To Sign or Not to Sign: An Argument for Artists’ Marks

Artwork, yearbook, park bench, tree, railroad car, bathroom stall - we humans are hard-wired to “leave our mark” on... well... everything.

Today, watching my young’uns sign their name to every craft, frosted window, steamy bathroom mirror, dirty car, and snowbank got me thinking about our adult relationship with artist marks, a.k.a. the way we sign (or don’t sign) our creations.

As a kid, everything gets the star treatment. I mean, why wouldn’t we autograph our world? It’s ours, isn’t it??

Carvings and prehistoric graffiti dating back to primitive humanity suggest that this instinct is “in our DNA”. It resonates with territorial claims and proclamations of “I exist!” It keeps our memory alive indefinitely. It comes naturally.

I find it perplexing, then, that so many artists and crafters either don’t or won’t sign their creations. Some claim it ruins the aesthetic of the piece. Some artists believe that their style is so recognizable that an artist mark is frivolous. Others believe they lose ownership of the piece the moment it’s created - that it inherently belongs to “the people”.

I’ll admit that I’m not that confident, and I’m definitely not that humble.

If you fall into the esoteric category of conscientious non-signers, cheers, and away you go. But if you’ve never really given it much thought, or are simply a forgetful crafter, here are 4 outstanding reasons to invest some effort in signing your creations (and, below that, some resources on how to do it!):

1. LEGAL CLAIM
   Copycats abound. A signature gives you a legal leg up on protecting the creativity that flowed from your amazing brain.

2. ADDED VALUE
   Whether or not you become the next da Vinci, your investors (i.e. anyone sporting a piece of your art… even if it’s your mom) will appreciate the value added by your authenticating mark.

3. A NATURAL END
   Before you gild your lily, use your artist’s mark to put a period on the end of your creative sentence. It tells you your work here is done and done well; time to move on.

4. MOTIVATION
   You earned the right to mark your work by the sweat of your brow and the grit of your mind. When others were simply EXISTING, you were CREATING. That’s deserving of a little artist flair, don’t you think?
   

Don’t believe your work is good enough to warrant the effort? May I remind you that Rembrandt’s toddler scribbles would have been worth a small fortune had they survived? Everyone who puts in the time will improve. That evolution should be fascinating to, at the very least, you! Take pride in signing your name to that growth!

Crafters, you have a special challenge, in that it’s far easier to sign a painting than, say, a wreath, a rug, or a necklace. Find a way. Design a label. Etch, scribe, carve, weave, embroider, dye, cut. Whatever you need to do to take ownership of your efforts!

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4 Websites to Help You Design Your Artist’s Mark

If you don’t already have an artist’s mark (which should, for security reasons, be different than your legal signature), be sure to check out the following handy resources:

• “How to Sign a Painting, Drawing or Artwork - My Top Ten Tips” by Stuart Wider
  A playful article on designing your artist’s mark
  

• “Signing your work” by Roisin O’Farrell
  Common mistakes artists make when signing their work
  

• “7 important things to know about artist signatures” by Christie’s
  Intriguing inscription trivia from famed art auction house, Christie’s
  

• “68 Signatures of Famous Artists” by Martina Pook
  Signature inspiration from the masters themselves

“Make a mark on the world that can’t be erased.” - Maya Angelou

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Note: I have no affiliation with, and am not receiving compensation from, any of the above websites. These are my personal recommendations.

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