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Preliminary Art - What's your take?
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53 posts in this topic

What is everyone's take on preliminary art?

 

Do you think it should command top dollar, or a percentage compared to the final art?

 

Is it as sought out as "regular" comic art?

 

Does it make a difference if the prelim art is just sketches of characters, or how a page is to be laid out?

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I think that prelims vary widely depending on how finished they are, and how close to the original they look. And the size.

 

I only own 1 prelim. and I feel like I got it for about 10% of the cost of what the finished would have been. Which IMO felt pretty right.

 

it's nicely detailed on tracing paper and looks almost exactly like the finished product.

 

http://cafurl.com?i=20039

Edited by Pete Marino
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Pete, thanks for the link. It gave me the idea to search CAF for prelims that are for sale, and the types of prelims people collect.

 

Like published original art, the conductibility / value of prelim art depends on the artist, how well it's done, the characters on the page, and how desirable it is

 

Thanks!

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Another thing I love about prelims is if they have an interesting story- specifically, if they illustrate something that was removed or added in the final version

 

It's fun to be able to see the editorial process when it comes to things like that. I have a prelim I'm not able to show that includes elements that were edited out of the final version of the printed comic.

 

I have another prelim that has a slight change to it, but the reason why the chance occurred was a last minute editorial knitpick that drove the artist/writer bonkers.

 

In those instances, I still think prelims should not be anywhere close to the original published price.

Edited by ComicsNYC22
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http://i.imgur.com/1JFe2Kw.jpg

 

My thinking was I don't really have a good chance of meeting the artist at a con, the bottom panels were better than a quickie sketch anyway, they are from a title I read the first time around, the price was definitely right as they were in a sale (although I had been looking at them for a while) and I can't really afford a good page of his as they are currently out of my league.

 

The extra few bucks off made the difference. I would never pay anywhere near what the actual page costs and if you pay too much attention to prelims then they will quickly add up to the asking price of something much better.

 

If there is enough demand for something then the prelims will still be pricey (shrug)

 

It's funny you brought this up as I was actually asking about some other prelims today but not for all the reasons stated above.

 

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prelims are a nice free add on to the original art.
I have a prelim that was included when I bought the original cover. I'm sure I could sell it as such and reduce my cost of the original a bit, but I like the story it tells and how it became the original, so keeping it all together I think is more important in the long run.
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I believe their collect-ability relies on the artist, cost and as Pete mentioned the state of finish. I only have one, which is a pretty detailed Harley Quinn by Mark Brooks. I have no idea what it is a prelim for, but I got it for a steal compared to what I'd have to pay for his finished work.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1005608

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I buy what I like, so I don't care what others think it is worth. I actually prefer preliminary pieces. The pencils aren't ruined from mediocre or bad inking in many cases.

Here are some I own.

 

Wildstars #5 Rough Draft by Frank Brunner

Prelim_Wildstar005.jpg

 

Wizard Magazine preliminary cover by Mike Mayhew

M_Mayhew_Wolverine.png

 

Rich Larson preliminary pencils for a Fastner & Larsen painting:

surfer_galactus_sketch-1.jpg

 

Olivia rough watercolor sketch signed by her and model Sandra Taylor

Olivia_Watercolor_Sketch.jpg

 

You can see the finished painting on he cover of the Dragon Con program book on the table. It's difficult to see because of Sandra in the foreground.

sanda_taylor.jpg

 

DG

 

 

 

Edited by dgarthwaite
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Yes. She is. I was told it is extremely rare to be able to see Olivia and the models for her artwork at the same place. Olivia works from photographs, so after the pictures are taken, the model leaves and Olivia works from the reference photos. After Olivia signed it, she said I should go see Sandra who was set up at a different are of the convention. I located Sandra. Sandra was flattered that I bought it and that Olivia had sent me. Sandra was charging for her autograph, but she signed mine for free. Which is good, because I'd already spent all the money I had with me.

 

DG

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Prelims come in varied conditions, some are really unrecognizable characters in layout form, more for storyboarding. So, the term can produce various qualities.

 

Some artists prelims look really detailed and can often even be mistaken as the original final art. I've seen prelims by Mike Choi, Aaron Lopresti, Carl Barks, Tony Harris and Ryan Sook.

 

Some prelims are done on 8" x 10" typing paper or smaller, and some are on full sized 11 x 17 (maybe are subsequently light boxed in the final rendering process as well). Some are done on the back of the final piece too, it's always fun to see extra artwork on the back of the OA.

 

Prelims by big named artists like Carl Barks, James Jean or Frank Frazetta of course command high dollars, even if doodles. I've seen modern day prelims by Michael Turner and J. Scott Campbell sell for fairly good solid prices.

 

Generally however, most everyday artists sell them at fractions and some nearly give them away or actually do give them to fans (either outright or as a gift with purchase). There's no guide or rule to price and value. I would say, generally, they're less desirable and to some, are not even considered worth collecting with the thought being either they're unfinished or there's a better (final / published) version that exists that they want instead.

 

As a general fan of the process, I'd say they're most collectible when possessed with the final version (just like pencils and inked blue lined pairings on separate boards), much like a color guide would also be a nice addition along with the actual published publication/printed piece.

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I'm a big fan of prelim art. it often has great energy and I like seeing the process that leads to the finished art, especially pieces by John Buscema. And like Garf said it's definitely more affordable so you can pick up pieces by artists you may not otherwise afford like Berni Wrightson.

 

Here are a few of the prelims in my collection:

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=338280

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=52901

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=378463

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1047155

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