Original comic art novice seeks advice! - Page 2

khazano · 03-24-2008, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lizard King

So if I'm understanding the discussion at collectors-society.com, a blue line piece is a high res copy of the OA that the inker has inked over. A blue pencil piece is the (what I would call) original artwork? Does anyone know if there is a way to tell which is which without having to check back with the dealer? I assume with a blue pencil piece you can see the blue pencil underneath the inks? Is that the only way to tell? I'm a newbie in this area to, and never took into consideration all the high tech processes used these days.

It is original art. The debate about which is more desirable has been raging for years. But most people tend to want the pencils over the inks, if they had to choose, myself included.... You can see the bluelines on a blue line print out, but... Although just cause you see bluelines does NOT mean that its a blue line inked piece. The artist himself may have used some blueline pencils, as Bruce Timm and Mark Bagley have been known to do. Best bet is to ask though.

AND ALSO, Blueline is NOT the only method this is done in. There is also what's called "light boxing". Which is when the inker has a copy of the pencils, and inks it over a new board ontop of the original pencils under a special light. (Like tracing) Looking closely for erased pencils lines is pretty much the only way to tell if a piece has been lightboxed... Again, always ask if you're unsure...

Lizard King · 03-24-2008, 09:19 PM

Thanks khazano. I guess nothing is ever really simple? Well all the pieces I've ordered I like, so it's not a big deal. Plus it's too late to do anything about it even if it bothered me.

I'll definitely keep this in mind when I purchase anymore art though. Thanks again!

Royd · 03-25-2008, 05:45 AM

I definitely fall into the group which prefers the penciller's original work.

No disrespect to the inker, however, it was the penciller whose work attracted me and that's what I wish to purchase. Best,

Royd

Quote:

Originally Posted by khazano

It is original art. The debate about which is more desirable has been raging for years. But most people tend to want the pencils over the inks, if they had to choose, myself included.... You can see the bluelines on a blue line print out, but... Although just cause you see bluelines does NOT mean that its a blue line inked piece. The artist himself may have used some blueline pencils, as Bruce Timm and Mark Bagley have been known to do. Best bet is to ask though.

AND ALSO, Blueline is NOT the only method this is done in. There is also what's called "light boxing". Which is when the inker has a copy of the pencils, and inks it over a new board ontop of the original pencils under a special light. (Like tracing) Looking closely for erased pencils lines is pretty much the only way to tell if a piece has been lightboxed... Again, always ask if you're unsure...

touche22 · 03-25-2008, 11:58 AM

An example of what MONSTER said about artists just sending hi-res digital copies to the companies is a page I got 2 years or so ago. I bought a Mike Weiringo Spider-Man page (one where he's fighting Morlun) and it is just pencils with the spots to be inked marked with a pencilled "X".

big_red_s · 03-25-2008, 11:58 AM

If you really want to get technical - none of the above is "published art" as defined because all of them get manipulated before they get printed.

My advice - buy what you like and enjoy it.
Don't worry about the "business aspect" of the hobby - it will ruin it for you.

Lizard King · 03-25-2008, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by big_red_s

If you really want to get technical - none of the above is "published art" as defined because all of them get manipulated before they get printed.

My advice - buy what you like and enjoy it.
Don't worry about the "business aspect" of the hobby - it will ruin it for you.

I agree with 100%. However, should I decide for any reason that I need to sell some or all of my collection, I'd like to let the seller know what they're getting. The last thing I would want is the buyer coming back to me and claiming I advetised a Blue Line copy as an "original" Blue Pencil. I don't let this bother me, but I would like to be an informed collector.

**MONSTER** · 03-25-2008, 01:36 PM

Without a doubt its best to be informed and ask as many questions as possible.

Most collectors (myself included) would rather have the original penciled pieced that is then inked.

khazano · 03-25-2008, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by touche22

An example of what MONSTER said about artists just sending hi-res digital copies to the companies is a page I got 2 years or so ago. I bought a Mike Weiringo Spider-Man page (one where he's fighting Morlun) and it is just pencils with the spots to be inked marked with a pencilled "X".

Back in 2003 Wieringo and Kessel were really the first ones to make the blueline method a mainstream thing...

Heres a visual example, borrowed from the comicartsources Adan's collection...

genfan1 · 03-26-2008, 04:56 PM

Some artists only do pencils case and point Greg Horn. He does extremely detailed pencils and then does everything else on the computer. So the only original artwork available from Greg Horn is 99% of the time pencils only. You will occasionally find some of his older Espers hand painted pages and the commissions that I have had him do pencils and inks of which these are few and far between.

I myself prefer the pencils being inked because it really makes the page POP and even though the pencils (example Jim Cheung) are very detailed if you frame something and put it on the wall penciled pieces just have a hard time standing out up against pieces that have been inked by a really good inker. Just as an example see the Jimmy Cheung and David Meikis picture below. David does a fantastic job of inking Jimmy's pencils.

Anytime you have a question about original artwork don't hesitate to ask.

Lizard King · 03-27-2008, 08:02 AM

It's my understanding that the artists and inkers who use the Blue Line are in the minority. Is there a list out there of who these artists are? I recently asked a seller about a piece I was buying, and they said that "to the best of their knowledge the piece in question is a Blue Line", and they gave me the web address of the artist if I had any further questions. I'm not quite sure what to make of this. I would think the seller would know if the piece is a Blue Line or Blue Pencil, and I really don't want to bother the artist to find out. It would be much easier if there was a list of artists, and which process they prefer to use.