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New to OA Collecting, Advice, tips?
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Started by FrankJP,

1,154 posts in this topic

paul747

paul747

Posted
Posted

HI,

I have a question, and would appreciate any advise. I have quite a few Original art covers and would like to put the lettering and other printed material that's on the printed cover on display with the art. I obviously would want it as an overlay or something that would not harm the piece. I read thru some threads and used the awesome search function to no avail. This would only be for my display not resale.

 

I would assume it would be a letter artist? thanks for the responses!

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themegoguy

themegoguy

Posted
Posted
HI,

I have a question, and would appreciate any advise. I have quite a few Original art covers and would like to put the lettering and other printed material that's on the printed cover on display with the art. I obviously would want it as an overlay or something that would not harm the piece. I read thru some threads and used the awesome search function to no avail. This would only be for my display not resale.

 

I would assume it would be a letter artist? thanks for the responses!

 

I have never had this done, but have seen others recommend the following:

 

http://www.nsnart.com/ArtistGalleryRoom.asp?ArtistId=1756

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malvin

malvin

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Quite a few people do it, search for "cover dress" or overlay. I think most restorers/conservators do it, I think on CAF you can search for James Pascoe that some dealers use, another dealer friend recommended someone else to me when I thought about it. Let me know if you want his name.

 

Malvin

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paul747

paul747

Posted
Posted
Quite a few people do it, search for "cover dress" or overlay. I think most restorers/conservators do it, I think on CAF you can search for James Pascoe that some dealers use, another dealer friend recommended someone else to me when I thought about it. Let me know if you want his name.

 

Malvin

Thanks for the link and name to both of you. If you can dig up that other name that would be great.
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alxjhnsn

alxjhnsn

Posted
Posted

I used Chris Ivy on my Archie cover.

 

DeCarlo%20Dan%20-%20Archie%20Andrews%20Where%20Are%20You%2031.jpgtfadmTEM_0204141946271.jpg

 

Scott Rosema offered to patch up my Curt Swan page with a missing bubble, but I haven't bothered. You can reach Scott as follows:

Scott Rosema

1262 E. Forest Ave.

Muskegon, MI 49442

231-799-0200

temstudio@aol.com

 

If you are interested in restorers, in the many threads on paper conservation, the names that recur the most were:

 

 

  • Robert Dennis

    [*]Gordon Christman

    • ggc2k@hotmail.com
    • Gordon doesn't seem to have a web presence, but his snail mail address and phone number are:
      GORDON G. CHRISTMAN
      RESTORATION & CONSERVATION
      330 SOUTH HORNE STREET #L
      OCEANSIDE CA 92054
      TEL: 760 439 7970
      CEL: 760 458 2290

    [*]Tracey Heft - Eclipse Paper

    trace@eclipsepaper.com

    http://www.eclipsepaper.com

I would add that most major museums know of paper conservators. You might want to contact someone at a local museum and see if there is a conservator close to you.

 

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PhilipB2k17

PhilipB2k17

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As someone who's been doing this for only about a year, here is some advice I have, for what it's worth.

 

The generic advice to "buy what you like," is correct. But what does that mean? The only way to really know that is to look at a lot of art, and get a feel for what makes a great piece of original comic art. Some people only want Covers. Others prefer splashes. Some don't mind the panel pages. Covers are invariably more expensive to buy, expecially the older, pre-digital era pieces.

 

I actually think panel pages can be pretty great, as pop art. There is nothing like original comic book art, with the panels and word balloons. That's what makes the art special, and differentiates it from other types of art.

 

I bought my first piece over 25 years ago at a convention from Sal Buscema. At the time, he was not regarded as a 1st tier artists, so I got a great title splash from him for an absurdly cheap price, which was the going rate at the time.

 

Now, Sal has a much great reputation as a great Marvel stylist.

 

I didn't start buying any OA until more recently, with that piece as a starting point. I don't have any other higher end pieces...yet.

 

I prefer the older stuff, with the word balloons intact. Ink on Pencil. That's real Comic Book OA, IMHO. I also always collect the comic its from as well. It's especially fun when you come across a page from a comic you already own, and remember reading.

 

I learned "values," initially by just following eBay auctions. After a while, you get a feel for what things are worth, and can start predicting how much they will sell for.

 

I also set a budget on how much I am willing to pay for a piece. I've lost a few that I really liked because I was unwlling to pay more than my budget, but the great thing about this hobby is that there are hundreds of thousands of pages out there. You will find another one you like eventually.

 

I like 80's independent comic books stuff. And, because the books they come from are not so highly sought after, the pieces tend to be reasonable. Even from bigger name artists.

 

But, what I've found as a rule of thing on OA, is that the artistic merit of the piece counts the most. It's a visual medium, and things that just look really great tend to command higher process, no matter who the artist is.

 

I'll take a great splash page by a lesser regarded artist over a really crappy example page by a "star" any day. And, both do exist.

 

Second, well-known characters tend to be more sought after. Spider-Man and Batman pages, no matter who drew them, are going to command a premium, generally. Not always. But, generally. Especially if they are good examples of the characters in action.

 

Sexy woman art also brings a premium. A sexy drawing of any female in a published comic book page will tend to draw more interest, no matter who the character is. This is a male dominated hobby, so that's just a fact.

 

Superhero stuff tends to get higher prices than other stuff, unless it's from a premium artist, from a classic era, doing horror or sci-fi or humor.

 

Pages from well known artists Comic runs for a particular character, or from key issues, will command higher process than general run books by lesser known artists.

 

Grail pieces for one collector may not be so for others. Some may think a McFarlane spidey-splash or cover is a grail. Others, like me, would rather have ANY Dave Stephens page, especially if it's Rocketeer. I saw someone was able to score one of Stephens' classic Alien Worlds covers recently and was consumed with jealousy. But, after a while I thought how great that piece was an appreciated it.

 

In any case, the bottom line is - buy what you like, but don't pay more for it than you can afford. Quantity can also be quality, if you have a discerning eye and buy stuff you really like. There are a TON of great, great, great less expensive pages out there. They are just not from key books, or by superstar artists. They are just excellent examples of the artform.

 

I do advise going to conventions and just talking to artists there, and buy from them directly if you like their work. But, folks, real Comic Book OA is going the way of the dodo. In 5 years, comic books will no longer have original pencils or inked pages. It will be all digital. So, the stuff that exists out there now may be all there will ever be.

 

I am not a fan of the digital stuff. The finished artwork is great, don't get me wrong. But, it's not the same as real ink on pencil. That's just me, though. Others may - and do - disagree! That's what makes this hobby so great.

 

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Dick O.

Dick O.

Posted
Posted

Welcome to the dark side :devil:

 

Fine first post, but couple things I disagree with:

 

But, what I've found as a rule of thing on OA, is that the artistic merit of the piece counts the most. It's a visual medium, and things that just look really great tend to command higher process, no matter who the artist is.

 

This isn't normally the case; plenty of beautiful OA costs far less than (subjectively) lower-quality pieces from more highly-regarded artists/runs.

But, folks, real Comic Book OA is going the way of the dodo. In 5 years, comic books will no longer have original pencils or inked pages. It will be all digital. So, the stuff that exists out there now may be all there will ever be.

 

Many artists now recognise the income potential of selling traditional OA, and adjust their production methods accordingly.

 

 

Happy collecting!

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SuperChris

SuperChris

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Recently discovered this board, registered, and am sure glad I did! I've read through a large portion of this thread and have learned so much. I've been dabbling in the hobby for awhile now, but never really interacted with like minded individuals. Glad to see there's a place for others that share my passion.

 

I must say, all of your wonderful collections put my (comparatively small) collection to shame, but I just enjoy seeing all the beautiful pictures you post. I registered for the comicartfans page years ago, but never created a gallery or posted a page before. I'm putting a couple pages (very recent purchases) up tonight to share. I'll be sure to post them in the appropriate thread soon.

 

In the meantime, I'm LOVING seeing the great artwork you are all adding to your collections! Some AMAZING stuff on this board, and always great to see fellow fans find those special pieces that mean so much to them personally. I always gravitate to pieces with which I have a personal connection (whether it's from a book I loved in my youth, or from a personal favorite artist), and it's as much fun reading your stories about why you bought a certain page as it is looking at the page itself!

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