What it Takes to Aquire "Altered Art"

Hello Everyone!

Do you like altered/extended art?  How many posts on eBay have you seen with unfathomable prices next to them? Have you ever approached an artist to get your own cards painted? I bet your reaction went a little like this......

You: Wow! Your work is amazing. What would it take to get my favorite card painted?

Artist: $15-20......

You: (choke on your spit) What? That is way out of my price range. Sorry bro

I am an artist as well. From personal experience, I know how it feels to have to judge your own work's value. To tell someone what you are worth and for the "enthusiast" to not feel the same appreciation is belittling. It all comes down to how much effort I put into all of this over the past year. I put my nose to the table and kept a brush in my hand. Someone told me to use multiple internet sites to promote my work.

And then I found MOTL

This site is free! It is a place to trade your unwanted trading cards for pure treasure. There are also buy/sales threads.They have Moderators and the site is highly regulated. I honestly would have given up on altering art, if I hadn't found this site. I might not have sold off my entire collection twice either. Just to be clear, I am merely a member of the site. I was not paid to talk about how awesome they are.

I follow a couple of famous artists. One of them being Steve Argyle <- Genius. Just like me, he keeps his nose to the table. He does personal work for people all the time. Talk about overachieving! This guy accommodates to many different types of requests. Each come with a lucrative price tag. If you (other artists) and I keep up the hard work, we can achieve the same goal. Basically credentials are the key to success. I received no benefits for stating the obvious about Mr. Argyle either.


I used eBay before I found MOTL. They were flooded with many new artists trying to make a reputation for themselves. Some of their work was priced lower than its original face value. When those sales finalize, it hurts the artist community. I personally believe we should take pride in our work.

The difference between us "up-and-comers" and the world renowned artists is simply that. We are not the stars. Its easier to put a $20 price tag on your work when there is a line going around the corner waiting for their chance to pay up. This is the question I continually ask myself. If this guy can charge that much for 30 minutes of work, why cant I charge that much for an hours worth of work?

As a shopper, you should consider what we put into the work as well. At least consider the artists worth before clenching your shekels. Also, look for more than one artist. Each of us has our own unique styles.

Thanks for following along.

Kyle Chandler