Alex_OnArt: To Build A Canvas

In my art adventures, painting has been one of my main focuses. I was always interested in using new surfaces to paint on. In my beginnings I had always bought canvas from the store paying whatever price they demanded and not really knowing if it was overpriced, or even good quality for my money. Over time fellow artists asked why I didn't make my own canvas. Eventually I learned how to at Cal State Bakersfield, then learned more when I worked as an artist assistant for a project by a more established artist. I have been building canvases for two years now and have made dozens of them. This particular blog will show how to build a 3'x3' canvas my way.

Supplies

SUPPLIES: 5'x5' canvas cloth, two pieces of 1''x2''x6' lumber, staples, four 2'' screws, pint of gesso, water.

Tools

TOOLS: sandpaper, miter box and saw, right angle ruler, measuring tape, pencil, power drill/screwdriver, hammer, staple gun, mixing container, painter's stirring stick, wide bristled paintbrush.

Lumber

I use 1’’X2’’X6’ white-wood from Lowes because the six foot one fits in my car. Home Depot has 1’’X2’’X8’ lumber, and they may be able to cut it down for customers but they will not cut at angles (they never help me). When choosing wood from the pile, make sure your pieces are straight. Wood tends to curl at the knots and is undesirable for building canvas. Twists might not be visible at first, but a closer glance will show twists. For this project we only need 12feet of lumber, with at least 32'' extra. It is always a good idea to have extra if something goes wrong.

Measuring Tools

With Measuring tape and right angle ruler mark where each piece will be cut. The miter box helps ensure straight lines when cutting. Place the lumber on a cutting piece in the miter box. Clamp the lumber down so it doesn't move. The line you drew on the wood should line up with one of the cutting grooves in the box. Keep in mind, the longer your saw is, the more times the teeth on said saw will be able to cut through the wood. I prefer using a hand saw because I can stop at any time with far less fear or losing a finger... or hand. For even faster cutting use a power saw.

Miter Box, cutting piece, clamps, saw

There will be four pieces of newly cut lumber with inverted 45degree angles facing the same direction, each 3feet long. With the extra lumber you will cut four more pieces that are eight inches long, also with 45degree inverted corners. The small pieces will support the structure. The supports will help keep the corners at a Right Angle. Some patterns put a support piece through the middle if it is a large canvas.

Corner: 8'' support with two 3' pieces

Arrange the now cut pieces the way they will fit and make sure everything will goes together straight. Staple everything in place, leaving space for the screw to pass through on each corner. I use at two inch screw for this project.

Power drill/Screwdriver with drill bits

Drill holes for screws to fit. Start with a smaller drill bit and work your way up to match the size of the screw being used. Screw together each corner. Only screw each corner once, making sure you have two on the top side and two on the bottom, for appearance. (The Amish way would be to nail a hole into the wood where the screw would go, remove nail, and screw with St.Phillips screwdriver.) If the wood is thicker, like a 2''X2'' thick, more screws can be used going in different directions as long as they do not touch.

Stretcher Frame

When stretching a canvas we can do this the easy way, the hard way, or the super-hard-mega-death way. There are different kinds of canvas that have different textures and thicknesses. Pioneer Paints, in Bakersfield, sometimes has varying textures of canvas, but it is always quality for painting. Some artists use Linen as canvas, it is much thicker and preferred for larger surfaces. Fabric stores usually do not have anything titled "canvas" but you can improvise. If the canvas is wrinkled you can iron it, or if you want to get tricky, wet it before stretching.

When cutting canvas, cut a little piece and tear the rest along the grain all the way across. Be mindful of the selvage side. The selvage side, as indicated by a pattern across the fabric/canvas on one side, is the length that comes out of a loom when the cloth is made; This will indicate which direction of the cloth is more stretchy.

Canvas

First, see which side of the frame is smoother, because staples may stick out. Next, place canvas so it has equal space on each side of the frame. There should be at least two inches extra after wrapping. Staple from middle to one side and do this going around in a circle. With a closer look, the grain of the cloth may be visible, in which case staple evenly along that. Be sure to pull the canvas to make all sides flat. Staple on the back of the wood, not the side; Gallery Wrapped style.
Next, staple from middle to the side in the other direction until all the sides are done, but leave room on the corners for the closing fold. (When stretching multiple times, use shorter staples first so they come out easily. The canvas can be sprayed with water between stretches to make it stiff and can be stretched more when dry.) When doing final stretches, use thicker staples so they will stay (1/2''). MAKE SURE TO LEAVE CORNERS FOR LAST.

Folded Corner

On the last stretch, fold the corner in Hospital-Bed style: Tuck in the flap, pull away from the side being folded on, and fold flat. Staple this in place. Make sure all corners are facing the same way on each side; ie two corners facing right, two corners facing left.

Back of Stretched Canvas

At any time, a canvas can be removed from its stretcher, which is why I only staple the supports to the frame, not screw them (I only screw in the major pieces). Once the canvas is stretched you can begin applying gesso.

Mixing Cup, Brush, Gesso, Stirring Stick

Gesso is used to prepare the surface to paint, when it dries you can use any medium on it (oil paint, watercolor or acrylic). Without gesso the canvas will not absorb paint. Gesso is made of chalk, glue, white pigment and water, however making it from scratch at home would be impractical. It can be like frosting a cake or painting a house, depending on how large the canvas is. The gesso I buy usually has to be thinned so it can be easily spread. It sometimes comes in other colors such as black, but may be more expensive.

I usually use three coats of thinned gesso to cover a surface. Sand the surface between coats, or after, to make it smoother and easier to paint detail work. Be careful; over sanding may cause need for stretching again. To be sure a canvas is completely covered in gesso, hold it up to the light; if there are any tiny holes of light peeking, it needs more gesso.

DO NOT MIX OIL BASED PAINTS WITH WATER BASED PAINTS, THEY WILL DISINTEGRATE THEN EXPLODE.

Notes:

Remember, tools only need to be purchased once, but supplies are things you will buy much more frequently, so think about buying in bulk if you have the cash and storage space. If you are not going to build canvases often, ask a friend if you can borrow their tools.

Michales has gesso, and pre-made canvases for sale. Be sure to get a coupon from Michales.com or the newspaper ad for 40-50% off one item. Michaels accepts coupons on smart phones. Canvas, Stretcher Bars, and gesso can be purchased at larger Artist Supply stores like DickBlick and Utrect. Walmart has some tools available but it is only basics. Be sure to check if the dollar store has basic supplies first.
Building your own canvas is better when making large surfaces; however, it is impractical to make small canvases at home, such as 8''x10.''

Also, if you were wondering, it costs me about $25 in supplies to build at 3'X3' canvas.