This topic isn’t the most important thing you may ponder as you’re learning to paint, but at some point most art students pause to consider the best way they sign their work.
How to sign it and where to sign it are niggling questions that most of us face at least once.
Do I Need To Sign My Work?
Of course, there’s no mandatory legislation that requires you to sign a piece of artwork. However, without your signature, how can you prove it’s your work and how will viewers know who to mentally applaud?
That old adage ‘don’t hide your light under a bushel’ applies here, unless you want to be known as that famous historical entity ‘Anonymous.’
Where Should I Position My Signature?
Your signature should not be a focal point of your painting. It shouldn’t detract from your work, nor should it call attention to itself.
Generally speaking, artists tend to place their signature in a bottom corner of the painting. Wherever you choose, be consistent in the location you choose.
What Should My Signature Look Like?
Your signature should not appear like the scrawls on a doctor’s prescription pad. It should be legible and easily read. It doesn’t give you an air of mystery, nor does it convince the viewer that you’re a creative genius.
Some artists also use a monograph or symbol, while other artists choose to use initials. However, if you choose to follow this route, you should include your full name on the back of the painting.
What Should I Use To Sign My Work?
Whether you’re working in oil, pastel or watercolor, you should use the medium you’ve created your painting in to sign your work. Sure, signing your name with an oil pastel may take a little practice, but it looks a lot more professional than using an ink pen.
Also, sign your painting before adding a varnish or finishing coat. You should choose colors from the palette you’re using to paint your picture. That way, the color will blend in with the piece. Use a color that is a few shades darker or lighter, so that your name shows but isn’t a focal point.
A fine rigger brush works well for signatures. It holds a fair amount of paint and can create the intricacy of a signature. Practice painting your signature. It’s just one more of those little lessons that goes into making you an artist.
Should I Include The Date With My Signature?
This is one of those knotty questions that you’ll just need to decide for yourself. It behooves you to date your painting – over the years, you’ll lose track of when you painted everything you’ve done. However, you don’t necessarily need to put the date next to your signature.
Dating your work gives you, galleries and collectors a chance to see how your work has developed and changed over the years. If you don’t like the idea of dating your paintings on the front, make sure to date them on the back. Some artists put the year on the front and the month and year on the back.
There are some artists who argue that placing a date on the front will make older pieces harder to sell. That’s just silly – good art is timeless, whether you painted it yesterday or ten years ago.
Should You Use Your Married Or Maiden Name?
Here’s another of those personal dilemmas that has no right or wrong answer. If you are known professionally by a name, changing your signature to reflect a change in marital status will be confusing to viewers and collectors.
If you decide to use a new name, you’ll need to remarket yourself. This can be a lengthy process, and you should consider the ramifications before rebranding yourself.
There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. It ultimately depends on you and how you feel as an artist. Your professional name has nothing to do with a partner, although explaining that to your spouse could be an interesting discussion.
Signing Prints
If you are producing limited edition prints, you sign your name along with the number of the print and the number of prints in the run. This is done on all limited edition prints. If you have a certificate of authenticity, you may sign your signature on that as well.
