Sketch Magazine Podcast #15, Sketch Cards Options

[Bill Nichols]

Sketch Magazine Podcast #15
Hosted by Robert, Bill and John the Sketch Crew

Topic: In this episode the Sketch Crew talks about Sketch Cards, Improving Your Art by Drawing Sketch Cards and how to build an audience for your sketch card art.


http://www.sketchmagazine.net/podcast.htm

[Anthony Hochrein]

Hooray for sketch cards!

[Fred Lang]

Looking forward to this one! I just don't get the sketch card craze--hoping this sheds some light on them! (I am woefully out of touch with the trends, it seems...)

[Anthony Hochrein]

Looking forward to this one! I just don't get the sketch card craze--hoping this sheds some light on them! (I am woefully out of touch with the trends, it seems...)

It's just easy to collect original art in the compact size, and usually a LOT cheaper to buy than original comic book pages as well!

[jedipencil]

Sketch cards - the painful delight! Looking forward to listening to this one!

[Bill Nichols]

Sketch cards - the painful delight! Looking forward to listening to this one!

I'll be interested in your reaction as well...

[jedipencil]

Another interesting podcast!

I could go on for days about sketch cards... ... but they most certainly are a fantastic way to try out new ideas, try things to see if you like it or not - and if buyers like them or not - and they get your work in front of alot of people. ( I cannot comment on sketch cards at conventions as I've only been to one. ) They can be an addition to your income, but I know of very few - if any - artists who live off sketch cards exclusively, doing absolutely nothing else. For some people, they sell fabulously, for others it is more difficult - in my opinion there are many factors at play. As one of you mentioned, if you are already known for something, that helps greatly. If you are a total newbie, be prepared to be patient. I've seen one exception to that, a very nice person with a wonderfully clean and colorful style, but there are a few with that... it was really the subject matter that sold his work. Super-well done, (and again, fabulously nice person, I have worked with him) but the topics he drew were the gate-buster for him.

The economy has alot to say in sales as well. (and probably other things I don't know about) Sketch cards are a funny little world, and I love'em (and am going blind doing them...lol...) and they have everything to do with my own personal path in my work life, but they are a great addition to ones' work.

And then there's the politics, the gossip, the intrigue.....the forgeries.... coming soon to a theatre near you.....

[Anthony Hochrein]

Thanks for the shout out yet again, Bill! I appreciate that the three of you are sharing about the sketch card industry! Like Ingrid said, it seems that most of the artists working sketch cards are also doing other projects. I mean, I WISH I could pull in THIS price for my cards Ebay Lady Death sketch card listing If I could, I'd have it made in the shade!

[Eric Adams]

Sketch cards are the tweets in the illustration conversation.

Thanks for the mention, guys. I think I will be drawing more and more sketch cards in the future.

[Anthony Hochrein]

Sketch cards are the tweets in the illustration conversation.

Thanks for the mention, guys. I think I will be drawing more and more sketch cards in the future.

You're the culprit, huh? I thought that was about my usual thousand tweets whenever I throw my work up on ebay for sale!
I'm glad that all of you shared information concerning what I think is a misunderstood form of art. I've even heard that some assume that sketch card artists are deliberatly recreating copyrighted artwork!
This is a great way to stretch your abilities. Personally, I've gone through a few different styles and techniques this year, and was able to hone it and arrive at a style and way of working that I'm comfortable with, which is not something that I could not say at this time last year!

This post has been edited by Anthony Hochrein: Nov 2 2010, 06:36 PM

[Eric Adams]

Oh, no no. Not me. I've drawn maybe 10 cards in my life and I tweet with pragmatism.

I was just making a pithy comparison between the smallness of tweets vs the larger conversation and the smallness of sketch cards vs the larger world of original art.

[Anthony Hochrein]

My mistake! I've seen some pretty small tweets if you want to take it there!

[Anthony Hochrein]

And something that I didn't think of, and I don't believe that I heard it in the podcast, was how many artists have taken the "sketch card" to a higher level, creating "art cards", or ACEOs. I've seen some truly sketchy cards before, and I know the fans are pretty happy when they get something mega special in their card packs. Just look up SKETCHLORDS, and you'll see what I mean.

[Eric Adams]

Million Dollar Idea: GIANT SIZE SKETCH CARDS!

[Anthony Hochrein]

That's pretty funny- I approached my recent Boba Fett piece as a giant sized sketch card. Ink and markers all the way!

[jedipencil]

And something that I didn't think of, and I don't believe that I heard it in the podcast, was how many artists have taken the "sketch card" to a higher level, creating "art cards", or ACEOs. I've seen some truly sketchy cards before, and I know the fans are pretty happy when they get something mega special in their card packs. Just look up SKETCHLORDS, and you'll see what I mean.

Actually, ACEO's have been around longer than "sketch cards" as we know them now. If you wish, take a look at the following links. These links are not the only place to learn more about them, but for this thread it gives you a good idea.

http://www.art-cards.org/history.html

I'm not too sure about the true validity of the following link, but someone always brings up a Wkikpedia definition ( ): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards

Apart from the above links, if someone wanted to troll the net, you might find that art cards have been around for a good while, but more as a fun hobby for creative types to trade info, or collect the styles they liked... and not all were drawn. Tons of these things are collages, "art naif", I've seen images of some that had crochet designs glued on, some took the business card idea to a new level... etc... you get the idea...

[TedDastickJr]

Million Dollar Idea: GIANT SIZE SKETCH CARDS!

Breygent did some oversize sketch cards.... I think they might have been 8x10" or 5x7".


Nice Podcast, although I wish you wold have had someone more involved in them on the show (Ingrid? ). Sometimes it didn't seem like you guys were aware enough of all the ins and outs. You hit some great key points though, and I enjoyed listening to your take on the whole movement. I've read a lot lately of how sketch cards are being overdone and are on their way out of vogue, but your podcast shone a bright light on them and talked about great future opportunities.

[Anthony Hochrein]

Breygent did some oversize sketch cards.... I think they might have been 8x10" or 5x7".


Nice Podcast, although I wish you wold have had someone more involved in them on the show (Ingrid? ). Sometimes it didn't seem like you guys were aware enough of all the ins and outs. You hit some great key points though, and I enjoyed listening to your take on the whole movement. I've read a lot lately of how sketch cards are being overdone and are on their way out of vogue, but your podcast shone a bright light on them and talked about great future opportunities.

I honestly think of it as the death of the floppy prediction, or even the death of the book itself. I believe that there are enough people looking for affordable pieces of original art and comics and movie characters are a niche market that is winning new collectors all of the time. It's convenient. If it's convenient, there will be people always willing to buy it. The only thing that can kill it is overproduction, or when the artists no longer care about it. You can't overporoduce a one off piece of art, can you?
BTW, I did work on Breygent's Woodstock Generation series, which was 5 X 7.

[jedipencil]

Those cards were big...

I agree, I don't think they'll go out either. The way they are used in the trading card industry might change however, over time.

[TedDastickJr]

The only thing that can kill it is overproduction, or when the artists no longer care about it.

I think that's where a lot of the dissension from collectors comes from. When companies put out multiple releases of a given subject within a calendar year, they feel it gluts the market and kills it. Now, every set isn't exactly like the last (one may be based on a film, the next artwork of the film, etc.), but if the subject matter is similar it's up to the artists to make it different, and that's where you find those who really do care about it, and it shows in how well they're received and collected.

I know personally I've done more than a few Star Wars sets and all the Indiana Jones sets, but I've never done a repeat for any. I came close with the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull set, because I had to do 100 cards from roughly 40 reference images, so if I had to repeat any image I did one in color, one in black and white, or I tackled extras in some different manner. That way there's still technically no two of the same.

I'm not sure how many Star Wars sketch cards I've done, probably around 500, and I've never repeated an image. Even beyond what the collectors want, personally I hate drawing something more than once.