurl.com?i=21134

 

I immediately had it professional framed where it hung on my wall for a few years before I noticed that the red Danger symbol had started to fade. Luckily I was able to contact Matt and he was nice enough to restore it for me. The cover looks great again but I keep it in a portfolio instead of on my wall.

 

To me, where restoration starts to get into a grey area is when the original artist is no longer around to do the work himself and when restoration is done and not fully disclosed, and I'm not talking about stat or word ballon replacements.

 

About 3 to 4 years ago I was at San Diego comic con where I saw a great Alex Toth House of Mystery 5 to 8 page story/framing sequence for sale at a dealers table that looked great as I knew most all of these stories by Toth were done completely in marker. I showed to a friend of mine who was walking by who is an artist himself and a big Toth fan show I showed him the story and the first thing he said was that he could tell it had been re-inked. To me, it's no longer just an Alex Toth art job but a collaboration of Alex with an unknown and unnamed restorer. While this is a better alternative than letting it face away to nothing, without having seen what it looked like before the restoration, I wasn't willing to pay full market value for the story.

 

The way I see it is that the hobby is better off with with books like Hulk 181 in it, but it's up to each individuals tastes as to how much restoration they don't mind and as to what is disclosed. I'd want to see the before and after pictures on those Hulk pages.

 

 

 

[drdroom]

I showed to a friend of mine who was walking by who is an artist himself and a big Toth fan show I showed him the story and the first thing he said was that he could tell it had been re-inked. To me, it's no longer just an Alex Toth art job but a collaboration of Alex with an unknown and unnamed restorer. While this is a better alternative than letting it face away to nothing, without having seen what it looked like before the restoration, I wasn't willing to pay full market value for the story.

 

Right, the re-ink really has to be perfectly done, and fully disclosed, particularly if it's a full re-ink of an all marker story. Bearing in mind that marker pages generally will have a significantly lower market value to start with.

 

 

[Hart1000]

YES, I would!

 

-Hart