Art collecting is an expensive hobby, but some eagle-eyed aficionados can score valuable masterpieces at bargain-bin prices.Knowing how to determine a painting's authenticity and worth will help you spot great deals in a sea of knock-offs.
Step 1: You can find paintings by renowned artists.
The goal of art hunting is to find a lost masterpiece from a beloved artist.It is possible to find a hidden gem made by a lesser-known or popular painter.Alexander Calder, Ben Nicholson, and Giovanni Battista Torriglia are some of the artists whose work ended up at thrift stores.You will know what paintings to keep an eye out for, learn about different artists through local galleries, art museums, and online databases like the Web Gallery of Art.
Step 2: You can search for paintings on your phone.
If you find something you think is valuable, try searching for it on the internet.You may have found a valuable item if the painting shows up in your search results.Describing a painting will help you find it if you don't know its name.For example, you can find Thomas Gainsborough's The Blue Boy with the terms "painting," "kid," and "blue" if you take a high-quality photo of the piece.The searching process will be easier with this.
Step 3: Purchase signed prints.
There are two notable exceptions to the rule that art prints have little to no financial value.Look for prints that were part of a limited edition run, meaning the artist only produced a few copies, and prints with handwritten signatures on the front or back.The numbers on the limited edition prints indicate how many copies you have.
Step 4: Don't buy small and subtle paintings if you want to sell them.
Unless you find an original piece by a popular artist, stay away from paintings that are small in size or subtle to the point of being abstract.The mass appeal of a large, traditional painting makes these paintings harder to sell.Since abstract and small art is hard to convey over photographs, this is important if you plan to sell your paintings online.
Step 5: Pick up paintings with frames.
Make sure to look at the frame before moving on if you decide that a painting isn't worth much.Picture frames are works of art in their own right, so a vintage or well-crafted frame may be worth a lot regardless of the painting inside.There are signs of age in frames with hand-carved designs.
Step 6: The artist has an original signature.
The easiest way to tell if a painting is authentic or not is to look for the artist's signature on the front or back side.Look for a signature that was hand-written or added to the piece using paint.It is possible that a painting is a reproduction print or fake if it does not have a signature.If you know the artist's name, you can check out their online signatures to see if they match the painting.Don't use signatures as your only proof of authenticity because they are easy to fake.
Step 7: Look for printer dots with a magnifying glass.
Before purchasing a painting, look for small, perfectly-round dots in a grid by holding a magnifying glass up to it.The piece is a reproduction print created using a laser printer.It may not work for higher-quality giclee reproductions, so be aware that this method will help you identify common prints.Unlike laser prints, paintings made using a pointillist technique have different shapes and sizes.
Step 8: If the oil paintings have textured surfaces, it's time to inspect them.
If the surface of the oil painting has bumps or paint waves, it's probably a fake.There is a good chance that your piece is authentic if it has a lot of texture.You are looking at a reproduction if the surface is completely flat.A painting may be a forgery if it only has a few spots of texture.
Step 9: Look at watercolor art pieces to see if they have rough surfaces.
To determine if a watercolor painting is authentic, hold the piece at an angle and look at the paint strokes closely.You may have an original work of art if the paper is rough.It is most likely a reproduction if the paper is smooth.
Step 10: If canvas paintings have rough edges, look for it.
Artists who work on canvas often make jagged or even brush strokes along the edges of their paintings.Since viewers rarely look at them, they don't bother to change them.If the canvas painting has even edges, it is most likely a factory reproduction.
Step 11: The back of the frame has signs of age.
The back of a frame can tell you a lot about a painting.There are clear signs of age in frames that are dark in color, such as peeling lacquer and patches of worn out wood.The piece inside a frame is more likely to be authentic if it is older.There is a good chance that the painting is authentic if the back of the frame is mostly dark but has a few bright streaks.The X or H shape in the back is not as common in contemporary frames.
Step 12: You can see how old the artwork is by looking at the mounting method.
There is a good chance the artwork is an original piece from before the 1940s, if the nails hold the painting in place or if you see empty nail holes around the frame.If the painting is old and has no signs of a previous mounting method, it is more likely to be a reproduction.