I was wandering around town and I noticed a finished sketch on a drafting table. So my sim went over and took it. Turns out the artist of the sketch had died. Original value $2, Appreciated value $936!
So maybe it's not completely worthless afterall.
Glad I am not the only one that does that, lol. I did the same thing, only in the consignment shop. If your sim has level 10 in painting and you paint on the drafting table, the prices are random, just like the sketches. With the option to paint on drafting table you do not get the option of the size like you do on the easel. In the long run, I have had some paintings and sketches from the drafting table get quite high in appreciation. Something to dabble in when your sim is high in skill level, but to make money to live on with the drafting table is quite unlikely at the beginning.