Original Art?
So before drawing tablets became common among artists, you had to actually draw on paper. A lot of comics were typically drawn on Bristol Boards, a thick paper that can not only take most of the ink, but it can handle being touched a lot, because back then cartoonists actually had to mail the original art to their syndicates or publishers. They would typically correct spelling/grammar errors directly on the original, using white-out or pasting over another sheet of paper over it, add copyright stickers, then reproduce before sending the originals back to the creator.
Cartoonists would keep most of them but from time to time they would sell or give out originals to people, usually to other cartoonists gifts or part of a trade.
I myself have collected/obtained original arts since high-school, but in recent years I've became more serious about collecting them. Like look at my walls:
Those are just SOME of it. I have more walls covered in this stuff, and it's actually getting harder to find space on the wall for newer acquisitions.
As one can expect, more and more comics are done on tablet today, but there are still plenty of cartoonists who draw of paper (myself included) today. I have originals dating back to the 1960s, but I also have a few contemporary ones.
A bunch of comic arts I bought, but there are few that were given to me by other cartoonists, either as gifts or because we traded art with each-other's works. For this thread, I'm going to talk about some of my newer acquisitions, how I got it, and the specs on the art (size, type of paper, etc.).
To start with, here are some of the originals I have:
This is from a comic called "At the Zu", which ran 1995-1998, about a zoo where all the animals act like office workers. This is actually the first ever original art I ever purchased, so it holds a special place in my heart. The original is drawn on what appears to be a sketchbook paper, about 4x13" big. The panel borders are interesting because they used some type of architect's tape, rather than actually using a pen.
This is the oldest original I own. "Eek & Meek" ran from 1965 to 2000, a slice-of-life strip about two guys. This original is from 1967. What's notable about this strip is that, when it began, the characters were mice (as shown above), but as the strip ran, the characters began developing human features before they became completely human in the 1980s, where they remained until the end.
The creator said he changed the species because he realized there was no reason for the character to be mice. Personally, I preferred the mice version, and I bought the strip because I'm a fan of the comic and it's hard to find originals from back when they were still mice.
It's a pretty big piece, drawn on approx 6x18" Bristol board. Aside from some stains, the original is in pretty good shape even after all these years.
Here's something that's relevant to this forum. This is from the MLP Guardians of Harmony annual, drawn by Andy Price. I bought this directly from him at C2E2 in Chicago in 2018. The cost of Andy's originals depend on which characters are in it, but this one was only $100 despite having Twilight, Spike, Lyra, and Bon-Bon.
I think it's because, unlike a typical comic page Andy does, he "penciled" this comic digitally using a tablet rather than using real blue pencil, which he then printed onto a 11x17 Bristol board for him to ink traditionally (I use this method on my webcomics myself, abet with cardstock instead of Bristol). Andy explained to me that he didn't like working digital much, so he went back to penciling traditionally after this comic.
Since this is partially digital, technically, he probably felt he should charge less for it. Either way, though, it's a beautiful piece.
Here's a comic page that's all drawn on paper, although when I compared to the printed version, I noticed he made corrections on Photoshop. This is a page from "Bodie Troll", a comic that Jay Fosgitt does. I've been a fan of Fosgitt's work for ages, and I knew I had to buy an original from him. I got this at Bronycon last year for $150, I think? It was the lowest priced original I could find, hence why I picked this
Drawn on 11x17 Bristol.
This is my BIGGEST original. This Sunday strip is 25" wide, and I had to order a custom frame for it because local stores didn't have any this big.
Over the years I've become friends with John Hambrock, who does "Edison Lee". He's been supportive of my career, so it was nice of him to send me this "Edison Lee" original out of the blue back in 2007-08. I later returned the favor last year by giving him an "Ask a Cat" original (which is a puny 8.5x14" by comparison).
This "Retail" strip is special to my heart, because I made a guest appearance in it. At the time I was in just about every comics message board that was around, and Norm Feuti noticed, hence this joke. Another large original, measuring 9.4x24". The dialogues were typed on computer then pasted onto the art.
This is my most recent acquisition. Virgil Partch was a cartoonist known for VERY weird and bizarre cartoons (he was also a Disney writer at one point, credited in at least one Donald Duck cartoon), although by the time he did "Big George" he was toning down his weirdness.
This panel had some bizarre elements, though. One stylistic choice ViP did was giving people about 6 or more fingers. Notice that the woman walking by has 6 fingers.
This is drawn on what appears to be a 8.5x11 typing paper, hence why it's yellowed. In spite of that, it's in pretty good shape. Bought on eBay for $50.
So yeah, there you go. I'll likely share more art that I have, as well as posting about any new pieces I acquire. If you have any originals you have, whether a comic art or even convention sketch, feel free to share them here!
("Don't try to reform me, Hag, because I'm made of cold stone.")
