How to Sign a Watercolor Painting

Posted by Vinita on December 9, 2010 in Blog | 5 comments

Let’s say that you have just finished your watercolor painting and you are getting ready to frame it and proudly display on your wall, deliver it to a gallery, give to a good friend or enter it in a show. Don’t overlook a very important step, your signature. By signing your work, you are claiming that it is an original, complete work of art done by you, the artist. It is a vital part of the art making process. Plenty of painters make the mistake of not putting much thought into it. They sign it as an afterthought right before the painting goes into a frame much like you would sign the back of check before going to the bank.

Here are Twelve Tips on How to Sign Your Watercolor Paintings:

1. Use watercolor and a brush.This is going to take some practice but it is worth the effort. If at all possible, use watercolor and a brush to sign your watercolor painting. The only time I use a pen is when I am working on a miniature piece.

2. Design a signature that matches the style of your painting. Your painting signature doesn’t have to match your handwritten one. It should look similar, but it also should be consistent with your style of painting. For instance, if you paint with mostly soft edges and loose washes, you shouldn’t have a jagged, harsh signature. If your watercolor painting has bold brush strokes and geometric designs, you shouldn’t have a loopy, cursive style of signature.

3. The size of your signature should vary with the size of your painting. Your signature should not be so large that it stands out, but it shouldn’t be so small that a viewer has to search for it. There is no hard and fast rule here, but as a guide, on a 1/4 sheet painting (11″x15″) your name should be around 1″ to 1.5″ long and about 1/4″ – 1/2″ high.

4. Your signature should be consistent. Once you decide on a signature, you should stick with it. This way your collectors and viewers will come to recognize it. If you are just starting out with watercolor, don’t worry about this. Give your painting style and therefore your signature some time to develop.

My Signature in Lower Left Corner of Painting

5. Your signature should be readable. This doesn’t mean it has to be printed, but most aspects of it should be able to be deciphered.

6. The color of your name should blend with your painting. I tend to use a dark neutral color but sometimes I use red, blue or purple. The color doesn’t matter as long as it doesn’t jump out. The color should match the colors used in the piece.

8. Generally paint your signature in the lower left or lower right area of the painting. Again, there is no rule here.

9. You can use your full name, your last name, or whatever name you wish. I happen to like my name, so I use my full name. I have a friend who uses her first initial, middle initial and last name.

10. Keep your status signatures to yourself. Kudos to you if you have signature status in the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of American and so on. That is an accomplishment to be proud of. However, in my opinion, this clutters up your painting. Many artists would disagree with me on this  but after all, it is a painting, not a resume. Yes, you are proud and yes, you want people to know of your accomplishments, let’s just be a little more subtle…see #12.

11.  Keep the dates off as well. Not only does this clutter up your signature, it also gives your painting an expiration date. For instance, if you have a show of “new work” but a painting is dated 2008, you will leave your collectors wondering,  “Why hasn’t this sold yet?”

12. Provide clear details on the edge (if you have plenty of white margin) or on the back of the watercolor paper. These details should be printed neatly in pen or pencil and should include

• Your full name
• Any signature status, such as AWS, NWS
• The full title of the painting
• The dimensions of the painting
• The medium and support, i.e. original watercolor painting on 140 lb watercolor paper
• The year of completion. You can also include the month and day if you want.
• Your website address if applicable
• Leave off the price

Tag the Back of Your Painting:

Tag and Business Card on the Back

Of course once you place your masterpiece in a mat and frame, all these details you so carefully added will be hidden.  That is why I recommend making a tag with the same information for the back of the frame. Tape this tag to the hanging wire for easy reading and access (see photo) or attach it to the back of the frame. You can make up a template using a business card template or just print it neatly on a small piece of cardstock.

If you have a business card (and you should have a business card), use double stick tape to tape your card to the back of the frame. That way, three years from now, when someone is in your collector’s home and comments on your painting, they will easily be able to find your contact information. It is best to leave off the price and allow the gallery to decide how they want to display the price.

So in summary, put some thought into your signature and take some time developing your unique mark. Then be sure to properly label your work of art. After all, it is your creation, you should claim it!