ART for sale!

Erik Larsen · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:39 am **Posts:** 1100

Hey, I'm putting a kitchen in the new place and those don't come cheap! Buy this awesome WildC.A.T.S. cover and ease some of my pain, okay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/170685975346#ht_500wt_1413

Dave Busters · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:28 am

You might wanna put that on cbr. There are more people willing to spend that much on merchandise there.

Incidentally, I never understand how people can say comics are too expensive, then these exact same people will spend hundreds of dollars on comic book memorabilia and merchandise like toys, clothes, costumes, dvds, cds, video games, commissioned art, statues, going to conventions, etc. I never understand how people will say, "I had to decrease my budget on comics and drop stuff from my pull list. But I just bought this collectible Spiderman toy from the 70s for $200, and bought the limited edition dvd of the latest Spidey movie for $29.99, and bought a black suit Spiderman costume to go with my commissioned Spidey sketch by Jim Lee which together totalled $700, and I've pre-ordered the latest Spidey game for $59.99, and I'm going to spend $600 at the San Diego Comic Con."

Ok. They don't say that. But here's a conversation I had with a fellow comic lover recently.

Him: "I had to decrease my pull list from twelve to eight comics. The price is just too much."

Later, when the conversation turned to artists, and he mentioned getting a commissioned sketch he got, I asked, "How much did you pay for it?"

Him: "$50. All in all I spent almost $500 at the Chicago Comic Con. But I spent around $500 driving there from Joplin, MO and back. So the whole experience cost me over $1000."

So basically, these people will complain about the price of comics, and complain about decreasing their pull list, but spend a shitload on memorabilia and merchandise. It makes no sense.

Gavin Higginbotham · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:50 am **Posts:** 1130

It really depends on the person. Me personally, I'm happy to pay way more money on an item that's unique than whatever for mass produced comics. So yeah, one of the reasons I cut down on my comics purchasing is to buy more artwork.

Jim Purcell · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:24 am **Posts:** 1345

I've never been one for knickknacks myself, since I'm into comics for the comics.

But lately I've been thinking of picking up some Original art, for framing and decoration. Unfortunately this one is way way way out of my price range.

Dave Busters · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 1:45 pm

I'm just saying it's weird to say comics cost too much but folks are able to spend a huge chunk on comic-related stuff.

Jim Purcell · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:24 am **Posts:** 1345

Dave Busters wrote:

I'm just saying it's weird to say comics cost too much but folks are able to spend a huge chunk on comic-related stuff.

Its a perceived Value to Enjoyment ratio that varies from person to person. Personally I find lumps of shaped plastic to be more worthless then the craft of comics, but other's millage may vary depending on how much they actually care about comics themselves. Or the characters in the comic.

I sometimes share the same confusion over the situation as you do. But I don't think its my place to judge. Personally I don't put as much stock in the artwork side of comics as a I do the writing. So I get less enthused about Original Art like others might. Dropping 500 bucks on a single piece of art is just way out of my comfort zone.

Dave Busters · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:04 pm

That's what I'm saying, Jim. I never cared for statues either. And I don't know if I'll ever spend 500 bucks on commissioned art. But I'll be damned if I didn't consider becoming a cartoonist serious thought. When I clicked that link and saw someone had bid $500 I nearly spit out my orange juice. I just checked out some drawing books from the library and I'm thinking about giving the cartoonist gig a shot. I'll become decent at drawing, make a few comics, quit that, and then make my living selling my art for cash. It sounds like it's better than this dismal 9 to 5 crap I gotta do to put food on the table.

Jim Purcell · **Joined:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 10:24 am **Posts:** 1345

Dave Busters wrote:

That's what I'm saying, Jim. I never cared for statues either. And I don't know if I'll ever spend 500 bucks on commissioned art.

Oh I could totally spend 500 bucks on commissioned art. But it'd have to be FOR something, or tailored to be exactly what I want.

Quote:

But I'll be damned if I didn't consider becoming a cartoonist serious thought. When I clicked that link and saw someone had bid $500 I nearly spit out my orange juice.

In my experience, $500 bucks for a high profile artist on a cover piece is fairly typical going rate. Especially one like Erik who doesn't sell his artwork very often.

Quote:

I just checked out some drawing books from the library and I'm thinking about giving the cartoonist gig a shot. I'll become decent at drawing, make a few comics, quit that, and then make my living selling my art for cash. It sounds like it's better than this dismal 9 to 5 crap I gotta do to put food on the table.

I wouldn't count on making a living as a commission artist overnight, though it can be lucrative in my experience. But you've really gotta have a knack for it, and be willing to draw what your audience wants (hunt: get ready to draw a lot of fetishes).

Dave Busters · **Posted:** Tue Aug 23, 2011 2:51 pm

Never said it was going to be easy to get into the industry or gain popularity. I just want to give it a shot.

Frank Fosco · **Joined:** Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:20 am **Posts:** 209

Dave Busters wrote:

Never said it was going to be easy to get into the industry or gain popularity. I just want to give it a shot.

It takes more then just picking up "how to" books and think you're gonna learn how to be decent at drawing. It helps to have talent and getting people to like what you do. Not exactly something you do on the fly.

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