I have a show coming up with 25 prints between 24x36 and 36x48. These prints will be hung for three months at a very nice restaurant that gets lots of wealthy customers. A good thing is that the restaurant does not take any piece of the sale, they only want nice artwork on their walls.
I just took a large chunk of the prints to the framers and realized that I did not sign them. Now, I have a really, well, unrefined signature and it is very inconsistent, so I am hesitant to take a pen to a piece of paper that cost me $85. Odds are that I will mess one of them up no matter how much practice. I can still go back on Monday and sign them if I need.
Do you think that having a signature on a print will help people value it more and be more likely to purchase it? I will be gluing a little informational panel to the back of the board with the print, artist, and contact information. I am not a "known name" of any sorts, but am wondering if adding a signature will elevate the print from decorative art to fine art.
I don't typically sign my prints unless the customer wants a signature. If they do, I sign on the back. I print with enough of a white border to make framing easy - if I sign on the back I sign near the edge so as not to effect the image area. Of course matting and/or mounting will obscure the signature. But a few people still think it adds value. I think a signed certificate of authenticity is a better idea.
How are you presenting the prints - framed, mounted?
Have you considered your pricing?
Will you be numbering and or editioning your prints?
Do you have an artist's statement and price list you can hang in a good spot?
Is the work insured either by you or the restaurant?
Mr Joe wrote:
How are you presenting the prints - framed, mounted?
Have you considered your pricing?
Will you be numbering and or editioning your prints?
Do you have an artist's statement and price list you can hang in a good spot?
Is the work insured either by you or the restaurant?
They will be framed and were printed with two inches of white around the image; no board matting will be done. I will be pricing between $500 and $900 which is in line and a little cheaper than previous artists at this place. The question of numbering and signing is what I am posing in this thread. I will have a place for a stack of informational sheets and will have a separate price guide at the front desk. The question of insurance is a good one which I had not thought of. I will definitely ask about it.
Thanks Joe for giving me a good checklist of the basics. I have most of it put together and am just finishing up the last few details.
And CLJ, that's a great link and the linked podcast makes some good points. Thanks for posting.
I think people will expect you to sign your work. This is after all a creative work, not a poster printed by the thousands. My handwriting isn't the best, but people want / demand to have it signed. I will sign the print both in the white space below the photo, and on the window matte. That way if in the future they remove the print for any reason and use a new window matte all they need to do is cut the new window matte a little larger on the bottom, and they have the signature in view.
Just a note, you posted there was no mat board? I hope you are not putting the glass on top of the print?
I have found my customers expect a signature and several have actually asked for one. It depends a little on the signature though, I would like to think that mine was unobtrusive
Did Rembrandt or Picaso sign their art? Did Ansel Adams sign his work?
Which is more valuable: a signed print or an unsigned one?
And where did they sign it? Certainly not on the mat or the back!
Why shouldn't you sign your prints in a discreet, but visible manner?
What I think:
I have had people request that I sign my prints when sold. They are buying a piece of art to be displayed in their home or office and want them to look professional in every way. I think an artist's signed print conveys a certain unique aura and even if it is an "unknown" artist it still looks better than a print that may look like a mass production run print without an artist's signature. Just my 2 cents.
What I do:
I will usually sign on the paper's white border just below the actual print. So it can be matted with the signature showing if the buyer wants, or if they don't, it can easily be matted over. If I sell an already matted piece, I'll still sign the actual print as above and also on the matt itself. The idea being if the buyer decides to have the print re-matted down the road they can have it matted so the signature on the actual print shows if they want.
I'm also still torn with this issue. My problem being that I find the space between the print and the mat distracting. It looks so much cleaner IMO if the mat is right off the print.. any suggestions for this dilemma?
What do people think of scanning a signature and printing it along with the print in the white space below? This guarantees consistency, and no screw ups, and the same longevity of the print... whereas I've found sharpies and nice glossy paper don't really like eachother, and can sometimes change color too... or does this devalue the value of the signature being done by hand?
I always print with a white border around the print, just as I did with my enlarger and easel. I sign the prints with a medium gray fine point Stabilo permanent marker beneath the image area on the print paper (looks like pencil).
I admit to having a real bias about signatures. I try not to go to photo shows where the photographer(s) are not given credit, including and especially historical shows of journalistic photos put up by news organizations or museums. I understand that sometimes the photographer may not be known, but sometimes organizations do this because they own the copyright and that is all that matters to them. I think who took a picture really matters.
Maybe I have an arrogant attitude about signing my work now because I don't need the money, but I am not sure I would sell an unsigned art photo (this does not apply to commercial work including portraits) to a customer even if that is how they wanted it. My pictures are not generic artwork...they are my artwork.
but I am not sure I would sell an unsigned art photo (this does not apply to commercial work including portraits)
Why would you not include portraits? I personally spend as much time in creative artwork on a portrait as any other "art" photograph, and I intend my portraits to be artistically competitive with painted portraits. So why not sign them?
RDKirk wrote:
Why would you not include portraits? I personally spend as much time in creative artwork on a portrait as any other "art" photograph, and I intend my portraits to be artistically competitive with painted portraits. So why not sign them?
This is a fair question and one that may not have a universally acceptable answer. I will give you the answer that works for me.
To categorize myself, I am basically a commercial photographer. I do mostly corporate and ad type work, which includes portraits. Occasionally I get asked to do family or individual portraits for corporate clients or for friends. I guess I look at these as commissions, just like any other job. Like you, I want to be as creative and artistic as I can with these portraits. However, as with any commission, I work with the "art director", in this case the portrait client, to satisfy their vision. As with most, but not all, art directors, I believe they hire me because they want some of my vision to end up in the final product too, however, I am working for them and to do a good job, I must keep their vision foremost in my mind.
Some of the time, a client will want my signature on a commission. Sometimes they won't. I am doing it for them and they should get what they want.
Having said that, my contract, unless a client pays a lot for exclusive rights, states that I retain rights. This, as usually written, means that I can use the images I make for promotional purposes and in shows. If I use a portrait in a show, I will always sign it.
Again, this is only how I operate. There is certainly room for other ways to operate or feel about this.
