In a hurry? Enter your email here to access the free template right away:
Why You Should Use a Certificate of Authenticity
In an earlier article, I pointed out the importance of using a Certificate of Authenticity. Providing this document with your sold artwork does more than authenticate your artwork. It can help your representatives sell your work by keeping vital information such as medium, size, and date of creation handy. A good certificate also provides a Notice of Copyright making it clear that the artist retains the right to reproduce original art as prints or on merchandise. And finally, the certificate also helps the artist track how many prints she issued in a limited edition by keeping copies of the issued certificates.
Unfortunately, it’s somewhat of a pain to create these certificates for collectors. Although there are forms that can be printed and filled in by and, those don’t accommodate a photo of the artwork. They’re also hard to send by email.
Finally (finally!) after investigating various online options, I have found a way to provide you with a FREE fully editable Certificate of Authenticity. I’m pretty darn excited.
Introducing Canva
Canva is an online platform for creating simple graphics and documents. They offer a free account with which you will be able to fully edit your free template as many times as you wish. And, you can access your account on your phone, tablet, and desktop. Neat, huh?
The New Free Certificate of Authenticity Template
Here is a preview of the new Certificate of Authenticity. It is simple and st1raightforward, including all of the necessary information your Certificates should have:
- Name of the Artwork
- Date of Completion
- Art Medium
- An indication of whether the art is an original or a limited edition (including the edition number if applicable)
- A place for a picture of your artwork (There are two certificates, one formated for a landscape photo of your artwork and one formatted for a portrait photo of your artwork)
- Room to add any additional information you would like such as the dimensions of the art or your contact information
- A signature line
Your template is completely editable!
How to Get the Free Certificate of Authenticity Template
Enter your email below. You will be added to the Art & Prosper Email Group (you can unsub anytime). You will immediately receive a welcome email with a link to your Free Certificate of Authenticity Template. It’s as easy as that!
How to Use the Free Certificate of Authenticity Template
Once you receive the welcome email, follow the link to Canva.com.
You will need to sign in to your Canva account. Don’t worry, Canva offers a free lifetime account (I’ve had one for years.) Canva does have a Pro account, but you will not need one to use the free template. If you don’t already have an account, simply provide your email and pick a password to open one.
Once you are in your account, you will open your new template. Notice that there are two pages. They are basically the same document, but one is formatted for adding a photo of your artwork in portrait and one is for adding a photo of your artwork in landscape.
It is best to make a copy of the template and edit the copy. Once you are done editing, download your document. You can download a jpg or pdf file which can be printed or emailed to your collector.
