By Show Me Step by StepPublished
Based on a video by Opus Art Supplies.
Stretching your own canvas costs less than buying one ready-made, and you get to pick the exact size and fabric. Colin Mitchell of Opus Art Supplies walks through the whole job: slot the stretcher bars together, cut and tear the canvas, staple from the center out, and fold neat corners. It takes about half an hour once you have the tools. The result should sound like a drum when you tap it.
Add enough fabric on every side to wrap around the bar and reach well onto the back, plus a little to grip with the pliers. For standard 3/4 inch bars, about 2 inches per side is plenty. For deep 1.5 inch bars, allow 3 to 4 inches. Too little canvas means the pliers have nothing to grab. Too much leaves bulky corners.
The first four staples set the tension for the whole canvas. One in the center of each side, opposite sides in turn. Check that the weave runs straight and parallel to each bar. Then keep working outward from the centers, always a staple on one side and then the side opposite. As you go, a faint diamond pattern appears in the fabric. That means the tension is even. Ripples or a sag near one corner mean that side needs more pull.
| Canvas | Pros | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Unprimed | Cheaper, you choose the primer | Must be sealed and primed after stretching |
| Primed | Ready to paint once stretched | Stiffer, can crack at the corners if folded too sharply |
Raw canvas soaks up paint and can discolor over time from the oils in wood or paint. Colin seals his bars and canvas with Golden GAC 100, one or two coats, then adds gesso. Unprimed canvas also tightens a little as the first wet coat dries, which pulls out any small slack.
Before the first brushstroke, follow how to prime a canvas. Then try blending acrylic paint or a simple sunset as a first painting. For raised effects, see how to use texture paste.
9 steps · about 5 minutes.Check off each step as you go and your progress saves automatically.
Lay out your four stretcher bars. Each one has a beveled edge on one side and a flat side. The beveled edge faces the canvas, so the fabric only touches the raised lip and never the wood behind it. The ends have a tongue and slot that fit together. Push each joint in firmly by hand until the frame is complete.
Tip
Sand any sharp corners on the bars first so they cannot cut through the canvas.
Press each corner joint tight on a flat table. On a larger frame, add corner gussets: flat triangles of wood or hardboard fixed across the back of each corner. They square up the frame and keep it from racking out of shape once the canvas pulls on it. Measure both diagonals. When they match, the frame is square.
Tip
A frame that is not square shows as a twisted, uneven canvas later. Check it now.
Lay the frame on the canvas, beveled side down. Work out how much extra fabric you need to wrap each side and grip with the pliers. Mark that width. Then make only a short snip into the edge with scissors at the mark. Do not cut all the way across. The next step gives you a straighter edge.
Tip
About 2 inches beyond the bar on each side suits standard depth bars.
Grip the fabric on either side of the snip and tear it across. The tear follows a single thread of the weave, so the edge comes out straight with no jagged angles. That keeps the weave square to the frame, which matters for even tension. Trim off any loose threads that hang from the torn edge.
Tip
Tearing only works on woven cotton and linen. Cut synthetic canvas with scissors.
Center the frame on the canvas. Fold the fabric up over the middle of one bar and put a single staple into the back of the bar. Turn the frame to the opposite side. Pull the canvas firmly across and put one staple in the center there too. These first two staples set the tension in one direction.
Tip
Keep the weave running straight across the frame as you pull.
Use canvas pliers on the third side. Grip the edge, roll the pliers down over the bar to lever the fabric tight, and staple while holding the pull. Repeat on the fourth side. Then go back to the first side and add a staple either side of the center. Keep circling: one side, then its opposite, working out to the corners.
Tip
Look for a faint diamond pattern in the fabric. It means the tension is even.
Stop stapling about 4 inches from each corner. Pull the corner of the fabric straight back over the frame, then fold one side in so the fold sits on the inside, facing the back of the canvas. A fold that faces outward can catch on things, pull loose and even tear the canvas later.
Tip
Use the same fold direction on all four corners for a matching look.
Look at the side of the canvas. The seam of the fold should run straight and parallel to the edge. If it sticks out or sits at an angle, roll it between your thumb and forefinger. The fabric slides around the corner and you can set the seam where you want it. Keep the fold tight to the bar.
Tip
Pinch the fold flat with one hand while you staple with the other.
Hold the fold and put a staple through it into the back of the bar. Finish stapling the rest of that side up to the corner, keeping the pull as tight as you can. Do all four corners the same way. Flip the canvas over and tap it. A good stretch sounds like a drum and shows no ripples.
Tip
Seal and prime the canvas before you paint on it.
Keep going
How to Paint a Full Moon Night Sky - Easy Acrylic Painting
How to Stretch a Canvas on Stretcher Bars
Liquitex
Liquitex BASICS Acrylic Paint Set (24 tubes)
Artist-grade pigment at student pricing, buttery enough to blend and thick enough to hold a stroke. The set most acrylic painters start on.
Benicci
Benicci 16-Piece Artist Brush Set
Every shape you actually reach for (round, flat, filbert, liner, fan) in nylon that keeps its point and does not shed. Comes with a palette knife and case.
FIXSMITH
FIXSMITH 8" x 10" Stretched Canvas (12-pack)
Pre-primed cotton canvases in a bulk pack so you can just start painting. The low-stakes surface for practicing before the big piece.
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