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Tips on signing paintings

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M. Gilbert

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I finish my painting then find that I struggle with signing it. I paint in acrylics and use the same for signing with a thin pointed brush m any tips please ..

Alan Bickley

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There are a variety of acrylic mediums that may help the paint flow, but signing a painting is always a bit tricky in acrylic or oils. There are a lot of painters on here using acrylic, not least Robert Jones, who I’m sure will offer his expertise at some stage.
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Linda Wilson

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Ink will usually take onto of acrylic or use a sharpie.  No good solutions with oils though you can always sign it on the back with a pen. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Use a fluid paint - System3 from Daler Rowney, Chromacolour in pots from Chromacolour UK, or any acrylic in pots - dilute it well; it'll flow like ink.  Don't worry about acrylic being 'underbound', either - this is a largely unfounded concern; you can reduce acrylic paint to an extremely liquid consistency, without it rubbing or falling off the canvas.  But if this does worry you, use acrylic ink, or dilute the paint with a little medium, which you can also cut with water.  Chromacolour in particular is a fine-particle acrylic capable of extreme dilution, i.e. to the consistency of a watercolour wash; I believe the same is true of Liquitex, and other brands, but I haven't used Liquitex so can't comment on it with any confidence. 
With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, NAPA

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Linda - agreed, oil is a bit more difficult; in that case, I'd mash the more oily paint with a palette knife, add enough oil (or mix of oil and turp) to make it flow, and then use a quite firm synthetic rigger to sign; most of my oils are signed with a small rat impression (sometimes VERY impressionistically, because my eyesight isn't a lot of good for fine detail!) - saves my having to try achieving handwriting with a brush.  

M. Gilbert

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Thanks Alan , I thought it was just me having difficulty with this . It's almost impossible to get a good flow of paint to sign in one go. I find myself writing one letter then dipping back in and by the time I'm done it looks like a 1year old's scribble.

M. Gilbert

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Ink will usually take onto of acrylic or use a sharpie.  No good solutions with oils though you can always sign it on the back with a pen. 
Linda Wilson on 17/05/2020 16:19:09   I will give it a go with ink to see if it works better 

M. Gilbert

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Use a fluid paint - System3 from Daler Rowney, Chromacolour in pots from Chromacolour UK, or any acrylic in pots - dilute it well; it'll flow like ink.  Don't worry about acrylic being 'underbound', either - this is a largely unfounded concern; you can reduce acrylic paint to an extremely liquid consistency, without it rubbing or falling off the canvas.  But if this does worry you, use acrylic ink, or dilute the paint with a little medium, which you can also cut with water.  Chromacolour in particular is a fine-particle acrylic capable of extreme dilution, i.e. to the consistency of a watercolour wash; I believe the same is true of Liquitex, and other brands, but I haven't used Liquitex so can't comment on it with any confidence. 
Robert Jones, NAPA on 17/05/2020 17:37:18
Thanks Robert, there's alot I'm new to here .  I will look into chromacolour and the acrylic inks. Off to practice signature painting again 
IMG_7097

Helen Martell

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I have trouble signing with a brush in (acrylic) paint too, so I've given up on trying. I now use a fine chalk pen (if signing on a dark area) or a dark permanent pen (if on a light area). I sign after I've sealed & dried the painting
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Tony Auffret

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I don't have a problem signing in acrylic paint, but perhaps that is because I realise that it doesn't matter what it looks like, as long as it is consistent, because no-one knows what my non-painting signature looks like.

Peter Davison

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Small amount of pigment mixed with oil or medium in oils but takes some experimenting to get it right and I believe the same applies with acrylics.

Alan Bickley

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Looking at the signatures of some of the top professionals, they don’t seem to be worried about how it looks. Two that come to mind are Fred Cuming and David Hockney! 
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