How to Sign Acrylic Paintings?

So, you want to sign your acrylic paintings? You want to let everyone who sees them that you are the one who created these works of art. Do you need a special signature or a special piece of equipment to do so?

How to sign acrylic paintings? Is signing your name enough or do you need more? Where on my acrylic paintings should I sign my name? Signing your acrylic paintings to identify them as yours is not something you should rush into as you want something unique to identify those are yours just by looking at the way it is signed.

Read on for tips on how to sign your acrylic paintings, why you should do it, and what to use to sign them? If you are a new artist, the information in this article will help you define your signature and let the world know those are your acrylic paintings.

Why Do You Need To Sign Your Paintings?

The reason that many sign their acrylic paintings is that they are proud of their work and want people to know who painted it. It shows pride and ownership along with the creativity and attention you gave to that particular acrylic painting. It tells people who see your work that you are confident and happy at the way it turned out.

As you continue to do more paintings, it will all others to recognize your artistic work. You must sign your work if you want to sell them. Those that buy acrylic paintings like to make the painting a topic of conversation by being able to share the backstory on the piece and some about the artist. Signing them will keep others from stealing your work and claiming it as their own.

How to Sign Acrylic Painting?

How to sign acrylic paintings will depend on the artist. Some want to make a bold statement while others want to make a small splash. Do not rush into signing them but take the time to find the signature or mark that screams you and feels right.

Tips

When you sign your acrylic paintings, you want to make sure that everyone knows who did that work. If you have a very common name, such as Frank Smith, you want to make sure that it is different from other artists with similar names.

• Make your memorable but simple
• Use your signature to help balance out your acrylic painting. If your focal point is on the left side of your painting, then put your signature on the right side. This will help to make the painting appear in balance.
• Consider using an abbreviated form of your name if you have a long name. You could use your last name and the initial of your first name, just your initials, or just your last name.
• Sign with a color that fits in with your painting. If your painting is bold so should your signature.
• If you have a common name, ask yourself if it is unique and identifiable. If it is not, then figure out how you can make it different.
• You do not want your signature to be the focal point of your painting, but you do want to make sure that it is readable.
• Before your start to sign your acrylic paintings, practice on an old canvas until you get it the way you want it.
• Get some fine line brushes to make it easier to sign your work.
• Make sure that you are consistent with your signature. Find one you like and stick with it.
• Match the style of your painting with the style of your signature.
• You may also want to consider adding the year you did the work to your signature.
• When holding your brush, do it loosely. You want to just barely touch the canvas with the tip of your brush. The more pressure you put on the brush, the thicker your signature will be.
• Be sure that your paint is thin so that the lines of your signature will flow freely. Add a little water to the paint to get it to the right consistency so you will not have to go over it several times. Doing this can make the signature thicker and clunky looking.
• If possible, use a watercolor or chalk pencil to write your signature on the painting and then go over it with the acrylic paint.

What To Use To Sign Acrylic Painting?

When signing your acrylic paintings, there are several options that you can use. Some suggest that you can use a regular felt tip pen. If you do, you have to be careful, so you do not have any issues with fading to the point of your signature disappearing. Your signature could also streak if you use a felt tip pen.

Paintbrushes

The best brushes to use for signing your acrylic paintings would be the script brush or round brush. They both have bristles that come to a point. One difference is that the script brush has longer bristles. This is a brush that is made just for writing.

Also Read: How Long Does Acrylic Paintings Last?

There are some that find using a script brush challenging but that does not mean you should not use it, especially if you are just starting your career. You will just have to practice more before you get the hang of it. With a paintbrush, to get the most control, you want to hold it close to the ferrule, which is what connects the handle and the brush head.

You do not want to hold it at an angle because if you do, you will not get a crisp shape to your signature. All you need is for the tip of the brush to touch the painting very lightly. keep the grip you have on the brush loose. Be sure that you have the right size brush. You do not want your signature to draw their attention away from what you painted, nor should your signature be too big. It should be easy enough to read.

Paint pens

If you are not sure about using a paintbrush, then you could always use a paint pen. These are also known as a paint marker. Before you can get a paint pen to work you need to prime it. This involves shaking it for a minute or so and then you need to press the tip against a piece of paper or cardboard unit you see paint on the paper or cardboard.

You need to be careful that too much paint does not come out as then it could cause a paint splatter. This is why you prime it on something before you try to sign your acrylic painting with it. To write on anything with a texture you cannot hold a paint pen straight up and down. You also need to be careful when you press the tip on the canvas because there is a chance of it skipping as you are writing your signature. It could fade in and out and leave bald spots.

Can You Sign A Painting With A Sharpie?

Some artists say yes while others say no so there is no definite answer to this question. The reason that some artists say that you should not use them is that can bleed through the many layers of paint. They may also fade out in fifty years or more so your signature would no longer be visible.

Some artists love using a sharpie, especially to outline things on their acrylic paintings to make them pop. If you decide that you want to try signing your acrylic painting with a sharpie, use extreme caution. You will need to be sure your signature is very dry before varnishing the painting. To keep it from smearing, you should only use spray-on varnish.

Related Reading:Can You Use Acrylic Paint on Glass?

Where to Sign Acrylic Painting?

Where you sign your acrylic painting is almost as important as how you sign it and what you use. For some people, they know an artists signature and where they sign them so when looking for a particular artist, they look to see if the artists name is in that particular spot.

Sign on the front

This is the most obvious place that an artist would sign their acrylic painting. It is also the most popular place. Generally, an artist will put their signature or mark in the lower right corner. Some will use the left-handed corner. There are some that even put their signature along the bottom in the middle of their acrylic painting.

There is no hard and fast rule stating where you need to put your signature. Just be consistent where you sign it because, as mentioned, there are some that collect certain artists paintings and will look for the signature in the place where the artist always signs it. If it is not there and is somewhere else, they may feel that the painting is not an original of that artist. The best place to put it is in the right-hand corner at the bottom of your acrylic painting.

On the back

On some acrylic paintings, if you look at the back, you will see that there is a big label where you can put the date, your name, artwork title, and other information. If you do not want to chance to mess your painting up by signing it on the front, then do it on the back. If you want, you can just put your initials on the front and then sign the back.

The one negative about signing it this way is that if anyone wants to know any information about the painting, they will have to take it down to find it. Some may find this annoying. If you put your initials on the front, then it will remind them who the artist is, but all the rest of the information will be on the back.

Hide it in plain sight

This means that when you sign your acrylic painting that you do it in a way that is barely visible. You can do this by hiding it in the subject of the painting. Depending on the subject of the painting, your signature could be on the bark of a tree, on the stem of a flower, etc. Doing this will add playfulness to the painting. It will also make the one looking at the painting take time to look closer to find the artists signature.

The one negative to doing it this way is if the viewer is not familiar with the work of the artist, they would not know what to look for it and might not know who painted it. They might think it is an unsigned painting. You could hide your signature on the front and then sign it on the back.

Use an artist card

This will hold all of the information about the acrylic painting and include some background on the artist. It could tell something about how they became an artist, where they are from, any awards they may have, etc. Sometimes it will even include a photo of the artist. The artist will also sign the card.

Many love to have this information about the artist because they have the history of the painting to use as a topic conversation. It can also create a bond between the buyer and artist.

Full Signature or Initials

How an artist signs their paintings depends on their preference. There is nothing that says it has to be a full signature or just initials. The one plus with signing with a full signature is that later when the buyer looks at the painting and sees only initials, they may not remember the name attached to the initials. It is advisable if you want to use your initials only on the front, then make sure that your full signature is someone on the back.

Yes, it is easier to paint just a couple of letters than a full signature and it does take up less room but if you take the time to paint then you want everyone to know who the artist was. This is why it is important to put your full signature somewhere on the painting.

Conclusion

This article has given you a lot of information on not only how to sign acrylic paintings but also what to use, where to sign your acrylic painting, and tips on how to do it. After reading this article, you will have the confidence to sign your acrylic painting and let everyone know who the artist is.