Thoughts on getting another artist to ink/color your more famous artist's sketch? 0

[fmaz]

Hey folks - I'm probably closing on a large vintage sketch this weekend, and my son and I briefly discussed whether or not I'd want to consider commissioning someone to ink/color it.

My strong inclination is to let the sketch speak for itself, but I've seen some stunning examples of going the other way... but there certainly are risks involved, additional cost, time, potential damage to the art, etc.

Just curious if people have had personal experience with this choice and acted on it, and your thoughts.

Regardless of the fact that I feel pretty sure I'm going to leave the sketch alone, I thought a resource of opinions/examples for others on the fence might be really helpful as this is a pretty common dilemma I imagine.

[Brian Peck]

I would never get a sketch inked by another artist. If I did it would like lightboxed/bluelines.

 

[fmaz]

1 hour ago, Brian Peck said:

I would never get a sketch inked by another artist. If I did it would like lightboxed/bluelines.

 

Just to play devil’s advocate… I think if someone had a sketch from an artist and got it inked by the artist who was famous for inking the first artist’s work (especially on the particular character/s in the sketch) I would 100 % see the logic in that. 
 

[fmaz]

By the way, here’s an example from eBay … a Gil Kane sketch from the late 1970’s … inked and colored by Bob McLeod a decade ago.  Obviously I know nothing about what it cost the seller to get the additional work done, etc…but honestly they’re both beautiful.  

[Brian Peck]

I have a Nightcrawler drawing which Dave Cockrum did in nov of 76 about a year after Nightcralwer debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1. Then Bob Layton did an amazing job inking it, and not with a marker. I love the final product but I would not have had Bob ink the over the pencils. I like seeing the orignal pencils when it comes to sketches or drawings and inking on a separate sheet would always be my option. I have never had someone ink over pencils, always separate.

 

[ExNihilo]

4 hours ago, fmaz said:

Hey folks - I'm probably closing on a large vintage sketch this weekend, and my son and I briefly discussed whether or not I'd want to consider commissioning someone to ink/color it.

My strong inclination is to let the sketch speak for itself, but I've seen some stunning examples of going the other way... but there certainly are risks involved, additional cost, time, potential damage to the art, etc.

Just curious if people have had personal experience with this choice and acted on it, and your thoughts.

Regardless of the fact that I feel pretty sure I'm going to leave the sketch alone, I thought a resource of opinions/examples for others on the fence might be really helpful as this is a pretty common dilemma I imagine.

I personally enjoy seeing the progression as it passes from penciller to inker to colorist.  If it were me, I would not have the inker work over the original piece but would instead get a high res copy of the penciled work to be inked over.

[Hockeyflow33]

6 hours ago, fmaz said:

Hey folks - I'm probably closing on a large vintage sketch this weekend, and my son and I briefly discussed whether or not I'd want to consider commissioning someone to ink/color it.

My strong inclination is to let the sketch speak for itself, but I've seen some stunning examples of going the other way... but there certainly are risks involved, additional cost, time, potential damage to the art, etc.

Just curious if people have had personal experience with this choice and acted on it, and your thoughts.

Regardless of the fact that I feel pretty sure I'm going to leave the sketch alone, I thought a resource of opinions/examples for others on the fence might be really helpful as this is a pretty common dilemma I imagine.

Send a scan of it to the artist so you can keep the original pencils as a separate piece. I did that with a Wally Wood sketch and had Joe Rubinstein ink and color it. 

 

 

[vodou]

8 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

I would never get a sketch inked by another artist. If I did it would like lightboxed/bluelines.

 

I would never too.

6 hours ago, fmaz said:

Just to play devil’s advocate… I think if someone had a sketch from an artist and got it inked by the artist who was famous for inking the first artist’s work (especially on the particular character/s in the sketch) I would 100 % see the logic in that. 
 

Not me. Never.

6 hours ago, fmaz said:

By the way, here’s an example from eBay … a Gil Kane sketch from the late 1970’s … inked and colored by Bob McLeod a decade ago.

Ruined. Kept intact for 30 years and then boom! ruined a decade ago.

Shame on Bob McLeod for accepting the work and not insisting on doing a separate piece. I am serious.

6 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

I like seeing the orignal pencils when it comes to sketches or drawings and inking on a separate sheet would always be my option. I have never had someone ink over pencils, always separate.

 

Yes, two is always better than one.

3 hours ago, ExNihilo said:

I personally enjoy seeing the progression as it passes from penciller to inker to colorist.  If it were me, I would not have the inker work over the original piece but would instead get a high res copy of the penciled work to be inked over.

Yes!

1 hour ago, Hockeyflow33 said:

Send a scan of it to the artist so you can keep the original pencils as a separate piece. I did that with a Wally Wood sketch and had Joe Rubinstein ink and color it. 

 

 

Yes!!

[fmaz]

22 minutes ago, vodou said:

I would never too.

Not me. Never.

Ruined. Kept intact for 30 years and then boom! ruined a decade ago.

Shame on Bob McLeod for accepting the work and not insisting on doing a separate piece. I am serious.

Yes, two is always better than one.

Yes!

Yes!!

By the way... I completely agree with this. As mentioned, I believe I'm probably just going to keep my sketch as is... because IF I ever decided to do anything with it, it would only be to commission a second piece. And the fact is I don't really have the wall space to devote to TWO of the same pieces.

I simply thought this was a topic worthy of discussion and that it might be instructive to have as reference for the future when people go searching for the topic.

 

[Will_K]

Regardless of the "morality" of getting a sketch inked by another... or the aesthetics of the finished art, I hate seeing a penciled piece signed in pencil and it also being signed in ink by the inker.  It's all too "literal" for me.

[babsrocks31]

What is everyone's thoughts on getting letters added? 

Just as blasphemous?

  I have a Zatanna commission and was considering having a speech bubble added. Like the idea of having her casting a spell. I actually asked the artist to include one, and he agreed, but it never happened. I probably could have complained but it just didn't seem like the right call at the time...

 

 

 

 

[PhilipB2k17]

On 6/26/2021 at 1:13 AM, fmaz said:

Hey folks - I'm probably closing on a large vintage sketch this weekend, and my son and I briefly discussed whether or not I'd want to consider commissioning someone to ink/color it.

My strong inclination is to let the sketch speak for itself, but I've seen some stunning examples of going the other way... but there certainly are risks involved, additional cost, time, potential damage to the art, etc.

Just curious if people have had personal experience with this choice and acted on it, and your thoughts.

Regardless of the fact that I feel pretty sure I'm going to leave the sketch alone, I thought a resource of opinions/examples for others on the fence might be really helpful as this is a pretty common dilemma I imagine.

 

[PhilipB2k17]

If you’re getting a cover recreation and have the same artists pencil it and ink it, then sure. You’re commissioning the piece that way from the start. But if you pick up a raw sketch, on its own, I don’t know if I’d have someone ink it.