![]() ![]() Excess often creates bulk when hanging the painting on the wall in the future. You don’t want a surplus because it makes it difficult for the canvas pliers to grab the fabric. You’ll want to cut the canvas to leave enough fabric to stretch around the back of the frame to staple. It should be no less than an inch wrapped around the back side of the stretcher bars. Measure the appropriate length for the canvas surplus at the edge of the canvas bars. And you can measure from corner to corner to ensure the distance is equal. You can use a metal square in the corners to double check its at a right angle. Finally, it’s important to ensure the squareness of the frame. The lip on the front side of the stretcher bars should always be facing the down against the back of the canvas during stretching. They allow the tightening of the canvas at future stages of the paintings life. This becomes like a ghost of the frame that is visible on the canvas surface.Ī quick note to consider when using stretcher bars: the stretcher keys are not useless-they are the “key” pieces in keeping the canvas square. If this happens, when you’re painting you run the danger of rubbing your brush against the bars through the canvas and producing an accidental rubbing in paint. The canvas may even press against the bars or sit on them. Ghosting is when the stretcher bars are visible through the canvas and this happens when the canvas is too close to the bars. You need to leave an extra angled edge to prevent “ghosting”. This is about as shallow you can get for a stretcher bars. The canvas pictured above is 3/4 inch depth and has a small canvas lip to stretch the canvas across on the front side. A crossbar or double crossbar should also be included in the design of larger canvases. Canvas above 36 x 48 inch inches should have thicker depth to prevent warping. Ultimately the decision between these two depths is personal and aesthetic. Typically, artists choose thicker bars when displaying larger canvases without frames. ![]() However, you can find lots of different depths to suit your desired look. The standard sizes are usually 3/4 or 1 5/8 inch thick. This prevents the bending of the wood and keeps the canvas straight and square. ![]() The most important thing to look for is straight kiln dried bars. There are a vast range of styles and brands of stretcher bars to choose from. The brand of stretcher bar is Fredrix, a well-known professional company. ![]() What to look for in stretcher barsįor this demonstration I’m using a mid-scale canvas at 34 x 23 inches. Here are all the tools you need to stretch a canvas: staples, stapler, canvas, canvas pliers, sponge, nitrile gloves (optional), and the stretcher bars surrounding the tools. Because this is an essential skill for anyone working with paint, we put together an essential guide to stretching canvas that you try in your studio. How you prepare the primary structure of any object affects the integrity of the entire artwork. It supports the gesso, the paint, the oil or acrylic mediums, and finally an optional varnish.Īs with any foundation we should treat it with the utmost care. The canvas skin becomes the foundation for a painting and it’s the ground that everything is built upon. It’s a simple structure of cotton duck stretched from the four sides into a taught epidermis. Every painter is familiar with a stretched canvas. ![]()
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