MAKING A CANVAS
YOU WILL NEED:
A roll of cotton canvas, stretcher bars and support bars.
- Stretcher Bars (make sure you buy stretchers with a 'lip' - this holds the canvas away from the wood stretcher)
- Support Bars
- Staple Gun
(Make sure you buy a Good professional Staple Gun)
- Wooden Mallet or rubber hammer
- Cloth (old towel)
SUPPLIERS OF STRETCHERS, PLIERS ETC.
Go to the Lion Web site - click
This company supply good products and Trade prices. You can get stretchers, support bars, pliers and staple gun on the web site.
SUPPLIERS OF CANVAS
Whaleys of Bradford - click supply painting canvas.
Make sure you buy the heavyweight canvas - (Cotton Canvas No. 900 (9OZ))
INCIDENTALLY WE HAVE NO AFFILIATION OR COMMISSION FROM ANY SUPPLIER - we are just suggesting companies we use and who have proved good at products and good at service/delivery.
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WE ARE MAKING A VERY LARGE - 195x195CM CANVAS
1st Step. Lay out your stretcher bars on the floor. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE 'LIP' OF EACH OF THE STRETCHERS FACING THE SAME WAY
We need four stretcher bars and four support bars for a canvas this large.
2nd Step. Join two of middle support bars to the top stretcher bar. Use a wooden mallet and a cloth (to protect the wood) to bang the joins home.
3rd Step Join the two support bars to the bottom stretcher
Step 4 Join the top stretcher to a side stretcher
Make sure you bang the joins home to get a solid join.
5th Step Join the other two support bars to the side and top stretcher
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6th Step Join the other side of the support bars to the other side stretcher - whilst joining the side stretcher to the top and bottom (it may help to stand the frame up).
7th Step Bang home all of the joins - with your wooden mallet and a cloth.
8th Step The frame is assembled, it is now time to stretch the canvas onto the frame.
We find it easier, when making a very large canvas (this one is 190x195cm) to stand it up. Drape the canvas over one edge first - make sure it is placed accurately so there is enough canvas all round the edges.
START IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE SIDE
9th Step Pull the canvas very tight with your canvas stretch tool. Put in a staple.
Pull the canvas outwards and downwards along the edge of the frame and staple .
10th Step Lay the stretcher on the floor again and stretch the canvas with your pliers on the opposite side. Staple.
11th Step Stretch the canvas the same way on the other two sides. Staple. |
PRIMING YOUR CANVAS.
Your canvas is made but the material you have put onto the stretcher is not ready for painting on until you have PRIMED it.
A prime is a thick liquid usually called ‘gesso’ or ‘prime’. The prime
insulates the canvas fabric from the paint and will
ensure the fibres of the fabric will not break down and it also
gives a good basis for the paint to adhere.
You apply one layer of prime - a roller or large brush is fine. THEN SAND DOWN WHEN DRY. This is to remove any 'lumpy' application.
You then apply another layer of prime. THE SAND DOWN AGAIN.
Ideally a good canvas will have four or five layers of prime and SAND DOWN AFTER EACH LAYER.
An unprimed hand made canvas - notice the taughtness of the fabric - which is
essential for professional presentation.
The canvas with the start of priming.
The prime is being put on with a roller.
Five layers of prime will be put on the
canvas - each layer of prime is sanded
down, when dry - to ensure a
smooth surface. |
Loxley is probably the cheapest ready bought canvas. You can buy them in large amounts from Ken Bromley - web site
They are cheap canvas and are not really suitable for professional presentation but they are good for practising.
If you want to use them for finished art works, we suggest you prime them again - which will give you a better finish for your art works. |
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There is a multitude of ready made canvas to purchase but you can't beat a hand made canvas.
If you do buy ready made - give them another coat of prime - but try making your own - it won't be a cheap option but it will be a professional option - providing you buy good stretchers and good linen or cotton duck.
You can always identify a good hand made canvas that is well primed. For many artists, making their own canvases is part of the creation process.
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You do not need to 'iron' the fabrice you are using -
linen or the cotton duck if it
has become creased.
The stretching will pull out
the creases. |
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HELPFUL TIP
Give yourself plenty of space and time.
Making a canvas is a time consuming job
but it is worth it.
Prime with as many layers as you can.
Good layers of prime will give a great
look
to your finished art work.
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Ensure you keep the fabric as taught
as possible.
Use a good professional staple gun.
Use a wooden mallet to join your
stretchers and support bars
to ensure
you don't damage the wood |
If you want to learn painting in a professional art studio - or learn to make your own canvases - go here - click
JoeDaisy offer painting days, weekends or weeks and the ability to use the Studio any time.
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SUPPLIERS - REAL WORLD SHOPS
'Atlantis' is one of the best art shops in the UK . It is in East london - Whitechapel. - web site
You can't buy online but you can order a brochure and order by mail order.
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RETAILERS ONLINE - where you can buy with your credit card on the Internet.
Lion - web site (stretchers, pliers etc)
Whaleys of Bradford - web site (canvas)
Ken Bromley - web site (ready made canvas)
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