Finding titles for your prints
How important is a name?
Naming things or new creations gives them an identity and a place in the world.
You may need to get to know a new person before the right name comes. It took us 6 weeks to decide on a name for our baby – she arrived 10 weeks early, and spent the first couple of months in hospital. The nurses were pressing us for a name, the label on her incubator just said ‘baby H’ for a long time. However, we were right to allow the naming process to take its natural course, as the perfect name emerged in time and we rushed down to the registry office on the last permitted day to make it official.
Without a name a person feels not fully formed, and this is true of a new pet, a novel, a new project, or of course a new print. Once it has a name it becomes an entity and starts to take on a life of its own, existing in relationship to others.
The creative process
We all work in different ways and as an individual you probably take different approaches at different times.
Sometimes you might start with a title, and create work in response to this. Although by the time it is finished you may decide on a different title!
At other times you may start on a print with no idea of what it will be – and let the title emerge along with the developing image.
It can happen that you work on a print and by the end have no idea of a title, nothing comes to mind and you resort to a simple description, or, feeling desperate, something quite random just to fill the gap.
I suggest that whatever approach you take, it is beneficial to stop at a key point, probably when the work is finished and make time to consider a title.
This is when it is really helpful to have your own word hoard….
Make your own word hoard
A ‘word-hord’ in old English was a travelling poet’s internal collection of words and phrases to be called on for performances.
‘Hord’ in Old English means ‘treasure’. For more info see this site and the excellent book of the same name.
I have started a Word Hoard book – this wasn’t my own idea; I know other printmakers who do it. The idea is to collect a resource of possible titles for use later, or inspiration if you are feeling stuck.
If you deliberately set aside a little time to read poetry, old dictionaries, a thesaurus or newspapers, while keeping the search for potential titles in mind, it is easy to assimilate a collection of potential print titles quickly.
I also bring this this idea into printmaking workshops; as we usually use newspapers and magazines for constructing and inking plates, students are encouraged to notice words and phrases in the paper while they are working.
This frequently throws up brilliant titles, as if your mind is working on lots of different levels while you are physically, mentally and emotionally creating, the print and the words seem to come together.
Crossword clues and the names of race horses offer rich pickings for potential titles for your prints.
In my word hoard book I also include overheard comments from the bus, the radio or anywhere else.
Signs, notes and notices are also hoarded away, a couple of interesting ones recently are a road sign saying ‘Submerged Structures’ and an indoor sign telling people ‘Do not lean on this wall’. I am sure these will match up with a print at some point.
Your uniqueness
Your work is unique, and titles help people to recognise this. Not everyone thinks in a visual way like you do, and some well-chosen words can really help to fill out the picture and capture viewers’ attention.
When you create a personal word-hoard you will begin to discover word patterns that reflect your own voice or style. Over time this will help give coherence to your larger body of work.
If the title helps people to relate their own experience to the print it will be more likely to lodge in their memory. They may become one of those lovely visitors who sees it, leaves, can’t stop thinking about it, and then returns to buy it later.
In this way the title can help create a direct connection between you, the print, and the viewer, and really this is what art is all about. Connecting with other people is one of the main reasons for doing it.
Consider what are you trying to say
Once your print is finished, stand back and ask yourself ‘what was I trying to achieve in this print?’
for example:
‘I wanted to capture the atmosphere of xxx place’
‘I aimed to create a sense of depth and mystery’
‘To communicate the joy of dancing’
Even if you didn’t fully realise this when you started, your answers may point the way towards a fitting title….
Consider your inspiration
This means going back to the beginning; what was the original spark that led to the final print? The artists’ process of creation is fascinating to most people, and I find it is something most visitors to exhibitions are keen to talk about.
An experience you have had
A particular place, landscape, building
A time / season
A significant event
A concept / idea or thought
A feeling / emotion
If you can come up with a title that reflects your original inspiration you will immediately have a story for the print, and this is most useful for talking or writing about your work, and sharing it with others more meaningfully.
The title as a handle
A title helps to identify individual pieces. This is essential for cataloguing, either internally just for your own records, on your website, or for a gallery or exhibition brochure. Descriptive titles (‘a cat on a mat’) are fine for this purpose, but do they add anything to the work? Are you missing a trick if you just stick with a literal description of the image?
Working titles
As the work progresses you may give it a working title. Be aware of this, as it is easy for the working title to become the final title. It could be worthwhile pausing to consider if this is actually the one the print needs. Part of the creative process is allowing the work to speak for itself, so don’t constrict it with a nick-name.
Consider the viewers perspective
Titles give people a way in, especially if the work is abstract.
You may want to give the viewer a nudge in a certain direction, without limiting their interpretation of the image too narrowly. This means finding a title that is not too specific, but is suggestive of something. See it as a signpost that opens possibilities up; ‘this way to the beach’, rather than a definition that can narrow things down; ‘Jack making a sandcastle’.
Obscure or surreal titles can be fun and encourage people to ask questions, but may also be off putting, as viewers can feel lost or out of their depth. This decision depends on your personal style and where you are showing your work. My feeling is that art should be accessible and not patronising, so as long as you are happy to explain the thinking behind your title and the work, let your creativity flow!
The title can be a conversation starter – helping viewers to engage with your work, and also giving galleries a structure to help to talk about the work with customers.
For a blog post written from a gallery owners’ point of view have a look at this blog post
Untitled? No comment
I did a random survey before writing this post, by asking various students and friends about titles – one thing that emerged unanimously was the opinion that naming a work ‘untitled’ was not a good idea. It implies the artist does not care very much about the work, or is not prepared to communicate with viewers, rather like saying ‘no comment’ when asked a question.
Test out titles
Once you have assembled your word hoard try giving a new print different titles, and observe how this changes it.
This is a fun activity to do in a workshop – we put the prints up on the wall and play ‘title bingo’ calling out titles from the Word Hoard and seeing which ones match which prints.
Titles matter
Don’t let your titles be an afterthought; an appropriate title works hard on several different levels, and adds extra layers of meaning to your work. Hopefully this post will remind you to spend a little time thoughtfully naming your prints, giving them the best chance to go out in the world and connect with people.
How do you choose titles for your prints?
Share your tips for choosing titles, and any interesting or unusual titles you have used. You can now add images to your comments so it would be nice to see the print and title together if you can.
Nb. comments may not show up immediately as they are moderated.
17 thoughts on “Finding titles for your prints”
We seem to have moved away from processes and the possibility of making prints at home. Please could we move back towards what you were so good at or at least make the archives of those years available?
Ps I would rather have an unnamed print and discover different processes towards a print than worry about a title
thanks for your feedback Rowan, it is helpful to know this. All the previous posts are available to see and we have made the search and menus easier to navigate recently so hopefully you won’t be missing any of the old posts.
Thank you just reading your post inspired me to think more about my work.
I enjoy your posts very much.
Thanks Annie, I hope you have fun with your titles
I completely disagree with Rowan. It is a valuable post to remember that titles matter as much as the artwork itself.
Thank you for your inspiring newsletters.
I agree.
I’ve noticed in the local art group that good titles help sell a piece of work.
Field Mouse is bland Harvest Treat of a field mouse on a stalk of corn tells a story.
An abstract painting called Untitled #6 tells me nothing except that they didn’t know what it was about and was churning them out.
Thanks for your comments Penelope – I think your point about making the title tell a story is a really good way to think about it
I agree with Elisabeth. It is something that we need to consider – whether we title our work or not (and I think we should – even though it is often the hardest exercise of all).
Thank you for all you do.
Giving my work a title is one of the hardest parts for me. Thank you for some great suggestions
I think the final finishing off of anything is difficult – I have so many almost finished things! (eg painting skirting boards) but so satisfying when you do actually properly complete something.
Absolutely brilliant blog, thought-provoking, guiding and inspiring. Thank you!
Thanks Francheska – I am looking forward to seeing a whole lot of new prints with interesting titles!
This is an excellent post! Personally, I feel cheated by “Untitled” and agree that it feels lazy at best, or that the artist didn’t particularly care about their work at worst.
With your permission, I’d love to use some of these ideas for a ‘Writing an Artist’s Statement’ workshop that I lead for our local artists’ group. The ideas and approaches here are excellent suggestions for also writing a good statement. Thank you so very much for sharing!!
Thanks very much for this feedback Rhonda – it interesting that you make the connection between print titles and an artist statement. I will email you for more info…
Excellent ideas! Thank you.🙏
Fantastic idea, so useful Emily. I often ponder the title of a piece at the last minute! Compiling a Word Hoard over quiet times, will help inspiration! Maybe the title could come before the print, but maybe not. I will definitely be creating a very useful booklet and reducing the scrap paper pile ! Thanks.
Your personal word hoard book will make interesting reading whatever happens next – and it is fun to do. I agree, it works both ways, matching a name to a print and also as inspiration for new prints.