AW: Louts and looters...

Cord Wiljes cord at wiljes.de
Tue Oct 5 13:58:40 CEST 2004


Regarding the problem of people selling convention sketches on eBay: Who
is the victim of such a behaviour? I could imagine:

* the true fan at the convention: because he has to wait longer in line
or is discouraged by its length
* the artist: because the market value of his drawings declines with the
number of drawings on the market
* the buyer of the piece: because he could have gotten it for free at
the convention

I have never sold any of the sketches I got from artists at conventions
- nor would I ever seriously consider sellling them. I love them even
more if they have a dedication - in fact I often asked for it even if
the artist would have made the drawing without it. And neither would I
consider buying a convention sketch made for someone else. Such a sketch
is something personal: It was made for me and I could see the magic of
its creation! The drawing has a history and meaning to me. A sketch made
for someone else is just some pretty lines on paper.

On the other hand I do not like the idea of any stamps, contracts etc.
on the sketch. Not that they would annoy me, but they seem to insinuate
that I could be one of the weasels who want to make a quick buck. And
neither do I believe that any of these would stop (or even slow down)
the real weasels.

I think the best solution of this dilemma would be of the artist could
sell his drawings, prints and commissioned pieces over the internet
himself (or through an agent). This would have several advantages:

* fans who cannot go to conventions would have a chance to get a drawing
by their favorite artist at a reasonable price.
* the artist would be the one who profits by his popularity
* the weasels would be driven out of business because it would stop
being profitable to them  
* the lines at conventions would be shorter for the real fans who want
to get their own, personal drawing

An artist who wants to sell his own artwork over the internet would
probably need permission of the Disney company if he wants to draw
Ducks, wouldn't he? Would Disney allow this (like they did with Barks'
oil paintings)?

Cord





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