Is anyone here buying into monoprints 1 1

[Carlo M]

7 minutes ago, filmboyuk said:

Nice pages. I'm a little disappointed to hear that the little sketch promised on the website is on a post-it note rather than on the back, for some reason. But I also like his art and would think about adding some prints to my collection at some point - still kicking myself for not taking one of his Thor covers that I was looking at a few years ago - it's just that physical art pages keep coming up in the meantime! :-)

Agreed I would have preferred the sketches to be on the back , would have increased the original art resemblance.  I will ask him about this .

[Matches_Malone]

9 hours ago, Carlo M said:

 

So net net a good experiece.  The two pieces look very slick, with (obviously) thick blacks and nice effects.  I love the simplicity and sophistication of Russell's art and I am glad I have a couple of examples. The fact they are printed on Marvel paper helps.  Russell added one little sketch of Storm on a post-it on each of the pieces, which is nice.  All the nice looking pieces from this and the previous issue have sold, so obviously there is demand for this kind of product.  Not sure if this means that there will be a market for re-sale.  In any case, at these price points (300 and 600 respectively) for this kind of quality I might buy again in the future, but I will be highly selective.

 

Marvel paper  

[PixelPusher]

On 12/9/2020 at 1:41 PM, Carlo M said:

So net net a good experiece.  The two pieces look very slick, with (obviously) thick blacks and nice effects.  I love the simplicity and sophistication of Russell's art and I am glad I have a couple of examples. The fact they are printed on Marvel paper helps.  Russell added one little sketch of Storm on a post-it on each of the pieces, which is nice.  All the nice looking pieces from this and the previous issue have sold, so obviously there is demand for this kind of product.  Not sure if this means that there will be a market for re-sale.  In any case, at these price points (300 and 600 respectively) for this kind of quality I might buy again in the future, but I will be highly selective.

 

Thanks for sharing the experience. One thing I'm curious about is the Marvel paper. Is there a way to tell if it is actually pre-printed boards sent from Marvel and was it advertised to you that way? I ask because I've seen instances where digital artists will print out the official-looking blueline on the blank bristol board along with their digital pencils or inks. The way the second page art is perfectly within the outer blue border would be tough to get so exact if it was a pre-printed board. 

[alxjhnsn]

Re: 1o1DOA (one-of-one Digital Original Art)
I can't speak for anyone else, but my position is simple. If it's a digital drawing of a printed page, I'll buy the printed page and stop.

I understand print quality and COA and artist integrity, but really the printed page in the comic is just fine by me.

[Carlo M]

On 12/13/2020 at 5:45 AM, PixelPusher said:

Thanks for sharing the experience. One thing I'm curious about is the Marvel paper. Is there a way to tell if it is actually pre-printed boards sent from Marvel and was it advertised to you that way? I ask because I've seen instances where digital artists will print out the official-looking blueline on the blank bristol board along with their digital pencils or inks. The way the second page art is perfectly within the outer blue border would be tough to get so exact if it was a pre-printed board. 

Hi sorry it took me a while to respnd.  Hard to tell, but comparing the stock of paper on which my Dauterman's Artists Proofs are printed to another example (Andrade's OA from his Cap Marvel work) it feels like they are on a  different stock of paper.  So I would not be surprised at all if the Marvel border is also part of the computer generated layout.  I am sure you can ask the artist at the time of enquiring.

Still, what is interesting is that most of the nice pieces were sold and yet only a couple surfaced on CAF (including mine).  So I wonder, is there a younger generation of buyers who is not on CAF at all?

[filmboyuk]

The Pepe Larraz monoprint drop a few days ago specified that they were "printed on Hahnemuhle German Etching 310 paper to perfectly recreate Marvel Comics paper" so I think it might be common that the "Marvel page" detailing is actually also part of the print. Which is kind of interesting, in terms of trying to simulate something that they transparently aren't.

I find it hard to imagine anybody is buying monoprints and not looking for online resources as well, so surely the two main ones they run into are CAF and here - if not, and I've overlooked somewhere, I'd be fascinated to know! I've heard people say before that the younger generation hang out on Instagram etc. but surely it's much harder to pick up information there than CAF/CGC so they'd naturally gravitate in this direction? Maybe as a Gen-Xer I'm just too old to understand :-)

[Unstoppablejayd]

2 minutes ago, filmboyuk said:

The Pepe Larraz monoprint drop a few days ago specified that they were "printed on Hahnemuhle German Etching 310 paper to perfectly recreate Marvel Comics paper" so I think it might be common that the "Marvel page" detailing is actually also part of the print. Which is kind of interesting, in terms of trying to simulate something that they transparently aren't.

I find it hard to imagine anybody is buying monoprints and not looking for online resources as well, so surely the two main ones they run into are CAF and here - if not, and I've overlooked somewhere, I'd be fascinated to know! I've heard people say before that the younger generation hang out on Instagram etc. but surely it's much harder to pick up information there than CAF/CGC so they'd naturally gravitate in this direction? Maybe as a Gen-Xer I'm just too old to understand :-)

Facebook OA groups too.. there has been massive threads on this subject recently.. it is quite interesting

[Carlo M]

Which one  was the Pepe Larraz monoprint drop? Would love to get one piece from him , he is one of the best currently, IMHO

[Carlo M]

Saw the art on Artcoholics - all very nice and all...sold. There is obviously a market for these products. I wonder if a secondary market will develop.

[dirtymartini1]

[Unstoppablejayd]

3 minutes ago, dirtymartini1 said:

they are getting it.. the larraz drop sold out in minutes at 4-600 each! 

[Matches_Malone]

3 hours ago, dirtymartini1 said:

 

3 hours ago, Unstoppablejayd said:

they are getting it.. the larraz drop sold out in minutes at 4-600 each! 

Jorge Jimenez Batman art is also selling quite well.  There is no doubt that his covers would be selling at 3X, if they were in pencil and ink.  A lot of collectors are getting priced out. The 1 of 1 monoprint is an alternative.   

Its a  very small sample, but ComicLinks selling of the Thor pages at a strong price... twice....shows that  there could be  an after market for these. 

 

[Unstoppablejayd]

1 minute ago, Matches_Malone said:

 

Jorge Jimenez Batman art is also selling quite well.  There is no doubt that his covers would be selling at 3X, if they were in pencil and ink.  A lot of collectors are getting priced out. The 1 of 1 monoprint is an alternative.   

Its a  very small sample, but ComicLinks selling of the Thor pages at a strong price... twice....shows that  there could be  an after market for these. 

 

I agree. 

[filmboyuk]

A rising tide lifts all boats... comics collectibles as a broad sector is experiencing a lot of interest and activity, so monoprints are gaining as a result. I don't think it's too hard to imagine that even after that tide has ebbed, there might be enough interest that it will remain a viable stand-alone category of collectible, somewhere between comics books and original art - a high value and scarce collectible, but not on the same level as actual art.

The Jorge Jiminez prints are priced pretty high, IMO, which is why mostly only A-level pages / covers / key story moments have sold, whereas the Pepe Larraz prints are pretty well priced, so they all sold within a few hours of the drop. I'm sure all the artists need the additional revenue, and its good that they will have this avenue to go down in terms of another market for their work, but most digital art will have to settle for a second tier of pricing. 

[ESeffinga]

The angle I find fascinating is the old school set that only wants to buy orig comic art hand drawn, but is totally into buying multi-thousand dollar printed books that are available by the thousand. But that one off print of art, oh no... that’s crazy.

Buying printed sports cards, or game cards, or whatever. Holofoils, and chromium cards, or limited or rare release deck cards... that’s all ok too. But not a piece purchased direct from the artist or artists’ rep printed as the only one. Nope.

The mental gymnastics there, I don’t quite get, personally. I’ve seen people argue their reasoning and I still don’t get it. And I count myself as one that’s done my own wrestling with it. 
 

I own one piece by a digital artist that was 4 figures. Not comic art, but the only way to obtain the artist’s work. He has a decade+ track record of sales, and the prices continue to climb on the A+ work. Not unlike any other “collectible”.  Maybe that is the line. Making the mental leap back from “original” to “collectible”? And which is it really?

Not that there isn’t value in it but whether the object is the art, or a representation of the art. 
 

Half-baked thoughts on an early Saturday morning.

 

[Twanj]

1 hour ago, ESeffinga said:

but is totally into buying multi-thousand dollar printed books that are available by the thousand.

What are these?

[fsumavila]

This has been the subject of quite a few threads in an OA Facebook group. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I side with Liefeld on this. If it comes out of a printer, then it's not true original art. Which means I have no interest in it. I like the traditional pencil+ink style, and that's what I like to spend my $$ on. 

BUT, I can certainly see the appeal of mono prints for collectors of newer artists who, as a group, seem to be working more digitally. If you like a certain artist, like Pepe Larraz (whose work I enjoy as well), then a print is the only way you're going to own some of his work. I get that. 

I also get that newer collectors must have sticker shock when they first enter the OA collecting world, and these specialty mono prints offer a more affordable entry point into the hobby. I'm really curious to see how the secondary market for items like this develops. I haven't paid close attention to any auctions on Clink or Heritage -- have these started to show up there? 

Also, I wonder if the reps for some of these digital artists will encourage them to do some pages in the 'old school' style (or at least covers) so they don't leave as much $$ on the table. Just my two cents...

[vodou]

7 minutes ago, fsumavila said:

BUT, I can certainly see the appeal of mono prints for

...people that entered very late (2019/20/21) and that's all they can afford/justify spending.

The tell (am I right or wrong) will be how they collect (if at all) in five years: move up to 'traditional' OA or stick with building out and up the mono-rail.

Edited December 19, 2020 by vodou
clarity

[ESeffinga]

2 hours ago, Twanj said:

What are these?

 

2 hours ago, fsumavila said:

If it comes out of a printer, then it's not true original art.

 

Good thing none of these has value...

[Rick2you2]

4 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

The angle I find fascinating is the old school set that only wants to buy orig comic art hand drawn, but is totally into buying multi-thousand dollar printed books that are available by the thousand. But that one off print of art, oh no... that’s crazy.

Buying printed sports cards, or game cards, or whatever. Holofoils, and chromium cards, or limited or rare release deck cards... that’s all ok too. But not a piece purchased direct from the artist or artists’ rep printed as the only one. Nope.

The mental gymnastics there, I don’t quite get, personally. I’ve seen people argue their reasoning and I still don’t get it. And I count myself as one that’s done my own wrestling with it. 
 

I own one piece by a digital artist that was 4 figures. Not comic art, but the only way to obtain the artist’s work. He has a decade+ track record of sales, and the prices continue to climb on the A+ work. Not unlike any other “collectible”.  Maybe that is the line. Making the mental leap back from “original” to “collectible”? And which is it really?

Not that there isn’t value in it but whether the object is the art, or a representation of the art. 
 

Half-baked thoughts on an early Saturday morning.

 

I think it is somewhat akin to the difference between an artist’s original  oil painting vs. a limited series lithograph vs. an unlimited print. As art, it doesn’t matter much, but as an item of collectible worth, it matters a lot. You can’t see painting details below a certain degree in a print— there aren’t any. But, in many painted pieces, that level of detail is also missing or inconsequential so it doesn’t matter. Once we get to a question of worth, things change. People buy collectible cards and comics for nostalgia and potential future value, not how good Wayne Gretzky looks while holding a hockey stick. So that distinction isn’t hard for me. Same with mono prints: their value is a function of potential future demand for the piece, not their artistic value (which it can have).