Art prices getting crazy

The Batfan · 04-04-2011, 07:21 PM

soo am I the only person who thinks art prices are getting crazy, I mean a "con sketch" now costs 100+ and up to 600 for some artists.. what happen to the days of 25 buck sketches and etc. Also the prices people are paying for pieces on ebay is outrageous as well. A lot of the prices for commissions etc are topping what you use to pay for a published page?

ok be HONEST about this

do you really think a con sketch should cost 500??

as I fuss all the time your paying for the artists name 99% of the time not the actual amount of art your getting IMHO

Fat Head · 04-04-2011, 07:56 PM

While I think that $25 can be a bit low (I'm referring to single character full figure pieces), I do agree that prices are getting out of hand. There's no con sketch worth $500. I think that even $7-800 for an at home commission is pushing it, it really depends on what it is.

Lately for myself (sometime in the last couple months), if an artist is over $200 for a convention sketch/commission, they're not even on my radar anymore. I'm definitely more concerned about getting a quality piece of art now than something with a name.

I want to start getting more published work, but those prices are getting ridiculous too. $400 for a panel page with nothing going on? Are you kidding me?

eBay is doing nothing but making matters worse. Artists who's art is awful flood the OA section, making mediocre are seem awesome, and causing inflated winning bids on those pieces. So now Joe Schmoe thinks his awful tit-tastic drawings of Black Widow falling out of her shirt are worth over $100. Now legitimate artists see this and say well my stuff is easily worth 2-3 times that.

I know I'm starting to get hesitant to share info if I discover an artist for fear of a mad rush to get that person's art, and then a sudden spike in their prices because of the "demand".

It's all so frustrating. I don't know if there's anyway to fix it either. Is there even anything we can do?

kirthew · 04-04-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Head

While I think that $25 can be a bit low (I'm referring to single character full figure pieces), I do agree that prices are getting out of hand. There's no con sketch worth $500. I think that even $7-800 for an at home commission is pushing it, it really depends on what it is.

Lately for myself (sometime in the last couple months), if an artist is over $200 for a convention sketch/commission, they're not even on my radar anymore. I'm definitely more concerned about getting a quality piece of art now than something with a name.

I want to start getting more published work, but those prices are getting ridiculous too. $400 for a panel page with nothing going on? Are you kidding me?

eBay is doing nothing but making matters worse. Artists who's art is awful flood the OA section, making mediocre are seem awesome, and causing inflated winning bids on those pieces. So now Joe Schmoe thinks his awful tit-tastic drawings of Black Widow falling out of her shirt are worth over $100. Now legitimate artists see this and say well my stuff is easily worth 2-3 times that.

I know I'm starting to get hesitant to share info if I discover an artist for fear of a mad rush to get that person's art, and then a sudden spike in their prices because of the "demand".

It's all so frustrating. I don't know if there's anyway to fix it either. Is there even anything we can do?

this is going to be the best solution to your issue.. but also the hardest to pull off... Everyone stop buying art and commissions... if the market is no longer there... prices will go down. Unfortunately... the market will always be there...

**MONSTER** · 04-04-2011, 08:06 PM

I used to get a lot more commissions up until a few years ago when the prices began to skyrocket. Now I just collect commissions from just a handful of artists but mostly I just go for published pieces.

Fat Head · 04-04-2011, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirthew

this is going to be the best solution to your issue.. but also the hardest to pull off... Everyone stop buying art and commissions... if the market is no longer there... prices will go down. Unfortunately... the market will always be there...

see, it's funny, I was going to post something to that effect, but I'm actually trying to think of realistic solutions. I would guess that the majority of people on this board are not heavily contributing to this problem (i could be wrong however). If we all stopped buying OA, I'm pretty sure eBay would still be going strong and other people would still be overpaying for everything.

The Batfan · 04-04-2011, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Head

While I think that $25 can be a bit low (I'm referring to single character full figure pieces), I do agree that prices are getting out of hand. There's no con sketch worth $500. I think that even $7-800 for an at home commission is pushing it, it really depends on what it is.

Lately for myself (sometime in the last couple months), if an artist is over $200 for a convention sketch/commission, they're not even on my radar anymore. I'm definitely more concerned about getting a quality piece of art now than something with a name.

I want to start getting more published work, but those prices are getting ridiculous too. $400 for a panel page with nothing going on? Are you kidding me?

eBay is doing nothing but making matters worse. Artists who's art is awful flood the OA section, making mediocre are seem awesome, and causing inflated winning bids on those pieces. So now Joe Schmoe thinks his awful tit-tastic drawings of Black Widow falling out of her shirt are worth over $100. Now legitimate artists see this and say well my stuff is easily worth 2-3 times that.

I know I'm starting to get hesitant to share info if I discover an artist for fear of a mad rush to get that person's art, and then a sudden spike in their prices because of the "demand".

It's all so frustrating. I don't know if there's anyway to fix it either. Is there even anything we can do?

the whole ebay thing makes no sense to me I see a few piece by some of these artists they usually sell in the 30-50 buck range (sometimes they go for 19.99) contact about a commission and they want 150 bucks???? what?? did u fall and bump your head??

hey I share all my cheap art finds with you guys you need to spread the love lol

On thing that I keep seeing is people on DA and etc I see a nice piece by them ( they have no pro credits etc) and they want 250 bucks for a 11x17?? what?? what happen to working your way up to a price point. I dont really want to pay that much for a BIG name (yes I am cheap lol). I pretty much keep my commissions in the 100 bucks or less due to I usually end up getting a few at one time lol if I can find them under 50 I get a bunch from the artist. You never know they will decide to change they rates the next day ughh

I really am slowing down on art just due to artists wanting way too much for commissions now I refuse to over pay for art. Some artists do a piece in an hour or less and I am not paying you 200 per hr just because you can draw and I cant lol

oh yeah who are the 2 jackasses who voted NO lets hear your reason why you think prices aren't too high?

risingstar · 04-04-2011, 08:35 PM

If the commission is cover quality or produced-page quality, I can understand the price. This is especially the case if the artist's pages sell for a lot on their own. However, if there is a large enough discrepancy between what you know the artist is capable of and what you get as your commission, then it isn't worth the price at all. At that point, the price actually risks becoming offensive, not only because the commission likely has questionable investment or resale value but also because you might feel set up as your desire for a commission is largely based on the artist's produced work. There is a reasonable expectation for a certain caliber of work.

kirthew · 04-04-2011, 08:43 PM

The most I have spent on a Commission was $250 from Ardian Syaf... and I would consider that cover quality... and the only reason I did that... was because I could split the payment in half...

I am like Batfan... I am tired of emailing artists and saying... "What are your commissions rates, you just had a Wolverine that didn't sell at $37.50" and getting told that they are $100 - $150... come on... get a grip...

I like www.comiconart.com but even some of their artists are off sometimes... and then I start to think about all of their artists sitting in a factory in Brazil and Ed Benes is standing over them with a whip... snapping it and saying... "Emma Frost! I said Emma Frost! Bigger Boobs!"

I don't know... I am starting to get apprehensive about the whole commission based art... it all makes me scratch my head...

punisher129 · 04-04-2011, 09:03 PM

I voted yes. The last AH ebay auction had a winning big of 3k ! I love his work but that just seems crazy to me.

---PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE---

**nbr3bagshotrow** · 04-04-2011, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by punisher129

I voted yes. The last AH ebay auction had a winning big of 3k ! I love his work but that just seems crazy to me.

---PUNISHER KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE---

IMO, no one's art is worth $3k for commission art.