Yes, actually you can. The artist retains all rights to the artwork created, when the character is not trademarked. This includes reproduction rights. The characters owner must have a licensed trademark over their design in order to trump that.
The customers must purchase exclusive rights from the artist, in order to prevent the artist from reproduction. The owner retains copyright over the design, but not the ability to reproduce it from an artist who's paid to draw it.
This is discussed quite in-depth under our copyright tag, if you'd care to read up and see the source for these laws and rights.
Edit - Found the page for ya, since it takes a bit of digging. Right here is the law surrounding it: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html
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The customers must purchase exclusive rights from the artist, in order to prevent the artist from reproduction. The owner retains copyright over the design, but not the ability to reproduce it from an artist who's paid to draw it.
This is discussed quite in-depth under our copyright tag, if you'd care to read up and see the source for these laws and rights.
Edit - Found the page for ya, since it takes a bit of digging. Right here is the law surrounding it: http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap2.html