We get dozens of emails each week asking for help identifying paintings, and/or verifying they are the “real thing”. True, some of these are asking if they have the original Mona Lisa and whether the “Print number 423567″ on the back of the plastic frame might be proof of that, but we do have some very interesting inquiries from people who may well own some valuable original art.

But, for the rest of us, here are a few tips submitted by a friend of ours -

“Checking original paintings’ authenticity

"Do I have an original Leonardo Da Vinci Mona Lisa?!" - nope, but you DO have a Fernando Botero!

If you do not know much about original hand made art but you would like to purchase a painting there are a few simple ways of checking that what you are about to spend your money is not machine made. So many ‘supposed’ limited edition “hand painted pieces of art” are absolutely nothing more than photographic replicas of the originals which have been manufactured not by the artist who laid down their signature, but by publishing companies. As crazy as it is, a great number of signed lithographs and giclees are also in this category. The only thing original about these “copy prints” are the hand-applied signatures. Here are some ways of thoroughly checking the painting you are buying.

- Checking the back of the canvas as well as the sides is important.

- Look at the type of wood that has been used.

- Remember to ask your seller as many questions about any kind of stamps or numbers that you find either on the back of the canvas or on the wooden stretcher bars. The more they can tell you about the history of your painting the better.

- Research where the artist’s other work is. Is there an identical painting hanging in a museum somewhere, for example? If so, it’s pretty certain you’ve a copy, not the real thing!

- Ask an expert!”

From our “How to Paint” contributor…

“Would you like to start painting? First of all, you mustn’t listen to people who declare the old myth that you have to be incredibly talented to paint. More importantly you have to be enthusiastic and have the desire to want to paint. This, above all else is the most important quality one must posses if one is to learn how to paint and….learn how to paint well.”

(Arteze: Can anyone relate to this? Friends and relatives who began painting after retirement have said this very same thing to me - it’s not about talent, it’s about passion!)

"Can you see what it is yet?"

“The next step is to consider the materials that you would like to start with. Oil paints, Acrylic paints, water colors or even pastels. There is no harm in trying one medium and moving on to another should you feel that it is not working for you. Also, I recommend buying the best paints that are affordable to you. When working in oils you shouldn’t feel afraid to paint over something you are not pleased with or scrape the paint off the canvas back to the original surface you began with. It’s always best in my opinion to start over than to keep working something you are not pleased with.

Mixing colors is usually the first step to painting that most beginners feel uncomfortable with. Don’t be shy! Enjoy this process and don’t forget that the basics of color mixing are not the difficult or complicated. The biggest disaster is that you are going to end up with some dirt colors, if this happens, don’t waste the paint. Try adding some white to the palette and mixing this in to produce a value exercise painting in monochrome…”

Watch this space for more updates.