You guys are a tough audience.

I had to look after those comments and, besides a few clunkers, the majority of those sketches seem fairly nice for what they are. At least I don't see any stick figures or those darn "Cook-like" comic drawings.

Perhaps its because I don't know the characters well and can't tell how close the portraits are to the actors, which is a good reason to dislike a sketch. There is a controversy in the sketch art world that has not been discussed here. It's about "photorealism" and whether artists are cheating when recreating art from photos. I think it must be very hard to achieve a good likeness, especially the proper facial expression, of a recognizable person.

Most of the Outlander sketches seem to be portraits and that is both a good and bad thing. Masterpiece art is very rare in any sketch oriented set. As long as the average one looks like it was done by a professional artist, and you don't get a "screaming monkey head", you got a 1/1 that someone might like.

If the sketch doesn't look like the character then it isn't a good sketch -end of subject.

As an artist, if you can't do portraits, why take a commission/job/submit portraits?
It's like a plumber taking on a bricklayer's job, they could probably have a go at it, but the finished product is going to be rubbish and not up to standard.
One or two of the sketch cards shown I had to take a guess from the costume that it was probably meant to be "Claire" or Jamie. Too many looked more like a cross between Emily Blunt and Claire Foy than Caitrione Balfe. A lot I gave up trying to think who the heck they were.

I've never particularly liked the gimmick of sketch cards. After all, they're just a manufactured hit that have nothing to do with the show or actors beyond the image created. Other than the wonderful David Debois, the standard of sketches are much more miss than hit to even consider them 'artwork'.
I speak as an artist myself so I understand the process of creating paintings, so I'm not just blindly chuntering on.

quote:

Originally posted by Hedgehog Witch:
Other than the wonderful David Debois, the standard of sketches are much more miss than hit to even consider them 'artwork'.

Better start ducking and weaving on that one.

I love Debois, but the chances on my ever having any of his sketches are zero to none, so my standards are a lot lower.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:

quote:

Originally posted by Hedgehog Witch:
Other than the wonderful David Debois, the standard of sketches are much more miss than hit to even consider them 'artwork'.

Better start ducking and weaving on that one.

I love Debois, but the chances on my ever having any of his sketches are zero to none, so my standards are a lot lower.

LOL
I'll take the zero and none then. But at least there are people who have low standards(or have been missing eye tests); if I have the 'luck' to hit a sketch there are usually buyers...which can then fund me buying a proper card(auto/costume/prop). I'd just prefer hitting a 'proper' card first, without having to do the sellers' dance...which is annoying when you have three left feet.
(Yes, my tongue is firmly in my cheek here, but the basic sentiment is true for me. )

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I love Debois, but the chances on my ever having any of his sketches are zero to none, so my standards are a lot lower.

I think I have one of his from Dexter. Maybe. I've got a few, and can't remember who all the artists are. I definitely have at least one Tim Shay.

EDIT: seems I don't. I have Tim Shay and Trev Murphy, amongst others, but no Desbois.

Check this out. Looks like another Outlander set is already in the works...

https://twitter.com/MrStevenCr.../1087336978440437760

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Check this out. Looks like another Outlander set is already in the works...

https://twitter.com/MrStevenCr.../1087336978440437760

Can you make out what the weird gold foil logo is? Looks like C-something-X.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Check this out. Looks like another Outlander set is already in the works...

https://twitter.com/MrStevenCr.../1087336978440437760

Can you make out what the weird gold foil logo is? Looks like C-something-X.

I wonder if they are for an Outlander Convention!

I can't make it out either.
If it's an S4 set the book for that is Drums of Autumn, so it's not using a book title for the set. They still do one season for each book so far.
I like the design, whatever it is.

They certainly appear to be a thicker card stock and have foil on them. A higher quality card than normal no doubt. The foil part looks like it reads "CZX".

Here's a quote about them from the assistant manager for trading card product development at Cryptozoic:

"Those cards are for a future Cryptozoic project (not a part of Outlander Trading Cards Season 3), which we cannot yet discuss at this time."

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
They certainly appear to be a thicker card stock and have foil on them. A higher quality card than normal no doubt. The foil part looks like it reads "CZX".

Here's a quote about them from the assistant manager for trading card product development at Cryptozoic:

"Those cards are for a future Cryptozoic project (not a part of Outlander Trading Cards Season 3), which we cannot yet discuss at this time."

My next post was going to be "I wonder if these are for a Cryptozoic cross-franchise set".

And from that same Cryptozoic assistant manager, here are the number of cards signed by each actor...

Albie Marber - 320
Alison Pargeter - 320
Alison Pargeter / Mark Hadfield (Dual) - 25
Caitriona Balfe - 50
Cesar Domboy - 150
Charlie Hiett - 320
Clark Butler - 300
David Berry - 280
Hannah James - 280
John Bell - 160
John Bell / Cesar Domboy (Dual) - 50
Laura Donnelly - 150
Lauren Lyle - 150
Mark Hadfield - 315
Nell Hudson - 145
Nick Fletcher - 320
Richard Rankin - 160
Sam Hoare - 260
Sophie Skelton - 190
Steven Cree - 220
Tobias Menzies - 150
Wil Johnson - 240

...and here are the short printed wardrobe cards...

M01 - #/99
M03 - #/99
M04 - #/99
M06 - #/99
M10 - #/99
M11 - #/99
M12 - #/99
M14 - #/99
M15 - #/99
M17 - #/99
M20 - #/99
M24 - #/99
M25 - #/99

DM1 - #/49
DM2 - #/49
DM3 - #/99
DM4 - #/49
DM5 - #/49
DM6 - #/49
DM7 - #/49
DM8 - #/49

TM1 - #/25
TM2 - #/25

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Caitriona Balfe - 50

*sigh*

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Caitriona Balfe - 50

*sigh*

Oh well, the dream of perhaps hitting a Balfe card was there for a brief few weeks. But alas we must all wake up sometimes... The wardrobe cards are always nicely done, but I would never pay silly money for a swatch of material. Great card to have in a box, but not something I chase down.

I think I'll be picking up autograph cards for just a handful of the new signers and favourite characters. I try not to buy more than one card of the same signer...helps with my budget too. I stand a good chance of getting a David Berry(Lord John Grey) fairly painlessly, anyway.

Yeah, all the other new signers look plentiful enough to be a reasonable price, so I'll just get all those and forget Balfe. I've got all the repeat signers already.

Disappointed there's (as yet) not another shot at Sam Heughan, although it looks like he will be signing the mystery new set.

quote:

Originally posted by Hedgehog Witch:

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:

quote:

Originally posted by Logan:
Caitriona Balfe - 50

*sigh*

Oh well, the dream of perhaps hitting a Balfe card was there for a brief few weeks. But alas we must all wake up sometimes... The wardrobe cards are always nicely done, but I would never pay silly money for a swatch of material. Great card to have in a box, but not something I chase down.

Agree with the wardrobe cards - I will get a couple in my boxes but I won't look for anymore and if I get one that somebody wants to pay $100 for I will sell it.

quote:

Originally posted by ravenheart:
Yeah, all the other new signers look plentiful enough to be a reasonable price, so I'll just get all those and forget Balfe. I've got all the repeat signers already.

Disappointed there's (as yet) not another shot at Sam Heughan, although it looks like he will be signing the mystery new set.

Again agree, Balfe will be AMAZING if it comes in my boxes but happy to get new signers.

I think the Balfe auto could cost at least $500 and that estimate may be low. The Heughan from the first set was selling for $200-$300 out the gate and I think he signed more like 200-300 cards. It seemed like everyone was pulling him from their cases. This is a different story with a much smaller print run than Heughan. Plus she's an attractive woman which gives most autographs a boost in price to begin with. And the show/card sets already have a rabid fan base. Stating the obvious here but this is going to be a high dollar card.