JadeGiant Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 You are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t negotiate, generally speaking. In general terms the higher prices should have more wiggle room but I don’t think art under 2K is out of bounds for negotiation. In addition to price, how new the piece is probably plays into a dealer’s willingness to negotiate. If you see a piece pop up for 2K today and you come in and offer lower they are likely going to decline unless you aren’t asking them to come off the price very much. Once it sits for a while they may be more willing to negotiate. In these cases you have to ask yourself if the money you are asking off is worth not getting the art. If not, just pay the price because there might be an offer to buy at asking price coming in right behind you and you wouldn’t want to lose out on a piece for a few bucks if you really are OK with the list price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babadookbatgirl Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 As a new comer to OA. Can someone tell me if it is possible to get sketches from cons I am not attending? I live overseas and I am constantly frustrated at how I can't get sketches at cons. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mister_not_so_nice Posted July 30, 2016 Share Posted July 30, 2016 As a new comer to OA. Can someone tell me if it is possible to get sketches from cons I am not attending? I live overseas and I am constantly frustrated at how I can't get sketches at cons. Thanks. There are a few ways you can go about this. Most, however, require you having a friend attending the convention. * Set up a commission/sketch before the show and have a friend pick it up for you * Send someone you trust some $$ and ask them to pick up a sketch for you. Does it have to be "sketches"? Have you tried getting some commissions from the artists you like? Those you could get no matter where you live (or where they live for that matter). Just do your homework before paying for any commissions up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dissident3 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I have been collecting for about 2 years now. I am getting ready to set up my CAF page. I was wondering if anyone had advice as to how I should upload pictures of my framed art. Should I just take a good picture, or would i have to crack open the frames (Done at Michael's) and scan the art? Can I scan something that is in a frame? I would think the glare would be too much. Thanks in advance for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claudio Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I have been collecting for about 2 years now. I am getting ready to set up my CAF page. I was wondering if anyone had advice as to how I should upload pictures of my framed art. Should I just take a good picture, or would i have to crack open the frames (Done at Michael's) and scan the art? Can I scan something that is in a frame? I would think the glare would be too much. Thanks in advance for any advice! I wouldn't open the frame. The frames protect the art from dust and stuff. I don't know about scanning in a frame. That just seems like a difficult proposition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MGS Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I have been collecting for about 2 years now. I am getting ready to set up my CAF page. I was wondering if anyone had advice as to how I should upload pictures of my framed art. Should I just take a good picture, or would i have to crack open the frames (Done at Michael's) and scan the art? Can I scan something that is in a frame? I would think the glare would be too much. Thanks in advance for any advice! Personally, I would just take a good picture. I wouldn't mess with opening up the frame. I have a couple of pictures in my CAF gallery rather than scans for oversized pieces. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 My Gigantor/Astro Boy vs. Big Guy/Rusty piece is unfromed, but way to large to scan so I took a picture with my iPhone. I think it looks okay. One tip, there a programs (GraphicConverter for Mac, for example) that can unskew a photo. Just make sure to have all four corners in the frame. Such apps exist for iPhone and Android as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick O. Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 Take a high-res photo of the framed art. Here's one of mine: http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=955749 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadpoolJr. Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Does anybody have any advice on how to store just penciled art, without worrying if it might smear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shoveler Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 My one penciled page is in a mylar polybag with a self-adhesive strip. The artist helpfully provided the polybag, so I'm not sure if it came from E.Gerber Products or Bags Unlimited. I think some vendors at the comic con carried these mylar polybags too. The artist advised that no other special storage was really needed for the pencil-only piece and no fixative spray was necessary to preserve the art. I keep it in the first sleeve of an Itoya portfolio from Anthony's, and I keep that portfolio on top of my other portfolios so there's no weight applied on top of the penciled page. I'll eventually place an acid-free backing board in the poly. I've recently moved my portfolios into a closet, on top of a bookshelf with a small Eva-Dry renewable dehumidifier desiccant unit recommended by Ankur J. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comix4fun Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 Having spoken to artists who work in graphite or pencil or other non-ink media, they've mentioned spraying their artwork with a fixative to prevent smearing and loss of artwork over time. Some go low tech and use aerosol hairspray (no joke), others use one of the artist supply store brands of fixative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueace Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Hey guys, quick question, is it bad to take a piece of art that has been signed by the artist and have the writer of the comic to sign it too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Nope. I think it's fine. Well so long as you follow my standard advice. A couple of items come up pretty on this topic: Signature placement The signature should be confined to the margin and not on the art. To ensure proper placement, it's a good idea to have the page in a plastic bag with a hole at the spot for the signature and a big red arrow pointing at the opening. Most won't remove the piece and you are more likely to get it where you want it. [*] Dedications Dedications will generally lower the value of the piece especially for unpublished art. This is the opposite of author signatures in a book which per Antiques Roadshow increase the value. Odd. [*] Signing implement A good pen should be used/supplied. I like the gel ball points. They don't seem to blot, smear, or fade. Someone suggested using Sakura's markers. They are fine tipped and archival quality ink, He suggested that they won't ruin the art and may last longer than the ink on the page. Same marker that Jim Lee uses to ink his own pages. [*] Reviews: Ballpoint, Rollerball, or Gel and To Put a Fine Point on It - Which pens are best? among lots of others that Google can provide. [*] Markers fade, pencils smear. I prefer in person if I can make it happen as I also like to get a picture of the art and the artist if I can. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueace Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 Thanks for the advice alxjhnsn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted September 13, 2016 Share Posted September 13, 2016 You are welcome. Of course, my free advice is worth what you pay for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Hal Posted October 2, 2016 Share Posted October 2, 2016 Hey guys, quick question, is it bad to take a piece of art that has been signed by the artist and have the writer of the comic to sign it too? If it's for you, why not? Personally, I would not purchase a cover that has any signatures added to it after the fact of publication, even if it's the signature of the original artist. I have an unsigned cover and would not have the artist go back and sign it since that's how it went up. That's just my own collecting hang-up. I want the art to stay in as close to the same state it was when it left the artist. This includes the margins outside of the art. Like Grails, I prefer to see the artwork as it was originally. If there are signatures in the margins and it doesn't touch the original art, it doesn't bother me -- but I don't view it as a plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKA Rick Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I vote for getting autographs in pencil on the front in the margins, not personalized by any and all members of the creative team. Many collectors hate signatures, so having it in elegant pencil allows the option to easily erase the autograph. I see a lot of autographs signed inside of the art, which I see as an aesthetic detriment than value benefit. I also see a lot of ugly signatures using thick sharpie markers in the margins which takes away from the beauty of the fine lines if the art, especially in today's pieces that are in pure pencil. I would never tote art around to conventions chasing signatures, but if I bought art at a show directly from the artist and they asked if I wanted it signed, I might take 'em up on the offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 I have some standard advice on autographs that might be of interest. A couple of items come up pretty on this topic: Signature placement The signature should be confined to the margin and not on the art. To ensure proper placement, it's a good idea to have the page in a plastic bag with a hole at the spot for the signature and a big red arrow pointing at the opening. Most won't remove the piece and you are more likely to get it where you want it. [*] Dedications Dedications will generally lower the value of the piece especially for unpublished art. This is the opposite of author signatures in a book which per Antiques Roadshow increase the value. Odd. [*] Signing implement A good pen should be used/supplied. I like the gel ball points. They don't seem to blot, smear, or fade. Someone suggested using Sakura's markers. They are fine tipped and archival quality ink, He suggested that they won't ruin the art and may last longer than the ink on the page. Same marker that Jim Lee uses to ink his own pages. [*] Reviews: Ballpoint, Rollerball, or Gel and To Put a Fine Point on It - Which pens are best? among lots of others that Google can provide. [*] Markers fade, pencils smear. I prefer in person if I can make it happen as I also like to get a picture of the art and the artist if I can. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ickwinzs Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Here is a question, how do I figure out what a piece of art is worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxjhnsn Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 One standard answer coming up. Spoilers used because I post this a lot. You might want to explore the following resources: The OA auction archive at Heritage Auctions - This archive presents the results from all of their OA auctions.. Once you sign-up and get an id, you can search for pieces by your artist and see what they have sold for. The CAF Market Data - More auction results (more than 1,000,000) are available if you join the Comic Art Fans site, pay for Market Data access, and access eBay and other auction sites as well as Heritage. The Comic Art Database. It contains transaction records entered by the owners of Comic OA. Dealer sites. Dealers, generally, post their art with fixed prices though there are exceptions. There is a list of dealers on CGC OA board and the Dragonberry site has a list as well. The CAF site will search the inventories of several dealers for you. Blouin Art Info which tracks sales at major art auctions. It can turn up some Comic OA as well. Look for the “Art Prices” item on the top right of the screen Jerry Weist's Comic Art Price Guide - Heritage published a third edition of it. In my opinion, it's a good history book and might be useful for comparison work, but it was out of date a year before it was printed. A topic on these CGC OA boards, A-level panel page valuations by artist/run - thoughts/additions/changes?, holds a discussion that relates to your question. It provides some "generally agreed upon" ranges for popular runs by popular artists on popular characters. The Biggest OA Prices thread tracked some of the largest sales in the OA space. While that particular thread has stopped; it's probably worth reading for the discussions. Meanwhile , the information is still being updated - just with a different mechanism. The price information moved to The OA Elite blog. Click on the categories on the top of the page to see the updated list. The discussion moved to Biggest OA Prices: The Blog New buyers and sellers often find that OA is too hard to price. I agree. However, I think that there is a valid reason. Each piece is unique. Uniqueness make art sales generally and OA specifically non-linear. For example, Consecutive pages could and do sell for radically different amounts. Take page layout - In general, you might say: Covers > 1st Page Splash > Other Splash > 1/2 splash > panel pages However, that's not always true either. The right panel page can be much more compelling than a bland splash. Take pencillers- There are "A-list" artists, but not all of their books/characters have the same value. Kirby FF pages generally go for more than JIM/Thor pages which go for more than Cap pages (2nd run) which go for more than ... Take combinations of pencilers/inkers - Kirby/Sinnott FF pages rank above Kirby and anyone else on FF, but a Kirby/X FF page might be more or less than a Kirby/Stone Thor page. Hard to tell. Finally, you should join the comic book OA community. The three main points of Internet contact are: Yahoo's comicart-l mailing list The Comic Art Fans website The CGC OA Board The main points of physical contact are probably: San Diego Comic Con New York City Comic Con Comic Art Con Heroes Comic Con One last comment, if you are looking to buy or sell, spend the time to learn the market. That might take 6 months, but it's worth the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
