Practicing artists face the task of keeping track of hundreds and even thousands of works of art.
Leaving the legacy to others is not a good practice.
#1 rule: Avoid creating databases or using preformated ones. It is a waste of time and the learning curve to get it to do what you want can be overwhelming.
Document.
- Annotate each work with date and reference of where it was created and why.
- Brief notes on the back of art are recommended.
- Sign each work. It is the only way to authenticate a piece produced by the artist.
- Date. Will help you and others to keep track of the historical and chronological order.
- Scan, photograph. Even if briefly. High quality photographs are better; but I know that it is almost imposssible to do them for each item, since we continue to produce so much.
Numbering.
- Give each item a number in sequence of production, regards of title, subject, medium or style.
- This is one of the most important tasks since it will give each item a place in the overall realm of your production.
- The number should be unique and only used once. Keep it to numerals only and avoid trying to add notes as if it is a watercolor, oil painting, sculpture since that will only confuse you in the long run.
- Allow numbering for collection growth. If you believe that you are going to have hundreds of drawings, sketches start your numeration with 000 001. This will allow for growth and software ordering otherwise something like number 150 will reorder itself next to 15.
Protecting.
- Individually wrap each item. In the long run it is impractical to keep handling your work every time you show it or look at it without exposing it to dust, dirt, hand oils and therefore damage.
- Use poly bags which can be bought in bulk
- Place each item in one bag with signature side first. Be consistent that way all your art work will be seen from the same angle when you look for it.
- Pastels and charcoal drawings must be individually wrapped or covered with with non static, acid free glassine.
- Do not stack charcoal and pastels on top of other items without protection. Dust and color will contaminate all other paper.
- Labeling Make it a habit to create a label with number, author, date of creation and subject.
- Place label near signature side of bag for ease of search and archive.
- Use poly bags which can be bought in bulk
Software.
- Choose a software that will expand with your collection; as an artist you will continue to create for a long time, so plan ahead.
- Monthly payment system. After much research we have found that a monthly paid system is not the best route to go. It works for as long as you make the payments but if for some reason you stop paying all the hard work of inputting data, sales, images is lost. It also gets expensive since most of the on-line basic subscriptions limit the number of pieces in the collection.
- The best solution in the market. We have tried different programs including self made ones. We can say that the best tool for archiving, documenting and issuing reports and certificates is: “My Art Collection.” It provides the artist or collector an excellent tool for keeping track of art, sales, purchases, dimensions and numbering. It also allows for unlimited number of items in the collection.
- Data. The most important issue is to give each item a sequential number and mark the art work with such number.
- The number could be the title of the piece if it has no other title or you can call it as you wish in the description.
- Enter items as you create them
- Old items. Work on inserting the data for old items without worrying about subject, date of creation, medium or style. All that information can be inserted in the individual item’s detail. Concentrate on the number.
- Location. Art in sheets must be kept in flat files. sculptures and three dimensional art should be place where it is not damaged; paintings, if not displayed should be kept vertical in racks. Investing in a flat file is a good idea. This is related to data entry because you need to know where to find the item once it is stored.
- Keep a separate image list with all the art work with its unique number for each image; this will help you in keeping track of your art and the numbering available.