How to make a digital signature brush for your artwork in Photoshop

Chaos
Acrylic abstract canvas painting
by Katie Jeanne Wood

As always, the signature you see on this first photo isn’t on the painting itself. It’s on the photo only. I watermark my first photo in case the photo gets shared by someone other than me on social media. I like all my paintings to be traceable back to me or my website. If my digital signature is on the painting, my name can be googled, and my art found. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen artwork that I love, but have no idea who the artist was that made it. 

Since these photos are going to be on Etsy, I’m using my name as the signature, not my website. I haven’t checked, but I’m assuming it might be against Etsy’s TOS to have your website plastered all over every photo. I’d rather be cautious, and not have to redo thousands of photos or have my shop shut down over it. We all know how persnickety Etsy can be, and how shops have vanished into thin air for no apparent reason, and without explanation.  

If you have Photoshop, it’s super easy to make a signature brush that you can then use over and over again. Keep scrolling down for the directions. 

How to make a signature brush in PhotoshopCC 20.0.4 (I was finally able to upgrade to the latest version on my Mac. Yay!):

1. Write your name – you can either use a font or you can use your real handwriting. I personally don’t like the idea of putting my own signature out there online, but if you’re comfortable with that, go for it. If you use your own handwriting, write with a dark magic marker on a piece of paper, then scan or take a photo of it.
2. Open the scan or photo in Photoshop, and skip down to step No 4. If you’re going to sign your name using a font instead, keep reading.
3. Start with a new blank canvas. Click File –> New, choose a font that best suits you, and type out your name using the type tool, which is the large T you see in the toolbar.  
4. When you’re finished signing or typing your name, select Edit – Define Brush Preset
   
5. Name your brush something simple to identify, such as signature, and click OK. 
6. That’s all there is to it. You now have a new signature brush to use over and over again on all your artwork! Easy peasy!! You can change the size, and use any color you’d like when using the brush, as I demonstrated in the photo above.