ART FOR SALE: A Distant Soil, Orbiter, Sandman, Power Pack
on August 6th, 2009The Absolute Sandman original art has gone to ebay, for a dead low minimum bid!
It’s madness, MADNESS I say to auction art during convention season, but it is even MORE madder than mad to not pay the quarterly taxes on time! MADNESS with MADDER RED SAUCE!!! Here’s my ebay link, and I will be adding a few more items the next couple of days.
In addition to the Absolute Sandman page, there’s a really nice Power Pack with major characters in costume page, and two books from my personal collection, inscribed by Disney Imagineer artist Tim Kirk. Yes, that is a pic of Mickey Mouse drawn as a bar rat, and I guess it’s obvious Tim Kirk doesn’t work at Disney anymore. I’m not a Tim Kirk fan. These were given to me by someone who knew him, and I don’t have any personal connection to them. They should really go to the collection of someone who will appreciate them as much as they deserve. They are nifty collectibles.
Some of the original art at THIS LINK is still for sale, but those prices are FIRM. NOT negotiable. I think they are very fair.
Here’s a nice Orbiter page. I didn’t even know I still had this one, and it’s the only remaining page from the book with the space shuttle on it. Orbiter was written by Warren Ellis, and since someone asks nearly every week, yes, Stealth Tribes is still alive. We will complete this book. Part of the problem has been Warren’s schedule, and the other part has been mine, and the fact that now that I have regular work again, I am having to slowly work up to producing the way I did back in the days before I moved to a soporific farm life, and JEEZUS CHRIST, I forgot what it was like working until 2 AM several days a week. It’s taken me WEEKS just to work my way back up to 3/4 pages a day. I hope to be back to 1.5 a day before long. I really need to get back there.
Anyway, Orbiter page 93. $110. Includes shipping. Price firm.
From an A Distant Soil back cover, a painting of Jason, from a VERY early edition of the series, circa 1984. Holy cow, that date makes my head hurt. Mixed media on board, good condition. 12″x17″ image area, actual board with nearly 2″ margin all around. Edges of board have some wear, but actual image area is quite nice. Very clean and bright colors. $500 with shipping included. FIRM.
Very nice page from the King Arthur sequence of A Distant Soil, issue 5 page 10. Pen and ink on oversized bristol board, larger than normal comic page and image area. Clean and bright. $110 shipping included FIRM.
I will probably post a few more pages over the weekend, but once I’ve met my tax payment goal, that will be all.
Those are absolutely gorgeous! I’m also super-excited for Stealth Tribes! I don’t mean to bug you, but do you know when you think you’ll be done? I’m just curious! Thanks!
Good question. I have a small handful of pages here to finish. I think a dozen, with parts of each completed. One spash page is taped on my portable board right now, and a double page spread is up being blocked out. Then I need another 17 (?) pages of script from Warren.
Basically, we are at most 1 to 1 1/2 issues of a comic from being completed.
I’d be much further along if my time management were better this past six months, I have to confess. But I hope everyone will believe me when I say there have been leaps and bounds of improvement in that arena, and I am VERY relieved to see a return to almost normal work schedule and output!
You know what happens when you take a protracted leave of absence from the bizz?
Your head turns into oatmeal.
*sniff*
Between you and James, I’ve become afflicted with collectoritis! The only thing that keeps me buying more pieces (for which I have no wall space) is lack of money! (I like the Jason picture.)
I hope you wring out a few pocket-books and wallets.
And boy! Do I understand oatmeal-head! I had an intense two months before Mythcon consumed by plans for that, and then Comic Con and following recovery. I’m trying to get my brain back into serious writing space, and it is dragging it’s mass (does it have feet or ass?) at the slowest pace possible.
“keeps me FROM buying…”
Gee, talk about slips! Heh.
In late 2006, I decided to take some time away from the bizz and go back to art school to refuel.
I had never taken time off before.
I had no idea how it would affect my work ethic, or my head.
I had to take some time for personal matters anyway, so I thought it would be OK all around, as well as necessary.
After the year of not-much-art-making, I tried to get back on the horse and could not.
Not only did I have a devil of a time getting work lined up again, but getting back into the headspace was MISERABLE.
Turns out part of that was a medical problem (now dealt with) but man, I felt like more than two years slipped through my fingers and I don’t know where they went.
I sincerely doubt I will be taking any protracted absences from the drawing board again as long as I live. Whether it was taking the time off or what, I dunno, but the suspicion is now in my head that if you don’t use it you lose it.
Sad that I now produce more in a week than I did in an average MONTH in 2007. 2007 was pretty much a wash. 2008 was a grim struggle.
Well, I put a bid on the Sandman piece, I always love seeing how artist ink their works. That is my max bid so we’ll see. No Valor pages??
Colleen: “…the suspicion is now in my head that if you don’t use it you lose it.”
I’m living proof of that. I used to draw all the time, nowadays I have to be forced to sit at the drawing board. The only reason I started collaborating on strips was for the hope that the guys writing would nag me, and so I’d have to get stuff done. Of course they don’t, so months go by without me lifting a pencil. I don’t have any “gotta” any more. None. I get no pleasure from drawing whatsoever, it’s purely a technical exercise in producing an acceptable picture. And if you don’t like doing something, why do it?
Sorry Doc, the Valor art was unusually popular. It went very fast some years ago. I may have some sketches around here. I will try to dig them up.
Allan, I understand. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you.
BTW, I’ve been talking with some friends who have been unemployed for months and all say even the prospect of looking for work is a downer. It’s not just artists, when you rest you rust. And sometimes you can’t get the rust removed.
Yes, sorry, Doc, I have to admit that I did get a few pieces of Valor art when it was available. I am a Legion fan and Mon-El (Valor) is my favorite Legion character.
Here is my favorite Valor cover
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=100435&GSub=82729
BTW, I’ve been talking with some friends who have been unemployed for months and all say even the prospect of looking for work is a downer. It’s not just artists, when you rest you rust.
Hell, yes. I was unemployed from mid-November 2008 through late January of this year. I was extremely lucky: a new job actually found me rather than the other way around (I expect I’ve used up my luck for the next year or two). Even so, the experience was about as fun as getting a tooth drilled without novocaine.
I suspect it’s no coincidence that Charles Schulz died shortly after retiring from doing a daily strip. For some people, work isn’t just work: it’s integral to who they are.
I’m happy to hear you’re going to stay at the drawing board, Colleen. That will make me, and I suspect many other fans, quite happy.
By the way, I see nothing wrong with people whose philosophy is “work to live” rather than “live to work.” I know someone who has a very responsible, high-powered, high-paying job who has no passion for what he does. It’s just a means to an end: money to care for his family. His wife and his children are his true passion.
On the other hand, a good friend of mine works as a manager at McDonald’s and has never married, because he wants to leave enough time and energy to try to make it as a comic-book artist. His art his is one true love.
Just to be clear, I see nothing wrong with either person’s outlook or lifestyle. Whatever floats your boat.
Good point, Bill.
I posted a video essay a few weeks back by Mike Rowe where he challenged the whole idea of following your passion. I don’t think following your passion is for everybody. For many people, they end up with a passion that has fizzled in the face of old reality and very little else to show for it.
Sometimes keeping your passion as a hobby is best. Pursuing a decent-paying career can help you keep the passion alive for the thing you love. For many, the thing you love is never, ever going to pay off in the way you hope.
I would never tell anyone NOT to try to follow their passion, but its foolish not to point out that you’ve gotta eat.
I’m not sure “use it or lose it” works after one has mastered his craft. Yes, it is possible to get rusty. But I do also believe that the skills remain with one, once they’ve gotten themselves ingrained.
For instance, I haven’t done much artwork at all in the last ten years or so. Mostly, once a year, designing my Christmas cards. I had gotten a bit burned out. But this last year or so, I’ve been getting back into drawing occassionally – and though I wouldn’t call my work stellar, it’s not despicable (at least, I don’t think so).
The same with writing. It is very slow getting back into it, but once I’ve gotten the pump primed, it pours out.
It think it is like being physically fit: you can get out of shape if you don’t exercise, but your limbs won’t fall off. You have to work your way back into a regular exercise pattern, but it can be done.
But then…. I’m an incurable optimist, so I would think that way.
Well, I think we agree, we’re just expressing it differently.
Skills usually don’t go away, but all things take practice. You can get so far out of practice, you wake up one day and no longer have the strength to try again.
Most people become unfit because they rest too long. And we all know just how hard it is to get fit again after a long period of lack of exercise. Most people never do. they hit middle age and give up.
Same with creativity.
Life is the ultimate zero sum game. Wait too long, you don’t get another chance to get back into shape. Because your time ran out.
Coming to the party a bit late on this one.
Your auctions prompted a question. I have a hard time with things that are signed to me. Sometimes I’ll give them to family, but I’ve never sold one, since it seems to me to be discourteous to the signer. I notice you have some peices up for auction signed to you by others.
How do you resolve this?
It’s a question, not an indictment. I’m trying to decide if my position on this is realistic.
thanks for your insights.
Diana
A gift is a gift. Once you give something, it belongs to the person you gave it to.
It’s not discourteous, and I also wondered about this issue long ago, which is why I looked it up in Miss Manners.
If possessions come with a lifelong contract to hold and cherish for all time, I wouldn’t have any living space left.
That’s not a gift, that’s a burden. And over the last six or seven years, I have happily divested myself of at least half my personal belongings.
I’ve never taken offense at someone who asked for something personalized and then sold it later.
I have, on occasion, asked people to contact me and give me the first option on resale. Other than that, I place no conditions on what I sell or give as a gift. And I think it’s controlling and weird to do so.
I do take offense when people get free sketches from me “for charity” or “for my nephew” only to put it up for sale on ebay a week after the show. That’s fraud.
BTW, don’t even really know Tim Kirk. What else am I supposed to do with these books which were given to me by someone I don’t even like, and are by an artist whose work I don’t follow?
That means I am paying rent on possessions I don’t value. Might be better served to move them along to someone who does value them, and, perhaps, have more money so I can create work I do value.
If I signed anything to you and you sold it later, more power to you. It is yours. No strings attached.
Fly butterfly! Be free!
Thanks, Colleen. That’s very helpful, as I prepare to give most of my Mother’s vast Tolkien library to my niece and her husband.
AWESOME! That is an incredibly generous gift!