How to Title A Watercolor Painting

Adding a title to a watercolor painting helps viewers connect to the image.

Adding titles to paintings is a relatively new activity for artists. For hundreds of years, artists added minimal information for identifying the subject of a painting. With the popularity of abstract art today, aritists often use a title to translate concepts to viewers. Choosing a title for your own work requires careful meditation on the content, emotional tone and intended audience of your painting. Finding the perfect title offers a rewarding outcome for both the work's painter and viewers.

Things You'll Need

• Thesaurus

Instructions

1. Take notes about the intended audience of your painting. If you wish to keep the painting private, a simple note about the time and place where you created it will do. If you wish to show your painting at a gallery or competition, an intellectual or thought-provoking title may work best. Paintings for family and friends may require more intimate or personal titles.

2. Examine the subject matter of your painting. Many titles simply describe the content of the image. For instance, a still life painting may bear the title "Bowl of Fruit" or "Vase of Flowers." Think about original, descriptive ways to convey the painting's subject through its title.

3. Get emotional. Recall the feelings you had as you created your painting. Focus on the way it makes you feel as a finished product. Use the emotional tone to come up with a title that captures the feelings you want your painting to evoke.

4. Examine the visual elements, such as form, line and color, to strengthen your title. Emphasizing the dominant colors of a painting through the title may influence a viewer's response to it.

5. Use a thesaurus to vary your language. Using exciting vocabulary will give your title added punch.

6. Consult a friend. Ask friends to look at your painting and describe their response. This will help you determine a title that feels appropriate to other viewers who aren't as intimately involved as you are.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes gut instinct is a valuable tool. Try to capture your first response to your painting when describing its emotional content.

References

• Slate: Mona Linda? Nah. How about Mona Lisa?
• Lisa Pressman Art Blog: How Do You Title Your Paintings