DIY frame kits like EasyWrappe are prefabricated in a variety of different sizes that will allow you to quickly fix a canvas to a frame with no outside tools, other than an X-Acto knife to trim the excess canvas. While you have to pick from a limited variety of sizes, you can stick the pre-cut wood bars to the canvas and fix them in place in less than five minutes. [3] X Research source
Unprimed, sometimes referred to as “ungessoed” canvas is easier to stretch than primed or “gessoed” canvas. [4] X Research source For the best results, buy ungessoed canvas and prime it later.
A spray bottle filled with plain water. It’s common to dampen the back of the stretched canvas. As it dries, it will shrink and thus tighten the canvas even more. Gesso. This primer is commonly used to treat the canvas after stretching. It’s a white paint mixture, made of gypsum, chalk, and other ingredients, available at most art supply stores. Specialty pliers used for canvas stretching. Available at most art supply stores, canvas pliers have flat surfaces that can be used to easily stretch canvas without pulling holes in the material. Staple gun. Regular desk staplers are not sufficient for stretching canvas. You need a heavy-duty staple gun to plant staples into wood and carpentry staples capable of gripping into the frame.
Tearing the canvas will make a straighter line than cutting it will. Get the cut started along the appropriate line using your knife and consider tearing along the grain to make an accurate shape.
Make sure that the grain of the canvas is lined up straight with the stretcher bars on the frame. If they don’t, the bars will twist and two opposite corners will lift up.
Rotate the canvas and frame, or move around the table to the opposite side and do the same thing. Pull the canvas tight, fold it over the frame, and insert three more staples into the stretcher bar on the opposite side. You always want to secure the canvas from the middle to the corners. Never start inserting staples close to one of the corners, or the canvas will twist slightly on the frame, making it pooch out.
If you want, you can staple near the corners and then place a staple between the center and the corner instead. Continue until you have about four inches of unstapled space from the corners.
Sometimes, it’s helpful to make a little slit along a diagonal in the canvas, to help stretch it tight and make it flush with the sides in the corner of the frame. You want the corners to look as clean as possible, so follow the shape of the canvas and cut it if necessary.
Wooden shims are very thin shards of wood that you can buy in packs at the hardware store for a few dollars. They usually come in a variety of sizes, which means you’ll be able to customize the stretch and fill in the gap if necessary.
Apply one coat and let it dry thoroughly to the touch, then go back over the canvas with another coat. Use extremely fine-grained sandpaper to go over the paint before priming the canvas one more time. [11] X Expert Source Renée PlevyPortrait Artist & Educator Expert Interview. 7 May 2021. Painting the primer on in the same direction allows the canvas to look fairly clean and simple, a great backdrop for your painting. Use sandpaper to flatten any texture or bumps of primer on the canvas.
