Bayani,
Nice work man. Thanks for the information.
Wonderful thread! Great advice and information. 
I'd suggest posting this in the guides section so it doesn't get lost in the art thread dump. Then link it to your sig where everyone can see it. That said....I really wish I had the time and the money to get some work done on Rox. That would be so cool!!! Good job on the guide I liked it!
Thanks! I just edited it because I thought of something else important...preserving the prints/art. It's now posted to the guides section as well.
Good Info Bayani!!
Thanks for posting this!
I agree it should be in the guides section too!
*edit* I got sniped by the OP! 
Cool man! Thats good advice on the framing as well as I know just how expensive that can be!
Alot of the work in my gallery are all framed and hung! 
Tips and Advice: Collecting Original Art
Lately, I have been getting a lot of messages asking how I managed to get in touch with a lot of comic book artists, so I thought it’d be fun to write a mini-guide that collects a lot of the things I’ve learned over the past two years. I don’t consider myself an expert on collecting comic book art, but as with anything else I do, I prepare ahead of time. There is a lot of waiting and negotiating involved. The easier you make it for the artist better chance you will have of scoring a really fantastic piece and opening up opportunities in the future.
Conventions
The best place to get commissioned work is a comic book convention. A majority of the artists at a convention will do a limited amount of sketches or commissions. Some of them, like The Dodsons, George Perez or Rags Morales for instance, will only do work for fans at conventions. If you’re planning to attend a convention, read the guest list, particularly the Artists’ Alley section since the artists who have tables will be offering original art, signed copies of their books, and more often than not, take commissions there as well. By the way, this practice is a cash only business, so plan accordingly and be prepared to wait in lines, particularly if a certain artist is fresh from a big project. Oliver Coipel, David Finch and Phil Jimenez for instance, had incredibly long lines at the NY Comic Con because of House of M, New Avengers, and Infinite Crisis. If you really want to snag some work, I’d advise showing up early on the first day, as convention stuff is usually first come, first serve.
Negotiating Commissions
I have to reiterate that you really should read the guest list before attending a convention and familiarize yourself with people’s work. Google is your friend and you stand a far better chance of getting some original artwork done for you if you are a genuine fan of the artist’s work and it shows. Asking intelligent questions about their past projects or asking them about future projects is a good start. Bringing books for them to sign is a good idea too, especially if you have them sign the books to you specifically. There was an artist I spoke to who was incredibly ticked off because this one “poor fan” asked for a free sketch as a memento and made it appear like he was going to keep it (had it done in a binded, non-perforated sketch book). The artist later found the sketch cut out and sold on EBay for $200.
Some artists will ask you to pre-pay. There are some advantages and disadvantages to this. Bear in mind that conventions are super-busy. If the artist is hot, he’ll be doing a lot of signings/discussion panels and may never get to your piece. Most of the artists at a convention are true professionals though. So if you pre-pay a piece you are more likely to get it done and avoid getting it canceled. Be sure to exchange contact information. In the event that you can’t get back to the convention, you can negotiate shipping/mailing the money and art. In fact, if an artist offers to take your commission and do it at home after the convention, take it. There’s less distraction for them and the piece will come out looking cleaner and less hectic. It will be worth the wait most of the time. It’s not risk-free, however. I am still waiting for one commission from February and I have no idea if I will ever get it. In retrospect, I wish I negotiated and paid 50% down and promised to send the rest the work is finished. Learn from my lesson.
Networking
I keep in touch with many of the artists I commission after the project is finished. When I’m ready to purchase new art, I usually ask them if they have any other artists they can refer. The same rules for business networking apply for art networking as well. If you’re a prompt payer and very easy to work with, artists will contact the people they refer you to ahead of time which will increase their willingness to do some work for you.
Also as an aside, if you’re getting penciled work done, I highly suggest you get it inked, either by the artist him/herself or by their go-to guys. Most artists I’ve noticed have a “go-to” guy to ink their stuff, since incredible inkers are hard to find. Gene Colan will only let Gutierrez ink his commissions. If you check out Jim Lee’s history, Scott Williams is an inker he almost always works with. (Batman, Superman, X-Men for instance) Be sure to ask the artist who they recommend to ink and color their stuff. If they trust those people to ink/color their stuff on a regular basis, you can trust them to do an excellent job for you too.
References
If you’re not going to be requesting a mainstream comic book character, be sure to bring multiple quality references with you. I bring two pictures of my subjects with me, printed on glossy cardstock or photo paper: a headshot and a full body shot. I use Photoshop to crop the pictures and set the resolution to at least 300dpi. I have used 4x6 and 5x7 prints in the past, but I now combine them on one 8x10 handout with some background details to help the artist flesh out the character and give him/her a little personality. Don’t show up with a 400 pg fan fiction story. Artists will just give you a funny look. Don’t snap or get nitpicky with the artist over their work either if they happen to be sketching for you on the spot. It’s just plain obnoxious and disrespectful. I’ve seen people do that when they’re ahead of me in line, and one artist (I won’t mention any names) looked as if he was going to stab the dude in the eye. While you are a paying customer, part of the fun of getting original artwork done is seeing the how the artist envisions the character. On that same token, I only commission work if I genuinely enjoy the artist’s style. If you did take the initiative to familiarize yourself with his/her past work, you should have a strong idea of how the final piece will come out.
Storing/Preserving Your Art
The best way to preserve your artwork is to get a custom frame done by a professional framer. This is a pretty pricey track though. a 9x12 or 11x14 piece will run you around $200+ for the frame and the mats. I took my Gene Colan piece to the framers immediately since it was pencil and I had nothing to store it in. In retrospect, I really wish I knew about his inker ahead of time.
If you purchased a pencil sketch and want to get it inked later on, go to an art store and purchase some art or archival envelopes. I've been using the stuff from AlvinCo for shipping items, since their folders are made of vinyl, and they can take a little mail-carrier abuse. For long term storage, use archival protectors, which should be made of clear polypropylene. Both should have an acid-free black paper insert. Also be sure to keep these pieces in a cool dry, place.
Other Resources
That pretty much sums it up. Below I’ll list some sites that may help you out in doing some research. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM them to me. Just stay out of my lines. This means you, Thor’s Assassin. =P
http://www.comicartfans.com/
(good place to look up artists work)
http://www.comic-con.org/
(biggest comic book convention in the US)
http://www.dickblick.com/
(art supply store)