How do you choose your original comic art?

[SpectatorGuy]

This is my perspective as a relatively new collector (started in 2014).

I go in with the mentality that any money I spend on art is money that I will never recover or maybe get 10% back, which means I better like something or get it real cheap.

I always thought original pages were way too expensive for me to ever enter. Pages and splashes I thought were cool started at $300 and up. That's why I thought I was safe in commissions where it is more "reasonable", the $100-200 range.

That said, I did manage to end up with a few pages somehow. Mostly as I went to more cons the artists get friendly with me and cut me deals on pages. I usually have to really like the expression or something happening on the page, and the character. So I have an X-23 panel page with Cap America/Matt Murdock from an artist I really like.

My other pages are the "splash"/full figure considerations. It has an artist I really like with full figures or something visually interesting going on. But I never read the book and don't really have an affinity with the characters, just something cool to look at. However, I've never spent more than $100-$150 on any single page.

Ironically I've spent around $600 on a single commission but my brain thinks $300-400 for a page is too much. I think over $200 is expensive for anything so people dropping $1k-10k are way out of my league. Inexpensive to me is under $100 for a commission or page. I don't really feel like the more I've spent on a piece the better it is. I just look at my pieces and think about how the art makes me feel good and that usually I had a pleasant experience with the artists.

I used to frame everything but sometime the frames cost more than the pieces and I don't really have enough space. I do look through my portfolios from time to time but I usually look at them on caf or when they randomly come up as my pc wallpapers.

That said, I would love a Bruce Timm piece or say a Terry Dodson piece, but I know I would have to spend ~$1000 to get something great from them. I still think that's a lot of money which is why I still don't have a piece from "bigger name" artists.

Your Bruce Timm collection is lovely and I wouldn't mind making an offer on some of it once you've decided what pieces you were willing to let go!

[joefixit2]

Similar to JG, I focus on Hulk artwork; go with covers, splashes, and panel pages. Try to get Sal Buscema pages when possible, especially the older stuff since those were the issues I bought when I was a kid and they really mean something to me.

[Arcusprime]

I don't buy much original art, mostly commissions, but when I do decide to get a page its usually very easy: Do I like it? Now that does take many things into consideration, Do I like the characters, do I like the artist, do I like the art, have I read the book? I like bigger splash pages as opposed to more story and panel pages. Other than that, the condition of the page or how the art is done (pencils, pencils and inks) is secondary.

[supahman]

I've tried to stick to 3 characters.. Then I'm trying to collect pages / Commissions related to my fave artists and or Stories for these 3 characters.

Supes
Conan
He-Man

( I might cheat with Tarzan, if i get a decent Yeates / Buscema / Kubert )

Where I drift is, with pages related to My all time fave stories, eg. Alan Moore Swamp Thing or Morrison's JLA.

Along these theme's, i believe i've got only one Spidey, which was kinda my first foray into collecting art, and i got kinda peer pressured i guess
On the topic of letting go, i guess, that's the only one i'd be ok with letting go right now.

[carlito1978]

Originally Posted by JadeGiant

I have a bit of 11x17 OCD issue so I try to buy art in that size when getting commissions.

good to see another 11x17 enthusiast. we need to start a campaign to end the proliferation of 9x12 commissions in this world!!

I too stick with 11x17 with the occasional 11x14 exception. very rarely do I allow for anything smaller to go into my collection.

[MONSTER]

11x17 snobs. lol I also prefer 11x17 but a lot of my Tim Sale pieces are 9x12 and I love them.

[risingstar]

Originally Posted by MONSTER

11x17 snobs. lol I also prefer 11x17 but a lot of my Tim Sale pieces are 9x12 and I love them.

If an artist is open to doing something bigger, I typically go for it. More than half of my pieces are larger than 11 by 17. I have several in the 20 by 30 inch range and bigger.

[JadeGiant]

Originally Posted by MONSTER

11x17 snobs. lol I also prefer 11x17 but a lot of my Tim Sale pieces are 9x12 and I love them.

my Sale is 11x17, the only way to go.

9x12? Pshaw

[JadeGiant]

Originally Posted by risingstar

If an artist is open to doing something bigger, I typically go for it. More than half of my pieces are larger than 11 by 17. I have several in the 20 by 30 inch range and biggerr.

Anything bigger than 11x17 is being braggadocios

[JadeGiant]

Originally Posted by superboylives

I agree with you. It does seem idiotic to keep them in portfolios. I love the art, but I only get to see all of them when I'm looking through CAF. I don't even look through the portfolio that often. Maybe once every 2 months. But trying to get down to 20 pieces let alone 5 is still pretty tough. Once had a deal with the owner of the Alex Ross/Bruce Timm JLA cover, but I couldn't figure out which of the pieces to sell to come up with the $15K. I have become pretty attached to them over the years. I'll rank them tonight and make an effort to sell off the bottom 5. After they're gone I'll do the same thing with the next bottom 5. This is going to be painful. But on the upside my least expensive piece (pen/ink aside) cost me $1100 and $1100 buys quite a few $350 interior pages.

I've already had this conversation with my wife regarding selling off my collection after I'm gone. One of my best friends gets to pick anyone of them he wants for free and then he will help her sell the rest. She doesn't understand art or get why any of this is valuable. All of this goes out the window if my daughter needs cash for college in 10 yrs. Family comes first so I'll be cleaning house if I have to.




I really do understand where you're coming from. I never consider any of the art I buy as an investment, but even my cheap pieces are expensive to me. What would you consider a inexpensive piece? Some collectors on Felix's podcast are spending over $10k for things like it's $1k. I wonder if there is a different thought process for collectors that buy mainly $50-$350 pieces of art vs collectors that purchase $1k or more pieces. I bought my first $100 commission last year and I was far less critical about the art. I was fully aware that I'd never see that money again if I needed to raise cash, but I didn't care. I feel very different when something costs me over $800. Do other collectors feel the same way or do you place the same value(for want of a better word) on a $50 piece as they place on a $1500 piece? You've spent the cash. Whether it's worth the amount you paid for it in 2yrs you don't care.

What I consider expensive is relevant to how much liquid cash I have to spend at that time. If I have built up a hefty war chest, I am much more likely to do a commission or two. If I have just bought a cover, returned from a convention weekend, etc. I might think a $100 is expensive. In general, anything above the $500 - $700 range means I am evaluating how bad I want it as compared to other things. Art that is $1K and up has to be something I really want and I tend to be very contemplative for these purchases. I have waited and missed because of this and now have a pretty finite list of the type of art that I will buy quickly if it becomes available. I have not ventured into the 5-figure price point yet and don’t see that happening unless I sell off a bunch of statues and have a nice reserve.

Another perspective on collecting: I see nothing wrong with keeping some (or even all) of your collection in portfolios. It’s not a crime and certainly not idiotic in my opinion. I can see having a preference for displaying art but it’s a major reach to say you shouldn’t keep art if it is not on the wall. 99% of those that collect art keep some of their collection in a portfolio (or some other storage method). There are no hard and fast rules that apply to everyone so it is all just a matter of personal preference. I keep my collection in well organized and readily accessible portfolios and review them often enough to enjoy my collection thoroughly. As long as you are storing them in a way that preserves the art, I see no problem whatsoever.

As for the trading up/Andy Robbins method, once again it is a matter of preference and not a one-size-fits-all approach. I think it lends itself well to large collections where you may have pieces that you no longer care as much about and it is relatively easy to imagine not being in your collection. Smaller collections, maybe not so much as you may tend to have a very strong attachment to all of the pieces. I can see trading out a few pieces that you can stomach the idea of letting go IF you have a specific piece in mind that would mean a lot more to you (and you can’t/don’t want to fund outright). Selling off the “bottom” of your collection without a specific target might not make any sense as the cash you get from the sale will not likely mean as much as the art you sold.

I will say, I don’t collect painted pieces and wouldn’t know how to store them, etc. so maybe I would have a different perspective if I did.