p.1 #1 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
I've read a number of newbie posts that start out, "I'm going to be showing at my first exhibit and I need help with X...". That said, here goes mine :
Does anyone have any suggestions on conventions for signing framed and/or matted work? Is it a free for all (methinks not)? Or should I stick with the tried and trued "on the mat, bottom-right, just under the opening". Would stylized initials do? Are there any big no-no's with signing your work? Pen, pencil? I'm guessing some inks are a no-no for archival purposes?
...and while Jerome's comments on the origin of limited editions was insightful, it didn't have much to say about the where and how of signing your work. I'm open to any suggestions and comments. Thanks in advance for your help!
p.1 #2 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
What good is signing the mat? Your customers aren't paying you for the mat they're paying you for the artwork. Maybe someone would want to change the mat. You sign the artwork.
p.1 #3 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
rhyder wrote:
What good is signing the mat? Your customers aren't paying you for the mat they're paying you for the artwork. Maybe someone would want to change the mat.
I'm looking for suggestions and conventions in general on how to sign my work. I think you misunderstood if you think I was only considering signing the mat. I have seen several examples of this and the most common example is what I described above (bottom right, etc, etc). By no means were my casual observations an exhaustive or definitive survey on how artwork is signed though. Perhaps I shouldn't have said "tried & true". Sorry if that confused the discussion.
You sign the artwork.
Thanks for the insight. Care to elaborate? Do you leave a border on your prints to sign or do you sign directly on the composition? Do you sign the back of the print? Do you use pencil? Archival ink pen?
p.1 #4 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
After reading around on photo-net.com and other photo forums, it appears there's not much of a consensus out there on how to sign your artwork. There are lots of interesting ideas and personalized ways to do it. To be honest, its not something I'd normally do, but several customers have asked that I do it. FWIW (not much, I'm sure ) I've decided a modest initialing & year in pencil on the mat (at the bottom right, etc) is what I'll do.
p.1 #5 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
An Artist always signs the work. Not the mat.................Always. If your not an artist sign it anywhere you want................oh but wait..............if you are not an artist why sign it at all
p.1 #6 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
There are no rules for signing your work but there are some accepted standards. It is usually considered best to sign in pencil. That is because ink can be mechanically applied but not a lead signature. That presents a problem for photographers because pencils don't write on photo paper very well. I have always dry mounted my prints and signed in the lower right on the mount. The mat is then cut with a space around the print and more space on the bottom (3/8" top & sides, 5/8" bottom). This is the way Ansel Adams did it and I like the way that process looks. I have done it that way for 20+ years. Not every one wants to do that or can do that so the delima is whether to sign on the print image area, not a good thing to do acording to most gallery owners I know, or sign the mat or the mount board. The latter can be signed in pencil but you must use some sort of ink to sign on the print surface unless you are printing on matt paper which is capable of taking the lead.
Ken Rahaim wrote:
After reading around on photo-net.com and other photo forums, it appears there's not much of a consensus out there on how to sign your artwork. There are lots of interesting ideas and personalized ways to do it. To be honest, its not something I'd normally do, but several customers have asked that I do it. FWIW (not much, I'm sure ) I've decided a modest initialing & year in pencil on the mat (at the bottom right, etc) is what I'll do.
p.1 #7 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
photographs42 wrote:
There are no rules for signing your work but there are some accepted standards.. ... I have always dry mounted my prints and signed in the lower right on the mount. The mat is then cut with a space around the print and more space on the bottom (3/8" top & sides, 5/8" bottom). .
I always do mine as Jerome describes. I was always taught to have a border of paper white around any image that I mounted and matted. You have to make a good print if you leave paper white showing but in the end it will make a much better looking mount IMHO.
p.1 #8 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
photographs42 wrote:
There are no rules for signing your work but there are some accepted standards. It is usually considered best to sign in pencil. That is because ink can be mechanically applied but not a lead signature. That presents a problem for photographers because pencils don't write on photo paper very well. I have always dry mounted my prints and signed in the lower right on the mount. The mat is then cut with a space around the print and more space on the bottom (3/8" top & sides, 5/8" bottom). This is the way Ansel Adams did it and I like the way that process looks. I have done it that way for 20+ years. Not every one wants to do that or can do that so the delima is whether to sign on the print image area, not a good thing to do acording to most gallery owners I know, or sign the mat or the mount board. The latter can be signed in pencil but you must use some sort of ink to sign on the print surface unless you are printing on matt paper which is capable of taking the lead....Show more →
Jerome,
I really appreciate your constructive input. I'm sure as I continue to grow my craft the question at hand will be an evolving process for me. I like the rationale to your approach and can see myself heading in that direction as I (hopefully) continue to improve.
As for Osai's seemingly judgemental reply, I'm just trying to learn something here. Sorry if I offended your "artistic" sensibilities with my "non-artist", rube-like question.
p.1 #9 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
Depending upon your workflow, I've found that a digital signature placed on each photo in photoshop saves me a lot of time. I used a wacom pad to trace my handwritting signature in adobe illustrator then chose a brush that looked almost identical to the way ink from a pen looks with my signature.
In the end I have an exact copy of what my signature looks like when done by hand, except I can now make it white (stands out the best) with a very small drop shadow which makes the white stand out even when it's over a white background.
I know this isn't the most 'artsy' way of doing it, but it saves a lot of time and it looks professional. On something very unique, or something for display in the gallery, or other special occasions I will not use this technique, but for making mass quantitys of $35 8x10 prints it's an awsome time saving and good looking (in my opinion) process.
hope that helps.
ps, I was handsigning every one for awhile, but that grew old fast. Not to mention sometimes it could barely be seen, and other times I would make an ugly signature and ruin a photo . . . .
p.1 #10 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
I only sign my "art" prints. I sign in pencil. I sign both the print and matt. I sign the border of the print, and then over matt the border and sign the matt as well so that a signature will be showing. I over matt the border because my printing paper tends to be a brighter white than my matt board, and I don't like the bright white border surrounding the print with a more ivory color matt, otherwise I might just sign the print border and then window matt the whole thing.
p.1 #12 · Conventions for Signing Framed and/or Matted Photography
I sign the print on the white space around the image with an archival ink. I also sign, date and number the print with a pencil on the back of each image. If I cut the matte to the size of the image, I sign the matte as well as the print.
I never sign in a way that makes my signature look more important then my artwork...but then my signature is pretty boring. I have seen some great signatures that were signed big on the matte and I remember them well...but can't remember what the art looked like.
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