Signing prints

Don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but I want to (re)start offering some of my favorite photos available for fine-art prints.

As part of that I want to likely sign them and potentially # them if limited edition.

Problem/fear is - I absolutely HATE my writing/signature. I think I have such poor handwriting that I'd "ruin" it by signing it. Any sort of template/etc. would just be impersonal and not really something I'd want to consider.

I guess it's a mind over matter, but surely some of you have gone through this mental block... How'd you push through it?

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18627426
I absolutely HATE my writing/signature. ... Any sort of template/etc. would just be impersonal and not really something I'd want to consider.

Sounds like you've painted yourself into a corner. You can either practice and modify your penmanship to a point where you can tolerate it, or you can reconsider your view of "templates," by which I assume you mean fonts or logos. If you can't do either of those, I'd say you're stuck.

Practice. Sign your name quickly 100's of times until you find a style that you like.

I was in a similar situation where my handwriting was atrocious. I would print more than write. Calligraphy was beyond my ability so I just started with a piece of paper and signed my name - again and again and again until I found one I could live with.

It doesn't have to be perfect but you will know it when you find it.

Gart

Get a tablet and write your signature or scan it into PS.

Edit until you like it.

Make a brush out of it. ==> https://digital-photography-school.com …ignature-brush-photoshop/ <==

Use the brush to put your signature on or at the edge of the image.

Print.

This works best with matte paper and matte black ink

Hen3Ry wrote in post #18629778
Get a tablet and write your signature or scan it into PS.

Edit until you like it.

Make a brush out of it. ==> https://digital-photography-school.com …ignature-brush-photoshop/ <==

Use the brush to put your signature on or at the edge of the image.

Print.

This works best with matte paper and matte black ink

I really, really don't want to do a digital signature.

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18630052
I really, really don't want to do a digital signature.

And you shouldn't. That's unacceptable to the art community. I think modifying your signature and practicing like the advice above is good idea. That is what I did. I had same problem as you plus I'm left handed which makes signing prints difficult for me anyway. Now I sign my first initial in cursive and print my last name in a smooth quick way that sort of looks cursive.

What’s your goal in signing and limiting editions?

If attention to design and style are a must, then a digital signature is perhaps the best available option, despite not being the preferred one by you.

If the purpose is to add a personal touch to your prints, then I would suggest as others have, to practice your signature, find something you feel comfortable with and yet expresses what you are trying to convey (such as penning your name by hand on a limited edition print). Practice writing your last name just as you would do it once the prints are ready (type of paper, sharpie or fountain pen or brush, etc). Not everyone has great signatures, but what your prints are is great photos. The signature makes it one of a kind.

Lastly, I think it's worth studying how others have signed their work. A simple google search of artists and their signatures, shows their style, and how their work was immortalized -in part- through that hand-written name.

Hope this helps.

(Take a look at Matisse's signatures below. Same man, different entries. All him, but despite his incredible skills, they appear unique one from the other, and yet remain special).

ETS wrote in post #18631084
And you shouldn't. That's unacceptable to the art community. I think modifying your signature and practicing like the advice above is good idea. That is what I did. I had same problem as you plus I'm left handed which makes signing prints difficult for me anyway. Now I sign my first initial in cursive and print my last name in a smooth quick way that sort of looks cursive.

LOL. Since when do you speak for the art community?

Hen3Ry wrote in post #18631770
LOL. Since when do you speak for the art community?

Since right now.

A signature doesn’t have to be a legible representation of your name. It could just be a symbol you come up with. I had a business associate of mine whose name was Xxx X. Xxxxxx (real name hidden for privacy purposes). He signed his name with 2 linked circles, best represented here by “OO”. That was his signature (there were no “O’s” in his name).

There are LOTS of doctor’s signatures that cannot be read.

Many people still say, when requesting a signature, to “make your mark”, not “write your name”.

I have the same problem -- terrible penmanship coupled with arthritis in my fingers. Resist the urge to digitize your signature. Galleries frown on that. I've had my work exhibited in Los Angeles for the past 5 months and have anguished over the number of prints I have had to tear up -- not because of my signature, but because of the way I scribble the date on the photo next to my signature.

I place a print face down on the one I am about to sign to prevent damage, and then I practice sign on it until I feel ready. Then I sign. If I don't like it, I tear it up and do another. I'm having much less trouble signing in pencil on 100% rag paper than with a sharpie on RC based paper.

I have a one man show coming up with around 30 prints to sign and number, and I know it will be trying to get through it -- but I will, as you will also with your prints.

ETS wrote in post #18631084
And you shouldn't. That's unacceptable to the art community.

Hen3Ry wrote in post #18631770
LOL. Since when do you speak for the art community?

ETS is right.

The galleries I've worked with insist that every piece they show be signed by hand.

The allegation that ETS is "speaking for" the art community is strange. . He/she wasn't "speaking for" the art community; he/she was simply saying what they prefer/demand.


.

gary gruber wrote in post #18633029
I have the same problem -- terrible penmanship coupled with arthritis in my fingers. Resist the urge to digitize your signature. Galleries frown on that. I've had my work exhibited in Los Angeles for the past 5 months and have anguished over the number of prints I have had to tear up -- not because of my signature, but because of the way I scribble the date on the photo next to my signature.

I place a print face down on the one I am about to sign to prevent damage, and then I practice sign on it until I feel ready. Then I sign. If I don't like it, I tear it up and do another. I'm having much less trouble signing in pencil on 100% rag paper than with a sharpie on RC based paper.

I have a one man show coming up with around 30 prints to sign and number, and I know it will be trying to get through it -- but I will, as you will also with your prints.

Yup. I have fairly severe arthritis as well. After I ruined a few 120 dollar 24x36 prints on fine art paper from Bayphoto I got tired of wasting money.

So: I bought a graphic tablet and a pen, and worked out a signature in greyscale that was then converted to Adobe RGB. I place my images as smart objects on a new image the size of the paper I'm printing on, with borders that I can control (since I like to bottom weight the images inside the matte), allowing room for the signature and title. Then I add a new layer with the signature on it and merge and flatten the whole thing and convert it to jpeg. Frankly, I defy anyone to tell it isn't signed in pencil, art gallery owner or not, especially if it's under glass. And I really don't care what art gallery owners think. They aren't the ones buying the image.

What about your name digitized in"print" form with your real signature under it. A possibility?