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Is it ever OK to 'alter' your original art?
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68 posts in this topic

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone has ever done anything to their original art pieces?

Two things have crossed my mind. Firstly, I have a few second hand commissions personalized to other people and I have thought I could whiten out the names. And secondly, I have some original art pages which for some reason are a little too wide to fit into my Itoya 11 by 17 folios and I've thought about shaving a small thin piece to fit them in (obviously without touching any art etc).

Anyone thought the same or even done something like that?  Any strong views/ideas..? 

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36 minutes ago, wincen said:

Hi All

Just wondering if anyone has ever done anything to their original art pieces?

Two things have crossed my mind. Firstly, I have a few second hand commissions personalized to other people and I have thought I could whiten out the names. And secondly, I have some original art pages which for some reason are a little too wide to fit into my Itoya 11 by 17 folios and I've thought about shaving a small thin piece to fit them in (obviously without touching any art etc).

Anyone thought the same or even done something like that?  Any strong views/ideas..? 

I have never altered original art, but like you, the thought of shaving a bit outside the art area has crossed my mind.

For dedications, I have not whited it out myself, but I have asked the original artists to do it before.

Malvin

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Related question. There is a piece I have been interested in for quite some time, and it has been pencilled and inked. I was thinking of asking the artist if he could modify it. Is that even possible, except with a paste-up to cover a bit of the original?

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1 hour ago, wincen said:

Itoya 11 by 17 folios

It's all about the 13 x 19 size. Plus you can put con prints in there.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=itoya+13x19+profolio&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_sop=15&_osacat=0&_odkw=itoya+13x19

I also have a few 14x17. 11x17 is just too tight.

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For a commission I understand wanting to white out a name - it almost becomes a consideration for me when I am buying the piece. If you want to display, perhaps some creative framing/mat options? Use archival tape on tape something over? That will definitely be safer than whiteout and the same level of obstructiveness. 

All the art I bought for the first couple years fit into the 13x19 itoya nicely, and I had one 13x21 piece that was just floating, driving me crazy - I decided to shave it. Relatively nominal value, crisp board in good condition. The very next day after I cut it I received 2 pages in the mail that were both too big for the 13x19. So then I ordered a 17 x 22. I kid you not - THE DAY that portfolio arrived I received a Liam Sharp page that was 18x22... now I have a 18x24 portfolio with one damn piece in it... I guess I’d rather just not shave/cut.

I’ve got some older pieces with stats and word panels with the glue starting to dry out. I could easily fix it myself with archival adhesive, and probably will. 

At the end of the day, it’s your artwork. Untampered artwork, with very few exceptions, always be more valuable than artwork that has been changed in any way whatsoever. 

My 2 cents 

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Hi all

Thanks for your thoughts.

I think yes if I could get the artist to alter that would be best but unfortunately highly unlikely from where I am.

I like the idea of archival tape - reminded me another of my pieces has that presumably put on by the artist.

Re: the foilos, I have a 14 by 17 too - but I just don't like there being too much excess, it's just a bit too annoying...! So I may decide to shave ... at least my least expensive one first!

But Magnus, I think your idea would be a bit too far for me!

 

 

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3 hours ago, dichotomy said:

Also, I do rely on Heritage’s description of a piece when bidding/deciding to bid. What separates excellent from very good to good? 

Ha descriptions match comic grading, so good is actually not great, since that's a very low grade 

Malvin 

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2 hours ago, wincen said:

Hi all

Thanks for your thoughts.

I think yes if I could get the artist to alter that would be best but unfortunately highly unlikely from where I am.

I like the idea of archival tape - reminded me another of my pieces has that presumably put on by the artist.

Re: the foilos, I have a 14 by 17 too - but I just don't like there being too much excess, it's just a bit too annoying...! So I may decide to shave ... at least my least expensive one first!

But Magnus, I think your idea would be a bit too far for me!

 

 

I have done amateur reconstructions and replacements of what, at the time, were modest pieces of original comic book art.  Most is gone now to new collectors.  The latest news is to keep it as found with as much provenance as possible.  Best, David

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Speaking of published art only... a few of the artists I purchase from sign their work prior to shipping - I'd rather they didn't do so as it wasn't published with a signature to begin with.

I wouldn't modify anything myself if I could help it, certainly not if another solution is so simple as to buy another portfolio.

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I will never in anyway or any reason cut, trim, alter a piece of art. A professionally restored stat, maybe even removal of mold or warped pages, tape etc. legit as long as disclosed. When you buy a drawing dedicated to Tom and your name is Nick, change your name to Nick otherwise leave it alone. I saw a magnificent drawing where the black and white image was left alone but the name dedicated was darkened out with a solid block of black marker. Bad look.

Buy a larger portfolio to suit all possibilities.

I would not recommend white out, or trimming. On a DPS or wrap around cover I would not cut/separate the pieces.

Brian Peck and I are in agreement on word balloons. I've never done it but I know a collector that recreated word balloons having professional copies of the comic made, cutting them out and gluing them to there proper place on the art. He researched the type of adhesive that would have been used for the time period and used that.

Grading condition of art. Here is the only grade I have ever acknowledged concerning a piece of art.

Grade= ONE OF A KIND, THE ONE AND ONLY 

The rest is rubbish. Don't get me wrong beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In comics I knew guys that would not buy them if they had any writing on the cover marking arrival to the comic shops. Others accepted them and it had no effect on how they graded. There's simply no such thing as a very good piece of art or a fair piece of art.

Descriptions are fine as the imperfections that come with something that was meant to be discarded help a person fully know what they are getting. I remember someone telling me, maybe John Romita? that the artists would put their coffee cups on the pages they were working on. 

I accept the art just the way it comes. 

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12 hours ago, SquareChaos said:

Speaking of published art only... a few of the artists I purchase from sign their work prior to shipping - I'd rather they didn't do so as it wasn't published with a signature to begin with.

I wouldn't modify anything myself if I could help it, certainly not if another solution is so simple as to buy another portfolio.

Different strokes I guess.  I've had numerous occasions when my art rep Albert Moy has told me that he can't sell the original until it's signed.  He's had customers where a condition of sale is a separate signature.  This includes COVERS which are ALREADY SIGNED in the field of art and published with said signature showing!  Essentially, the cover art now has TWO signatures.  I know.  I just scratch my head and sign the art.

Edited by stinkininkin
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10 minutes ago, stinkininkin said:

Different strokes I guess.  I've had numerous occasions when my art rep Albert Moy has told me that he can't sell the original until it's signed.  He's had customers where a condition of sale is a separate signature.  This includes COVERS which are ALREADY SIGNED in the field of art and published with said signature showing!  Essentially, the cover art now has TWO signatures.  I know.  I just scratch my head and sign the art.

Perhaps this explains why I’ve got a few pieces with 2 signatures. I always wondered about that. 

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On 7/28/2019 at 4:10 PM, Brian Peck said:

I dont cut the edges of artwork though I have reattached word ballons that have fallen off and have recreated missing words balloons.

I've re-attached word balloons, and trimmed one art page (and that was a lower value one early in my collecting days). I'm not sure trimming the art page matters all that much if you are not effecting anything on the front or back such as signatures, date stamps, copyright stamps, notations, or -obviously - art. After all, a lot of art comes slashed up by the publishers, with big chunks missing at the top in some cases. A nice, completely unnoticeable, trim with an X-acto knife and a straight edge shouldn't matter - if you are only taking a small but off to fit it into a portfolio.

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