Bettie Page sketch card set

http://www.versicolorproductions.com/bettie-page/index.html

Interview with sketch card artist Amy Pronovost

How did you get involved in sketch cards?
I got an email from Joe Corroney saying that Topps needed more artists for their Revenge of the Sith set. Up until this point I had no idea that Sketch Cards existed. That was the first of many sets, and I had a blast working on it.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
I think it’s fun and challenging, I do mostly small, little doodles when I’m warming up for larger drawings, so this works. I do prefer drawing larger, because the small drawings en masse make my wrist hurt, but it is fun.

How do you feel about the entire process?
For the mostpart it’s fair, and it works fine. Occasionally cards don’t make it to us on time, leaving the deadline ridiculously short (and I’ve had this from more than one company), so I think the logistics sometimes need a little help. When dealing with the amount of artists some companies do, I think they’re doing pretty good.

Do you prefer to work with a specific media?
It depends on the cards surface and the deadline. For the Strictly Ink cards, which have a slick surface, it’s pretty much impossible to work in pencil, so I work in Crayola and Copic markers. For some reason Crayola markers just stick to the cards, and I used those exclusively for my first Doctor Who set. I really enjoy working in pencil, even though people seem to feel cheated for pulling a pencil card, because the pencils represent the soul of my work. I spend less time on an inked card than many of my penciled ones, but they lose a little spontenaety in the process. As such, most of my recent sets have had pencil with a splash of watercolour to keep the life of the drawing intact. Pencil with a hint of colour is one of my favourite sketch card techniques.



What was it like for you working on a base card?
It was a dream come true! Working on a base card in a Star Wars set was on my list of things to do before I die. I have scratched that off, and now I’m ready to move onto other things. Like, say, visiting Lichtenstein. Oh wait, the card! The approval process was pretty easy going for my card, and I worked large – 11x14 – in water colour and ink. I have to say it was one of the most awesome things I’ve worked on.



I understand you've returned to college. Are you going to continue working on sketch cards, or take a hiatus?
It all depends on my schedule and the license. Last year I was working AND studying, so I had barely enough time to eat, let alone draw. I did take a Clone Wars set last semester, and that worked out OK because it coincided with my Christmas holidays. However, school comes first. I’ve taken on a couple of projects for the summer, because I have more time.

Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
Every now and again I do, and it always puts a smile on my face :)



How do you feel about some collectors wanting more detailed cards versus what sketch card artists are paid to work on the cards?
They are just as welcome to their opinion as I am welcome to work in pencil. I get irked, completely irked, when I see someone brush off a really good set of cards they pulled as trash because they either got none in colour, or only one.

Repeat after me: Colour is not the only thing that makes a piece of art good!

Like I said before, most of the soul is in my penciled pieces, sometimes with a little splash of colour. I also don’t understand the hate towards a particular artist I won’t name, who has a very consistent, very graphic style. I love said artist’s art. So you can’t flip them on ebay. Doesn’t mean it’s garbage.

Also, to those of you who give said cards to your kids to colour and then brag about it on a board populated by artists – bad form. If you want to do that, do it, just don’t post about it and expect people to not get annoyed.

The sad thing is, a lot of these folks say stuff like this and wonder why the artists have left the message boards. :(

It’s one thing to critique, and have an opinion, it’s another thing to be an ass about it. I can respect something like “I feel that there should be more colour cards, I’m not a fan of pencil” but not “I can’t believe I pulled this garbage! My 2 year old can draw better than that! And no colour? You artists are so damn lazy!”

In the end, everyone has an opinion, and everyone is entitled to it. I’ll continue drawing in pencil, and people can continue not liking that I don’t spend hours on a sketch card. In the end, it all comes down to the fans who appreciate my work, and the work of other artists who do loose, pencil work, that keeps us going. :)



Has your career as an artist benefited from doing sketch card work?
I’ve certainly gotten more exposure and Internet cred than I had before, so I have to say yes. It’s opened the door to a few more freelance projects. As I’m fading away from full time art and design, I enjoy the ability to pick and choose what I want to do. I’ve also managed to nail down an artistic style, and work quickly, which is always fun!

What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date? What made it difficult?
I can’t remember which one, but it was one of the Indy sets. Tight deadline, tendinitis flareup and a card surface that was extremely hard to draw on and would not take watercolour. I wasn’t happy with a lot of the cards, but I made the deadline.

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
One of my Indiana Jones returns with Marion and Indy tied to the post with the ghosts flying around them is one of my all time favourites, as were all of my returns for the second and third LOTR sets. The one of Eowyn fighting in Return of the King is awesome. It’s one of those ones I look at and go ‘Did I really draw that? With Markers? OMG’. It’s an example of what I can do with a generous deadline.
For Pack Inserted cards, the ‘Crush your Head!’ Sidious from the ROTS set will forever be one of my favourite cards. Same with the LOTR Masterpiece 2 cards. I really hit my mojo with that set. Low number of cards + long deadline = awesome. Also, anything with Admiral Ackbar. And I looove drawing Orcs and aliens and monsters .



Some companies provide return cards for working on sketch card sets. What do you do with yours?
I sell them! :D A girl’s gotta eat. I have some blanks from a Strictly Ink set I haven’t done a thing with yet, but I will eventually.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
I’m winding down. I do a few sets here and there, but eventually the market will dry up, or I’ll move on to other things. I’m glad to have been a part of it. I’ve met some wonderful people! Lately I’ve been doing a lot of art for charity, but only for charities I trust. It feels good to give back.



Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
It’s an unwritten rule to not ask for the art director’s email from someone working with a company. We won’t give it out, especially in public to someone we don’t know. Go through official channels – Some of them post on message boards, go to the company’s website and find a phone number or an email address. BE POLITE. I cannot stress that enough. Don’t be weird and creepy. Just be professional and be yourself.
Don’t act like a jerk in public. I see so many artists shoot themselves in the foot by being, well, to put it bluntly, stupid on message boards. Once you get a job, it is considered to be in reaaaaallly bad taste to bite the hand that feeds you. Think before you post publicly.

Can you tell us what future sketch card sets you'll be working on?
Hammer Horror and Clone Wars: Rise of the Bounty Hunters.



What are you currently working on?
I am illustrating my book ‘How Harold Got His Wings’, which was written by a dear friend of mine. I’m doing pencil illustrations and WILL have the book in some way, shape or form available at the Toronto Fan Expo in August. I’d like to have a fully coloured version of the book out next year, either self published or with a publisher.

Where can people see more of your work?
At me website! www.flyingarmadillo.com
At deviantart: artyewok.deviantart.com

Thank you for your time, Amy!

Marvel Heroes and Villains

Interview with sketch card artist Randy Siplon

How did you get involved in sketch cards/What was your first sketch card job?
I saw a bunch of artists posting them on deviantART and asked around about how I could get involved. I ended up emailing Topps and within a few weeks was working on LOTR Masterpieces II.

Do you have an education in the art field?
I am an extremely proud art school dropout.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
I actually like the fact that I can complete an entire piece of art within a few hours as opposed to working on larger pieces which take a long time for me because my work is pretty laborious. My eyes would probably say otherwise, though.

How do you feel about the entire process?
I am slower than molasses, so the whole deadline thing is always a problem with me. What really pains me is that the card companies expect you to do these outrageous amounts of cards within a pretty tight deadline. It gets pretty stressful.

Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
Definitely, and it has been a pretty positive experience for me so far.



How do you feel about some collectors wanting more detailed cards versus what sketch card artists are paid to work on the cards?
I don't blame collectors one bit for wanting the best possible work, but it is no longer feasible for me to do it for what we get paid. I would be fine with doing my best possible work on every card if we were paid more per card, or if I could just do less cards. I make enough off of the return cards to make this work, but again the companies seem to not want to bend at all for me like they do for other artists.

Have you had any bad experiences with collectors?
Collectors have been great to me. I have a small but dedicated fan base, and hope that it continues to grow over time. I have had some collectors angry with me over the time it takes for commissions, but I have gotten a lot better with that and it was my own damn fault. My turn around for commissions is a lot faster now because of it.

Bad experiences with companies?
Let's just say I am doing less official sets now, and leave it at that. I would love to do more sets, especially likeness work because that is what I love to do, but I'm not sure some of the people in charge appreciate my work as much as some of the fans do. Topps, if you are reading this please let me do some Avatar cards, I hear there's a set coming out! lol



Would you say your career as an artist has benefited from doing sketch card work?
I really had no career before sketch cards, so yes! I was a struggling wannabe comic book artist/bartender, and now I am just a struggling sketch card artist who still wants to do comic books someday. I developed my current illustration style because of sketch cards, so I am definitely happy I started working on them. They have also given me a lot of exposure with collectors.

What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date?
Indiana Jones KOTCS for sure. There wasn't a lot of reference available, so I apologize to any collectors who got one of my cards from that set. lol

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
I am most proud of my cards for Star Wars Galaxy 4. It was my first official Star Wars set, and that pretty much says it all.



Some companies provide return cards or artist proof cards for working on sketch card sets. What do you do with yours? Do you still have any?
I sell them because the companies pay so little per card that it is the only way to make doing them worthwhile monetarily speaking.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
I am doing less official sets these days because of the deadlines, but will always keep my options open. I would love to do more sets if I were allowed to do less than 100 cards, but for some reason I get no love from companies in that regard. They always want the maximum out of me, and I just can't do it anymore.

Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
It is a great way to get your name out there and people seeing your artwork, but unless you are the second coming of (insert awesome artist's name here) you will not be able to make a living doing them, trust me I've tried.

Where can people see more of your work?
http://www.randysiplon.com/
http://rsiplon.deviantart.com/

Are you open for anyone interested in commission work?
Yes please.



Are you on any recent/current sketch card sets?
I did some for Iron Man 2, but that's about it lately.

What are you currently working on?
Aside from commissions and eBay auctions, I am working on sketch cards for Axebone's 'Treasure Chests & Booty' set which is coming out in a few months I believe. I am always looking for illustration work, so if anyone reading this likes my work, hit me up!

Thank you for your time, Randy!!!

Hammer Horror

List of sketch card artists for the Hammer Horror 2 set.
http://www.strictlyinkmedia.com/welcome2/index.php/hammer-horror-2/sketch-cards.html

Interview with artist Chris Henderson

How did you get involved in sketch cards?
I saw how much the Battlestar Galactica Sketch cards were selling for on Ebay so I thought I would try selling some PSCs. This was around 2004. Someone at Rittenhouse Archives, I think it was Robert Kohlbus, contacted me about submitting some samples for the Xena Art & Images set. I didn't get approved for Xena but I was later approved for the Battlestar Galactica Premiere set. I did 300 each of 3 different images of number 6 that were used as case toppers.

Do you have an education in the art field?
I have about 3 years of a 4 year college degree. Other than that I'm mostly self taught.

How do you feel about working on such a small surface?
I still struggle with it. If I'm working directly from a reference I do okay. When I'm creating an original image I usually have to work out the details at a larger size and then reduce it.

How do you feel about the entire process?
There are always things that could be done better. Each job is a little different and I just try to look at each one as a new challenge.



You have been doing cards for several years. Have you seen a lot of changes in the sketch card business?
More artists, more companies and more sketch cards. I'm curios to see how some of these smaller companies do but I'm not crazy about the sketch card only format. I grew up collecting cards and I like the base cards. I think Sadlittles has a good format with the complete base set plus a sketch in each pack. I'm really curious to see what The Sketchlords do. They appear to be a truly artist friendly company.

Do you have a lot of contact with collectors regarding your cards?
I do off and on. I've had a lot going on recently and haven't been on the forums much. I will be at CECE in September. This will be my first show appearance and I'm looking forward to it.

How do you feel about some collectors wanting more detailed cards versus what sketch card artists are paid to work on the cards?
I can't really blame them. It's our fault. The artists are the ones who raised expectations. There's no way I can do highly detailed cards all the time but I try to do some for every set.

Have you had any bad experiences with collectors?
Nothing major. I've had a few disappear after commissioning something. I just wish they would let me know if there is a problem instead of just disappearing. I'm pretty easy to get along with and I understand that things sometime happen that we can't control. I would rather know what's going on than have to try to figure it out.

Bad experiences with companies?
Nothing we weren't able to resolve.

Would you say your career as an artist has benefited from doing sketch card work?
I've learned how to work faster. I can do in a few hours what used to take me several days.



What was the most difficult sketch card set you have worked on to date?
Probably the second and third Indiana Jones sets. Crystal Skull was the first pre-release movie set I ever worked on. I agreed to do 525 cards and then was given about 25 watermarked reference images to work from. I ended up doing a lot of repeat sketches and a handful of 1/1 sketches. When I started on Indiana Jones
Masterpieces I still had 14 of 16 returns from the first two sets and didn't see much hope of making money on a third set. It made it difficult to get motivated.
I also wasn't crazy about the watermarks on some of the recent Star Wars sets.

Are there any cards that you are particularly proud of?
I'm most proud of the fold out sketches I did for The Doctor Who Big Screen Additions set, the Amidala sketches I did for the Star Wars Galaxy 5 set and the eyes sketches I did for the Epire Strikes Back 3-D sets. I'm also very happy with the sketches I did for the CECE Treasure Chests.
As far as over all sets go I'm probably happiest with my Lord Of The Rings Masterpieces II sketches and My Heroes 2 sketches. The blue Heroes cards were terrible for color sketches but I really liked them for my graytone sketches.

Some companies provide return cards or artist proof cards for working on sketch card sets. What do you do with yours? Do you still have any?
I always intend to sell mine. They are my main payment for most sets and I can't afford to keep them.

Do you see yourself continuing with sketch card sets?
Yes but but I will be doing fewer cards for each set. I'm really enjoying these smaller sets where I only have to do 20-40 cards a set.



Is there any advice you would like to give to people wanting to break into the sketch card ‘biz’?
Be persistent and be realistic about what you can do. It's real easy to over commit yourself. Especially when just starting out. Be professional. Pay attention to the terms of the contract and stick to it.

Where can people see more of your work?
Soon they can see my work at HendersonArtGallery.com but at the moment it's under construction.
They can usually see some of my work on Ebay. My ebay ID is andyh681.
They can also see my work at Artfire.com. My user ID is HendersonArtGallery.

Are you open for anyone interested in commission work?
Yes. Anyone who is interested in commissions can reach me at hendersonart@bellsouth.net.

Are you on any recent/current sketch card sets?
Cartoon Sketches
Star Wars Galaxy 5
Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back 3D
Sci-Fi & Horror Movie Posters 2
The Pro

Upcoming sets include:
Hammer 2
Woodstock Generation
2010 Topps Football



What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on sketch cards for Femforce and The Clone Wars:Rise Of The Bounty Hunters. I just finished up a large sports card project that includes about 150 base cards and I'm about to start another project for the same company. I have a few other things in the works that I can't talk about yet.

Thank you, Chris!!

Several sketch card artists attending C5

http://starwarscelebration.com/en/Art-Show/