If you do decide on this option, make sure you tape the corners with masking tape onto a flat clean surface, to keep it from moving. You’ll also learn of the various options available regarding painting supports. Although not very common, sometimes they can be made from metal or plastic too. Although this can be done alone, a second pair of hands might make this step a little easier. Alternatively, weights can be placed on the bars, or a picture framing clamp strap can be used while the glue sets. 19. This is time consuming and the canvas can be damaged in the process. If the canvas painting is glued to a panel, it can be very difficult to remove without causing damage to the painting. To invite introspection. Several months ago I wrote about how to make your own stretcher bars for paintings, but only briefly talked about how to stretch canvas over them.. Items in parentheses are substitute tools that can also be used. 3. Easy to manufacture, design can be very simple. This should be it's own step with at least one picture. Then fold the canvas fabric over the corner and temporarily nail it at the corner. Step 1: Cut the canvas into the right size. The wood is made of soft fibers that don't require nails or staples. Canvas frames are also sometimes referred to as stretcher bars, which feature pre-cut slats that you can slip together to create the frame. Having cut the wood to size, you can then cut the required joints to join the bars of the strainer. It is a matter of preference if you want the folds on the top and bottom or sides of you painting but being consistent will make them look better. If you are stretching a lot of paintings at once, it might be easier to cut all the wood at once but just make sure to keep the pieces together. • Pencil/Pen A selection of stretchers and strainers for painting on canvas. 12. • Nail Punch (Not necessary but helpful) Maintain the doubled edge and the canvas tension, and fold over the bar of the frame. It must be flat. 10. Five minute tutorial on stretching a fine art canvas .a canvas print or giclee on wooden stretcher bars. Canvas prints usually cost more than poster prints but on large ones you can save lots of money if you stretch them yourself. If you want to know how to properly size and prime a canvas for oil painting, check out this extensive blog I wrote, Painting the Traditional Way – Part 1. This causes cracks, creases and ‘stretcher marks’. Lay out a length of your cotton duck or Belgian linen canvas roll on a clean surface. I hope you enjoyed these tips for how to stretch a canvas. You need to stretch it enough to make it a little stiff or taut. Check for any bowing, cracks or knots in the wood. • Miter Box and Saw (Miter Saw for quicker results) 3. This is why it’s recommended to stretch before painting. Stretching your own canvas gives you control over all the aspects of your painting surface including the overall size; the depth; the absorbency, the colour and texture of the primer; the texture/grain and weight of the canvas and more. Step 6: Check the Stretch of the Canvas . Bashing it could split the wood of the wedge, or you could bounce off and hit the back of the canvas, or over-stretching of an oil painting could crack the brittle painted surface. Maintaining the pulled tension in the canvas, fold the doubled edge of the canvas over the bar of the frame and staple/nail it at the marked midpoint. The bars of the strainer are then cut and can be joined with mitred, dovetail or box joints. 8. Next take the canvas pliers, stretch the canvas on the opposite side and staple in the center. Stretching a Large Canvas on stretcher bars - Heather Goldstein demonstrates how even a small person can easily stretch a large canvas using staples, glue and stretcher bars! Then fold the doubled edge of the fabric over the bar of the stretcher/strainer frame. Therefore, strainer frames lack the ability of being adjusted. The purpose of the molding is to give a single straight line along the edge of the painting that will give it a nice, tight look. An artist’s canvas is usually attached to a support frame, called either a stretcher or a strainer. Now tout your canvas onto the right and left side of your wooden frame, and if you feel it is nice and tight, staple it onto the side frames all the way to the corner, leaving a gap of 3 inches between each tagged pin. If you tap the canvas fabric, it should make the noise of a drum, indicating that there is sufficient tension. The 4x stretcher bars are pre-cut, and the notches are built so that the wood pieces slip perfectly into one another. Shoot one staple into the canvas in the center of the stretcher bar through both the scrap and painting canvas. A larger border will be easier to work with and thus will create nicer looking pictures in the end. Do the same on the other three corners, working from the opposite side and corner. Then cut a 45 degree angle so that the back edge of the wood is along the long edge. • Tape Measure Pull the canvas and temporarily pin it at each of the other three corners, creating a diamond-like tension-fold. This is the part where you require a steady hand. 1. If you want to learn how to make and prime a rigid support for painting, check out Making Your Own Canvas Panels for Oil Painting. Step 4 Paint over the image on the surface of the canvas using a primer of gesso and a wide, flat paintbrush. Some artists tap downward with the side of the canvas on the table or floor, some tap upwards. In this Q&A, Michael Skalka explains how to mount painted canvas to a board—or how to stretch that canvas for framing. Otherwise, if square, all sides will be the same length). To check this simply line up the front and back edge with your eyes to see if any nails are sticking up. 9. Continue to staple/nail the canvas fabric at opposite points each time so that you work from the midpoint outwards towards the corners. Gather Your Materials and Tools. If you have a router or spindle moulder, the wood can be given a beveled profile so that the canvas will only be in contact with the outer edge of the strainer bar, and not lie flat against the wood, which will damage the painting. Stretcher/strainer frames are usually made from wood, such as obeche, pine, beech, basswood, poplar, or any kind of available hard or soft wood that is lightweight and durable. • Canvas Pliers (Regular Pliers can also work). Continue to work your way outwards towards the corners, until there you are about 1” from the corner. 1 Get the right tools. Don't let the canvas go until you are confident that the nail is supporting the full weight of the canvas. Good luck with framing! Before cutting the bars to the required length for the strainer frame, it’s important to consider the kind of joint you’ll be using to join the corners of the strainer. Now you are finally ready to stretch the canvas. You can use whatever decent hard or softwood is available and choose the thickness according to the size of the painting. If the border is smaller than 1 1/2” then measure the total dimensions of the canvas and subtract 3” from each measurement (1 1/2” for each side of the painting). Line up the frame so that the molding is against the canvas. From here on out, you will stretch the canvas before each staple. To do this lay a piece of paper down on a clean surface, and then the painting face down. Then slide the wood down and cut the 45 degree angle so the pencil remains on the long edge. When making your own strainer frame, you may decide to make a ‘box canvas’ instead of the normal ‘flat’ format. 11. If your painting is especially large then a cross brace or two may be necessary to create a strong frame. 4. The bars of a strainer frame are fixed; the joints are glued and nailed or stapled together. The final result was awesome and beautiful! To do this lay a piece of paper down on a clean surface, and then the painting face down. This forces the corners of the stretcher outwards and increases the canvas tension so that any sagging or bulging in the canvas is eliminated. Mitred joints are more complicated and time-consuming to make. If canvas begins to sag over time, the nails, staples or tacks will need to come out and the canvas re-stretched over the frame. See also: Modernized Stretcher for Paintings on Canvas: Assessment and Observation by the American Institute of Conservation of Historic Artworks. Tapping of keys can accidentally damage the painting. To stretch this pull one side of the canvas up and around and staple it in the center of that side. Line up the frame so that the molding is against the canvas. You run the risk of some paint cracks during the stretch. Learning how to stretch canvas is vital to any avid painter and can help them achieve the desired look for their artwork. Here are 2 photos and a schematic to visualise how I understood the Round Moulding part. A rigid panel can be glued to a strainer frame to create a rigid support for the canvas to stretch over. Once your canvas has been stretched, it’s time to size, prime and tone your canvas before painting. The bars can be joined together with a simple butt, dowel, or lap joint construction. Canvas is prone to shinking and stretching with fluctuations in temperature and humidity, and over time, the paint film cracks, delaminates, or flakes off because of this movement. this is manual made, if large quantity could use auto machines now. This is the part of the canvas that gets wrapped around the stretcher boards and stapled to them. Stretching a finished painting is the same process you would use for a blank canvas: fold the edges over the stretchers and staple it securely. 5. Most professionals use stretcher bars. 8. If the canvas painting should sag over time, the wedges can be gently tapped deeper into the mitred slots with a small mallet or ball-peen hammer. Sand the painted surface of the canvas to smooth out the texture of the previous painting's brush strokes using sandpaper. To use the canvas pliers, grip the canvas just above the lip of the stretcher, then rock it toward you, pulling firmly on the canvas. Stretchers consist typically of 1 x 2-inch (or wider) pine or fir boards that you join at the corners to form a hidden frame. (Or, if your picture is small enough, just make your strainer from quarter round moulding. The next step is to nail the molding to the frame you just made. So if you really are interested to learn more about my art and art techniques, workshops, exhibitions and art lessons, or just what’s inspiring me and where I’m heading artistically – if you want some personal stuff that may inspire you too – then sign up for my VIP art letter below. Lay them out on the floor, then push the corners together by hand. Mark the midpoint on the inside of each bar of the stretcher/strainer with a pencil. 3. Put the length of wood flush against a straight wall or floor, rotating it onto every side, and check for any bends. The tools required for stretching a canvas are straightforward. Once the canvas has been pinned at the midpoint of each bar of the frame, pull the canvas fabric as hard as you can at one of the 90° corners of the frame. Although not very common, sometimes they can be made from metal or plastic too. 4 months ago Pinch a section of the corner of the canvas and pull it tight. Cut the wood carefully to the required lengths, either by hand, or with a dropsaw, tablesaw, or use a framing guillotine. Professional looking results can be achieved with about 20 minutes of your time. Place a canvas stretcher or strainer frame with the beveled side down on the length of canvas. 12. • Paper/Tissue Paper (to protect the face of the painting because it will be upsidedown at times) on Introduction, nice job, to make the canvas "drum" tight, mist the back with water and allow to dry, repeat until the desired taughtness is reached. Step 7: Let the Canvas Rest (Optional) For even better results, you might want to leave the canvas to stretch naturally for a day or two. • Quarter Round Moulding 6 weeks ago Place a canvas stretcher or strainer frame with the beveled side down on the length of canvas. on Introduction. The 4x stretcher bars are pre-cut, and the notches are built so that the wood pieces slip perfectly into one another. At each inside corner of the stretcher, two wooden ‘keys’ or wedges can be tapped into the slots of the mitred joints in order to increase the tension outwards. Your email address will not be published. It is a matter of preference but generally if the painting is larger than 3 feet across then a cross brace would be a good idea. 15. Category: Painting Substrates Not only does it save you a lot of money. Stretcher showing wooden keys.Â. Now begin with two pieces and hold them tightly together to ensure a 90 degree angle between them. • Stapler with 1/2” Staples Now that all the pieces are cut you can assemble the frame. What is the difference between a stretcher and strainer frame for painting? Simply slip a thumbtack through the canvas and into the wood, while pulling … Doing this the right way is vital, especially for oil painting on canvas.Â. Alternatively you can tape or tack your canvas to a piece of foam board. Our DIY stretcher bars are specifically designed to stretch canvas without the need for any tools! Stretcher bars are usually machined as a single milled piece of wood with a beveled profile. Due to limited space and money, I began a series of paintings on unstretched canvas. Tell me your tricks for making canvases, I’d really like to know. Can be a very strong, rigid construction (especially if made with laminated bars, separate beveled lip and cross members), since corners are fixed and resist movement. If not stored properly, with the frame or stretchers securely resting against another frame or flat hard surface, a corner from one painting can poke into the canvas of another, leaving an unfortunate … I do this with my primed but not yet painted on canvas's , you can get it pretty wet with no complications. Here's a few notes that might help as well. Do the same on the opposite side of the painting. Stretching a Belgian linen canvas on a strainer frame. For more info about painting on a rigid support, check out another one of my in-depth blogs: Making Your Own Canvas Panels for Oil Painting. How to Stretch a Canvas for Painting 1. If it does you can begin stapling the rest of these sides. But by stretching and priming your own canvases, you’ll gain a better understanding of your materials, and the possible defects of painting in general. You can also stretch a canvas print that you purchase. , or simply use a framing guillotine and underpinner. Difficult to construct quality stretchers. Taking inspiration from the Old Master traditions, from nature, and from the people around him (especially his wife), he tries to push beyond the mediocre and aim for mastery in his paintings. To cut them properly use a miter box and saw (or a miter saw) to cut a 45 degree off one end of the wood. 14. Thanks for reading, and please send me any comments, questions or suggestions in the comments section below. 16. Flip the painting over and make sure that it lines up properly with the frame. The process is quite simple, not too many tools are required and the results look spectacular, all at a fraction of the cost. Your canvas is now stretched over the stretcher/strainer support frame and ready for sizing and priming. Once you’ve decided which side is the going to be bulky, pull the fabric on that corner towards you. Then flip the section over and staple 3 times on the other side of the seam. Therefore lightweight. HOW TO MAKE A CANVAS BAR TO STRETCH A CANVAS PAINTING - http://bit.ly/2vYDh18. I used 1"x 2" pine, without quarter round, and glued and stapled and butted up the corners and added a center bar, which was easier than 90° corners. Now, beginning with one of the long sides, pull the canvas toward the mark next to the midpoint. Now add the other two pieces of wood to this in the same manner, making sure to staple both side and keeping them at a right angle. Position the top wooden stretcher bar over the top of the nail in the wall.