Con Sketches .... what happen to them??

[JadeGiant]

I don't get the drama Lee ... you either like the price or you don't. Buy what you like for the prices you like. It's not like there isn't any shortage of artwork out there. I personally would MUCH rather pay $500 for something from the likes of Ed McGuinness than 5-10 pieces from lesser known artists (I do dabble in this space as well). Don't take offense ... but you should try to see the other side of this IMO

[Wookiee]

There are some I am willing to pay the money for, but usually it is related to the detail put in it. Really the same applies for pages either at a con or online. There are artists out there who think that because they just got on a name book or with a name publisher they are the bomb but their work just isn't worth the price.

It is very rare for me to crack the $500 mark. For me it has to be someone who's art shows the worth (eg. My wife can look at it and say 'Okay, $500, I get it!')

Two years ago I got a Full Figure Iron Man by Marko Djurdjevic for $500 in which the pencil work in my opinion was well worth it. Last year at Fan Expo I got an Alan Scott by Ian Churchill again for $500 again the time and detaill (as well as the experience chatting with Ian for a couple of hours) was well worth the money.

Let's face it though - if you whip out the sketch in 15-20 minutes - for the most part it ain't worth more than $50 to $200. Each one of us though has to draw our own line in the sand where we are willing to put our money. Just my two bits!

[Royd]

I'm pretty much working along the same lines for SDCC in that I'll be focussing on say two commissions from artists whose work I'm really enjoying and following. I'd also love to arrange something with Jim if he attends SDCC.

Originally Posted by MONSTER

Its very rare for me to walk away from a convention with more than 4 pieces. I'm normally 2 or less.

The only artists on my commission radar right now are Coipel, Cheung, and Nord. I'll have to check to see who is attending SDCC that catches my interest.

Lee Bermejo won't be at SDCC this year so he's out until 2012. I set up 2 commissions with Timmy earlier this month but I'm not sure when he'll have a chance to get to them.

[Sam]

My take on it is very simple, unless I want something by a particular artist, I look at who I want to commission by their artwork. In the case of two artists that are equaly good, I would go for the cheaper of the two. However, if I want something done by Darryl Banks or Ivan Reis or George Perez, then I don't particularly care if someone else can draw just as good or even better than them. If I want a Darryl Banks piece, then I will be prepared and willing to pay what he asks me for that piece. I own one Banks, and I have another in the works. I didn't quibble or negotiate when I asked what it cost. Either the cost is too high, or I am willing to pay it. It's that simple. Do I think some artists are too high? Sure I do. That's why I'm not interested in getting any work done by them.

Do I care about price? Yes. Do I care about having good art? Yes. Do I set a limit to what I will pay an artist for a commission? Sure, but I do my research and hopefully when I get to the convention I already know what the artists I am interested in will charge. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

[Royd]

The most I've paid for a commission was also $500 and it was for a full figure Rorschach illustration by Dave Gibbons.

I figured that the opportunity to arrange something along those lines with Dave (who doesn't accept many detailed commission requests) was a relatively rare occurrence so it was worth it to me!

I also felt that it would be a great piece to enhance my enjoyment of one of the most well known books in the industry (Watchmen). The spin-off was that Dave delivered it to me in person at my local con and we got to spend quality time together - a great experience

Originally Posted by Wookiee

There are some I am willing to pay the money for, but usually it is related to the detail put in it. Really the same applies for pages either at a con or online. There are artists out there who think that because they just got on a name book or with a name publisher they are the bomb but their work just isn't worth the price.

It is very rare for me to crack the $500 mark. For me it has to be someone who's art shows the worth (eg. My wife can look at it and say 'Okay, $500, I get it!')

Two years ago I got a Full Figure Iron Man by Marko Djurdjevic for $500 in which the pencil work in my opinion was well worth it. Last year at Fan Expo I got an Alan Scott by Ian Churchill again for $500 again the time and detaill (as well as the experience chatting with Ian for a couple of hours) was well worth the money.

Let's face it though - if you whip out the sketch in 15-20 minutes - for the most part it ain't worth more than $50 to $200. Each one of us though has to draw our own line in the sand where we are willing to put our money. Just my two bits!

[bat_collector]

I like both sides of it. I have pieces I got for under 50 that I love, and sometimes I'll pay the big bucks for a big name artist who does outstanding work. My Ardian Syaf's pieces are amazing!

[goingbroke223]

Darryl is a great guy and great example of getting an amazing piece for a reasonable great price.. I love my Alan Scott I just got and saving for another

Originally Posted by Sam

My take on it is very simple, unless I want something by a particular artist, I look at who I want to commission by their artwork. In the case of two artists that are equaly good, I would go for the cheaper of the two. However, if I want something done by Darryl Banks or Ivan Reis or George Perez, then I don't particularly care if someone else can draw just as good or even better than them. If I want a Darryl Banks piece, then I will be prepared and willing to pay what he asks me for that piece. I own one Banks, and I have another in the works. I didn't quibble or negotiate when I asked what it cost. Either the cost is too high, or I am willing to pay it. It's that simple. Do I think some artists are too high? Sure I do. That's why I'm not interested in getting any work done by them.

Do I care about price? Yes. Do I care about having good art? Yes. Do I set a limit to what I will pay an artist for a commission? Sure, but I do my research and hopefully when I get to the convention I already know what the artists I am interested in will charge. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

[kirthew]

Originally Posted by bat_collector

I like both sides of it. I have pieces I got for under 50 that I love, and sometimes I'll pay the big bucks for a big name artist who does outstanding work. My Ardian Syaf's pieces are amazing!

I agree, the most I am paying any more is $100 and when Syaf becomes available, then I will put up the money for his work. I look at my Green Lantern every day and love it.

[ratchet]

Originally Posted by risingstar

Now that key pages have begun to sell for more than 100k, I can see even more speculators hitting the market base hoping to score a quick and hefty profit.

Back in the day, there were loads of dealers in town who manufactured such an astounding (and arguably baseless) hype around collectibles. They actually had lineups of fans eager to spend $100 on a silver foil Wildcats #2 comic. I now see these same dealers snatching half decent pages and sketches wherever they can and hoping to score major dollars at cons. They use the same type of pitch too, i.e., "this page will be worth double by fall".

The rise in price of any kind of product usually attracts the right and wrong type of attention. Before this settles back down to what makes sense, I fear we'll just have to sit back and watch the fireworks for a while.

This is exactly it...

Originally Posted by JadeGiant

I don't get the drama Lee ... you either like the price or you don't. Buy what you like for the prices you like. It's not like there isn't any shortage of artwork out there. I personally would MUCH rather pay $500 for something from the likes of Ed McGuinness than 5-10 pieces from lesser known artists (I do dabble in this space as well). Don't take offense ... but you should try to see the other side of this IMO

It's so funny you use McG as an example - I remember about 10 years ago before he was a name when he was at conventions doing free head sketches and full figure? A whopping $40...