How to Stretch Canvas Paintings
Stretching a canvas painting is ideal if you want to create a high quality artwork or if you want to save money on pre-stretched canvases. Make sure that the canvas that you stretch is tight and secured well before you paint on it to ensure that you can create an art piece easily.
Things You'll Need:
- Canvas stretcher bars
- Rubber mallet
- Staple gun and staples
- Scissors
- Canvas material
- Purchase canvas stretcher bars at your local art supply store in the correct size for the painting that you would like to create. Buy two sets of different sized stretchers to create a rectangle or four stretchers the same size if you would like to create a square.
- Fit together your stretcher bars to create the frame for your painting. Stretchers are created in a tongue and groove style allowing them to fit together easily. Use a rubber mallet on each corner to make sure that the frame pieces are firmly attached. Inspect stretcher bars to make sure that they are square and use a staple gun to staple each corner to secure the frame.
- Place a piece of canvas underneath your frame and cut it out making sure that the canvas stretches at least two inches over each edge of the frame when folded up.
- Place your frame with the canvas underneath it on a flat and sturdy surface. Make sure the canvas is centered underneath the frame and pull up one edge and place a staple in the canvas in the middle of the stretcher bar. Pull the canvas up on the opposite edge of the frame making sure that the canvas is tight and place a staple in that edge. Place a staple in the middle of the other two stretcher bars making sure that the canvas is pulled tightly over the edge.
- Continue placing staples around the edge of your frame interchanging edges to make the canvas even. Pull the canvas tight as you go to reduce wrinkling and sagging of the material.
- Fold corners of the canvas once you have completed stapling the edges. Corners should be folding in such a way that material does not stick out over the edges. Place two staples in each corner once you have folded them properly.
- Trim excess canvas material from the inside of the framed area. Inspect your canvas to make sure that it is tight and the canvas has been stretched securely.