artist signatures

to me, one of the most important aspects of creating a piece of work is the artists signature. this can be a name, a symbol, a color, a monogram, or a letter. i've done a little research on famous artist signatures, but the one's that stick out to me the most have always been those artists who redefine the meaning of a symbol. from my last writing, i talked about Basquiat and his use of language and writing within his pieces. he began as a graffiti artist under the name "SAMO," and as his career evolved, so did his signature.

eventually as he grew in his painting career, he explored different ways of signing his pieces until his signature became a symbol. every time someone saw a painting with this symbol they knew who painted it.

other artists use this technique of integrating a symbol into their signatures. on the theme of street/graffiti artists, BANKSY has a similar way of branding himself and his name. the signature becomes the art itself! this way, no matter what the art is, as long as your signature is somewhere on it---people always know whose it is.

this technique of branding yourself through a signature or a symbol is one i find very valuable to an art career. sometimes, your personal style can brand yourself for you. but adding that personality of a signature can elevate everything. i use this technique in my own work because when i sign my pieces, sometimes it isn't in the typical bottom right corner so i have freedom to fit my "signature" anywhere within the design.

my signature has evolved over many years and as of now, i brand my art with a one-line lip illustration. it takes one second to draw and people always know it's me. i have included examples of my original signatures over the past few years. it started with my initials along with the drawing of lips, and eventually has simplified itself out to just the lips. i am using this technique of branding yourself as an artist with a unique signature or symbol to create my personal style. there are no rules in art, who says my signature needs to be a name?