CALLING ALL PAINTED COVERS for New DF Book

[comix4fun]

Collectors, Friends, Countrymen...lend me your scans.

Well not me, really. A great friends of mine is editing a book for Dynamic Forces.

This is your chance to be a part of a publication and get your personal pieces immortalized....again....in print......again.

Here is what he asked me to post:

 

Late in 2007, Dynamic Forces will publish a book called: LEGENDS: THE ART OF PAINTED COMICS. It's a history of the painted comic book, beginning with its pulp antecedants and going all the way up until today. Alex Ross is directly involved, and dozens of artists current and past have been interviewed. It's been a major undertaking and promises to be a superb product packed with hundreds of illustrations.

 

We need your help! We're searching for unique examples of painted comics for reproduction in this once in a lifetime book. Although we already have hundreds of printed images to choose from, we're also interested in things only YOU can provide: unpublished painted covers or pages, color tests and sketches, painted covers and pages sans logo / copy, painted pages or covers that were significantly changed for publication and painted art for cards or advertising that were generally not circulated.

 

If you have anything you think we'd be interested in, we'd love to have it.

 

Unfortunately there is no payment or reward if we use your pieces in the book, except your pride in having contributed to this wonderful project. We will handle NO originals. All submissions should be in the form of scans uploaded via email to my email account. Scans should preferably be 400 dpi and saved as TIFF files. The deadline for inclusion in the book will be March 15th, 2007. There is no guarantee that we will use what we recieve, but we'll sure appreciate it regardless!

 

If you have something cool, please contact me asap. Thanks!

 

John Stangeland

atlas@acomics.com

[Kevin76]

I can't paint

[sborock]

Images sent........

[*paull*]

DF could at least supply contributors with a copy of the book.

[comicartfan]

Images sent........

 

same here....but i only have one painted cover...

[lmiller]

DF could at least supply contributors with a copy of the book.

 

 

yeah. i thought that as well. if they can.t pony up a nice proof edtion for your input, why even bother. what they expect you to let them print your art and then you go out and buy the book so you can see your own stuff in print yeah right.

 

larry ;]

[comix4fun]

DF could at least supply contributors with a copy of the book.

 

 

yeah. i thought that as well. if they can.t pony up a nice proof edtion for your input, why even bother.

 

So emailing a scan of a piece of art is arduous labor? They aren't asking you to write the thing, just send a scan if you are a fan of the genre and want to participate.

 

what they expect you to let them print your art and then you go out and buy the book so you can see your own stuff in print yeah right.

larry ;]

 

They are collecting scans of painted comic book covers.

If you owned any such covers you would have already seen them in print on the comics that they came from. You would not need to buy this book to see them in print.

 

Some people want to bring exposure to an area of comic art collecting that they appreciate and bring additional exposure and admiration to the artists that created the pieces (that are in some cases sadly overlooked), and they are willing to simply tap a few keys and the keyboard and send off a scan. No work, little effort, no obligation, and all on a volunteer basis. Getting scans from the actual art will showcase the artwork in the detail and integrity that the art deserves and that cannot be achieved by reprinting the published comic covers.

 

Others don't share those feelings or care unless there is a personal payoff.

 

That said, if anyone wants to participate they are welcome, if they don't they are welcome to do that too, but imputing that they are trying to collect scans so that the contributors are forced to buy the book is pretty in it's own right.

 

Chris

[sborock]

I sent them images because I thought it would be good for the hobby as a whole.............

[comix4fun]

I sent them images because I thought it would be good for the hobby as a whole.............

 

I know they appreciate it Steve. There are little things like this we can do to promote this hobby that cost us nothing and return nice dividends for what we enjoy.

 

I am contributing for the same reasons you are. It is a nice way to get guys from the Bronze are like Larkin and Norem and Kelly some kudos and some recognition.....

 

And I found out that the book will probably wind up retailing for near $50 so I am not asking for a copy for sending a scan.

 

Chris

[*paull*]

Basically, DF is making money off of your efforts. To each his own, but I'd expect at least some sort of token payment for my efforts.

[comix4fun]

Basically, DF is making money off of your efforts. To each his own, but I'd expect at least some sort of token payment for my efforts.

 

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong I would love a copy of the book..and I don't begrudge anyone money for their efforts. I just don't know exactly what sort of effort is involved in emailing a scan.

 

Case in point...The contributors to the Wrightson Frankenstein book were asked to package and mail their pieces worth $10-50k and to the publisher where they were held for upwards of 6 weeks before being returned. The contributors to that book are to be given a copy of the book when it comes out. In that case, they had both the effort of packing and shipping their piece, along with the worry and inconvenience of being without their art for an extended period. The case with this book is nothing at all like the Wrightson book situation.

 

I realize that for each piece of art I own, I own only the art itself. I don't own rights of reproduction. For every cover I have I know that the companies that produced it and the artists that created it are to print and reprint to their heart's desire. I did not buy any rights that guarantee me compensation when the art was published again, I only got the pencils inks and sometimes paints.

 

I would like to see a discount on the book for contributors, that might be fair, but a free $50 book for emailing a scan? I would quit my job if I could get that gig on a regular basis.

 

Chris

[Nexus]

I'll back up Chris here.

 

Simply sending a scan is nothing. It's less effort than it takes to post a message here on the boards. If someone wants to be compensated for that, that's up to them.

 

In 2003, I commissioned a painting from Steve Rude. You can see it here:

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece...at=0&UCat=0

 

It took a year to complete. After I received it, Steve asked if he could use it as the cover to his retrospective coffee table book. I was not an art collector at the time, so published vs. non-published had no meaning for me. I agreed simply on the basis that I wanted to help him out.

 

The publisher, as it turned out, lived about 90 minutes from me. I took an afternoon off, drove to the publisher's place, and then waited another couple of hours while he scanned the art (it had to be super high-res).

 

In the end, no big deal. I'll be happy to see my piece on the cover. The publisher graciously offered me the book when it's published for my trouble, which was nice of him. I wasn't expecting anything.

 

To me, if you admire the artist and love the art, you'll help popularize the work. If all it takes is sending a scan, it would seem to be a no-brainer.

[adamstrange]

They may, but these are usually not, I repeat not, big money makers. A number of folks that do this lose money and do it for the love of the hobby. I try to support these types of efforts gratis for that reason.

[*paull*]

OK, how about the opportunity to buy the book at wholesale?

 

That Wrightson Frankenstein situation is unbelievable. I would be amazed if a lot of people agreed to that. I know I'd never trust anyone I don't know with a piece worth that kind of money.

[comix4fun]

OK, how about the opportunity to buy the book at wholesale?

 

That Wrightson Frankenstein situation is unbelievable. I would be amazed if a lot of people agreed to that. I know I'd never trust anyone I don't know with a piece worth that kind of money.

 

 

I would love a book at wholesale too.

 

On the Wrightson book, I don't know of anyone that has refused as of yet. They were sending the pages to Frank Darabont who was working directly with Bernie Wrightson to put this together. It wasn't a no-name situation, and from the art collectors that I talked to, they are such huge fans of the work and the artist (judging by their investment of $$ alone you could have guessed that) that they were more than happy to be a part of something that they viewed as long over due and, once completed, landmark for the genre and the story.

 

I guess it is a case by case basis. With the Wrightson book, the parties involved would have given me complete comfort. But I have been approached to put some of my pieces on exhibit before, and I won't agree unless I have some assurances of safety and insurance in writing.

 

Chris

[Mister Trent]

Basically, DF is making money off of your efforts. To each his own, but I'd expect at least some sort of token payment for my efforts.

 

I've contributed artwork reproductions to various publications over the years, along with the ocassional written article.

 

Usually, you get a written acknowledgement for your help. If it's something like a magazine (eg, ALTER EGO or the defunct COMIC BOOK MARKETPLACE), a free copy is the norm. I've been given free books if the level of contribution has been significant.

 

For me, the reward has always been to see my name in print (I guess we all like to have our egos stroked).

 

I was in London late last year with my family, and on one of the days we were taking a look around the FORBIDDEN PLANET book shop. I pulled out one of the Titan harback reprints of the 1950s UK strip DAN DARE, PILOT OF THE FUTURE, for which I had contributed a number of written articles. "Look," I proudly showed my wife and daughter, "here's something of mine in print!" My 16 year old daughter looked at me with an expression of withering scorn, advising, "You and your comics . . . you want to grow up, you sad bast**rd!"