Who do you think is the most valuable sketch artists. I dont mean the top artist either. I have a Katie Cook sketch and dont think much about it, but hear people talk like her sketches are worth big money. I thought it would be based on content of sketch. Any thoughts?

Depends on the set because quality and quantity go into price. There are quite a few completist LOTR collectors, so small number LOTR artists' sketches can command high prices due to limited supply. There were also some excellent artists who did LOTR (Bellinger, Kayanan, Pence...) who continue to attract high prices.

On the comics front, Nar and Acar sketches both get high prices. However, Acar's are starting to drop in price at least partly because her numbers are now a little higher.

Kezele is a more recent high price artist and Tony Perna's work always does well.

Different people have different tastes. I personally always sell any Cook I pull because it is worth much more to other people than to me - I don't collect cute style sketches at all. On the other hand, I have plenty of sketches that other people wouldn't be interested in.

Collect what you like, and it's even better if what you like is different from what other people like.

If you simply want to know highest prices at the moment (and remember that it is constantly changing with different releases and new artists), just do a completed sales search on eBay for 'sketch' and order by price. Of course, that only picks up ones that have recent auctions, but it gives you some idea.

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry609:
Who do you think is the most valuable sketch artists. I dont mean the top artist either. I have a Katie Cook sketch and dont think much about it, but hear people talk like her sketches are worth big money. I thought it would be based on content of sketch. Any thoughts?

Stan Lee,certain early sketch cards from fleer and art de bart sketch cards go for big bucks when they are sold.the one to really find is Steve Ditko sketch.only 10 were done back in the 90's and none have ever shown up.talk is that could be $10000 sketch if ever found?odds were 1 in 225000 packs or something like that??almost impossible to pull one and no pics either.i dont think they will ever turn up?

I wouldn't even try to answer this one. I could throw out a bunch of recognizable names and still forget many. Then there are the other people who produce fantastic artwork that nobody will think mention.

You bring up Cook, she has a very specific style. Buyers who like that style have driven the market prices very high. No doubt there are some buyers that have bought only for her name. Whether her sketches are worth the prices is a matter of opinion, but you could say the same thing of The Masters.

I personnally have seen sketch cards priced at $200 that I wouldn't pay $10 bucks for and I have seen sketches I really liked that were going begging. I don't even bother with the "value" aspect anymore, it's just what I like and if I think it's worth it. Always consider commissions, there are some really good artists who are quite affordable.

I agree with Raven. The most valuable sketch artists are the ones who produce art that you enjoy and want to collect. I've also seen sketch cards priced at hundreds of dollars that look amateurish (MHO, of course) and others in the $10-$20 range that look really, really cool. My personal favorites list includes names that regularly command top dollar, artists who are starting to get a lot of exposure in sets (but who I've known about for awhile) and a growing list of folks whose cards I've never seen in a set (or aren't aware of past sets.)

I also agree about seeking out commissions: you can get exactly what you want, at an often more affordable price that what you see selling online.

quote:

the one to really find is Steve Ditko sketch.only 10 were done back in the 90's and none have ever shown up.talk is that could be $10000 sketch if ever found?odds were 1 in 225000 packs or something like that??almost impossible to pull one and no pics either.i dont think they will ever turn up?

I have been trying to find out about these sketch cards. From what I understand, Ditko never turned them in, so they were never put into packs. No idea where they are.

I also think Groo sketch cards are pretty expensive (only 50 made) and certain case inserts from Ken Kelly series 2. There are 3,000 case inserts, but maybe 50 with a lady on it instead of a male barbarian. I also heard about 2 one of a kind images with that set. There is a "caveman" sketch. I am not sure how many of those there are. So, I would think those unusual images from Ken Kelly series 2 would command more than a regular barbarian image.

I also like commission sketch cards. There is only disadvantage about those, if you want a specific sketch card for a specific set, that cardback does get a premium for those set collectors. If you just want the artwork, and with a specific character/ship/image/pose your way, commissions are great and usually very affordable.

David

the best part about commissioning a sketch (whether it be trading card size or a 9x12), is that ALL of the money you are paying goes to the artist. if you buy sketch cards from sets from the secondary market, the artist only gets the very small amount they received from the manufacturer to begin with. all the money you spend is going to the seller.

though i appreciate the desire to collect sketches from official sets, i think it's just as important, especially for artists you really like, to try to commission them directly so they can benefit more from your love of their work.

I spoke to one of the publishers of defiant. Ditko did do the sketches they said, but they don't know if they went into the packs or not.

quote:

Originally posted by B-Dunc:
the best part about commissioning a sketch (whether it be trading card size or a 9x12), is that ALL of the money you are paying goes to the artist. if you buy sketch cards from sets from the secondary market, the artist only gets the very small amount they received from the manufacturer to begin with. all the money you spend is going to the seller.

though i appreciate the desire to collect sketches from official sets, i think it's just as important, especially for artists you really like, to try to commission them directly so they can benefit more from your love of their work.

Although I agree in theory with the above. I know the artists get paid little per piece for thier work. Realistically speaking to maintain any balance in my collecting life, I only collect official release sketches. I have a few from Martinek and Czop I had done and I love them and they feature scenes I can't get in official sets, but if I started collecting any and all trek sketches out there I'd be broke and drowning in cards.

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:

if I started collecting any and all trek sketches out there I'd be broke and drowning in cards.

............and your problem is?

quote:

Originally posted by dpolis:

quote:

the one to really find is Steve Ditko sketch.only 10 were done back in the 90's and none have ever shown up.talk is that could be $10000 sketch if ever found?odds were 1 in 225000 packs or something like that??almost impossible to pull one and no pics either.i dont think they will ever turn up?

I have been trying to find out about these sketch cards. From what I understand, Ditko never turned them in, so they were never put into packs. No idea where they are.

I also think Groo sketch cards are pretty expensive (only 50 made) and certain case inserts from Ken Kelly series 2. There are 3,000 case inserts, but maybe 50 with a lady on it instead of a male barbarian. I also heard about 2 one of a kind images with that set. There is a "caveman" sketch. I am not sure how many of those there are. So, I would think those unusual images from Ken Kelly series 2 would command more than a regular barbarian image.

I also like commission sketch cards. There is only disadvantage about those, if you want a specific sketch card for a specific set, that cardback does get a premium for those set collectors. If you just want the artwork, and with a specific character/ship/image/pose your way, commissions are great and usually very affordable.

David

Info on Jeffs site is below

Original Art card (1 per case)
Original pencil drawing in individual protective case;
3000 20-box cases were produced, which seems like there would
have been an awful lot of the art cards. Known items are:

1 Barbarian Warrior (Conan)
2 Female Warrior (Red Sonja?)
3 Troglodyte

3000 sketches are an awful lot and considering that you don't see that many??it does make me wonder??

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry609:
Who do you think is the most valuable sketch artists. I dont mean the top artist either. I have a Katie Cook sketch and dont think much about it, but hear people talk like her sketches are worth big money. I thought it would be based on content of sketch. Any thoughts?

It seems like you mean "valuable" as in terms of the highest dollar amount a collector is generally willing to spend on a sketch card drawn by a particular artist.

In the world of recent Marvel sketch cards (from 2006 to current), these artists with a body of work of more than 100 sketch cards (spread across multiple releases) seem to sell higher than other artists:

Nar
Perna
Acar
Martineck
Matt Glebe
Mick Glebe
Redd
Hetrick
Axebone
Cook
Hall
Tan
Slickaway
Eman
Sanna U
Price
Rutten
West
Owens
Larcada

Also, keep in mind that in some releases the artist might have done just a handful full of cards and this lack of supply could push the price higher than sketch sketch by the same artist but in a different product.

Here are some other sketch card artists that produce sketch cards that tend be be "valuable":

Bradberry
Glendenning
Streb
Richard
Y. Asrar
Calloway
Frazier
Shay
Czop
Flower
Lim
Lodrigueza
Mercer
St. Pierre
Kadar
Confer
Rorie
Barbosa
M. Asrar
Kyle
Cover
Geo
Cox
Borgonos
Fubul
Allen
Pacheco
Correa
Anderson
Sta. Maria

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry609:
Who do you think is the most valuable sketch artists. I dont mean the top artist either. I have a Katie Cook sketch and dont think much about it, but hear people talk like her sketches are worth big money. I thought it would be based on content of sketch. Any thoughts?

I m a very big fan and collector of Katie Cook,and this is how i value them (content or style)the price of her cards
have been hideous recently,(speaking in pounds) star wars ones can go
for way over the top amounts and because of this,anyone who has one
lists them for £250.00 regardless of what set its from or what it looks like.
any chance of seeing it ?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: cheifbrody,

I don't know if you are limiting to Marvel only, but what about artists like Pence, or Neoclecus, or Desbois.

What ever list anyone can think to compile, some names are going to be left off, which is why its kind of pointless to make a list.

And with all due respect to the artists, the name is not as important as the work to me. If collectors would only judge each sketch on its own merits without looking first at who did it I think many of these "valuable" sketches wouldn't be that "valuable".

I think Katie Cook's DC Legacy sketch cards look better than her more recent work, but it seemed like the newer ones sell for more than those did. Maybe there are more fans of her work nowadays.

In my opinion it has to be

Marvel Masterpieces
Randy Green
Travis Charest

LOTR Masterpieces
David Finch

Indiana Jones
J Scott Campbell (never seen one though)

When i started collecting katie cook in 2008 it was because i loved her style,i had no idea how popular she would become or that she would nearly bankrupt me,of my collection 90% are hand picked.

the best sketch artist around right now is clearly david desbois,most (like the current game of thrones are like mini portraits,i have 9 commission cards that are wonderful works of art and if is commission list had a shorter wait time,i think i'ed have got a book load

danielle soloud/gransaull
trev murphy
j d seeber
veronica o connell
are also the best your going to get.
if your looking for a more fun style,jerry fleming is a good bet,his 'night of the living dead' cards are genious.

Really, it's hard to judge for a lot of artists because it depends on the amount of time or work that goes into each card. Pack-insert sketch cards started out being just that - sketches - and not full-blown artwork. Each one in a "main" card set doesn't earn a lot of revenue, so an artist might put in the time that matches the payment. However, some artists use the sketch cards to help publicize their work, and put a lot more time into them than you'd think they'd do if the sketches were the main source of food on the table. If people see a lot of your work they might come to you for commissions or larger format work. Some artists put a lot of effort into Artist Proofs or return cards and less into the "bulk" sketches. Sometimes artists band together to produce high-quality-only sketch-centric or sketch-only sets. Sometimes artists try different styles in sketches than for their mainstream artwork.

So an artist might produce a "$10" sketch card one day and a "$200" sketch card another day. That can be part of the fun. For some artists I'd pay a pretty penny for commissioned work but I might not be enthusiastic about their usual sketch cards.

Russell Walks is one of my favorites - and a great artist - I know he's connected with Lucas. Gerry Vanderstelt is another awesome artist, again he does some great work for Lucas and New Line Cinema.

My favorite is Allyson Sohn - she has done some great work. If you get the chance take a look at the Star Wars 30th Anniversary Series for Topps where she did 400 quality cards - each one a masterpiece.

I have been trying to remember the name, and now I do.

Metal Gear Solid has 10 sketch cards in the packs. I have seen images of several of them online, but can't find the webpage. Those are beautiful sketches. Probably $1,000 per card.

David