What do you write on the back of your painting?

The Business of Selling Art Other Business Stuff
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What details and information do you put on the back of your sold paintings and why?

Do you simply use a sharpie?

Thanks!
Jim Musil

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Yep sharpie. I just put my name and year but I know a lot of artists put the medium. Some put web site, email, phone!.

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linda mccoy.jpg3068×3024 1.09 MB

For identity, especially if painting is resold.

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I had some cards made up that I glue to the back of the panels, with all the info that I think would be necessary.

Sticker 02.jpg1237×937 281 KB

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Thanks for sharing, this is a great idea!

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@dgcasey Great idea! @lindamccoyart Yep, already have biz cards, another great idea!

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Like Dave, I use a pre-printed sticker on the back of my paintings. I put it right on the back of the panel. If framed, i also put the sticker on the dust cover.

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I have purchased stickers at Moo and Vistaprint . Where do you buy your stickers or do you print your own?

moo sticker.jpg2280×2304 1.97 MB

I never put one of these on the art, just the envelope. Feeling kind of duh at the moment!

Am thinking of entering this show Randy Higbee as we are ‘talking’ about it on this thread: http://arttalk.dailypaintworks.com/t/6-x-6-in-paintings-harder-to-sell-than-5-x-7-in/2624?u=savocado (which I think got a bit off topic, oops), so now the signing on the back is more important to meee. :smiley:

So I think I will do something very similar to @dgcasey @lindamccoyart and @jeanmc have done. I like the round stickers at Moo. Is this enough to put on the back fo the art I am wondering? It seems you all put more info on yours.

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I actually bought mine from a seller on Ebay. I looked for a printer that prints things like business cards and postcards. I created this card on my computer and sent it to them and they did a bang up job on it. I got 500 cards for less than $25.

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I never thought of checking ebay. Thanks @dgcasey!

Although this would work well on panels, I am not sure what to do on canvas aside from the signing and the year. Most of the time I won’t sign anything but the stretcher bars because once you could see the sharpie through to the front when held up to the light. Buyer once told me that. :disappointed:

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I use a Sharpie too, and write the following:

  • Title
  • By (my name printed)
  • Then I sign it (full signature, as I use my initials on the front of my paintings)
  • © symbol and year

As most of my work is done on panels, this is easily done, using a black Sharpie, although on Gessobord brand, since they are a dark panel, I use a silver one.

On stretched canvas I write the same info on the stretcher bars


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I use the same info as Chet, including my signature, but also include “original acrylic painting”. My reasoning is that there are so many prints on canvas out there now that identifying it as an original is important, and if anyone ever needs to repair or restore or clean the painting, knowing the medium helps them know what methods to use.

There are oil-based Sharpies which are said to be more archival than the ordinary ones. I sign on the back of the canvas, not the stretcher bars, because sometimes canvas needs to be removed and rolled for shipping, then re-stretched (in which case the original bars are not used).

I always staple a business card with my contact information to the stretcher bars or glue it to the hardboard.