Cut junk era commons = most iconic cards ever
 

Thanks to everyone here at Net54 for taking the time to view and comment on my previous posts regarding my artwork. I anticipate finishing several pieces over the next few months, so instead of starting a separate thread...I'll just update this one.

6.5 years of doing this, and I have finally completed my first Babe - this 1933 Goudey. This was a commission and is not available. 22"x 26.5". Cut baseball cards.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4235/...6df5f267_b.jpg


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Here's one I finished several days ago Again, commission work that's not available. 1956 Topps Clemente; 28"x 20". Cut baseball cards.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4041/...8c86a874_b.jpg

As usual wow!
Your work keeps getting better and better. The Babe is amazing!
Looking forward to the next piece which you'll be completing in 2016 for me. That makes it #2 for me.
Congrats, and keep posting them.
Ruben

Love these. Remarkable

Tim, love your work, so cool on so many levels

Fantastic work. Honestly can't decide which I like better.

Thanks, everyone! Ruben, I am looking forward to giving Gehrig a roommate.;)


Tim

Great stuff Tim!! I took the liberty of copying this from another section so more folks can enjoy it. Take care and good luck.

Simply put, fantastic!!

Thank you, Leon....much appreciated!

Thank you!


Even when I'm sick I can't put them away.

Here are a couple of Mantles that I recently completed:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4065/...7c09f10f_b.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4208/...29ebf371_z.jpg

The quality of your recent pieces is simply outstanding. Thank you for sharing them.

Thank you, Ben. I feel like I am achieving my goal of getting better as time goes on. I learn something new from each one that helps me with the next.


Tim

Man those are good.

The face on that 51B Mantle is especially impressive.

Nice work!

Cheers,

Richard.

Tim,

The piece I received from you is absolutely amazing. You, sir, are a true artist. Best of luck with all of your future endeavors.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Eric

Tim,

I regret more and more not commissioning a piece from you via The Bench early on before you were famous!! I think that Babe is my favorite so far, especially since I have yearned to own one since I was a kid.

WOW!!! Really great work!

These are just awesome! I wish I had that kind of talent.

Hell, I wish I had some kind of talent! :D

Thank you Richard, Travis, and Kevin!

Hi Eric: Great to hear from you. Thanks for the opportunity!!

Thanks, Curt! I think the eye-opening part for me has been the amount of knowledge I have gained since I started. I am not talking art-wise, I'm talking about cards. I called myself a 25+ year collector. I started doing these pieces, made my way to this site, and realized just how little I knew. I'm still learning about sets I never knew existed that are popular with advanced collectors. Talking with these collectors and learning about these sets has been a real treat.

Tim, Great work. How many cards did you have to cut for the Babe Ruth picture?

Simply spectacular!

Thanks! I am unsure of the exact amount, as I no longer count like I did when I first started these. On average, one uses about 1,200-1,600 cards. I have been a bit more efficient by working on several pieces at once. I am able to use several parts of some cards for different pieces.

Thank you!

Just finished this tonight. I made this one as a tribute to day back in 1990 when my father took me to the dentist. We talked baseball with Dr. Wheeler, and he told me to come back and get some cards that he no longer wanted. It was a shoebox with a partial set of '72 Topps. The cards were/are MINT - they looked like they were just pulled from packs. This Nolan was the highlight of the lot. My dad and I sold it and the Rose a while later, but I still have the rest. I have already picked up a decent graded copy of the Ryan. I'll complete the set someday.

This one is 20"x28" and is one of the toughest geometrical designs I have ever completed.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4017/...3d80e782_b.jpg

Great work Tim! Every day I enjoy seeing Cap and King.

First class art, outstanding!

Go for three.

That Ryan is very impressive. Keep posting them here as you are done. It's always a treat to see your work.

Great idea Peter. I wish I had more wall space.

that ryan is awesome!!!!!!

Thanks everyone! Jay, we need to get you a bigger office.:)

Tim

Tim, This has become one of my favorite threads: I get excited:eek: when I see your latest posts. All are great - I love that 56 Clemente...seems like that card was just meant for you. And, that Smilin' Mick Dan-Dee! And much thanks for the hi-res close-up on the Ryan. - Paul

Again Tim...A-mazing work! And I love my e95 cobb you made for me! Your work reminds me of chuck close.

I read on Facebook that you had about 250,000 commons and didn't need anymore right now when someone offered them up. I hope someday you will need more because these works are great to look at!

Thank you, Paul. The 50's selection has been very kind to me. I have worked the '52 Bowman Musial, '54T Aaron, '55T Clemente, '56 Clemente, '51B Mays, '51B Mantle, and that DanDee Mantle. I'm currently working on others from the '50's as well. I agree - the designs and portraits from these cards lend themselves to being prime candidates for what I do.

Thanks, Pete! Can't believe that is still the only Cobb card piece I have done. I'm sure one of those T206's or the Cracker Jack is on the horizon. As for Chuck Close, he is definitely an inspiration to my work. I first saw his self-portraits in an Art Education class from a local community college way back when. Good stuff.

250K is is an extremely close estimate (from counting 5K & 3500 ct boxes). When I moved to Conway, SC, a former shop owner heard about what I was doing and offered up his surplus. That makes up of roughly half my inventory. I had another local ask if I wanted his cards about a year ago. He understood the era in which they were printed. I gained another 60-65K that day. I still purchase commons if I need specific colors - especially the boxed sets like TTraded or Donruss "Rookies". Those purchases are few and far between.

This is just my strange idea but with so many cards produced from that era, have you ever thought about making a piece of a specific card, using only that card? I know the others are iconic cards and you would want the subject to be popular so that might affect the price of getting the cards, but something like an 88 Donruss minor star would cost almost nothing to get, probably could get it through donations like that Tim Wallach collector.

I might try to get 1500 Casey Candaele cards just in case I want my own piece someday

I bought a few oil paintings from a gallery once. I told the owner I was building a house. He said I should consider one without windows. :)

I had one gentleman consider, from the same exact set, the Diamond King Andre Dawson made from only Diamond King Dawsons. We talked, but decided that it would take many more copies than a piece normally takes (due to smaller amounts of specific colors. It would definitely be a challenge!

I may be a bit biased, but I think that is amazing advice!:)


Here is one I should have finished in the next couple of days - I am unsure yet if/when I want to let it go:

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...pskydvdtas.jpg

That is totally crazy! What INCREDABLE work!

A little bit of cleanup work and tiny touch ups, and this one will be ready to hang on the wall. Approximately 20"x 28". Cut junk era cards.

http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/g...psjs1on6lw.jpg

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Darren Rovell called you one of the most talented sports artists just a bit ago on Twitter.

I'd expect to hear from people soon....he's a pretty powerful player on Twitter.

I had an idea for a future project. Maybe you could do a card and make it look like it was in a graded holder. Something iconic, like the PSA 8 Wagner comes to mind. Just a thought.

A funny twist would be to flip this approach around by cutting up valuable vintage cards to create a 1989 Upper Deck Jerome Walton RC. Okay, kidding of course! Love your stuff!

I woke today to find many, MANY more emails than I am used to receiving. This definitely explained it! To have anyone - and I mean anyone - to rank my work with some of the guys in the sports art business that we all enjoy....it's a powerful thing for the confidence!

I've always wondered if I could get PSA to special order a custom holder with enlarged flip to encase one of my pieces (I would want the '52 Mantle done this way). I would display it on an easel rather than hang it. If anyone knows someone within the PSA ranks that can make this happen......pretty please?:)

Oh, the cards I once traded for a Jerome Walton '89 UD (along with a Dwight Smith from the same set)! I would be run out of town for this type of project, lol.

PSA would have to note that your Mantle is trimmed!

Much better chance of making one with a 3-D printer !

I've always wondered if I could get PSA to special order a custom holder with enlarged flip to encase one of my pieces (I would want the '52 Mantle done this way). I would display it on an easel rather than hang it. If anyone knows someone within the PSA ranks that can make this happen......pretty please?:)

I'd think Joe would love to slab your Mantle for publicity purposes.

What about building a GIGANTIC bicycle out of pieces of scrap metal and then putting your '52 Cut Junk Mantle in the spokes. Sorta like this...

http://www.thinkbluela.com/wp-conten...Degerstrom.jpg


That would make the ultimate display.

I'm thinking more like "Gem Mint 10", lol.

Maybe he and I can make something work for both of us.

Love it. True ART.

Tim

Hope everyone has been enjoying the holidays! Being a teacher, the 2 week break gives me a chance to spend some extended hours at the drafting table. Just finished this '53 Topps Jackie. I have some commission pieces that should be finished in the upcoming months (a couple of Walter Johnsons and a 54 Bowman Furillo, just to name a few). Have a Happy New Year!


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Amazing as usual Tim. Looking forward to seeing the ones mentioned.
Happy New Year

I've finished a few over the last few months, but this is the first that is relevant to this thread. Happy to have finished my first Walter Johnson. 1908 Rose Postcard; Cut Baseball Cards; 18"x 30"; Private Collection.

Will be finishing more commissions in the next few weeks: another WaJo, a Craig Biggio, a Carl Furillo, and a 1953 Topps Mantle.


https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4053/...84505108_z.jpg

I already emailed Tim but he did a spectacular job on this one. I am still loving my 54 Dan Dee Mantle and eager to see the 54 Bowman Furillo that he is in the process of completing.

These really are spectacular. Do I even want to know the hours that go into one/what the current rate is to commission one?

VERY interested in knowing what the price is to commission one of these pieces....

Tim, the WJ is amazing! Glad to see more of your fine work posted on the board.

Tim your work is getting to be simply amazing as they seem to get just a little better each time. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you all very much!

Hi Scott....the hours are long and the eyes get strained!:) I have to keep several different ones going at the same time so that I can walk away from one for a few days and come back to see what mistakes I have made or what can be done better. I have found that to be a big part of getting the likeness closer to the originals. If you decide you want to consider a commission, shoot me an email with what card(s) you are thinking about: timcarrollart@yahoo.com. Waist up, chest-up, and portraits work best (details get lost otherwise), and know that I'll only create a particular piece once.

Thanks again, everyone......

Not vintage, certainly not iconic.....but finishing this latest commission reminded me that a particular card can be worth far more to one individual than the perceived or realized prices of said card. That's what has made this hobby stand the test of time instead of fizzling out like a fad. "1988 Fleer Craig Biggio"; 20" x 28"; Cut baseball cards. July, 2016.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4278/...90a2b790_z.jpg

Fantastic work!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

They are all awesome, but that Biggio is just insanely good. Looks exactly like him. Nice work!

Tim, was there any temptation at all to construct the work entirely out of 1988 Fleer Biggio cards?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Wow!
 

You are truly a talented artist. I hope you get all the credit you deserve and more. Outstanding work!

Any thought of doing an Ernie Banks this way?

Thank you all!

None. Unless it's requested that I use a HOFer's cards, I limit the cards cut to true commons (with emphasis on junk era wax). I occasionally have to stray from the junk era time period to include some Topps Heritage, Bowman Heritage, etc....but I have stayed firm since the beginning on the commons. I figure some kid somewhere will eventually be able to appreciate a legend's cards, low cash value included!


I started the '54 Topps about 3 years ago, and it has remained unfinished since. Commission work amped up at that time, so it was pushed to the back burner. I also love the '56 Banks, and it would be one that I'd like to make in the future.

that biggio is a masterpiece!!!!!

That Clemente piece is stunning.

Amazing work, Tim! :)

Amazing work on all those pieces, but to me the Biggio is incredible!!!

Donato

Did the format change on this forum? For some reason when I click on a thread I cannot scroll down to view all the posts. I have to click the next or previous button to view each one. Maybe its my computer. If not, the new format sucks Leon.

Must be your computer.

Don't know what else to say but . . . amazing art!

Thanks for sharing.

Finished with this commissioned Big Train! Next 3 pieces I finish will be a 1954 Bowman Furillo, 1953 Topps Mantle, and a 1909 Dockman & Sons Mathewson

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4212/...4faa4806_b.jpg

Awesome...is it a card?

Thanks, Pete! Nope...this was a mashup of a couple of WJ photos.

Can't wait to see the 53 Topps Mantle. It is one of my favorite Mantle cards.

Finished with Carl! A couple of '53 issues (Mantle/Paige), and a Dockman Mathewson all coming soon...

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4237/...02c1dd45_b.jpg

Great work as always Tim. I was just singing your praises early to a few people. Describing your style.

This one of my favorite threads on this board. In a hobby that can seem stale at times, it's cool to see people doing new things, particularly with as much talent as this.

Thank you for the word of mouth! It is much appreciated!

Thank you, Conor! With so many amazing topics discussed here, your comment is very humbling.


Tim

Glad to say I am another very happy customer of Tims. We can all see how talented Tim is, but I can add that he's a total professional too!! Thanks again Tim for the 51 bowman mantle!!

Thank you for the vote of confidence, David! The Mantle is perfect beside that amazing collection!

Tim