If you had the Money...

[DelBubs]

Would you commision an AF pic from John Byrne? Personally, I would be straight on it. He created the team and to my mind is the father of AF. To have an John Byrne Alpha image hanging on my wall would be a dream come true.

[Ben]

Heck yah! It's his art I like, not who he is as a person. I want to take his art home, not him.

Ben

[birdygirl]

Yes, and I have. A few sketches dating from the early 1980's which I got from New York comic cons. I hope to be able to find them and send them to Ben to put on this website. (I haven't been able to find anything since we moved.) :cry:

[Barnacle13]

If I had the money, I'd definitely buy a Byrne original. My wife would probably have a warm spot set aside on the couch for me, but I'd definitely spend the coin (and lots of it).

[PWalk]

I would. I make a fairly decent living and don't have kids so it has been something I've contemplated. I just can't in my mind justifying the amount of money needed for a piece of original art.

[SmurfInABlender]

how much do comissions cost?

[DelBubs]

I'm not a 100% sure, but I do know that the more characters in a pic the bigger the price. I doubt you'd get much change out of a $1000 dollars for a basic one character pic, but I could be wrong.

On that note, what would you get John Byrne to do for your commision?

Sidenote : Anyone get uneasy if they refer to John Byrne as JB or Byrne, just curious?

[-K-M-]

Nope, his last AF related commisions have not been that great. From the oddly drawn Talisman to the recent Guardian who's face looks messed, etc.

[DelBubs]

Have you seen the latest one in the AF Commision thread, it's Puck and Aurora against Tanaraq (your fave villian :lol: ), there's a link in the thread.

[-K-M-]

Have you seen the latest one in the AF Commision thread, it's Puck and Aurora against Tanaraq (your fave villian :lol: ), there's a link in the thread.

Nope havn't seen it, where's the link?

[DelBubs]

It's in the Byrne commision thread at http://forum.alphaflight.net/viewtopic.php?t=2022. Just look for Tanaraq in my post.

[-K-M-]

It's in the Byrne commision thread at http://forum.alphaflight.net/viewtopic.php?t=2022. Just look for Tanaraq in my post.

Now THAT...I would pay for. Best AF commision I saw.

[DelBubs]

There's a commision from about a year back give or take that has the AF v OF image from #12, it has slightly more going for it than this, but the new commision is very good.

[-K-M-]

I remember that commision as the Box was excellent, but the Talisman and Guardain commisions left a sour note with me.

[Barnacle13]

I'd have to go for an action scene with multiple characters. The Tanaraq and Guardian vs OF are both great. Maybe the originals coming together to face off against Tundra in the distance complete with a little waterspout Marrina in the corner.

I too have not liked his facial expressions in particular on Talisman and Guardian mentioned above.

A snowbird transformation or Shaman vision quest might be a cool commission, too.

[syvalois]

I would go with King Mungi, I would not take the chance to pay a commission that I don't like and I see myself saying that I won't pay for if because he can do better. I just think he's glory days are long gone.

[cmdrkoenig67]

I'd definitely get one.

Dana

[Shaman Of The Whills]

Yes. And the plan is for me to get one when I graduate from college. Although given that expense (a thousand? really?), the actual time of getting it may be a ways of from the occassion...

Edit: Just found this...
I have been John's artwork dealer for over 15 years, so you have (finally) found the definitive source for his artwork!

John Byrne sometimes accepts commission requests, but he is only accepts the ones he really wants to do as they are done when he has spare time and he only wants to do the ones he will truly enjoy working on.

His rates are:

$3,000-$3,500 for most non-X-Men pieces with 6 characters done on 20" x 30" board. Additional characters are $250 each.

$5,000 for X-Men pieces with 6 characters done on 20" x 30" board. Additional characters are $250 each.

$1,100 - for a single figure “non-X-Men” pen and ink pinup type shot w/background done on 11" x 17" board, he is willing to do additional characters at an additional cost of $100 each..

$1,500 for a single figure pen and ink pinup type shot featuring an X-Men character w/background done on 11" x 17" board, he is willing to do additional characters at an additional cost of $100 each.

$550 - for a single figure pen and ink illo with no background done on 11" x 17" board

He is no longer accepting any pencil-only commissions.

So if you'd get one, what would you go for?

[PWalk]

Well if I ever did get one done it would be Sasquatch and the Thing slugging it out. I really enjoy his versions of both characters and seeing as how they're my two favorites I'd have to go with that.

[DelBubs]

I would go with Shaman fighting the Scrambled Eggs from #19 (?). The best action pose I recall for Shaman.

[Phil]

I think I'd rather get an actual piece of published artwork from the title first and foremost, but wouldn't say no to a commission.

[-K-M-]

I think I'd rather get an actual piece of published artwork from the title first and foremost, but wouldn't say no to a commission.

Cosigned.

[Powersurge]

Hundreds of dollars for a picture... of anything?!?! No way. You know how many comics I could buy for all that money? How many toys I could buy my son? How many other things period I could do?

I like comics, and I like good comicbook art, but with all due respet for those who feel otherwsie, the prices for a commissioned work is just rediculous, IMO.

[-K-M-]

I like comics, and I like good comicbook art, but with all due respet for those who feel otherwsie, the prices for a commissioned work is just rediculous, IMO.

They were selling the Omega Flight group shot from Civil War: The Initiative at around $3,000

[SmurfInABlender]

If I was going to get somethign, i'd go all out.. I'd get Namor and Heather Hudson Standing back to back (Heather woudl not be in her costume due to the fatc we all know she didn't get her costuem till post-byrne) With puck in the foreground.

That woukd be a tight picture, and a tight trio in my mind

[Barnacle13]

Hundreds of dollars for a picture... of anything?!?! No way. You know how many comics I could buy for all that money? How many toys I could buy my son? How many other things period I could do?

I like comics, and I like good comicbook art, but with all due respet for those who feel otherwsie, the prices for a commissioned work is just rediculous, IMO.

I think everyone agrees with your sentiment. But the question is IF you had the money for one would you do it? For me that means I have $3-5000 to just throw at a commission. I's probably buy something more contemporary first (Kolins, Clayton Henry, or Silvestri Sasquatches), but if money were not an object, sure why not a Byrne original.

[SmurfInABlender]

On second thought, I'd get the 6 character piece, with Heather and Namor back to back, and on Namor's side a little in the background would be Caleb Alecander and his daughter, and on Heather's side would be Sasquatch and Puck.. Kind of a joining of my favorite Byrne Comics

[Michael Connell]

A JB commission featuring the original Alpha Flight in conflict with the original X-Men (I know it never happened in continuity) would be my choice. 8)

[SmurfInABlender]

you my friend would have to sell your car for that one.. that is if you have a car worth enough

[birdygirl]

I'd like to have a Snowbird portrait with her infant son. What a Mother's Day present that would be!

[SmurfInABlender]

for an action one i'd just have Sasquatch and Namor fighting, that would be tight, or Sasquatch and Iron Fist..

[Le Messor]

Smurf, Caleb's daughter is Carrie, isn't she?

I'd buy that for a dollar.

[SmurfInABlender]

carrie... yeah thats her name.. I havn't read up on Namor in a bit, see my mom for christmas TRIED to buy me the complete series on ebay, but being non-comic savvy she got one with a bunch of holes in it, so i go and fill up the holes everyonce in a while and read on, BUT I won an auction on ebay that gave me Alpha Flight 75-116 and so that posponed my reading of namor, and when i read again it was in the iron fist saga so Caleb and carrie wern't in it much

[Ryan Maxwell]

I'm the VERY happy owner of:

Guardian vs. Omega Flight
http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?CAT=commissions-large&IMG=19&LARGE=0

Sasquatch/Tanaraq vs. Puck and Aurora
http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?CAT=commissions-standard&IMG=45&LARGE=0

Shaman
http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?CAT=commissions-poses&IMG=54&LARGE=0

AF related:

http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?CAT=commissions-poses&IMG=40&LARGE=0

Not AF, but I still love it:

http://www.artofjohnbyrne.com/cgi-bin/page.pl?CAT=commissions-standard&IMG=22&LARGE=0

They are worth every penny I've spent. Check out the AF pages and other Byrne art I have at my CAF gallery. More to be added soon, I just picked up new pages from AF 11 and 13.

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=11899

[Ben]

wow, Ryan, I'm jealous! I can see that the life of the bar manager isn't all that it cracked up to be ;)

Maybe when father's day rolls around...oh wait...a 3 year old doesn't have any money :(

Ben

[Legerd]

Maybe when father's day rolls around...oh wait...a 3 year old doesn't have any money :(

Ben

Then you're not working the kid hard enough! :wink:

[DelBubs]

Ryan, how do you preserve the commisions once you've recieved them? I would think framed and behind glass, but I could be wrong on that.

[Ryan Maxwell]

I have the Guardian/Omega Flight and Cap/Golgotha pieces framed. Very simple black wood, but both are behind museum UV glass. It's more expensive glass, but it blocks nearly all UV rays and barely shows any reflection when you are looking at it under lights. If you go into a shop that does framing, they can show you the difference, which is pretty significant.

The other three commissions have only been in my possession for a few days, so they are with my other art in a portfolio for now.

[DelBubs]

Thanks Ryan. That's useful to know. I have one sketch/drawing that needs that kind of protection, but hopefully (if I sell my kids and grandkids for medical experiments) I could have more.

Much appreciated.

[Ryan Maxwell]

The framing can be cost prohibitive. I have plenty of pages I'd love to see on my walls, but it's come down to framing or owning more art. So, I only have two things hung up.

[rplass]

The framing can be cost prohibitive. I have plenty of pages I'd love to see on my walls, but it's come down to framing or owning more art. So, I only have two things hung up.

I had the same problem. I saved a lot of money by using interchangable frames from www.thepaperframer.com (http://www.thepaperframer.com). The owner's a real nice guy, easy to deal with by email and very good quality frames for the price.

You can swap out the artwork (of the same size and shape) pretty quickly, which takes about 2 minutes. This way you can rotate through your art and show a different piece every month, or every two months or so. He also sells non-interchangeable frames at a great price for pieces that you want to put on permanent display. I had him make me a matching set of a single art page, a double art page and a single art page with an inset comic book. I can swap my art in and out as I wish, and saved hundreds of dollars on framing this way.

Love,
rplass

[XXL]

No, I would not.

1- Because I don't like the way he's drawing now.

2- The guy is a total jerk, thinking he is a God or something. Some humility would be good for him for a change.

[SasqFan]

No, I would not.

1- Because I don't like the way he's drawing now.

This is a reason I totally get. I'd be scared to commission a piece and get something I didn't like since there doesn't seem to be any sketch or design approval process. I'd be crestfallen and out the money since I wouldn't try to stiff him.


2- The guy is a total jerk, thinking he is a God or something. Some humility would be good for him for a change.

:roll: