Newbie purchasing original art seeking guidance 0

[Bretd]

I'm looking to buy original comic book cover art, probably in the good girl genre - something that appeals to me enough to put on my wall, but also something that might appreciate in value over time.

I've reached out to three artists, J. Scott Campbell, Jay Anacleto and Ben Oliver regarding specific cover art they've made. Haven't heard back from two of them.

JSC's team responded: fast responses and very helpful guidance for a newbie. I have most of his books, and am a huge fan of his, so glad that his team is responsive. Though the prices are quite a bit higher than I was expecting, but that could also be my newbie-ness, as I've never looked at original art until recently. So at the moment I'm suffering from sticker shock, and I'm sure they think I'm a tire-kicker due to all my questions

There isn't much guidance for someone about to start collecting original art out there - plenty on comics, not so much on cover art.

• How do I prove provenance and originality in this space? JSC's people tell that it's signed by the artist, but there's no certificate of authenticity that comes with the piece. I guess a receipt would be a pretty good proof, but how about buying from secondary sources?
• Is there a secret hand-shake to buy original art directly from the artists? Or just stalk them on IG and hope they sometimes check their DMs?
• Secondary market seems to be dominated by a few online auctions based in the US - I'm in Europe, so that would limit my chances of reselling if I ever decide to do so. Or is there a more global market?

[Sean I]

I’m very new to this myself, but many of the more popular artists are repped by one of the art dealers in the space, you usually deal with them instead of reaching out directly.  The dealers will list on their page which artists they rep.  
I mean this with 0 snark as I’m sure you just missed it but there is a 49 page stickied thread above that gives advice to new collectors.

This is also a very helpful thread: 

 

[PhilipB2k17]

Are you seeking out published covers? Or commissions. A JSC published “good girl” cover is going to cost you about as much as a lightly used Buick Encore. More…for the well known ones  

A commission from those guys isn’t cheap either. But it’s probably going to cost you half (or less) of what a published cover would cost. Same is true for Adam Hughes, Artgerm, etc. I’m not even sure Hughes does commissions anymore after getting burned so often by flippers. 
 

[Twanj]

There's also this other thread but it may be too long.

You could stick to buying from reputable sources like artist's reps, Heritage, Comic Link, Comic Connect.

I'm sure there are European auction houses but I'm not familiar. There's a global market, but you could just ship to one of the above.

There's no need for a certificate of authenticity if you're buying from good sources. I think I've only heard of Neal Adams providing one.

I personally would stick to published art and not commissions.

[Rick2you2]

9 hours ago, Bretd said:

If you don’t know what you are doing, do not buy a commission off of eBay. It can be dangerous to buy a cover, too, because there is a risk you are buying either a forgery or recreation. If you see the word acetate, run— it’s a cheesy copy.

To find artists on your own can take work, but doable, and I’m not allowed to tell you the secret handshake (it’s a secret). I usually start with Google, ID the name, and then add the word artist, DC, or some such. Sometimes it leads me to a rep., other times it produces images or sites. Just follow the trail through Facebook, etc. If the artist regularly pairs with a penciller or inker, looking for one can sometimes find the other. Following a trail once led me to Instagram, but no reply— for 9 months. The artist didn’t use it very often. Another time it took years to find someone. You can also look for their convention appearances. That’s how I got Howard Chaykin to do a commission (he went to Terrificon). 

Think hard about what you intend for this piece. A lot of less well known artists can produce beautiful work, but they are not fan favorites so will not command as much money. Same with scenes not involving popular characters. They also won’t return much on sale unless you pick a true up and comer, and get a bit lucky.

For reselling, the big names are Heritage Auctions and Comiclink, with Comic Connect close behind. Then you get to secondary auction houses, which can still have very good items but are not as well known, like Hakes and Russ Cochran. 

If you want more leads on anything, go to the Comic Art Fans website and dig in. That includes items for sale, items sold, dealers, etc.

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[Bretd]

Thank you everyone to links to the threads, and guidance, very helpful! Especially on what the reputable places to buy is great. I wasn't planning on eBay, but directly from the artists - didn't realize that some artists have their own representatives.

It's a bit weird that an artist wouldn't have an easy way to contact them for direct sales of original art, as that would be the interest of the artist, and the fan.

I'm looking to buy an original cover to get started, I currently only own comics and artbooks. I didn't even know commissioned art of known characters was a thing - I understood that for example that you couldn't draw and sell a picture of The Punisher for profit without paying royalties to Marvel and getting their permission.

Now I'm going to Google how much a used Buick Encore costs :P

[Hockeyflow33]

Not trying to be rude but there's never been a time with more resources available to everyone and anyone to research original art.

Not directed at you specifically but people want to know everything immediately and don't want to put the time into the hobby which in my opinion, has caused the lower-end market to blow up. Pages that should be between $100 and $300 are going for $200-1k+. You'll see them posted in different groups where people are excited to have their first page, and that's great, but when you're paying $400 for a page with similar sales of $100 it's just hurting this hobby. 

[vodou]

47 minutes ago, Hockeyflow33 said:

but when you're paying $400 for a page with similar sales of $100 it's just hurting this hobby. 

I disagree. That dude just lost $300, that's all. Everyone else sees it but him

The only crime in this case is that "for not wanting to go negative" nobody tells said newb how badly they got reamed and to never do business with "whoever" again

 

[John E.]

3 hours ago, Bretd said:

It's a bit weird that an artist wouldn't have an easy way to contact them for direct sales of original art, as that would be the interest of the artist, and the fan.

Seasoned collectors will tell you that there are quite a few artists who don’t like the business side of things or don’t like to handle sales. Keep in mind that they are artists, not business folks. They need to prioritize meeting deadlines over packing art and going to the post. That’s why they have reps to do that work for them. It’s not unusual to contact an artist for art and at some step along the way they don’t follow through with what they say they are going to do or just stop responding. Sometimes reps don’t even respond to your queries!

[Hockeyflow33]

1 hour ago, vodou said:

I disagree. That dude just lost $300, that's all. Everyone else sees it but him

The only crime in this case is that "for not wanting to go negative" nobody tells said newb how badly they got reamed and to never do business with "whoever" again

 

In a vacuum yes but when two or three new people are overpaying it sets a new benchmark that everyone else is now living with. 

[vodou]

46 minutes ago, Hockeyflow33 said:

In a vacuum yes but when two or three new people are overpaying it sets a new benchmark that everyone else is now living with. 

People are stupid. We're not going to fix that today  

[grapeape]

Comicartfactory.com is located in Brussels and on the net. Frederic Lorge is a super nice man and oversees a nice collection of American and international artists. You can send him an email and ask about conventions in Europe.

Learning the dos and don’ts takes time. The “value” of art as it appeals to the heart is incalculable. However we are living in unusual times. It’s wise not to jump into auctions right away. As a burgeoning collector it’s important to spend your money and time wisely. Nothing sadder then a new collector overspending, getting taken advantage of and becoming disillusioned with the hobby.

Are their American artists you cherish more then others? As already stated a great place to start is with the artists themselves. Artists also have reps who work for the them.

Try Felix Lu he reps a lot of talented artists and you may get good deals on “undiscovered” artists before they get hot.

Welcome to the hobby. Keep asking questions. I answer PM from everybody. A lot of board members do the same. Reach out any times. 
🛑 away from eBay. Landmines aplenty for those just getting into the hobby. Counterfeits, fraud, just a sewer of rip off monsters lurking.

PM private message me anytime if I don’t know something I am sure I can help you find the person that does👍

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by grapeape

[Rick2you2]

11 hours ago, Bretd said:

I'm looking to buy an original cover to get started, I currently only own comics and artbooks. I didn't even know commissioned art of known characters was a thing - I understood that for example that you couldn't draw and sell a picture of The Punisher for profit without paying royalties to Marvel and getting their permission.

In the last year and a half, the price of this stuff has changed markedly for some pieces, and for others barely at all. With the pandemic ending, it's anybody's guess what will happen next. By way of example, lumber prices skyrocketted for a few months. Then in the last month, with production up, wholesale prices have dropped 50% as things get back to normal.We don't know if there will be an adjustment in the months to come for the high priced material, or if dealers and sellers will try to keep prices high and succeed. Not the best of times to dabble as a newbie.

Think hard about the purpose of your purchase. If it is mostly decorative, buy something in that price range. Let someone else spend $20,000 for what most visitors will absolutely not appreciate. For example, Romitaman has been offering the following for a while, and although it isn't good girl art, it would certainly qualify as an interesting decorative piece in a playroom (or if you have a quirky sense of humor, the dining room) for all of $950. No stars, not a major publisher, but it will definitely attract attention.

 

[Bretd]

4 hours ago, grapeape said:

Comicartfactory.com is located in Brussels and on the net. Frederic Lorge is a super nice man and oversees a nice collection of American and international artists. You can send him an email and ask about conventions in Europe.

Learning the dos and don’ts takes time. The “value” of art as it appeals to the heart is incalculable. However we are living in unusual times. It’s wise not to jump into auctions right away. As a burgeoning collector it’s important to spend your money and time wisely. Nothing sadder then a new collector overspending, getting taken advantage of and becoming disillusioned with the hobby.

Are their American artists you cherish more then others? As already stated a great place to start is with the artists themselves. Artists also have reps who work for the them.

Try Felix Lu he reps a lot of talented artists and you may get good deals on “undiscovered” artists before they get hot.

Welcome to the hobby. Keep asking questions. I answer PM from everybody. A lot of board members do the same. Reach out any times. 
🛑 away from eBay. Landmines aplenty for those just getting into the hobby. Counterfeits, fraud, just a sewer of rip off monsters lurking.

PM private message me anytime if I don’t know something I am sure I can help you find the person that does👍

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the pointers! I'm mostly interested in J. Scott Campbell's work in this space, have most of his books and love his style and playfulness. Also interested in the classic pinup artists from Royo to Vargas to Sorayama etc. - though not comic book artists, and I'm certain the originals are well beyond my means. Jen Bartel did some incredible covers for Blackbird as well. They work a lot better inked than black and white, so the originals wouldn't be nearly as appealing for me to display.

I'm staying away from auctions for now. Planning to start out by buying directly from the artists.

I'll check out Frederic Lorge, I'm based in Amsterdam and Brussels is close by.

[WolverineX]

1 hour ago, Bretd said:

 

Thanks for the pointers! I'm mostly interested in J. Scott Campbell's work in this space, have most of his books and love his style and playfulness. Also interested in the classic pinup artists from Royo to Vargas to Sorayama etc. - though not comic book artists, and I'm certain the originals are well beyond my means. Jen Bartel did some incredible covers for Blackbird as well. They work a lot better inked than black and white, so the originals wouldn't be nearly as appealing for me to display.

I'm staying away from auctions for now. Planning to start out by buying directly from the artists.

I'll check out Frederic Lorge, I'm based in Amsterdam and Brussels is close by.

Get a Frazetta.

[Panelfan1]

Campbell covers sell 8-25k used right now. The last comic link had several sell in this range.  A classic older cover may be harder to grab and may cost more to pry from another collector.  

 

Some covers also sold on comicartfans.com recently around 18k or so.  

Buy what you can afford.

As a European.. you can still sell in Us auction houses like heritage and comiclink.

Dont buy for investment.  Because art can still go own in value.  You can lose money in this hobby especially on modern art where the artist is still creating more art. 

 

Sounds like you are a fan.  So if you can afford to own the art long term it s the best way to go. New art appears all the time.  So wait for a piece you really like.  

 

Go to www.comicartfans.com and see what Campbell art is in collections to get a sense of what is already in private hands. Make friends in the hobby.

Hope this was more helpful than the general answers this far

Good luck!

[Bretd]

7 hours ago, Panelfan1 said:

Campbell covers sell 8-25k used right now. The last comic link had several sell in this range.  A classic older cover may be harder to grab and may cost more to pry from another collector.  

 

Some covers also sold on comicartfans.com recently around 18k or so.  

Buy what you can afford.

As a European.. you can still sell in Us auction houses like heritage and comiclink.

Dont buy for investment.  Because art can still go own in value.  You can lose money in this hobby especially on modern art where the artist is still creating more art. 

 

Sounds like you are a fan.  So if you can afford to own the art long term it s the best way to go. New art appears all the time.  So wait for a piece you really like.  

 

Go to www.comicartfans.com and see what Campbell art is in collections to get a sense of what is already in private hands. Make friends in the hobby.

Hope this was more helpful than the general answers this far

Good luck!

Thank you, this was very helpful and actionable advice! Yes, I'm a fan, and mostly looking to buy art to display - though would be nice if it appreciates over time as well in case I ever need to sell for whatever reason.

[aqn83]

People have already chimmed in regarding JSC.

Jay Anacleto is handled by Kirk Dilbeck - https://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=14545

Regarding Ben Oliver, as someone who owns two of his best covers (clearly biased here) - GOOD LUCK getting a hold of him. He is not repped by anyone.

[gumbydarnit]

Sometimes you can get satisfaction in finding artists with the similar vibe as the one you collect. Once an artist gets popular other artists start riffing on that style, might be fun and less expensive to get you feet wet with one of those guys… nothing beats the real thing tho. 

[John E.]

On 7/9/2021 at 4:51 AM, Bretd said:

Thank you, this was very helpful and actionable advice! Yes, I'm a fan, and mostly looking to buy art to display - though would be nice if it appreciates over time as well in case I ever need to sell for whatever reason.

Have you seen this yet?