27 October 2015

2015 Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith: Princess Leia Sketch Card by Tanner Padlo

For some reason the sketch cards from the Topps Star Wars Chrome Perspectives: Jedi vs. Sith set don't seem to be as popular with bidders as sketch cards from other recent sets. Maybe it's because the frames restrict the size of the sketch? I don't know. Maybe it's all in my head and they are just as popular as other sketches. I just know that I've been able to grab several Leia sketches from this set without spending a ludicrous amount of money on them.


This sketch was done by artist Tanner Padlo. He seems to be most active on Instagram if you want to see some of his other stuff. I wish I had more to say about this one. It's a pretty cool sketch and Padlo does some nice work, but I am not feeling particularly inspired right now as I write this. I am trying to have a post for every day in October, but it's harder than it seems to come up with something to write for every day of the month. It was a good sketch, especially for the price I paid. Leia's pose is one of the more common ones that artists use for reference. There's nothing wrong with that as there is only so much reference material out there, but I kind of like it when an artist comes up with something of their own rather than copying a picture from a comic book or film. But at the rates the card companies are paying I can understand that artists need to pump out a certain number of cards in a limited amount of time, and the best way to do that is to replicate a photo or still from the film in your own personal style and art medium of choice. This one looks just fine as part of my Leia sketch collection. Padlo has got a couple of pieces in his Etsy shop that I really like. One is a painting of Luke and Leia together and one is a Star Wars sketch cover of Han Solo with a Toy Story twist. You should check them out.

2 comments:

  1. I was wondering the same thing about the prices. I picked up one a week or two ago where I was the only bidder and that seems very odd for any Star Wars sketch card.

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    1. I think there are just too many Star Wars cards on the market right now. Masterwork sketches are still out there in decent numbers; you've got these Chrome ones flooding eBay; there are quite a few listings for the new Journey to the Force Awakens set; there are still sketches out there for some of the older sets; and people are saving up for Star Wars High Tek and the actual Force Awakens set releasing later this year.

      There is a huge logjam of the same sketches, both good and bad, sitting unsold in the $30-$100 range. I think people just have Star Wars sketch fatigue and don't want to sort through the same couple thousand sketches that have been sitting untouched for months now. The big-name artists seem to still do brisk trade as long as they are not overpriced Buy It Now listings, but people are just ignoring a lot of the other artists even if the artwork is decent. It's a good buying opportunity if you can find auction listings with low starting bids.

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