Sign your painting legibly to keep its identity from becoming a mystery.
An authentic signature is a painting's "Social Security number." It is a guarantee of the painting's identity as a Monet, an Inness or a Homer, for example. Many artists, however, approach the signing of their paintings as an afterthought. Doing so, they risk sending their paintings into the world unidentified and perhaps unappreciated. Sign all your paintings with care to be certain they don't someday become lost and friendless orphans.
Legibility
Always sign your painting legibly enough that a person who does not know you will still be able to read your name. Though your friends and family might recognize the monogram, initials or scrawl you use for a signature, a stranger 50 years from now probably will not. Only use initials for your first or middle name, if you wish; do not use an initial for your last name. For example, "G. Inness."
Date
Use a date, for example "A. H. Wyant '89." If you prefer not to place a date on the front of your work, place the date on the back on a stretcher bar or on the panel itself if the painting is on board. This date is another form of identification. It may also someday be important to future collectors interested in the period of your artistic life during which a specific painting was created.
Placement
It is not necessary to sign the front of your painting. Sign your painting anywhere you wish, provided your signature is physically attached to the painting and cannot be easily removed. If you do sign the front of your painting, keep the signature inconspicuous but clear. Don't sign your painting so brightly and emphatically that the signature competes with your painting for the viewer's attention. Remember to place your signature at least three-quarters of an inch from the edge of the canvas or support to prevent the signature from being covered when the painting is framed.
Technique
Use the same style and medium to sign your painting as the style and medium with which the painting was created. Sign an oil painting with oils, an acrylic painting with acrylics, for example. Also, try to sign while the painting is still wet. When it dries, the painting then will carry your signature as a permanent part of its paint film. This is an effective way of asserting the authenticity of your work. If you would rather sign your painting when it is dry, use a small sable liner and thin your paint with spirits so that it flows easily.
Consistency
Always be consistent because inconsistency can introduce uncertainty. Try to use the same size and style of signature and date. Place your signature in the same location on every painting -- in the bottom left- or right-hand corner, for example. If your viewer knows where to find your signature and then finds it there, he will be reassured that the painting is yours indeed and not a copy, forgery or error.
