TEENY TINY STARS REBORN - PERSONALIZING YOUR ART - THE SIGNATURE

TEENY TINY STARS (reborn)
PROFESSIONAL ACRYLIC ACEO ORIGINAL 
PAINTING BY SEA DEAN
2.5" x 3.5" on canvas panel
 
To view my Gallery or purchase this painting please visit Daily Paintworks. Larger originals or prints may be available by contacting me.

You may think you've seen this before, but it has been tweeked considerably. It now has more value contrast, a better composition and built in distance. Pretty much a whole new painting. These are my favourite flowers, so I don't mind spending time to make them look even better.


PERSONALIZING YOUR ART - The Signature

The first decision around personalizing your work is whether to sign it, how to sign it and where.

Most artists are happy to sign their work and most buyers expect a signature. An original signature proves that the work is complete and you are proud of it. It adds value, in some cases, if you are or become famous, the signature may one day be worth more that the piece it is added to. It is your choice whether to sign or not, but if you don't the buyer will question your decision and may not purchase from you unless you are willing to sign.

To prevent fraudulent use, it makes sense to add a different signature on your work to the one you use to authorize documents. I suggest practicing on an offcut first, using the same medium as your artwork. Try several methods before actually signing the original. You may want to contemplate size, length, colour, positioning and type (incised, raised, painted).

I've been told that buyers don't like the signature to be invasive or detract from the work (I question this, because if I had a Monet I would certainly want his signature clearly visible). Dimension of the signature partly depends on the size of the art work, if you're a miniaturist you may choose to sign on the back or use a tiny symbol rather than a full signature. If your painting is six feet wide you may want a more dynamic endorsement. Some artists always add a certain object like a little bird worked into the design somewhere, or their signature follows the line of a curve or tree root etc.

I've heard that you should choose the same colour for your signature as the focal point which makes some sense but most artists prefer it to blend in. From observation, I see that the masters mainly signed in the bottom right hand corner, probably because they were using their right hand and didn't want to reach across the wet oil painting. Some paintings are signed on the left bottom, but it's rare to find a signature on the top. Again this is your choice but it is not a superficial one. I've had worked turned away by a jury because my signature was "too prominent". Hmmm

It's important to visualize where the frame will cover the painting so it doesn't cover all or part of your signature. If you use the no frame type gallery wrap canvas you may wish to sign on the side, especially if it is a small painting. Alternately you may prefer to sign on the stretcher back, but this is rare.

I tend to change my artist signature about once a year, and I've had good feeback about most of them although buyers do seem to prefer something unique but still legible. I've used my first name only, a basic first initial, a stylized monogram, and a stylized chop. I personally like the latter best, partly because it resembles the magnificent illuminated letters of medieval times and partly because of it's connection to Asia. It is simple, but instantly recognizable as mine. I may stay with this one for a while.

Whatever you decide is your choice, so make it simple to execute and pleasing to the eye because you'll be doing a lot of it.


Cat 12048 Teeny Tiny Stars