What is a preliminary sketch?

[maisiemoo1]

Well the title says it all really.

What is a preliminary sketch? I have 4 Winnie the Pooh pictures which someone says are preliminary sketches by E H Shepherd (the artist who worked with A.A Milne on the Winnie the Pooh books) But I have no clue what that means or how much they are worth.

[boxtops]

It's the equivalent of a first draft in writing - many artists don't go straight into the first picture, they do some experimental sketches before they finally settle on a design. They can be worth something since collectors are interested to see the differences between the original sketches and the finished article. I would take them to a dealer for a valuation, or an auction house if you are considering selling - they should be able to validate authenticity as well.

[maisiemoo1]

Thanks Boxtops. I got that answer from asktheexperts website and sent pics to my local auction house to see what they say.

Hope I can get a few quid out of them to go towards my flat deposit lol

[boxtops]

Excellent - good luck!

[maisiemoo1]

Just another quick one. Where would I go about selling it? I don't really want to put it into auction in case it doesn't fetch much and I have to pay fees etc

[jno]

auction is the usual as they would be able to authenticate it; you could put it on eBay but potential sellers might wonder if it's a scam unless you have all the documents in order.

[jno]

doh... potential *buyers*

[boxtops]

I'm no expert, but you can put it into auction with a reserve so it doesn't sell below an agreed minimum - or you can sell on eBay or Amazon, it might be worth looking there now to see if anyone else has anything similar. However - if this really is a collector's item and does prove valuable, a reputable auction house just might attract worldwide bids. If the local house thinks it's worth it, they might recommend selling them through a London auction house.

[jno]

Chris Beetles specialises in this sort of thing. He used to do a TV medical comedy series called Pink Medicine, as I recall, but now deals in Victorian and more recent illustrators.

http://www.chrisbeetl...y/artist.php?art=2813

[Canary42]

If these are genuine (which they probably aren't if signed Shepherd, as his name was Shepard), they could fetch quite a sum.

In December 2008 one of his Pooh drawings went for £115,250.

At that sale, 40 pictures fetched over a million pounds.

I suggest you try leading London dealer for a valuation.

Here's a link for the sale information above.

http://www.getsurrey....wing_sets_sale_record

[maisiemoo1]

Thanks for all the answers, my local auction house wants me to take them down to lok at them.

And it is Shepard I just spelt it wrong on here

[Canary42]

Good luck Maisie :)