It’s a great feeling once I finish a painting which I’ve long worked on and I am satisfied with the result. But my work does not finish there. There are a number of tasks which I do once I finish a painting.
These tasks may not provide any immediate benefit, but it helps me later on down the track when all my paintings are nicely recorded, organized and maybe even sold.
So here is a quick summary of some of the things I do after I finish a painting.
Consider if it is actually finished
Knowing when to put the brush down and calling it finished is a skill on its own. There are many times when I have considered a painting finished, only to get the paints out again later on to fix up something that was annoying me or an error which revealed itself.
If I am satisfied with the painting after a few days or even weeks, then I would consider it complete.
Sign my painting
Signing my painting is the last time my brush touches that canvas. Of course there will be times when I need to fix something up, but in general, my signature is the last stroke.
My signature almost provides a sense of closure and relief that I made it to the end of the painting and I feel it deserves my signature. This is a big achievement and I take pride in signing every finished painting.
At the start I struggled with how to sign my paintings. Such a simple thing, yet I just could not get my head around it.
With some practice though I settled on a signature
It is a pretty standard. I added the full stop to make it slightly unique from the many other artists with a similar signature.
I assume I am not the only one who has struggled finding the perfect artist signature for my paintings, so here are some tips which have helped me along the way:
- Using my signature to help balance my painting. If the focal point is on the right of the painting, then signing on the left hand side feels more appropriate so that the painting does not appear unbalanced.
- Keep it simple, yet memorable.
- I usually sign with a color that fits in with the rest of my painting. I usually just take one of the dominant colors I used in the painting and then tone it down so it is not too dominant.
- I want people to be able to read my signature but at the same time, I do not want it to be the focal point of my painting.
- I practice my signature before signing my paintings. Usually I just grab an old canvas and practice my signature on it over and over again.
- I match the style of my signature to the style of my painting. Being consistent with my signature.
- I sometimes date my painting. Claude Monet put the year of the painting next to his signature.
Name my painting
I sometimes get all deep and meaningful with my naming. It could merely describe what I have painted. That is how I have named most of my paintings.
I don’t think the name should matter all that much. If I did a good job, then the painting should say enough without the name.
Photograph my painting
Photographing my painting feels like it is the bane of my existence as an artist. I guarantee my photos will often turn out:
Too light/dark
Too cool/warm
Not clear enough
With parts cropped out
Photography is a fantastic luxury for artists so I am going to learn to embrace it.
Record the details
Whilst it may not seem important now, I was told at Art College that it is very useful to have a list which records the name, dimensions, medium, date and sold status of all my paintings. This way I can easily monitor my productivity as an artist and keep track of all my paintings.
This has becomes increasingly important since I have now started to build a sizable body of work.
Clean up the edges
If my painting is on gallery stretched canvas and I did not extend the painting over the edges, then I consider what I am doing with the edges. I don’t want to wait until the painting is sold before I think about it.
Here are my options:
Do nothing and leave the edges looking somewhat untidy This is fine if my painting is going to be framed.
Paint over the edges with white or black paint. This is a good option if I do not intend for the painting to be framed. I could also tape the edges before I start painting then remove the tape at the end, leaving a crisp white edge.
Does it need varnishing?
When I am painting in acrylics, I apply varnish after two months once the paint has dried.
Varnish will protect my paintings by stopping dirt and debris from getting into the paint. The varnish can be removed at a later date if the painting needs some restoration.
Some artists decide not to varnish as it can change the way the finished painting looks.
Update my website
Now is the perfect time to update my website with my latest painting. I use a high-quality scanned image as it has a high resolution and I can increase image size when I print according to the size the customer requests.
On my website I make sure I document the name, dimensions and medium used of the painting.
Create a blog post about my painting
I discuss my finished painting, the challenges I faced, my processes and my overall thoughts.
People enjoy seeing the process of creating just as much as they enjoy the finished product. Even if I am just learning, there are still people around the world who will appreciate my thoughts.
List my painting for sale on online market places
There are many online art marketplaces which I list my paintings for sale for a commission (usually around 30%). Some of these marketplaces even arrange a courier on sale.
I get exposure to thousands of viewers, but I know I am competing with many other artists so do not expect too much from these platforms. I use them to complement my overall marketing strategy rather than rely on them.
I also upload high-quality photos of my painting and sell prints via these platforms without having to arrange anything. My success in this area depends on the demand for my kind of art. Some of my art just seems to perform better in the mass market.
Search for upcoming competitions to submit my painting to
As I am naturally an introvert and don’t generally enjoy large crowds or talking, this was a very personal challenge for me as an artist.
I had to talk to lots of people and mingle with general public at all my art exhibitions where I displayed and frequently sold.
Many of the sales were as a result of just having a conversation and sharing the story of the artwork method and evolution…!!
If I am really pleased with the finished painting, then the last thing I will do is search for any upcoming competitions to which I could submit my painting. Submitting a painting to competitions is time-consuming so I’m selective with which competitions I try to enter and make sure my painting suits the competitions. For example, if I just finished a beautiful impressionist landscape painting, then I wouldn’t try and enter that painting into an abstract contemporary art competition.
At this stage of my art life, I am always looking for an opportunity to build on my resume and experience…
