Thoughts on blue lines 2 2

[Darkly]

I was wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on inked pages over blue line when the penciler and inker are the same artist and he/she penciled digitally. In this case the ink over blue line would be the only art that exists for the page. I’ve had this never buy blue line mentality for so long that I’m not sure if the art form has changed so much that I’m thinking like a dinosaur. 
thanks

[Varanis]

In that specific scenario, I think blue lines are totally fine. I typically only find blue lines dodgy if 2 boards exist.

[malvin]

On 5/17/2022 at 7:46 PM, Varanis said:

In that specific scenario, I think blue lines are totally fine. I typically only find blue lines dodgy if 2 boards exist.

Yup, agreed.  If it is the same artist, I personally don't value it any less if the pencil component is digital if the same artist inked it by hand.

Malvin

[thethedew]

On 5/17/2022 at 9:46 PM, Varanis said:

I typically only find blue lines dodgy if 2 boards exist.

When there's 2 boards, I don't commit to one unless I can confirm I've got the other as well.

[hmendryk]

I have no problems with inks over blue line. My interest is the art, not whether the penciller actually touched the page. Generally speaking I am only interested if the inked version was the one actually published. Two exceptions being cases where I made blue lines from Kirby pencils and had someone ink the results.

[Twanj]

On 5/17/2022 at 9:31 PM, Darkly said:

I was wondering what everyone’s thoughts are on inked pages over blue line when the penciler and inker are the same artist and he/she penciled digitally. In this case the ink over blue line would be the only art that exists for the page. I’ve had this never buy blue line mentality for so long that I’m not sure if the art form has changed so much that I’m thinking like a dinosaur. 
thanks

Thanks for reminding me! The other day I was thinking I didn't have any bluelines but I do have a Kubert Wolverine cover that's "greylines" where he inks his own digital pencils. I don't even think of it as bluelines since it's not a different artist inking.

All my other pages are pencils or inks over pencils but in the last week I committed to buying a cover that's bluelines for the first time where I already have the pencils, and the inks are on a separate board. I love the pencils, and I love the inker so I may end up liking the inks more? It should be nice to see em side by side.

[DeadpoolJr.]

Not really my thing since I feel like I'm missing out on something and will pass if only inks exists. If the original pencils also exist I'd have to think about it and would expect to have them sold as a set.

I only have 1 printed blue line and that was because the seller didn't say it was one in the auction description. After I got the piece I was a little suspicious and after asking the and inker through email he validated my concerns. The seller which was selling it on behalf of a consigner agreed to a partial refund or a return since they didn't know it was printed pencils. Since I didn't want to go through the hassle of having to get packing material, along with the price still on the low end I decided to keep it.  It's also pretty small for comic art too at 8 by 12 inches. The reason the inker gave me was because they were on a deadline crunch for the issue and decided to draw on a smaller paper size to save on time. It was also why they did printed bluelines where they normally did inks over original pencils.

Edited May 21, 2022 by DeadpoolJr.

[aaronnear]

As long as it's the only original physical art for a page I'm OK with it. My preference is inked pencils, then pencils alone, and then inked printed lines. It's hard to find a lot of modern artists with published work that I enjoy that are not all digital, and artist proofs aren't my thing, but there are some that still sketch things out digitally and then them or their inker will ink the printed lines. If it's a safe bet that those inked blue lines are what were used for publishing and there are no pencil versions then that's the best you can do, so I'll buy it. If you look at, say, McNiven who stopped doing pencils long ago then the only way to own any original art for those published pages is inked blue lines.

There's still a lot of joy in seeing the ink work stand as the only hand touched work. It's not, to me, about the artist doing the page so much as it's the moment(s) existing on the page and knowing I have the only physical work for it. I could see how some might think pencils from an important artist that are printed and inked by someone else would make the page not have as much value, but that's not what I'm really concerned about in my collecting.

[thethedew]

I have one piece which was pencilled digitally, then inked manually.

I have quite a few where I have the pencils and inks paired together on separate boards.  It's kinda fun when you can pull off getting both.

I also have quite a few where the inks are digital, so the pencils are all there is.

I only have one where I own just the pencils, and the inks are elsewhere.  Since it's a Ringo, I accept the personal exception.

I make a point to make certain that the digital pencils/multiple board examples in my collection are well documented: in CAF, in my art inventory records, and with the pages themselves.  That's only being responsible, and is paying forward to any future owners of the art.

I hate having to look closely at FS art, the better to make certain of what exactly I'm considering; and it's a pet peeve that sellers are often ignorant (or worse) of the issue.  One wishes they would be more informed and forthcoming from the outset, but that's the world we live in now.  Collectors need to educate the dealers on what is important to us, and we do that by being persistent in our questions and consistent in our purchasing.

Digital options in the industry has not been a boon to the collecting hobby.

Edited May 21, 2022 by thethedew

[gumbydarnit]

I think the act of creation comes from the penciler, that is where the art is made. I love what the inker brings to the table and respect the heck out of their skill and talent, HOWEVER in my eyes they weren’t responsible for the initial act of creation from a blank page. That is where the magic is for me. 

I have bought a page or two strictly because of the inking of the page, but even in those cases, I probably would have passed if it was inked over printed blue lines.

If my favorite artist went completely digital, I zero interest in a 1 of 1 print of a page or a real inked page over his printed blue lines.

Not for me, but I can see where some might enjoy owning these items. 

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by gumbydarnit

[Rick2you2]

On 5/21/2022 at 10:33 AM, gumbydarnit said:

I think the act of creation comes from the penciler, that is where the art is made. I love what the inker brings to the table and respect the heck out of their skill and talent, HOWEVER in my eyes they weren’t responsible for the initial act of creation from a blank page. That is where the magic is for me. 

I have bought a page or two strictly because of the inking of the page, but even in those cases, I probably would have passed if it was inked over printed blue lines.

If my favorite artist went completely digital, I zero interest in a 1 of 1 print of a page or a real inked page over his printed blue lines.

Not for me, but I can see where some might enjoy owning these items. 

 

You can’t make a baby without the egg and the sperm.
I have seen a good deal of creation attributable to the inks. Not the overall layout, but the part where you want artistry to make it stand out.

[Phill the Governor]

On 5/17/2022 at 10:46 PM, Varanis said:

In that specific scenario, I think blue lines are totally fine. I typically only find blue lines dodgy if 2 boards exist.

I used to share this perspective, but then I found some art that I really wanted that was produced this way. Way I ultimately saw it was it's this or nothing at all! My enjoyment of viewing the inked page framed on my wall is in no way impacted by another penciled piece tucked away in a portfolio.

 

On 5/18/2022 at 8:58 AM, hmendryk said:

 My interest is the art, not whether the penciller actually touched the page.

This.

I feel it's easy to get caught up in the semantics of "what the page is" vs. this is all the exists of the original art aspect of the publication. Having separate boards for pencils and inks sure beats having no art at all because it was created digitally.