[Nelly]

Dear All,

Until recently I have been using the end of a pencil (the eraser tip) to put a round circle on my pots. That is my mark. Simple and no-one really knows who made it.

Now I want to branch out and either start to sign my pieces or get a chop.

I have made chops but find them finicky to get them just right and to show my initials.

I have one I got while in China but it can be cumbersome and does not always fit on the ring of the foot.

I have seen people smear some slip and write their names through the bottom of the pots base.

I have read that the finishing of the pot (including the signature) should add and not take away from the aesthetic.

How do you sign you work?? Do you date it?? Do you use initials or a design??

I am thinking about branching out and getting a real chop made that is sturdy and done with some sort of metal to really impress the clay??

How do you let people know who made the pot or is it really of any great importance in the end??

I remember when I asked a well known potter why he didn't sign my pot that I purchased from him and he said "look, my hands are all over this pot--that is my signature." It made sense to me and I walked away.

How important is your signature to you as an artist?

Nelly

[mregecko]

In my opinion, this varies depending on the style of the artist and the style of their art.

If we're talking organic chawans, then I think the mark should be similar organic... A scrawled signature, a distinguishable mark, but nothing too fancy.

If someone's work is more formal / precise, then I think maybe a definitive stamp or chop would look more appropriate.

For my own work, I sketched a design that I liked with my initials and sent it off to http://www.jetstamps.com/ . I've been very happy with the stamp I got, it consistently produces a crisp design that fits my aesthetic.

But yeah... I guess my answer is "it depends" (on your aesthetic).

[Benzine]

For wheel thrown pieces, I sign on the bottom center, with the logo/ signature I used for all my artwork. For sculptural work, if I can't sign the bottom, due to the work's size/ shape, I'll sign somewhere towards the bottom, that isn't terribly noticeable.

[Chris Campbell]

As a business type person ... It drives me crazy when people use cute or obscure methods of signing their pots. Really, is your work so amazingly unique that anyone who buys a piece will remember you forever? Seriously ... Legible signature so I can find you again .. Reorders = llights on, bills paid.
I love pots and potters yet fully 1/3 of my collection have extremely poor signage and I hate to admit how many I own where i have no idea of who made them or where to get more.
I have a brass stamp of my signature that goes on the from or bottom of each piece. I never put the date on.

[giltex58]

I started out signing on bottoms the name of my pottery. Then I got fussed at. A lot of my former students said they wanted a piece that I made and signed with my name. Since I have hundreds of former students in the county I couldn't pass this up. I sign taylor on the bottom with a needle tool in a type of scripted print and lower case and sometimes the year date for a special piece. I kid with customers and tell them "Look at the bottom, it doesn't say Made in C...."

[Nelly]

mregecko, on 12 April 2013 - 06:44 PM, said:

In my opinion, this varies depending on the style of the artist and the style of their art.

If we're talking organic chawans, then I think the mark should be similar organic... A scrawled signature, a distinguishable mark, but nothing too fancy.

If someone's work is more formal / precise, then I think maybe a definitive stamp or chop would look more appropriate.

For my own work, I sketched a design that I liked with my initials and sent it off to http://www.jetstamps.com/ . I've been very happy with the stamp I got, it consistently produces a crisp design that fits my aesthetic.

But yeah... I guess my answer is "it depends" (on your aesthetic).

Dear Mregecko,

Thank you for that site. It looks good. And yes, what I want is for it to be crisp. Thank you for your time in sending me this site and letting me know your success with the products.

Nelly

[Nelly]

RDWolff, on 12 April 2013 - 08:42 PM, said:

I use an antique set of brass letter and number stamps to impress the design number and date on the model, and then usually just sign my first name. I also have a small rubber dog paw stamp I impress that design in the clay with.

That sounds nice too. I am sure the imprint has a nice quality to it.

Nelly

[Nelly]

Chris Campbell, on 12 April 2013 - 08:21 PM, said:

As a business type person ... It drives me crazy when people use cute or obscure methods of signing their pots. Really, is your work so amazingly unique that anyone who buys a piece will remember you forever? Seriously ... Legible signature so I can find you again .. Reorders = llights on, bills paid.
I love pots and potters yet fully 1/3 of my collection have extremely poor signage and I hate to admit how many I own where i have no idea of who made them or where to get more.
I have a brass stamp of my signature that goes on the from or bottom of each piece. I never put the date on.

Dear Chris,

I agree. I am at the stage where I want my name on what leaves my studio. I also want it clearly legible. I agree, the obscure symbols can make a person wonder and have to look for the source.

Nelly

[Benzine]

My signature is an obscure symbol, though it does technically say my name.

I'm not a businessman, so I am not concerned with someone tracking me down, because they liked something I made. Now, when my work becomes all the rage, I guess the unreadable signature, will have to go unattributed.

[High Bridge Pottery]

I have only just started producing work so have not been signing yet as they are all poor quality. Just designed and ordered a lovely stamp from http://www.4clay.com/ very good service. Not recieved it yet. Although it was sent from America to UK only on Thursday. £43/$65 I thought was very reasonable as hopefully it will last quite a few years.

Here is my design, the bridge had to be simplified as the design is only 1.5"




Here is the design 4clay made from the image above, I will update with a picture of the stamp in clay once I have got the stamp.

[SShirley]

I try to print my name, first and last, legibly on the bottom of each piece, with a ball stylus, or use a nice stamp that I got from Jet Stamps. On bigger pieces, like plates, I try to add the name of my town. Not the date, but when first starting out I did put the date. A couple of months ago a lady emailed me and said she thought she had one of my mugs. It said "sylvia92" on the bottom. She bought it at a yard sale in San Francisco, and it had been her favorite mug for years. I live in Kansas, so I told her I did not think it could possibly be mine, there are a number of other potters with the same first name, some who live in California. She sent me a picture of the bottom, and sure enough, it was my signature. I can't imagine how she found me with just that much info, but she did. The mug broke and she wanted another one.

Also, I had a pretty nice pot sitting on my shelf for five years without a signature. Many, many people looked at the piece and almost bought it until they noticed it wasn't signed, then put it back and bought something else that they didn't like as much but had a signature. Finally one lady came in with a sharpie marker and asked me to sign the bottom, then bought it. So signatures do matter to customers.

[Claypple]

I have a line of people at work who are waiting for my vases or bowls.
Simply because one of them believes she would be able to sell it at a higher price when I dye.
(Not that I am planning to for at least 30 years; and NO, it won't go up in price after that ).
They all want a signature! Crazy.

So, I checked websites http://www.jetstamps.com and http://www.4clay.com and the latter looks like a more advanced in technology.

[Nelly]

RDWolff, on 13 April 2013 - 12:40 AM, said:

Picture of my set of brass letters and numbers forward and mirrored. I really like the style of the numbers 2,3 and 7 a lot.
A quarter is in the photo for scale. They must have been for an offset/ linotype printing press originally, but I've never seen solid brass ones, normally they were always a lead alloy.

Dear RD,

Those are absolutely beautiful. I like the 5 and 9 as well. Nice find. I am sure it really adds to your pieces to have your pieces signed using these letters. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with me.

Nelly

[Min]

I had a stamp made from jetstamps.com also, just my surname on it. It works if the clay is at just the right stage of dryness and produces a nice fine crisp lline.

I made the mistake of ordering it in a fairly small font and if the clay is a little to damp then quite often I have clay tear out between the loops in the "e", "o"and "y". I don't remember the size font I ordered but the stamp is about 1 1/4" in length and contains 7 letters, if ordering again I would get the next size up. The other thing with custom stamps is do you get them big enough to be noticable on a large platter or small enough to look right on a mug bottom, kinda pricy buying different sizes.

[TJR]

I had a chop with the initials TR on it,and the symbol of the pottery where I worked. I began signing my name in cobalt carb., as I was decorating with cobalt anyway. People seem to appreciate a legible, hand painted signature, like on a painting. It seems to add more value to the work.
TJR.

[Nelly]

RDWolff, on 13 April 2013 - 08:41 PM, said:

Nelly, on 13 April 2013 - 11:46 AM, said:

Dear RD,

Those are absolutely beautiful. I like the 5 and 9 as well. Nice find. I am sure it really adds to your pieces to have your pieces signed using these letters. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with me.

Nelly

Thanks Nelly,
I use the brass letters and numbers just to impress the design number and date of completion on the top rear of the original model similar to how they did in the 1800s with architectural terracotta my work is based on, so it follows that concept there, and I write in my name.



After a mold is made all of that is permanently in the mold and all casts taken from the mold. On the back of each cast before they harden all of my casts are numbered so I write in the number of the cast, the date and sign it.

Dear Randall,

Now to me, that way of signing your name has definite style. It is class act. Thank you for sharing. I may see if I can find some of this sort of font in trying to get a stamp created. Your design is quite lovely though.

Nelly

[JBaymore]

Min, on 13 April 2013 - 04:46 PM, said:

The other thing with custom stamps is do you get them big enough to be noticable on a large platter or small enough to look right on a mug bottom, kinda pricy buying different sizes.

Having the signature "in scale" and feeling "correct" for the particular work, and clearly legible would seem to be worth the expense in the "big picture".

best,

.....................john

[Nelly]

SShirley, on 13 April 2013 - 08:57 AM, said:

I try to print my name, first and last, legibly on the bottom of each piece, with a ball stylus, or use a nice stamp that I got from Jet Stamps. On bigger pieces, like plates, I try to add the name of my town. Not the date, but when first starting out I did put the date. A couple of months ago a lady emailed me and said she thought she had one of my mugs. It said "sylvia92" on the bottom. She bought it at a yard sale in San Francisco, and it had been her favorite mug for years. I live in Kansas, so I told her I did not think it could possibly be mine, there are a number of other potters with the same first name, some who live in California. She sent me a picture of the bottom, and sure enough, it was my signature. I can't imagine how she found me with just that much info, but she did. The mug broke and she wanted another one.

Also, I had a pretty nice pot sitting on my shelf for five years without a signature. Many, many people looked at the piece and almost bought it until they noticed it wasn't signed, then put it back and bought something else that they didn't like as much but had a signature. Finally one lady came in with a sharpie marker and asked me to sign the bottom, then bought it. So signatures do matter to customers.

Dear SShirley,

Yes, I think they do matter. I remember once going to a sale of a local well known potter and I bought a fairly large vase. It was not one of his best pieces he said but was happy I made the purchase. When I looked at the bottom, I said "but you didn't sign it." He took out a big magic marker and wrote his name and "cheap ah." It made up both laugh. I still love the pot.

Nelly

[AtomicAxe]

on my sculptural work, I just sign the work in the clay towards the bottom (if not the foot if able to) and the year. Thrown stuff mostly gets an initial chuck impression and a tiny signature. Lately I haven't been signing anything small, but that is just slacking on my part since I'm running glazing tests and don't expect anything to turn out.

[AtomicAxe]

Oh, and most trophy shops that have laser engravers can make you a wood chuck like those listed. Probably cost less too.